374 RIFLE AND ROMANCE 



Followed on in the direction they had taken. Saw some 

 gaona, or red deer. Going up the side of a small hill I 

 threw two men on opposite sides of a ravine in case of 

 bears. 



" On reaching the top found high grass all about, and 

 was looking about when up sprang a fine bull bison and 

 dashed off. I had a snap shot and fired too high ; but as 

 I fired he threw up his head and gave a moan. I followed 

 the tracks and found that he soon stopped running. After 

 going about half a mile I put him up out of a ndla^ and 

 saw by the slow way he went up the opposite side that he 

 was badly hit. Fired two shots as he went away, both of 

 which took effect. I then tracked him by his blood for a 

 full mile with great difficulty, as his track was barely per- 

 ceptible. At last in some thin jungle up he got, and went 

 away hard again. Hitting him with a ball from the big 

 rifle (muzzle-loader), he walked into the open and stood 

 looking very sick below a big mhowa tree. At last he sat 

 down, this last run having done for him, for although he 

 got up and looked very mischievous, he fortunately had 

 not a charge left in him, or at one time it would have been 

 ugly work. Going up behind him the first ball from the 

 small rifle had no effect, but at one from the big single- 

 barrel he slept with his fathers. A very fine bull indeed, 

 not aged, but with very fine horns. Cut off his head and 

 tail and walked home. 



" Went out in the evening after chital, of which there 

 are very large numbers here to the south of the river and 

 falls. At some distance from the village shot two fine 

 spotted bucks and could have got more." 



"April i6th. Sent off kit to M gaon, and went out 



at 3 a.m. to the pond again. As I approached it heard a 

 herd of buffaloes run off through the mud. At dawn I 

 took up the tracks. After a while we sighted a herd in 

 another direction, and they turned out to be bison. We 

 went round a long way to circumvent them, and came 



