The Gaur. 17 



alongside the barricade, and this prevented their 

 charging it, otherwise they would have speedily 

 liberated themselves. As it was, they continued t > 

 charge and fight like demons, amidst the yells and 

 cheers of the excited crowd, until at nightfall ten 

 of the noble beasts lay dead or dying. Two more 

 succumbed during the night, and it was a pitiable 

 sight next morning to see the twelve survivors all 

 jaded and gory, utterly exhausted, but still vicious 

 and ' game/ ' Ultimately these twelve survivors, 

 by being driven in single file down a narrow alley 

 about five feet wide between strong fences erected 

 for the purpose, were safely caged and floated on 

 strong bamboo rafts down the river to Pekan, the 

 capital of Pahang, and one of them the animal 

 now in the Zoo was presented to Sir C. C. Smith, 

 the Governor of the Straits Settlements, by whom 

 it has been sent to England. 



The gaur, which extends its range from Hindo- 

 stan through the Indo-Chinese countries to the 

 Malay Peninsula, is the largest and fiercest of wild 

 cattle, and is said to be not only untamable, but so 

 fierce that it will hold its own against the tiger. It 

 grrows to an enormous height, bulls measuring 

 eighteen hands at the withers being apparently not 

 uncommon ; and specimens have been recorded, 011 

 the authority of well-known sportsmen, which far 

 exceeded even this great height. For example, 

 one killed by Mr. Ditmas stood not less than 

 20 hands S^in., or 6ft. ll^in., at the withers; and 

 as, like the well-known gayal, it has a ridge running 



c 



