THE NARBADA VALLEY. 65 



country. His favourite haunt was a wide grassy plain, 

 intersected here and there by dry watercourses, up which 

 I had many a weary crawl, ventre a terre. I soon found 

 out his usual feeding and drinking places ; and observed 

 that to reach the latter he almost daily crossed a deepish 

 dry nullah about the same place. This struck me as 

 affording the means of circumventing him, so I took up 

 my position in the nullah ; but as luck would have it, 

 my buck took his water in some other direction for the 

 next two days. Many other herds of antelope constantly 

 passed within easy shot of where I was ensconced ; but 

 not until I was almost giving up hope on the third day, 

 and was taking a last sweep of the plain with my 

 binocular, did the well-known form of the master buck 

 greet my vision, as he slowly wound his way with his 

 two inseparable companions towards the pool to which 

 he had watched so many of his species passing and 

 repassing in safety. 



"The wind was favourable, and the buck came 

 steadily on till he arrived within a long rifle shot of 

 where I was posted. Here he suddenly threw up his 

 head, and, after standing at gaze for a few moments, 

 turned sharp to the left and started off at a canter for a 

 pass in the nullah, about a quarter of a mile from where 

 I was. I knew he could neither have seen nor smelt me, 

 and was at a loss to account for his sudden panic till, on 

 turning round in disgust, there was the cause behind 

 me, in the shape of a small parcel of does, which had 

 evidently been returning from the water, but, having 

 discovered my unprotected rear, were now pulled up in 

 a body, and staring at me with an air which had tele- 

 graphed the state of affairs to the old buck in an 

 unmistakable manner. I felt very much inclined to 



