362 THE HIGHLANDS OF CENTRAL INDLl. 



reached witliiii about two hundred 3^ards of where the 

 dogs were concealed, when I observed a dun hide 

 ghmce between two bushes, and shortly afterwards the 

 whole herd of sambar filed slowly down the face of the 

 hill. Indecision still swayed them, and, fearing lest 

 they might yet break back, I fired off my rifle ; at the 

 same time a round stone from the beaters rolled down 

 the hill among them, and down they galloped straight 

 for the hounds. The Gonds, in their eagerness, slipped 

 their dogs too soon, and about half the herd broke back 

 through the beaters after all ; the rest took across the 

 plain in the direction of the spur the bears had reached. 

 Shouting to my man to let loose the greyhounds, as 

 the deer were in full view, I started ofl" at the best pace 

 I could muster over such Q:round. Had it not been for 

 my own dogs, the sambar would probably have reached 

 the hills and been safe ; but, as it was, they shot ahead 

 of the Gondi pack, and the sambar, finding they could not 

 make the hills, turned off towards the river. By cutting 

 off an angle here I gained a good deal on the chase, and 

 could see that my hounds, dog and bitch, were well up. 

 The dog is a heavy, powerful, Kampiir hound, while the 

 bitch, more lightly made, has considerably the speed of 

 him. As I came up, she made a gallant rush at the 

 hindmost stag, and, springing at his hocks, deer and 

 dog rolled over together. She wanted power, however ; 

 and, before the dog was up to help her, the stag was 

 up and pegging away as fast as ever. Two or three of 

 the Gondi dogs now joined in at a respectful distance, 

 but going as if they meant something. Shortly after- 

 wards I came up to a deep nahi, and missing the pass 

 by which the deer and dogs had crossed, lost a deal of 

 distance in trying to find it out. Everywhere else the 

 bank was about twenty feet deep, and nearly per- 



