THE SAL FOEESTS. 395 



was off. Stepping on to the bank, I made a clean miss 

 of the first running shot ; but, taking more time with 

 the second barrel, I saw the hindmost stag reel and 

 almost fall over to the shot. He made off, however, 

 along with the herd ; but presently left them, and took 

 a line of his own towards the long grass-cover in the 

 middle of the plain. I soon hit on his track where he 

 had entered the grass, and found a little blood ; but as 

 the grass was a long way over my head, I sent back for 

 the elephant with which to beat him out. Following 

 the blood-marks on the yellow stems for about a mile, 

 we started him out of a patch of grass near the river, 

 and I shot him through the back as he ran away. 



The next day, being encamped at Topla, in the 

 centre of a wide valley among the sal forest, I went 

 out in the afternoon towards the Halon river. Here 

 the country was open and prairie-like, short grass 

 plains, dotted with clumps of sal, intervening between 

 the heavier masses of forest. The river was very bright 

 and clear, running over a pebbly bed. I took out 

 two young half-bred hounds, between the Eampur breed 

 and the Scotch deerhound, in the hope of getting them 

 a run at a wounded red deer, as they were as yet 

 guiltless of blood. Their mother, and the bull mastiff 

 " Tinker," of wolf renown, accompanied to help them in 

 the kill. A couple of lithe blacks, and nearly naked 

 Bygas, with their war-axes, guided the party. We 

 wandered a good many miles in the early afternoon 

 without coming on game, but I, at least, was gratified 

 by the delightful park-like scenery. About four o'clock, 

 by the advice of the Bygas, we sat down on a little 

 eminence crowned by a clump of sal trees, to watch 

 for deer coming out to drink or feed. Very soon a 

 good-sized herd suddenly appeared in the middle of 



