412 THE HIGHLANDS OF CENTEAL INDIA. 



when a tremendous bound of my little nag nearly 

 unseated me, and we just escaped the long pointed 

 horns of a lean brute of a cow that shot past my quarter, 

 and then pulled up beyond me, shaking her head and 

 looking very wicked indeed. I sheered off, and let her 

 proceed to rejoin the herd, giving her a broadside of two 

 laarrels as she passed, which was followed by another 

 end-on charge for several hundred yards. Eventually 

 she went off again towards the retreating herd ; but, 

 though the ground had now become very bad, cut up in 

 all directions by deep rifts in the black soil and pitted by 

 the old footmarks of the buffaloes, I was not going to 

 decline the challenge of this fighting cow. So after 

 reloading my breech-loader, which was a very light 

 snipe gun pressed into ball service, and wholly unfit 

 for this sort of work, I cantered after her, and, when 

 within distance, made a rush past, intending to fire into 

 her at close quarters. But she was too quick for me, 

 and we almost met, my gun going ofi", I believe harm- 

 lessly, in her face. I had another narrow shave as she 

 again charged me, the little horse stumbling heavily 

 several times in the frightful ground. Again she 

 sheered off, and once again I rode up, though not so 

 close as before, and gave her both barrels, holding the 

 gun out like a pistoL She felt these, and, though 

 shaking her head in a threatening manner, did not 

 charge again. She now held on slowly behind the 

 herd ; and as I felt I could not kill her with this 

 weapon, I waited behind, hoping she would lie down 

 and the heavy rifles come up. Presently she slackened 

 her pace to a walk, and I watched her from behind a 

 bush. Peeriijg cautiously all round, she went on a little 

 further, and then, after standing about five minutes 

 watching, lay down in the long grass. I marked the 



