50 THE IMAGE OF WAE 



As I wanted a skin for my collection, I crouched 

 down behind a bush and waited. On they came till 

 I could count them. There were no less than twelve. 

 As they got near me one of them raised himself half 

 out of the water, as if to reconnoitre, and I shot him. 



Silence followed the echoing report, but in a few 

 minutes I could hear the others whistling and calling 

 far up the tank. 



After dinner we started for home in the most 

 brilliant moonlight, which made the road, or rather 

 track, as clear as daylight would have done. The 

 driver had previously made inquiries about his route, 

 so we had no difficulty in finding our way this time. 

 An hour later we were at home. 



One morning my shikari returned from an expedi- 

 tion in search of game. I may remark that most of 

 these expeditions in search of game are apocryphal, 

 the shikari merely spending two or three days in the 

 bosom of his family, and trusting to bazaar rumours 

 for news of game. 



" Well," I said, '' where have you been ? " 



" Danta jungles, sahib." 



" What khuhher (intelligence) have you brought ? " 



^^ Bot nilghai hai, sahib, ek hurra hyle hai." (There 

 are many nylghai there, sahib, there is one big bull.) 



Accordingly, having discussed my early tea, I 

 mounted my horse and cantered off to the rendez- 

 vous, which was only some four miles away. Here 

 I found the shikari and his beaters, some of whom 

 had seen the bull, accompanied by four cows, leaving 

 the jungle at daylight. They had entered a jungle- 

 covered valley in the mountain, from which they had 

 not been seen to emerge. No doubt they would lie 

 up there for the day. 



