54 THE IMAGE OF WAE 



miles, and my beaters were a good deal more tired 

 than I. I promised myself, however, that I would see 

 the big bull again. 



A long interval occurred before I could keep my 

 word. I got a spell of leave of absence and was off 

 to the hills. At the beginning of November, how- 

 ever, I was back again, and sent the shikari out to 

 ascertain if the herd was still in the neighbourhood. 

 He brought back the news that it was. It happened 

 that just then a young fellow was staying with me 

 who had only arrived a few days before from England, 



or rather from Scotland, his name being Mac . 



He was very anxious to have a chance at the big 

 game. So I sent the shikari back, promising to meet 

 him at the old trysting-place. 



Mac had no rifle ; I lent him one of my pair of 



12 -bores. Next morning we drove out to the ground 

 in a hired tonga, our breakfast following in my bullock- 

 cart, for which I hoped we should have another use 

 before the day was out. 



The herd, we found, were lying in the big jungle. 

 At the first drive we moved them, but the ground 

 was rather more than two guns could cover, and they 

 passed without being seen by either of us. As far as 

 I could make out they had gone towards the hills, 

 rather to the west of the valley where I had stalked 

 them some six weeks before. Here there was a long 

 valley which ran parallel with the edge of the plain, 

 from which it was separated by the main hill. It 

 communicated with the plain by a gorge at right 

 angles to both, which entered the valley about a third 

 of the way up. 



I ordered the shikari to take Mac round to 



