294 BIG GAME SHOOTING 



lately. This was good hearing, so I promptly en- 

 gaged one as a guide, and told him if he only showed 

 me a beast, he should have the whole of the meat, 

 and he agreed that this would suit him admirably. 

 Sure enough the next morning within a mile of my 

 camp we came across a herd, but alas, the cows, of 

 which there were a good many, spoilt my chance by 

 straggling about and getting in the way as they 

 usually do, and they stampeded off without my get- 

 ting a chance at the bull which accompanied them. 

 I went home in despair. The next morning, rather 

 down in my luck, I started off in the opposite direc- 

 tion to the one pursued the day before. The Jungle 

 of Sol, interspersed with cane breaks and clumps of 

 bamboo, was pretty thick in places, and my guide 

 told me that this was just the place for a solitary 

 bull, and showed me his trail more than once as we 

 proceeded, which proved that the beast had frequented 

 the place for some time. I was pottering along, 

 wondering if ever I should get a shot at what I 

 wanted, when suddenly, within 25 yards of me I saw 

 something which sent a thrill down my back. 



What was that imperfectly seen through the cane 

 clumps ? Surely it was the rump of a bison. As I 

 looked the tail gave a flick. At last ! I had my 

 chance. I stood like a statue. I could not see the 

 forepart of him as it was covered by a dense clump 

 of bamboo : I feared to move, for if started, the bull, 

 as I conjectured he was by his size, would be out of 

 sight in a moment. I could just make him out as 

 far as the last rib. Like a flash I remembered the 



