THE JUNGLES OF SOUTHERN INDIA 147 



shoot at, but I could not risk waiting any longer. The bull 

 dropped, got up again, whipped round and went dead 

 away, my second shot, fired at his stern, having no apparent 

 effect whatever. Pandemonium arose immediately, and 

 the jungle all round was in a turmoil, the noise as the mighty 

 herd stampeded in all directions being terrific. 



We pressed ourselves into the bamboo clump and thus 

 escaped being knocked over by several of the bison who 

 rushed blindly past us. For a few moments the jungle was 

 lashed as if squadrons of giant cavalry were riding ' ' hell for 

 leather " through it in a wild charge. Gradually the thunder 

 of the hooves died down and silence supervened. 



We went forward and soon found blood and proceeded 

 to take up the trail. We followed this for about half a 

 mile and then got out of the dense tree jungle and com- 

 menced to climb a steep hill, on the upper slopes of which 

 the trees opened out considerably. Some twenty of the 

 herd had gradually come together and joined up with the 

 wounded bull. About a mile and a half took us to the top 

 of the hill, and the shikari went forward to prospect. It 

 was by comparison cool up here and I sat down to survey 

 the scene in front. The forest was of a lighter character, 

 interspersed with little glades and dotted with bamboo 

 clumps. Also for the moment we had got rid of one of the 

 curses of these and many other jungles of my acquaintance, 

 the leech. A vile thing is a leech. It works its way through 

 the gaiters or puttees, shoves its head through the sock or 

 stocking, and then fills its repulsive body with one's bloodj 

 The spot attacked irritates, and if it is scratched may fester 

 and produce nasty sores. I think the leech and the tick 

 are two of the worst pests of this nature I have encountered 

 in the course of my wanderings. And I am blessed with a 

 hard skin. To the sensitive-skinned person I tender the 

 advice to keep away from both these pests. But then he 

 must not want to shoot big game in the glorious Indian 

 jungles. 



The shikari was away for a longer time than I had antici- 

 pated. On his return we left the trail and took a short cut 

 a cast ahead, as we say in the hunting-field but the cast 

 in this instance was one of about a mile. I dislike shikaris 

 when they do this sort of thing. It may save time, but also 

 itTmay lose the trail altogether. And by now I had come 

 to like following each stage of the business throughout. In 



