Antlers 



front of us though, or go up to the rifles on our 

 right or left ? Many of us have passed these 

 anxious moments, for sambhar are kittle cattle ! 

 Often one will be on the point of breaking out, or 

 even does just partly emerge from the forest, when 

 his heart misgives him. Turning swiftly, he 

 charges back towards the beaters, suddenly 

 realizes that he is going from the frying-pan into 

 the fire, swerves and plunges madly down through 

 the forest parallel to the edge of the jungle, and 

 then finally, hardening his heart, as the sound of 

 the beaters strikes his ear more loudly, comes out 

 and goes bounding across the open. Sometimes 

 the loss of a shot at him has been entirely our own 

 fault. He has come quietly down in front of the 

 beaters to the edge of the forest. We may have 

 heard a tiny twig or two crack, but as dead silence 

 has ensued we have concluded that there is nothing 

 in front of us, and certainly not a thing the size of 

 a sambhar. But he has been there all the time, just 

 inside the forest watching and listening. We have 

 shifted slightly perhaps, or moved the rifle which 

 has glinted in the sunshine. The sambhar's quick 

 eye has caught the glint, and his suspicions are 

 aroused. Nothing will now make him break at 

 that point, and our chance is gone. On other 

 occasions it is simply pure fear and the dislike 

 to breaking into the open of a wide nullah which 

 will make him turn. Such we fain hope is the 

 cause on this occasion, for he breaks away below 



27 



