Jungle By-Ways in India 



and bolted. The low jungle was fairly thick, but 

 I fired. We both rushed madly forward. It will 

 have been gathered that I was a tyro at the game, 

 and Bishu had completely lost his head. Fear 

 and he were strangers. The bison had plunged 

 ahead at the shot, and we dropped into a small 

 offshoot nullah, hoping that if badly wounded 

 it would cross this higher up. In this we were 

 disappointed, and at Bishu's insistence we re- 

 turned to the spot where the bison had stood as I 

 fired. This we found to be no yards from my 

 own position, but I had little to be proud of at 

 missing. 



What a glorious beast he was as I first got sight 

 of him ! A grand head with massive horns glisten- 

 ing almost white in the sunlight, and a black 

 glossy coat which shone like the satin coat of 

 some blue-blooded racehorse. On reaching the 

 spot where he had stood, we commenced searching 

 for blood. Bishu maintained I had hit an inter- 

 vening twig and gone above the bison. I hoped 

 not, but after a careful search I was forced to 

 allow I had missed. 



Of course, I was eager to follow up. I was told 

 it was useless, but it was unlikely that young hot 

 blood and ignorance would listen to this. It was 

 about 2 p.m. when I fired at the bull. We followed 

 his tracks for about 2\ hours. The shikaris then 

 gave it up and said it was useless going on, the 

 more so that the trail led in the opposite direction 



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