Jungle By-Ways in India 



got into the open scrub again, and to our right the 

 hills appeared towering up amongst the masses 

 of slowly writhing cloud. 



The effects given by the play of the morning 

 light upon this panorama of hill and slowly 

 rolling vapour were very beautiful. 



To me 



High mountains are a feeling, but the hum of human 

 cities torture. 



We had now picked up the tracks of the herd, 

 not the small one of eight we had come to seek, 

 but of a much larger one, known to comprise 

 some thirty animals, amongst which was a good 

 old bull, which had been seen in the locality a few 

 days before. These tracks were quite fresh, 

 evidently made during the night, and we held 

 on our way in the utmost silence. Owing to the 

 sodden state of the jungle, stalking was by no 

 means difficult, but every now and then a twig 

 drier than the rest would get beneath one's feet 

 and go off like a pistol-shot, and the large thorns 

 of the slender side branches of the giant bamboo 

 were a never-ending source of annoyance. Did 

 one stoop ever so low, even to assuming the 

 derogatory position of all fours, a sharp-pointed 

 spike would be sure to be ready to catch one 

 exactly in the centre of the back, and it required 

 considerable self-restraint not to give vent to 

 audible maledictions. Or an unusually deep, 



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