Jungle By- Ways in India 



shot at about 40 yards, and see if I could not 

 settle the matter. I told the men to stay where 

 they were, and started off. As I cautiously made 

 my way through the grass tussocks with my eye 

 on the bull, I slipped, and in the stumble forward 

 took my eye off the bison to look at my feet. 

 I halted, holding my breath. No sound from the 

 bull, and I looked round. Yes, there he was, or 

 rather the great black hump. Another 30-40 

 yards and suddenly I saw the bison to my left, 

 and much nearer than I had thought he was. I 

 dropped down, and took a survey of the position. 

 The black hump I had been watching so care- 

 fully was an outcrop of black rock, having much 

 the shape of the hump of the bull. I remembered 

 now having noticed it whilst I lay trying to flatten 

 myself in the grass at an earlier trying period of 

 that morning. The bull had not seen me, and I 

 crawled snakewise to the tree and got behind it. 

 Yes, the bison was certainly very sick ; but his 

 unwearying gaze was still fixed on our side of the 

 maidan, and his ears were still thrown forward. 

 He still looked as if he had a charge in him. I 

 glanced back to see how far the forest was, and 

 what line of retreat I should take, and then turned 

 and slowly raised the rifle. I brought it down 

 again with a muttered exclamation. The bull had 

 suddenly rolled over on his side, or so I imagined, 

 for as I was sighting on him, his head fell side- 

 ways and the body disappeared. I was too sur- 



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