138 Leaves from an Indian Jungle. 



Not catching sight of me as I sat behind my thick tree- 

 trunk, and imagining I suppose that my disappearing 

 henchman was the only cause of the human taint he had 

 perceived, the bull moved slowly forwards till a distance 

 of only some twenty paces separated us. A fine sight ; his 

 noble, solemn countenance crowned by the curly white 

 yellow hair that grew on his forehead between the spread- 

 ing horns. Suddenly sighting me he again halted and, 

 staring fixedly, snorted sharply. I remained perfectly 

 motionless however, and after a few more whistling snorts, 

 and stamps of his fore foot, he began edging round the 

 tree which I carefully kept between us. This sort of game 

 went on for some time, the bull never much more than thirty 

 yards away, after which, having described the best part of 

 a circle round me and my tree, he turned away after indulg- 

 ing a prolonged stare, and the ridge of his great dark 

 chocolate coloured back disappeared behind some long grass. 

 Following him, gingerly, I suddenly started back on seeing 

 him again facing me ; and, this time, thought that he really 

 meant business. Nothing would have given me greater 

 pleasure than to have knocked him over, but for the 



feeling that it might be a disappointment to K , who 



deserved the shot for which he had worked so hard in vain. 

 I also reflected that a preserved bison had been shot 

 by a sportsman, not very far from here, in order to save 

 his life ; and that the plea of self-defence, which he had 

 urged, had been accepted with anything but a good 

 grace. Stifling my natural impulses therefore, I gently 

 retreated, keeping the bull in sight, and longing for the 

 arrival of my companion. The end of it was that the 

 gaur went thundering down a steep hillside towards the 



main ravine just before K V arrival. He was not 



found again. 



