BLUE BULL STALKING. 45 



the regiment, look forward to the day of rest and to 

 the "soldier's holiday." 



I had worked all the neighbouring jungles and 

 plains that I knew of, and was just wondering how 

 I could manage to get four or five days' leave to open 

 a campaign against a " very large tiger " (they always 

 are " very large " till they are shot), which had been 

 reported to me at a place on the railway about a 

 hundred miles away, when a remark of our quarter- 

 master's put an idea into my head. 



"Ever been to Bir?" he asked, and on my 

 replying in the negative he proceeded to describe it as 

 a sort of earthly paradise, and yet only five miles 

 distant from barracks. This was good enough for me 

 if there was only something to be shot, so I sent my 

 shikari off to ascertain. In a day or two he returned 

 and reported plenty of nilghai in the Forest Reserve, 

 near the bungalow. 



Nilghai are not considered very high class game in 

 India as a rule, but they very frequently provide un- 

 commonly good sport in British Territory. In the 

 Native States they are ridiculously tame, and more- 

 over the shooting them is very likely to lead to serious 

 trouble with the villagers. In case they may not be 

 familiar to some of my readers (and last time I 

 visited the Zoological Gardens the Society had only 

 a calf there) I propose to give some account of 

 them. 



The nylghau is the largest of Asiatic antelopes, 

 being only approached in size by the rare oryx, which 

 frequents the Arabian desert. In fact, it is the largest 



