FOLLOWING THE BULL. 257 



The leading animals were all cows or young bulls ; two fine black bulls, 

 a perfect pair, brougbt up the rear. I waited to see if there were any better 

 ones to come, but as there were not I gave the last a ball through his ribs, 

 but rather too far back ; and with a second shot, broke his off hind-leg 

 at the hock-joint, in which I afterwards found the ball sticking, though 

 fired with such a large charge of powder. He kept on, and I sank down 

 too tired to give chase, my ears singing through weakness and the heavy 

 discharge of the rifle. The trackers followed the bull for about a mile, 

 when they rejoined us, and we returned to camp. As he was on three legs 

 we felt certain of finding him in the morning, even if the body-shot did not 

 kill him before that time. 



Next morning I felt comparatively well again ; I had slept soundly all 

 night, and felt strong enough to walk some distance. It is astonishing 

 how quicldy the feeling of languor induced by fever and ag^ie frequently 

 leaves one. 



We took up the bull's tracks from where the Sholagas had left them 

 last evening. Further on he had left the herd and lain down by himself — a 

 good sign. We followed fast till we got to a suspicious patch of long grass, in 

 a dip, and one of the trackers climbed a few feet up a small tree to see into 

 it ; at least he ivalJced up the tree with his hands and feet, as natives do not 

 climb as we do. I have often astonished jungle-men by swarming up 'trees 

 which, owing to their being thick and smooth, and offering no foot-hold, 

 they could not themselves climb. One of my elephant-hunting Kurrabas 

 once said, " We have often thought what was to become of Budhi (the In- 

 carnation of Wisdom — myself !) if an elephant chased us ; but we see it is 

 we who will have to look out for ourselves, not our lord ! " 



The tracker immediately signed that the bull was lying down in the 

 grass, and at tliis moment he jumped to his feet a few yards off. I could 

 only see the tips of his horns, and he could not make us out. No one 

 stirred, or he would doubtless have charged, being so close, and in a few 

 seconds he turned and made off. It was fortunate he did not charge the 

 sapling the tracker was on ; had he done so, the latter would have been shot 

 out of it like an arrow from a bow. 



The bull now took to some elephant-paths, but the grass was short, so 

 we could follow without wasting time in precautions. In going down a 

 hillside one tracker stepped aside and thrust his arm into a hole in a tree, 

 from which, amidst a swarm of small bees, he drew several pieces of honey- 

 comb in layers ; these he broke up and we all ate some, and left the rest on 

 our track for the men who were following with ropes, &c. At last we 

 caught up the bull in a fine open wood ; he was about sixty yards away. 



