BISON JUNGLES 73 



One day, Mahadeo, who was looking about, came 

 back to say he could see a very big khulgaur, with 

 horns " so long," spreading out his arms as wide 

 as they would go. I went with him and he pointed 

 out a small bull that I would not shoot at. 



Subrao suggested that we should look over the 

 rise in the ground beyond, and Mahadeo and Ganpat 

 went first to show the way. When we had climbed 

 the rise, I saw the backs of a big herd of khulgaur 

 over some scrub, about sixty yards off. The two 

 men were tramping along, not having noticed any- 

 thing. They were small men and I could see over 

 their heads, and was afraid they would go walking 

 along on to the top of the herd and frighten them. So 

 I ran on quickly and kicked them on the calves. 

 That rather astonished, but effectually stopped them, 

 and they dropped down. The place was all in the 

 open, no trees at all, and only a few low bushes 

 growing here and there. 



I crept on a few yards and picked out the biggest 

 and thickest horns I could see and aimed behind 

 the animal's shoulder. It was a thick misty morning 

 and for a few seconds there was nothing to be seen 

 but smoke. When it cleared away I saw the bison 

 sinking to his knees and I fired the second barrel 

 into his back, which I found afterwards had paralysed 

 him behind. There was again smoke which hid 

 everything, and then there came a mighty trampling 

 of animals all round me, and a herd of bison, looming 

 through the cloud, stampeded by. The herd had 

 split up and half passed in front of me and the others 

 behind. 



