BISON JUNGLES 77 



They sat on every blade of grass with their heads 

 outstretched, ready to cling to anything eatable that 

 came their way. The Indians were so much afraid 

 of them that they would never travel alone along 

 jungle paths : so the shikari said. They were afraid, 

 if they sat down to rest, that they might fall alseep 

 and be blood-sucked to death. 



The evening I arrived I went out with Laximan, 

 the shikari. Later, when Kundi was pulling off 

 my gaiters, he gave a cry of dismay and I saw my 

 socks covered with blood and several long fat leeches 

 lying on the ground. There were several more on 

 my feet. I asked how I was to get them off. Hus- 

 sein, who was a real jungle man, said it was quite 

 easy, " like this." He put some very black tobacco 

 in his mouth, chewed it up and pointed to his foot, 

 saying, " Suppose the jonk is on this place." And 

 then he spit at his raised foot and got the very spot ! 

 I was not so expert as this, so Kundi applied tobacco 

 juice, otherwise distilled, and salt, and they soon 

 dropped off. But dealing with leeches was child's 

 play after ticks. 



Wandering through the jungle one afternoon, 

 we heard something moving, and Hussein made out 

 a bison he called them kulga behind some bam- 

 boos. He said that he could not see his horns well, 

 but that as he was solitary he must be a big one. 

 I went on alone a little way, and the animal heard me, 

 for he snorted and stamped. I thought I could see 

 his horns and that he was standing facing me, so 

 I crawled on to where I could get a clear shot at 

 his breast. He bellowed angrily at the shot. I 



