66 THE HIGHLANDS OF CENTRAL INDIA. 



found very far from cultivation, which they visit regularly 

 every night. When little fired at, the blue bull is very easily 

 approached and shot. It is very poor eating, and affords no 

 trophy worth taking away, so that it is not much sought after 

 by the sportsman. The beginner, however, who is steadying 

 his nerves, or the inventor who wants a substantial target for 

 a new projectile, will find them very accessible and convenient. 

 The blue bull is an awkward, lumbering, stupid brute ; and it 

 is highly ludicrous to observe the air of self-satisfaction with 

 which a blockhead of a bull, who has allowed you to walk up 

 within fifty yards of him, will blunder off to the other side of 

 a nala, then turn round and stand still within easy range of 

 your rifle, and look as if he thought himself a very clever 

 fellow indeed for so thoroughly outwitting you. He is a 

 favourite quarry with the unenterprising Mahomedan gentle- 

 man. The antelope his style of dress and powers of locomo- 

 tion do not allow him to approach ; the rugged ground and 

 thorny underwood prohibit his succeeding with the forest 

 deer ; the tiger he likes not the look of, and the pig he may 

 not touch ; so he gets him into a bullock cart, and is driven 

 within a few paces of an unsuspecting blue bull, whose 

 carcase, when shot and duly cut in the throat after the rules 

 of his faith, makes for him the beef which his soul loveth. 

 Awkward and inactive as he looks, however, the blue bull 

 when fairly pushed to his speed will give a good horse as 

 much as he can do to overhaul him. It is in vain to attempt 

 it in or near the jungle ; but if you can succeed in getting at 

 him when he has a mile or two to go across the open plain, 

 a real good run may be had with the spear. I have never 

 heard of a blue bull attempting to charge when brought to 

 bay, in which respect therefore the sport of riding them is 

 inferior to pig-sticking. 



