THE TEAK EEGION. 245 



minate in an abrupt descent to the valley. There seemed to 

 be no doubt we Jiad him in a trap if we would only have 

 patience ; for he must either take that header to reach the 

 valley, or charge back along the ridge over our mangled 

 corpses ! He became very cautious as he neared the end, 

 zigzagging across the narrow ridge, and using all his senses to 

 detect the pursuer he evidently suspected. We were slowly 

 roasting on the bare shadeless sheet of basalt that topped the 

 ridge, lying as we had to do prone on it to escape his sight. 

 I would have given a rupee per drop for the contents of our 

 water-sack just then. At last, after what seemed an age, the 

 tall black form of the bull slowly sank over the end of the 

 hill. He was going down, then, after all, and there was 

 nothing for it but a rush. A rush we accordingly made ; 

 but suddenly pulled up, much taken aback, as we saw the 

 bull again emerge and stand in full sight of us, though much 

 covered about the body by scrubby salei stems, on the ex- 

 treme point of the ridge. It was really a most ticklish situa- 

 tion. Had he charged, and our shots failed to stop him, T. 

 might have escaped with a few broken bones by rolling 

 down on his side of T the hill ; but on mine there was a sheer 

 descent of a hundred feet, and the ridge itself offered not the 

 slightest shelter. But we each had a double-barrelled, breech- 

 loading, twelve-bore rifle a battery against which few animals 

 can stand. I saw T. sighting him, and heard the bull emit a 

 low tremulous moan that sounded like mischief. His vitals 

 were protected from me by the salei stems, so I kept my double 

 shot in reserve in case of accidents. The ball thudded against 

 something, as it turned out probably a salei tree ; and the bull at' 

 once disappeared over the edge. We now ran to the spot, and 

 saw him below thundering down the steep hill-side at a tremen- 

 dous pace* Utterly winded by running, and half dead with 



