THE TEAK KEGION. 249 



fired both barrels at him as he lay, which is always a mistake, 

 the vital regions being then greatly shielded by the enormous 

 development of the shoulder and dorsal ridge. He sprang up 

 and plunged away across our front, swerving round towards us 

 in a fashion that made the Bheels take to their heels. On 

 receiving my shots, however, he turned again ; and, executing 

 a most extraordinary series of plunges, with his head between 

 his fore-legs and hind-quarters and tail in the air, disappeared 

 down a small ravine. We were soon up, and followed along 

 the side. I was rather ahead, and found him lying very 

 sick in the bottom of the hollow. When he perceived me he 

 staggered up and shook his horns in a threatening manner ; 

 but it was all up with the poor brute, and a shot in the neck 

 rolled him over finally on his back. I think if our yester- 

 day's bull had been as viciously inclined as this fellow we 

 might have had more of it than we bargained for on that 

 narrow ledge. 



We had to return next day to the station, and bid adieu to 

 these singular hills. The hot season was fairly on, when no one 

 can long endure the exertion of hunting on foot the sdmbar and 

 bison in hilly country. My readers will probably think I have 

 described to them but poor sport compared to what they have 

 often read of before. It is so easy to throw in half a dozen 

 bull bison in a day's sport by a stroke of the pen that the 

 temptation to meet the wishes of the reader is difficult to. 

 resist. I have, however, stuck to the exact facts of a by no 

 means heavy bag, on purpose to give a more accurate idea of 

 what such shooting really means namely very hard work 

 and much exposure for an average of certainly not more than 

 one head of game a day, and often much less. One of the 

 hardest workers and best shots I ever knew, who had only time 

 for a few weeks' bison and s^mbar shooting in the year and 



