BULLET AND SHOT 



incident will be related elsewhere, but I will 

 mention that of the bison before closing the subject 

 of bison shooting, as it is a somewhat remarkable 

 instance of the way in which wild animals are apt 

 to occasionally run into the very danger which they 

 are trying to avoid. 



I had gone out early, and had encountered and 

 fired at the before-mentioned tusker elephant (who 

 escaped), when we came across the tracks of a 

 solitary bull bison. After following these for some 

 distance, we found a form in which he had been 

 lying, his open hoof -marks leading therefrom 

 indicating that he had galloped away in great 

 alarm, having evidently got our wind before we 

 had approached sufficiently near to hear his pre- 

 cipitate rush. 



Now a stern chase of this description is likely 

 to be a protracted one, for an old solitary bull, who 

 has doubtless been frequently fired at during the 

 course of his long life, is usually very cunning ; 

 and although bison, if alarmed early in the day, 

 before they have had time to lie down and to chew 

 the cud, may, if pursued, be come up with again 

 and again, yet if the same animals be seriously 

 alarmed after they have had time to perform this 

 highly necessary function, they may frequently 

 be followed in vain till evening. 



In this case, the bull kept to the thickest cover 

 which he could find, and the hunt was a long and 

 weary one. At last, however, we emerged upon 

 a large extent of very open forest, beyond which 

 lay the Mysore - Sultan's Battery Government 



66 



