96 WILD SPORTS OF BURMA AND ASSAM 



after the annual fires, when the new grass has sprung up, they 

 descend to the forests lining their base. They feed during the 

 night and early morning, and also in the cool of the evenings, 

 but during the heat of the day they retire to the deep forests ; 

 or if gadflies are very troublesome they force their way into 

 the heaviest elephant grass they can find, and lie there to avoid 

 their tormentors. 



The wind being favourable, they are not difficult to approach 

 on an elephant, because they see them roaming about so often 

 in the vast plains which are their joint homes. I never saw 

 one in Burma charge an elephant, but I did see something of 

 the sort in the Nirmal jungles when I was a youngster, but I 

 have heard of their doing so. Sportsmen following up a 

 wounded solitaire, have occasionally been killed. 



Now and then if frightened they run amuk. A herd in 

 the Goalparah district, moving from one locality to another, 

 found themselves in the vicinity of a village, and the plain 

 dotted about with natives. Whether they thought they were 

 being surrounded or what, I do not know, but they charged 

 the people right and left, and killed several and wounded many 

 others. One man I saw in the dispensary had scarce a whole 

 bone in his body. I forget whether he lived or died, but 

 natives do make wonderful recoveries. It is best to start 

 after them before daybreak, and try to get them before they 

 retire to their strongholds. The solitary bulls are the best 

 worth seeking ; they are larger and older beasts, and have the 

 best heads. 



When alarmed, their enormous strength enables a herd to 

 crash through bamboo and forest, knocking down everything 

 of a moderate size. Often, when disturbed suddenly, they will 

 gallop forward for about 50 yards, then pull up, turn round, 

 snorting and staring at the intruder, and then go off for good. 

 Once I came across a herd of about sixty at the foot of the 

 Yomahs on the Sittang side, and a prettier sight cannot be 

 conceived. There were stupendous bulls, graceful cows, pretty 

 calves, all peacefully grazing on the short, crisp, succulent 

 young grass. When they saw me they snorted, stamped after 

 the manner of deer with their fore-feet, and then went off. I 

 jumped off the elephant, but I had been wet through for five 



