158 WILD SPORTS OF BURMA AND ASSAM 



it got away into bamboo jungle. I then made two good shots, 

 and rolled over a couple of sambur. I saw lots of marks of 

 gaur and some tsine in the distance. Got to camp at twelve 

 the heat awful. I went out in the evening, but only got 

 rather a fine hog deer with the best horns I ever saw. Water 

 is very scarce. Numbers of sambur lying about dead of some 

 disease. 



May 5. I made straight for the Gna-Eein, and saw during 

 the day seven gaur, three buffaloes, a tiger, a boar, and 

 numbers of various deer. Near Zelokee a gaur got up, but 

 too far off to fire at. When near the tangled jungle I saw 

 three gaur go along and lie down under some trees, so got off 

 and told Shoayjah to stop there till he heard me fire. I took 

 Moung Wine with me ; when I reached the point where I 

 expected to find the kine, they were gone! Looking round 

 for the cause, I found Shoayjah quietly seated in my howdah 

 close behind ; he had of course frightened the beasts off. I 

 was in a rage, and gave Shoayjah something not to do the 

 like again, and made him trudge on foot after us the greater 

 part of the day. In half-an-hour I again saw a gaur, but 

 could not get within gunshot. The heat was awful the sun 

 like a fiery furnace not a breath of air and no water I did 

 not feel amiable. The mahouts were clamorous for water for 

 themselves and their beasts, but there was none near. I had 

 just descended one bank of a nullah and ascended the opposite, 

 when I saw a very large bull staring me in the face not more 

 than ten or at the most fifteen paces off. I took a careful aim 

 with the two-groove Lang, but as I pulled the trigger the gaur 

 threw up his head, swerved, and ran about 30 yards. I 

 again fired, and then he lay down. I went up with a new 

 breech-loading rifle, which Westley Richards had just made 

 for me ; as he jumped up and attempted to run across, I 

 gave him the contents of both barrels, and he fell dead. 

 He was within a half-inch . of 7 feet at the shoulder. I 

 could not see a shot-mark on his forehead, and the shikarie 

 declared I had missed with my first shot, but that I could 

 scarcely credit. On opening his mouth to extract the tongue, 

 we found the bullet had gone up the right nostril, leaving no 

 external mark, and had lodged in the neck at the back of the 



