LOSE SOME GAUR BUT BAG A SEROW 183 



in all probability have been badly mauled. If I had had an 

 elephant it would have been an easy matter to rout him out. 

 My hunters were very much astonished to see the supposed 

 sambur change into a tiger. 



While returning to camp the same evening, strolling 

 listlessly along ahead of my men, I suddenly came face to face 

 with a herd of gaur. I was never so utterly disgusted with 

 myself, for I had not a rifle with me ; a huge bull, which was 

 standing some twenty paces off, sounded the alarm with a 

 terrific snort, and the whole herd thundered away with a 

 crash through the jungle at a tremendous pace, the deep 

 thud, thud of their hoofs being audible for some time. 



The stampede of a startled herd of gaur through bamboo 

 jungle, once heard will never be forgotten, so terrific is the 

 noise. The loud whistling snort of alarm emitted by an 

 old .solitary bull, standing 19 or -20 hands at the shoulder, 

 when heard at close quarters for the first time by a sportsman, 

 is grand, and fills him at the time with an indescribable 

 mixed feeling of fear and awe. I made a vow from that 

 hour I would never walk anywhere where there was the 

 least likelihood of coming across game, without having a 

 rifle of some sort in my hand. I had, moreover, good reason 

 to congratulate myself on having my 8-bore in my hands 

 half-an-hour later. As we were nearing camp, I had not 

 expected to see any game, and was talking in a low tone to 

 Moung Hpe, when a slight noise in the jungle ahead attracted 

 our attention, and almost immediately after a dark-coated 

 animal, which I at first took for a young gaur or sambur, 

 passed in front of us at a quick walk, apparently quite 

 regardless of our presence. I immediately fired for the 

 shoulder, the bullet taking effect rather low down, breaking 

 the leg. The goat, for it turned out to be a serow or Burmese 

 goat antelope, the Nemorh&dus sumatrensis, on receiving 

 the shot, uttered two or three shrill screams and made a most 

 determined charge straight down the hill towards me, evidently 

 intent on getting at me. I had, in fact, to jump to one side 

 and deliver a second shot before it fell. Even then it seemed 

 to be very tenacious of life, for it struggled hard, and butted 

 right and left with its horns whenever we tried to get near it 



