12 WILD SPORTS OF BURMA AND ASSAM 



broadside on, which had escaped my notice before. I gave 

 this the shoulder-shot with the remaining barrel of my rifle. 

 This one bolted off, and the first one, wounded, picked himself 

 up, joined the other, and they both galloped down the hillside. 

 One fell at the bottom of the hill, but picked himself up 

 again. There was lots of blood, and I hoped to come upon 

 one of the brutes, at least, lying down or dead. The fellow I 

 had as a tracker was the best I have ever met with out of the 

 Wynaad jungle ; he held back when we got to some very thick 

 brushwood and bamboos, and kept climbing trees to see if any- 

 thing could be seen ahead. However, he seemed satisfied 

 when I put my rifle over his head, and he saw that he had 

 nothing to do but to spring back or aside, if the animal charged, 

 for me to receive it. 



" Twice we came upon one of the wounded ones, but not 

 close enough for me to get a shot, the jungle was so dense ; 

 and after having followed for I can't say how many miles, 

 were obliged to give it up and make tracks homeward, and a 

 precious long distance I found it too, and got drenched to the 

 skin before I got back. I was pretty certain that the muzzle- 

 sight of my rifle had got shifted, and so, before reaching home, 

 I tried the weapon, and found that both barrels threw con- 

 siderably to the left. So I think very probably, that instead of 

 hitting behind the shoulder, I struck the brute on the shoulder ; 

 and the other one, instead of on the chest, on the point of 

 the shoulder, which caused it to fall, though not much hurt. 



" Two days afterwards I saw vultures sailing away in that 

 direction, so the probability is that one, if not both, of the brutes 

 died, though I was no gainer thereby. My last day now 

 arrived, for though leeches, gadflies, and ticks were endured, 

 with what anathemas I will not say, the rain was now 

 coming down in torrents, and to shoot much longer was 

 impossible, especially as all the carriage I had was a bandy 

 (cart), which in a few days would have been unable to return, 

 as the nullahs would be full and the country flooded. 



" I went out before daylight to catch the gaur grazing. I 

 came upon two, not 20 yards from me, and, as they did not 

 see me, I got a cool pot at one, and my favourite shot behind 

 the ribs. Away they went into some dense rattan and thorny 



