374 WILD SPORTS OF BURMA AND ASSAM 



round and visit neighbouring bamboo jungles and likely 

 covers for solitary bulls, and promised twenty rupees to the 

 man who first brought me " kubber " of a solitary tusker 

 elephant, ten rupees for information of a solitary gaur, and 

 five rupees for a solitary bull tsine. This should always be 

 done if you have men to spare. Three or four of them 

 should always be sent out in different directions, with the 

 promise of a reward should they come upon tracks, solitary 

 bulls preferred. 



On arriving at the ridge I saw at a glance, to my utter 

 astonishment, that the bull I had alarmed with my shot a few 

 days ago had apparently only just passed on his way back to 

 his old feeding-grounds. It was a great piece of luck, and I 

 felt quite proud to think that in spite of my hunters' non- 

 belief regarding the return of the bull, my prediction had, 

 after all, been correct. 



While we were examining the tracks a herd of tsine, some 

 thirty in number, thundered past us at a distance of about 

 30 yards. They had been startled in some unaccountable 

 manner, probably by crossing our tracks somewhere in our 

 rear. I could have shot a magnificent bull which brought up 

 the rear, but refrained from doing so, as I was determined to 

 bag the solitary gaur, these animals being scarcer and by far 

 the nobler quarry of the two. Tsine were very plentiful 

 throughout the Nampan Tankta-kugyi forest, and on some 

 days I have come upon two or three herds, not to mention 

 solitary animals. 



We had not taken on the tracks of the gaur a distance of 

 200 yards before I caught sight of the animal coming up the 

 side of the ridge broadside on, breathing deeply and munch- 

 ing away at a bamboo shoot. He was a magnificent animal, 

 and looked an old bull. Beckoning to my men to remain 

 where they were, I moved forward along the track, cocking 

 both hammers of my 8-bore, which was loaded with ten cjrams 

 of powder and hardened spherical balls. There was nothing 

 to impede my view ; in fact, the jungle in the neighbourhood 

 being composed entirely of bamboo, was open and free from 

 all undergrowth, and there was besides hardly a breath of air 

 stirring. I succeeded in getting to within about thirty paces, 



