SHOOT SOME BUFFALOES 455 



that disturbed him. The steamer coming in, we sent our 

 steeds back by land and returned in her to our respective 

 head-quarters. 



Towards the end of the month I was out on a tour of 

 inspection at Kumblepore, en route to Dewangiri. The 

 villagers came to me complaining that a small herd of wild 

 buffaloes had taken possession of a cane-brake lying in the 

 middle of their village, and had gored several people. I was 

 disinclined to go out ; I was tired of shooting buffaloes, and 

 I had cut the middle finger of my right hand almost to the 

 bone, firing heavy charges, but the people were so earnest 

 that I got on my elephant and went. I came across one of 

 the buffaloes in the open before reaching the brake ; he did 

 not seem to mind me a bit, and allowed me to come within 

 60 yards, and then walked towards me shaking his head and 

 pawing the ground. I allowed him to come within 40 yards 

 and then floored him with a belted ball in the chest ; he fell 

 down, but picked himself up and ran across me. I made a 

 lucky shot, and dropped him dead. I then went in the cane- 

 brake a terrible place very boggy, with dense long grass 

 and rattan creepers, through which it is almost impossible for 

 an elephant to go ; but by dint of perseverance, and cutting 

 down with my shikar knife the pendulous creepers which 

 these rattans throw out, and which are covered with hooked 

 thorns like fish-hooks, I got sufficiently far in to see two 

 buffaloes. I killed one and severely wounded the other, but 

 it got away and was not likely to return there again. 



In January 1869 Barry, Butter, and I were at Kumblepore 

 again. About 4 p.m. on the i8th, just as we were going to 

 bathe, an Assamese came running up saying he had just seen 

 a bear feeding in the open about 300 yards off. We each 

 took a rifle, and my overseer, Subrooden, accompanied us with 

 one of my guns laden with ball. On reaching the place 

 where the man had seen the bear, we saw its marks, but it 

 had disappeared. There was only one clump of long grass, 

 and we stood round this, with our weapons on the half-cock, 

 wondering where he could have gone to, when there was a 

 movement in the grass. I stepped to the right and full-cocked 

 my rifle. Barry went behind me, Butter to the left, and out 



