40 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS. 



above her eyes I fired, and she fell. The remainder of the 

 herd crashed away and disappeared as Emaum and I dashed 

 forward. 



He begged I would fire again, as the cow would probably 

 rise and get away, so, standing over her, I fired both shots of 

 the smoothbore behind her shoulder. Eemarking that all 

 was now right, Emaum drew his long knife from his girdle, 

 bent back the head, and muttering some words of the Koran, 

 proceeded to cut the throat. Unless this operation is per- 

 formed in life, no good Mussulman will eat of the flesh. 

 When meat was scarce, however, I have seen them satisfied 

 with a very slight movement on the part of the dying 

 animal. 



I had just reloaded the smoothbore, and Emaum had 

 already made a deep incision in the stout skin of the throat, 

 when, with a desperate struggle, the cow shook him off and 

 got to her knees. Emaum sprang to the nearest tree, and, 

 catching up the loaded gun, I gave the poor cow two more 

 shots behind the shoulder, and she sank down. 



We were much troubled in our stalking on the right bank 

 of the river, owing to the jungle being only partially burnt, 

 and the ground was covered with huge dry teak leaves eighteen 

 inches across, which rendered all stalking hopeless. We were 

 informed that the burning had been prohibited by the officer 

 in charge of the district, as being injurious to the young 

 timber. This we did not believe, the more so that the jungle 

 had been burnt every year from time immemorial, and, not- 

 withstanding, trees of every growth were flourishing. Several 

 good stalks having been spoilt, we determined to fire the 

 jungle, knowing that, in addition to getting rid of the objec- 

 tionable leaves and dry grass, a fresh green herbage would 

 spring up in a few days, and that game would be attracted. 



