ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 179 



any hope of killing, I fired. The elephant had been by no 

 means steady, and the bull at which I aimed was moving, 

 but I heard the shot strike with a loud crack, and I ob- 

 served a commotion among the bushes on the hill-side. Some 

 of our people called out that the bull was shot, so, dismount- 

 ing from the elephants, we went up the hill, which was very 

 rough and stony, and covered with thick corinda jungle. 

 Forcing our way through this, we found the bull, who had been 

 shot through both hind legs, just below the hocks. The poor 

 brute floundered violently, and I would have finished him 

 with another shot, but for my gun-bearer, who was anxious to 

 secure the skin for a shield, so the poor bull was knocked on 

 the head with an axe. 



As we approached the staging bungalow at Dewas, we 

 observed from the carriage two fine bustard feeding near the 

 road. During our march I had made several unsuccessful 

 attempts to obtain a shot at bustard, but these seemed tamer 

 so, leaving one of the grooms behind to watch them, we drove 

 on to the bungalow, where I got my gun, and loading with 

 BB, I mounted on a small pony and cantered back. 



The birds were feeding, and took but little notice of me so 

 long as I remained on the road, but as soon as they saw me 

 move towards them, they rose and took a short flight. I 

 followed slowly, and this time I managed to approach some- 

 what nearer ; but as I was about to check my pony, they 

 again rose. Quitting the reins, I fired at the largest, and he 

 dropped his legs, but recovering himself, he flew on. I saw 

 he was hard hit, and I kept my eye on him, and after going 

 about a mile, I saw him fall. Eiding up, I found him dead. 

 He was a very fine bird, and weighed twenty-two pounds. 

 Some of the feathers of the bustard are invaluable to the 

 salmon-fisher. 



