XIV 





SPEARING VARIOUS ANIMALS 235 



NlLGHAI 



I would not ask you to make a habit of riding 

 nilghai, but to spear one or two of these fine beasts 

 will give you a useful experience in handling large 

 animals, a confidence in yourself, and a true line 

 as to the pace and stamina of your horse. Apart 

 from this, they are fine-looking beasts and they do 

 no harm. " Live, and let live." 



You must either run into your bull at once, or 

 be prepared for a hunt of five or six miles. Their 

 wind is tremendous and their pace most deceptive. 

 Looking at a big bull lumbering along, few would 

 think that he was capable of extending a fast horse. 



I will give you a short account of two runs after 

 nilghai to exemplify what I have said. 



The first bull got up about thirty yards from me, 

 in front of the line which was beating a cover of 

 light jhow and long grass. He had evidently been 

 asleep and was slow in getting away. Crispin and 

 I had reduced the distance to half before he knew 

 what he was doing, and we caught him within a 

 hundred yards. Both nilghai and Crispin were 

 then travelling about as fast as anything I have 

 known. When we closed, the bull turned sharp in 

 to his left across me. Crispin flew the bull and 

 staggered badly, but did not come down. I suppose 

 his hind legs must have hit the bull. My spear 

 went clean through the nilghai behind the wither 

 and of course broke ; the momentum must have 

 been great. The nilghai was knocked over by the 

 spear and Crispin's legs, and never moved again. 

 He was miles away from anywhere, and we had 

 to cut him up as he lay. He was the biggest bull 

 I have ever seen. 



