244 THE HUNTING GROUNDS 



ones, passin!]j over one of the lower spurs branching 

 off the Neilgherries the evening before ; and under 

 their guidance we soon came upon their trail, which 

 consisted of several footprints of all dimensions, from 

 six to twelve or fourteen inches in diameter. 



I held a brief consultation with the gang, and it 

 determined nem. con. to follow up the spoor as 

 expeditiously as possible ; so we continued on trail 

 through dense jungle, over hills, and almost im- 

 penetrable ravines, until the sun had almost sunk 

 below the western horizon, when we collected some 

 dry logs, made a fire to keep off the tigers, &c., dis- 

 tributed some provisions and tobacco, and turned 

 in, two keeping watch by turns whilst the others 

 slept, until the moon had risen high enough to enable 

 us to see the spoor, and continue the pursuit. 



A sloth bear {Prochilus lahiatus) and a half- 

 grown cub were descried by the Gooroo as we went 

 along, and a bull-bison was heard bellowing in a 

 thicket close by ; but we left them unmolested, 

 continuing our course by the track made by the 

 herd bursting through the jungle and treading 

 down the brushwood otherwise impenetrable. Huge 

 boughs and branches had been broken off, and trees 

 uprooted or torn up in their passage ; in places 

 they had remained for some time browsing on the 

 young wood, tender branches, and succulent plants, 

 and as we passed a watercourse, it was evident from 

 the marks that some of their number had been 

 rolline: in the sand. 



