2:24 THE EASTERN HUNTERS. 



terrupted tract of dense jungle, whence it would he 

 impossible to drive, or into which it would he useless 

 to follow them. 



After a while, too, there were conflicting state- 

 ments. Some asserted these were not the wounded 

 hears ; they had, it was said, turned into another 

 ravine which came down from the upper hills. 

 Then another report reached them. It was declared 

 that they had heen marked into a nullah near the 

 ridge they had left. As it was very possihle there 

 were others afoot, and as these last seen were dis- 

 tinctly stated to he wounded, the sportsmen decided 

 to retrace their steps, after holding a short council 

 of war on the subject. Certainly, it appeared 

 strange that animals so badly wounded should 

 journey so far as those they were following ; and 

 they consequently inclined to the belief that some 

 others had been roused by the shouting, and been 

 mistaken for those of which they were in pursuit. 



A portion of the beaters were with some trouble 

 collected, and returning to the upper hills, the 

 hunters prepared to beat the nullah spoken of, and 

 not very far from the position first assailed. But 

 if, indeed, they had really been seen there, they 

 must have slipped away or concealed themselves in 

 some cavity of the rocks, for nothing turned up. 



After many fruitless efforts to trace the lost game, 



