

128 BISON. 



three days old. For five long hours we toiled over hill and 

 dale, through swamps and acres of tangled creepers, and 

 were in the act of wading a nullah, when a herd of bison 

 unexpectedly crashed up a jungle-covered hill in front. 

 We followed, and soon saw a fine bull standing on the side 

 of a hill about 130 yards ahead. Being new to the work, 

 I fired. It is a mistake to do so at such comparatively long 

 ranges. The bullet, however, struck him rather low. He 

 ran a few yards and halted, not knowing whence the report 

 came, and looking all round in a perplexed manner. I 

 fired again, and heard the " squelch " of the bullet striking 

 him, whereupon he ran straight towards us, and entered a 

 patch of high creepers within fifty yards. Cautiously 

 advancing, we followed up his tracks by making a detour, 

 and entered the creepers very carefully, peering through 

 the foliage, and momentarily expecting a charge. We 

 soon discovered him lying down, but the dense covert gave 

 no chance of a vital shot, and suddenly jumping up he 

 rushed off, but he was too sick to go far, and we soon 

 espied him about a hundred yards ahead, and, running up, 

 put a bullet rather high through the shoulder. This pro- 

 voked a charge, but he was too much knocked out of time 

 to be very formidable, and a bullet through the brain ended 

 the encounter. He was a fine bull nearly eighteen hands 

 high, with fairly good horns, but being my first bison 

 I thought him a splendid animal, and, sitting down on 

 him, smoked the pipe of triumph. The herd having had 

 time to settle down, we recommenced tracking, and again 

 came upon them in a glade a quarter of a mile farther on, 

 but they were much on the alert, bolting before another 

 bull could be picked out, although some cows offered 

 tempting shots, which were declined. The rain was coming 

 down in sheets, and being thoroughly drenched, we 



