82 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES. 



tortions, and evidently expire. !N"o other beast came near 

 us during the night, that we could discern, which Johnson 

 attributed to the dead body of the wolf, and at the first blush 

 of dawn we were very glad to beat a retreat to our tents. 

 Porcupines, of a large size, were very common in the vicinity 

 of the Caves, and we killed several. We visited some plains 

 situated beyond the woody districts around us, which elk 

 and neilghau (blue cow) were known to frequent. The 

 great difficulty was to be able to stalk these extremely shy 

 animals, or obtain any cover or hiding-place from whence to 

 obtain a shot at them. Having reached the extremity of 

 the jungle, we observed about half-a-dozen, neilghau feeding 

 on an open spot on the plain beyond, and with no apparent 

 cover or mode of concealment of any kind within many 

 hundred yards of them. They were very large animals, full 

 sixteen hands high, of a blue dun colour, and a sort of mixed 

 breed between the deer and the cow. Johnson, on looking 

 carefully around, espied a nullah or dry water-course, 

 through the bed of which he thought we might arrive 

 within shot of the game ; and accordingly we began to 

 creep with much caution along the rugged sides of the 

 ravine, which, although circuitous in its course, evidently 

 took the direction we desired. Many more minutes elapsed 

 of difficult and dangerous progression, when, upon furtively 

 glancing over the edge of our retreat, we discovered that 

 we were within a hundred and fifty yards of the neilghau, 

 and that another turn of the nullah would bring us within 

 easy shot of them. They were seven in number, and we 

 agreed, in a low whisper, which to select for our respective 

 guns. And now arrived the most anxious period of our 

 course. On turning an angle before us, it was our intention 

 to rise with the utmost caution, and resting our rifles, if 

 possible, on the sides of the ravine, take a steady and de- 

 liberate shot at the unconscious beasts. This spot was 



