A CHANCE SHOT. 51 



of the cock is grey and dark-brown. The female is some- 

 thing like our own grey hen, and, I should judge, about equal 

 in weight. On the same kind of ground, the mournful whistle 

 of the wood-partridge comes at times from the dense thickets 

 and bushy dingles it affects. The " pewra," as the natives call 

 it, is a game-looking bird, of a general dusky olive hue, from 

 which it gets the name of " olive partridge," as it is sometimes 

 termed. 



Having made such a long deviation after one cock-pheasant, 

 let us return once more to our hunt after better game. 



On the third morning, the bear-slayer having mistaken the 

 star by the rising of which he determined the time for our 

 start in the dark, aroused me much earlier than was necessary. 

 Being thoroughly awakened, I turned out, stirred up the log- 

 tire, and made the best of it until it was time to set out. We 

 had got about half-way up Dhuj, when there was a sudden 

 stampede of heavy animals near us in the forest. At first 

 we could see nothing in the deep gloom under the dense dark 

 foliage of the oak-trees for the morning had not as yet 

 dawned, and there was only the pale dim light of a waning 

 moon. " Hist ! there's a mirrig" 1 whispered Baloo Mar, as the 

 form of a jurrow loomed indistinctly on the crest of an open 

 knoll close above us ; but whether a stag or a hind we were 

 unable to make out, owing to the background of dark trees 

 beyond it. Although I could not discern the sights on the 

 rifle, I chanced a shot without them, and heard the unmistak- 

 able sound that a bullet makes when it tells on flesh. The 

 rest of the herd went thundering away through the wood 

 where it was too dense and dark to see them, although tln-y 

 must have been within fifty yards of us. It was useless to 

 look for the wounded beast before daylight ; so we continued 

 our ascent. We had reached the top of the hill, and liaii 

 been examining the precipitous craggy slopes on the south 



1 Mirrig is a term applied by the natives to any large game-animal except 

 bean, tiger*, and suchlik. . 



