ROUGHING IT IN SOUTHERN INDIA 275 



CHAPTER XXIII 



Bison hunt continued — F.'s adventures — The preparation of trophies — 

 The Churmers again — Two dilemmas — Bison calves — ' Bux.' 



F. and his men were up and off at peep o' day every morning, 

 of set purpose to return with the bison that evening, and as 

 regularly came back with the same story, that they had 

 sighted and lost him, till one evening, when the return was 

 made in an unwonted fashion ; for F. almost staggered 

 into camp, looking ' nervy ' in a way utterly unlike him ; 

 dishevelled and coatless, too, with great rents in clothes 

 warranted to stand almost any usage, and his belt hanging 

 with buckleless ends — all of which could be taken in at a 

 glance. 



He lifted the belt ends, with the one word, ' Bison ' ; 

 and to the murmured query, ' Did he do that ? ' — ' He did.' 

 That was all the explanation possible for the moment, 

 continuous speech was manifestly beyond him ; but that a 

 whisky-and-soda, so reviving in ordinarily trying circum- 

 stances, was left unheeded, showed indeed that something 

 very far from ordinary had happened. His men came cluster- 

 ing round the tent door, peering in, every eye fixed on that 

 one face with an expression blent of wonderment, inquiry, 

 and dog-like solicitude. Very quiet were they all for such 

 noisy folk, striving, if it were possible by hard staring, to 

 make sure that their Doray was not hurt to the death — 

 the wonder being that he was alive at all. He had ascer- 

 tained for himself that no bones were broken ; but talking 

 was an effort yet awhile, and the details of the story only 

 came out in a disjointed way, to be pieced together gradually. 



