276 ROUGHING IT IN SOUTHERN INDIA 



The bison had begun by dodging him backwards and for- 

 wards round a buttress tree, till his head swam, not giving 

 him an instant's leisure in which to take aim. A buttress 

 tree is not suited for climbing, the trunk throwing out walls 

 or buttresses all round, and forming, as it were, stalls 

 between. To be caught in one of these would certainly 

 result in being pinned to the tree. 



If the bison had not been in deadly earnest it would have 

 been quite like a game ; but half an hour of it had not 

 tired him out, whereas F. was momentarily getting more 

 and more dizzy. He knew that he could not keep up the 

 movement much longer, and must fall, which would be 

 fatal, so he started to run in another direction — which, 

 mattered nothing ; for there were no climbable trees in sight, 

 only a few saplings, and it was very open country, without 

 even the friendly cover of a rock, behind which he might 

 take the instant necessary for getting gun to shoulder to 

 draw a bead. However, quick as he was in changing his 

 tactics, the bull was quicker, and though F. could not see 

 he knew he was close behind him, and in his own mind antici- 

 pated the horrid moment when he felt the touch at his back 

 and was caught up by the belt and tossed high in air. But 

 that the belt, of heavy leather though it was, gave way, 

 he must have been brought down again, to be either 

 retossed or gored ; as it happened, he was thrown to a 

 distance, the rifle flying out of his hand and falling with 

 metallic ring on to rock — dreadful sound to its owner ! 

 Then, from where he lay, hardly able to draw his breath and 

 jarred to the teeth, helpless for the nonce to interfere or 

 dispute possession, he saw the bull go up to it and stamp 

 upon it deliberately as though to stamp the life out, which 

 he did effectually — past recovery. 



The rifle being well flattened out the bull turned angry 

 eyes around and advanced towards F., pausing a short way 

 off to lower and shake his head at him. Even in the face of 



