260 BISON-STALKING WITH AN ELEPHANT. 



a warning bark, dashed away into the thickets as we passed. The first grey 

 tinge of approaching day was just overspreading the eastern sky as we com- 

 menced the ascent of the hills by an elephant-path ; an hour and a half of 

 climbing brought us to the entrance of a vaUey between the upper ranges^ 

 where we were to commence shooting ; and at this point a commanding rock 

 invited us to rest for a few moments and enjoy the beauty of the scene. 

 What words can do justice to it ? Nature in her most charming moods 

 surrounded us on every side. Above us, heavy masses of grey mist rested 

 calmly on the summits of the higher hills, now green and beautiful after the 

 early rains. From below our feet thin wreaths of vapour curled slowly up- 

 wards from the dark ravines through which we had ascended, and vanished 

 in air at our feet like ghosts at cock-crow. Every tree and grass-plateau 

 wore its brightest tints ; whilst the sound of rills awakening from the slum- 

 ber of the hot months came mysteriously from the gloomy abysses around 

 us, and added music to the other delights of the moment. The delicious 

 freshness of the air reminded us of the Neilgherries, which could be seen 

 stretching away to the south ; but the hearts of both of us beat higher in 

 the anticipation of hunting the mighty mountain-bull than they had lately 

 done under the less exciting pleasure of deer -stalking, even in Ooty's 

 heavenly clime, which now seemed a tame sport to that we were to en- 

 gage in. 



The best hours of the morning were, however, advancing apace, so we 

 arranged for our men to follow the elephant's track in haK an hour, and 

 started with the elephant and the two trackers only for the swamp where 

 we expected to find traces of the bison. Nor were we disappointed ; the 

 trackers soon pointed to the night's tracks of both bulls, and after going 

 round the swamp found where they had moved off together up the vaUey. 

 In following the trail we came upon two or three lots of sambur which 

 allowed the elephant to approach within twenty yards without showing any 

 fear, as long as the men were concealed in the grass, but the instant they 

 were seen the deer vanished. After going for about four miles through the 

 most lovely bamboo-jungle and teak-forest, under huge trees whose giant 

 trunks and Hmbs were covered with ferns — through gloomy marshes where 

 the trees were plastered with black mud by the rubbings of herds of ele- 

 phants — crossing and recrossing the picturesque stream that flowed and fell 

 in occasional cascades down the valley, — we at length emerged into an open 

 glade and beheld the mighty pair we were in search of, quietly browsing on 

 the tender shoots of the bamboos on the opposite side, about a hundred yards 

 away. We now left the trackers in the cover, and headed the elephant 

 across the glade, as if to pass into the jungle to the left of the bulls, keep- 



