332 The Hunting Grounds 



After following the trail for some miles, Chineah 

 and Googooloo, who were creeping along a ragged 

 hollow, which appeared to have been the pathway of 

 an impetuous torrent, some little distance in front, 

 made a sign to us to keep silent, and shortly after- 

 wards they beckoned us to advance. With great 

 caution we crept noiselessly forward, stopping from 

 time to time to listen, and after crawling on our hands 

 and knees for nearly a hundred yards, we gained the 

 crest of the hill, where we had the satisfaction of 

 seeing a large herd of bison quietly browsing on the 

 green herbage in a patch of open teak-forest 



Having satisfied myself that we were well to lee- 

 ward, and in no danger of being discovered by their 

 remarkably keen scent, I raised myself cautiously 

 behind the trunk of a tree to reconnoitre ; and after 



pointing out to B a fine bull, who, surrounded 



with cows, was lazily nibbling the young and tender 

 shoots of a clump of bamboos, about a hundred yards 

 distant, I begged him to reserve his fire until he heard 

 my signal, as I intended to try and stalk the patri- 

 arch of the herd, a stately fellow with enormous dew- 

 lap and immensely deep shoulders, who was pawing 

 the ground fretfully, and uttering deep cries as if im- 

 patient for the herd to retire to the depths of the 

 jungle for shelter from the rays of the sun, which 

 were beginning to feel oppressive. 



I descended a short distance down the side of the 



