120 IN THE INDIAN JUNGLE. 



explained the reason why it had charged the 

 elephant when unmolested by us. We learnt 

 afterwards that the Kol who owned the rice-plot 

 had shot it with an arrow shortly before our arrival. 

 It was the pain of this wound that had made the 

 animal furious, and caused it to charge. My last 

 shot in the back had brought about its death, as 

 there was a gaping wound in the stomach from 

 which the blood had flowed in such quantities as 

 to saturate the ground under him. He was 

 certainly the largest bull I had ever shot, and 

 I think one of the largest ever seen in the 

 forests of Chota Nagpore. The elephant was re- 

 covered next day and was uninjured ; there was 

 not, in fact, a mark of the buffalo's horns on 

 her stern. This was due to the extreme forward 

 curvature of the points of the horns, showing 

 the great age of the buffalo. This adventure did 

 Bheesti a lot of good, for finding she sus- 

 tained no injury from this close attack she be- 

 came fearless, and would afterwards stand the 

 charge of a tiger. 



