THE DHOLE. 223 



stag must have made up stream until he was 

 turned by the dog we saw go off in that direction, 

 as we now saw him returning with the dog close 

 at his heels. The chase was not long continued, 

 as this dog also stopped short and concealed itself, 

 while the now thoroughly alarmed deer continued 

 its headlong flight till within a hundred yards 

 of the spot where the dog down stream had con- 

 cealed itself , when it sprang into view and caused the 

 stag to swerve away to the left, until again turned 

 by one of the dogs concealed in that direction. The 

 now thoroughly bewildered brute began running 

 round and round in a gradually narrowing compass, 

 as at each point he was met and turned by one 

 of his adversaries, who advanced a little way and 

 then stopped. The stag made repeated and in- 

 effectual attempts to break away up and down 

 stream and to the left, but on every occasion it 

 was headed by the dogs concealed in those direc- 

 tions and driven back. We thought it was the 

 plan of the dogs to thoroughly tire the sambhur 

 out, and then fall upon him ; yet, this could 

 scarcely be their object, as the direction of the 

 river was left quite open, and to this point the 

 hunt was evidently making. Closer and closer 

 drew the cordon of ever-watchful dogs, husbanding 

 their strength for the finale, which now could not 

 be far off, as the river was in view and the gradually 

 lessening space allowed the affrighted deer was 

 now not more than an acre or two. We hurried 

 up to be in at the death, when we saw the stag 

 make a bound and disappear into the river, all 



