164 SPORT IN BENGAL. 



tombs lay around, covered by jungle, and split or overturned 

 by the great strong roots of trees. 



As contrasting strongly with the above incident the 

 following may be related, also with a bull, and one almost as 

 strong and stout as the last, but whose conquest was not so 

 difficult. Then, too, I was out with three elephants only, 

 having for my companion that day my ancient friend and 

 chum, Dr. P., and we had been shooting spotted stags in the 

 low jungles growing along the salt creeks of Bahireemootah 

 in Hidgelee, making a pretty bag. About noon, when we 

 were returning towards camp, a dozen buffaloes sprang up 

 out of a " nullah," in which they had been lying, and made off 

 for the open, unmolested by us till the master of the herd 

 turned round and threw down the gauntlet we could not 

 scorn. The bull stood still till we approached him within 

 five or six score paces, and then charged furiously at my 

 elephant, presenting a fair shot at his broad neck as he came 

 on sweeping the ground with his horns. At twenty or thirty 

 paces I took him behind the head, where it joined the neck, 

 with a conical bullet from the 10-bore double Westley-Richards, 

 and rolled him over like a rabbit ; his head and horns were 

 buried in the soft soil and doubled up under his huge body as 

 it turned completely over by the tremendous impetus of his 

 onward rush. He also was a fine beast ; but his horns, though 

 stout, were not particularly good, being too much curved 

 without being of great length. 



Very close to the spot where the buffalo took to the 

 Megna, as has been related, a boar played me a similar trick 

 under the following circumstances, but with a different result. 

 He had been roused out of a grass field, and after surveying 

 me for a moment took to his heels at a tremendous pace, 

 heading for the river two or three miles distant. This was 

 an extremely fleet-leggy hog with long tusks gleaming white 

 and contrasting vividly with his blue black head. He looked 

 about thirty-five inches in height, as well as I could judge, 

 his exact measurement not being taken for the reason the 

 sequel will show. For the first mile, over stubble and thatch- 



