Shoots round a Hill Station 



the hills before me, I determined to have a 

 quiet morning and walk a little way round camp 

 on top of the ridge to have a look for gural. 

 I started lazily enough, not being up till seven 

 o'clock ; but after breakfast it was such a lovely, 

 bracing morning, that my resolutions went to the 

 winds, and down I went to my old serow ravines. 

 For two hours it was the same old game, shoving 

 through, slipping, falling, trying to make no noise 

 and making enough to waken the dead, and then 

 a wild, black head with a bristling mane on the 

 long neck looking at me over the bushes some 

 twenty-five yards off. Bang ! Phut ! The bullet 

 told all right ; my third chance at serow had not 

 been wasted. Wild with excitement to see this 

 curious beast at close quarters, I leant my rifle 

 against a tree and swung myself by branches on to 

 the ledge where I expected to find him lying. To 

 my astonishment I came face to face with him 

 pawing the ground, and looking like the "old 

 gentleman " himself this time. As he saw me he 

 backed quickly and lowered his head like a ram 

 before a charge. Luckily I still had my hands on 

 the boughs by which I had swung up, and promptly 

 swung down again. Joarou had now come up and 

 asked if I had hit. It may have been the sound 

 of his voice, but there was the quick rush I was 

 beginning to know, and the serow was far away 

 down the hill. Very worried and puzzled, certain 



