A MOST SUCCESSFUL RIGHT AND LEFT 



fire at the largest when they winded us and made off, but 

 following at a run, I got a snap shot at the leading bull and 

 missed. 



I soon reiUized the mistake I had made in firing this 

 hasty shot, for the animals were now thoroughly alarmed, 

 and I knew it meant many hours of weary traeking before 

 we could come up with them again. However, we took up 

 the spoor over a grassy plateau, and at last, just as the sun 

 was setting behind the hills, we sighted them, quietly 

 browsing on the tender shoots of the bamboo in a valley 

 below us. 



They were about a hundred yards away, and I was con- 

 sidering how best to circumvent them, the breeze being very 

 shifty, when there was a sudden crash — ^they had winded 

 us and were off again. I ran for all I was worth to head 

 them off, followed by my henchman Bapu, who wascarrj-ing 

 my rifle. 



We went tejiring along down the steep incline and then 

 along the ridge, both greatly out of breath, when coming 

 to an opening in the forest, I suddenly sighted the two 

 bulls standing about fifty yards to my right. Stretching 

 out my right hand behind me, Bapu handed me the Express 

 rifle, which was fortunately loaded with solid bullets. 



I now fired at the big bull ^vith the right barrel, aiming 

 for the point of the shoulder, and emptied the left at his 

 companion, when they both wheeletl round and disappeared 

 into some dense covert ahead. I knew I had hit the first 

 bull in the right spot, but was uncertain about the second, 

 as his head and shoulders were partly hidden by a branch 

 when I fired. However, following up the first by its blood 

 tracks, we soon came upon him, and, to my delight, also 

 the second, both lying dead within a few yards of each other ! 



It took some time and trouble to cut off the heads of 



these two monsters, and night had long set in before wc 



completed the operation, so collecting some wood, we lit a fire 



■••nd camped out for the night, our dinner consisting of bison 



i-ak cut from along the dorsal ridge of one of the two hulls. 



Ghoramba, at the time I am writing of — some twenty 

 years ago — ^uscd to be a very favourite resort for bison, the 



intry being high and well wooded with extensive bamboo 

 .iigles. 



85 



Ik 



