CHAPTER XU 



The Indian wild bnfifalo — Its size, appearance and habitat — Dangers in 

 tracking them up — An encounter with a solitary bull — A shot with a 

 lO-bore rifle — Hit but not disabled — At bay — Effects of a second shot 

 — ^Threatening to charge — A timely shot — Floored — A herd encoun- 

 tered — Selecting the bull — Badly hit, but makes off — Found lying np 

 — Dead or aUve? — The question unexpectedly solved — The advantage 

 of being prepared — A shot in the chest — The last gallop — Buffalo 

 shooting a dangerous pastime — Poor trophies as a rule— The Indian 

 bear — A terror to the native — Attack without provocation — Many 

 victims — Bears uncertain in temper — Effects of feeding on intoxicating 

 berries — Dangerous to tackle— Vciy tenacious of life — Size and general 

 appearance — Where found — The best plan for bear shooting — They 

 afford good sport — Two narrow escapee — An exciting adventure — Xo 

 room for two to pass — A lucky shot — The non-dangerous big game of 

 India — First in size and importance — The sambar — Some description 

 of this animal — A good head — A fine trophy — The bara-sing or swamp 

 deer — Its resemblance to the red deer — The chetul or spotted deer 

 — The handsomest of the doer tribe — The barking deer — The mouse 

 and hog deer described. 



The Indian wild buffalo * is found in the swampy Terai, 

 the plains of Lower Bengal, in Assam, Burmah, and 

 ntral India. 



A bull buffalo often stands nineteen bands at the 

 shoulder and measures as much as fifteen feet from nose to 

 «''X)t of tail. His head is long and narrow, almost free from 

 lir and of a dark, black, slaty colour ; the tail is short, 

 and does not extend below the hocks. The horns are 

 enormous, and have l>ecn known to exceed twelve feet 

 measured round the curve from tip to tip. The females 

 produce one, sometimes two, young, always in the summer 

 season after a period of gestation of ten months. 



Buffalo delight in swamps, where they can o!)tain rich 

 pasturage, and also wallow in the nmd during the hctit 

 of the day. Unlike the bison, they never aaoend to 

 heights. 



* BabtthuAnU, 



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