110 TWO TEAKS I]Sr THE JUNGLE. 



but a momentary vision of massive Leads and huge white horns, 

 high humps, sides of chestnut bro-vvTi, and about thirty pairs of 

 legs, all white from the knee down. They were too far away for 

 my smooth-bore to hit with certainty, but aiming as well as I 

 could, I fired at the largest bull one barrel after another — and 

 missed with both. The bison dropjjed their heads lower, humped 

 their backs higher, redoubled their speed, and swept out of sight 

 like a whirlwind. 



"We were instantly up and after them, and in about twenty 

 minutes saw them walking quietly along a quaiier of a mile ahead 

 of us, for the forest was very open. I undertook to stalk the herd, 

 and was doing very well, when the old man touched me upon the 

 arm and pointed to a fine stag sambur that was standing, head 

 erect and antlers thi'own back, motionless as a bronze statue, 

 looking fuU at us, and only fifty yards away. My policy is, ' one 

 bii'd in the hand is worth two dozen in the bush,' and regardless 

 of the bison in sight of us, I fired my rifle at the sambur's neck. 

 He dropped instantly, and died almost without a kick. We cut 

 his throat, blazed a tree on three sides to mark the spot, and hur- 

 ried on after the bison. 



"Apparently bison do not run far after being shot at, or hear- 

 ing fire-arms, for half a mile from our dead sambur we came upon 

 the herd again, and stalked up to within seventy yards of it. This 

 time I fired my rifle at the heart-region of a large cow that stood 

 nearest me, 'broadside on,' knowing that with that weapon I 

 would hit my mark. To my chagrin the entii-e herd went tearing 

 off, and I saw that my little rifle was too small for such large 

 game, or at least too small to stop a bison. We followed on after 

 the herd, which finally led us up a high, conical hiU, and twice 

 completely around it. Twice we came upon the bison where the 

 grass was as high as our heads, but each time they saw us first and 

 dashed away. After two hours of such chasing, we reluctantly 

 abandoned the trail, and started back to find the sambur we had 

 shot. The old man took his bearings, and we walked, and walked, 

 and walked, but could not find it. It afterward proved that we 

 went directly away from camp and the object of our search. 



" I soon saw that my guide had lost his reckoning, and simply 

 could not find our dead game. But he tried his best, I followed 

 without grumbhng, and again we walked and walked. It grew 

 monotonous, but there was no help for it. And we could not talk 

 a word except by signs, which made matters so much worse. 



