THE POETRY OF FOREST LIFE. — BISON SHOOTING. 191 



toward it, but in an instant the bull rushed at me again and struck 

 me several fearful blows. I felt now that nothing could save me. 

 He tried to turn me over with his nose, that he might get his horns 

 into me, and getting one horn under my belt he lifted me up bodi- 

 ly. Luckily it was an old belt, and the buckle snapped. He then 

 endeavored to rip me up, so I seized his horn and held on to it 

 with all my strength. In trying to shake himself free he took the 

 whole of the skin off the under side of my right arm Avith his horn. 



" The whole of this time, no fewer than six Irulars had been 

 calmly looking on, and I heard one of them say : ' Dear me ! the 

 bison is killing the gentleman ! ' and another said : ' Send for the 

 shikaree to shoot it.' (The shikaree was two miles away with my 

 tiffin basket !) One of the Ii'ulars now uttered a most diabolical 

 yell. The bull threw up his head, then turned tail and dashed 

 down the hill. Had they only yelled at first, I might have been 

 saved from being pounded almost to a jelly. 



"The Irulars all ran forward now to help me to stand up. One 

 of them picked up my rifle, which was lying stamped into the mud 

 and broken by the fall. I was then supported to a large rock, 

 where my first act was to feel myself all over to see if any bones 

 were broken. After lying on the rock for an hour, my shikaree 

 came running up, lamenting. I must have presented a horrible 

 spectacle, for I was one mass of black mud, and smeared all over 

 with blood. The shikaree gave me a drink of water, and, having 

 washed off' the blood and dirt, I felt so much better that I deter- 

 mined to kill that bull if possible. 



" An Irular climbed a tree and reported that the bull was 

 standing close by, and that if I could get to a certain large rock I 

 could have a good chance at him. Getting upon the rock, I saw 

 him standing just below me, and immediately let him have both 

 barrels of my No. 12 smooth-bore, but my aim was very unsteady. 

 He then went down the hill, crossed a small stream, and stood 

 again on a bit of level ground. I got up within twenty yards of 

 him, when he charged, and I gave him two more barrels. He now 

 attempted to cross a small nullah, when he fell from weakness, but 

 regaining his feet, he went a little farther, and fell between two 

 rocks, Avhere he got firmly jammed. A bullet through the heart 

 then finished him. 



" The next day I was carried into Coimbatore, where I was 

 confined to my bed for a fortnight, my whole body being black 

 and blue." 



