THE GAUR. 79 



eliciting any response. To add to our discomfort, a tremendous thunderstorm, accompanied 

 by bitterly cold wind, had come on, and we were soon thoroughly soaked and shivering 

 in every limb. Nearly blinded by the frequent and vivid lightning, which only served to 

 make the darkness appear more impenetrable, we blundered along for an hour or two, follow- 

 ing the course of the river, sustained by the hope that we should find some village. 

 At last, our case being evidently hopeless, I gave orders to halt, and remain where we 

 were for the night. Fortunately, although we had nothing to eat or drink, I had a small 

 piece of candle and about half a dozen matches left, and having lighted these with infinite 

 difficulty, and discovered an old decayed tree, we ultimately succeeded in kindling a splendid 

 bonfire, by the side of which we spent a tolerably comfortable night. 



Next morning we found the servants within half a mile, they also having lost their way. 

 They had not been able to light a fire, for which I was not sorry, as it was a fitting punish- 

 ment for their neglect of orders. Everything having been soaked, and the Elephants having 

 had but little to eat the previous day, I was obliged to halt for the day ; and with the limited 

 time at my disposal it was then too late to retrace my steps, so I had to give up the Gaur, 

 and set out for Julpaigori. 



In January 1883 I once more went after Gaur, this time in the southern part of the 

 province of Chota Nagpiir. A rather tedious journey of upwards of eighty miles from the 

 military station of Doranda, brought me to a place named Tinginna. My servants had 

 again disobeyed orders, which necessitated my going more than ten miles out of my way 

 to find them. My camp did not arrive until late at night on the 20th. 



On the following morning I started for the jungles, my camp in the meantime being 

 moved about ten miles to the south. During the day I found recent tracks of a small 

 herd, but none perfectly fresh, and I did not see any game. 



On the 22nd I went out in a different direction, and had a long walk over a succession 

 of forest-clad ridges without seeing anything except a couple of Four-horned Antelope up 

 to twelve o'clock. Having rested during the heat of the day, we worked homewards by a 

 circuitous route. We were descending a gently sloping hill when the wild-looking aborigine 

 who was guiding us suddenly halted and whispered ' Gdor.' Looking in the direction 

 indicated I saw three Gaur in a small glade about two hundred yards below us. The bull 

 was standing motionless gazing in our direction, while the two cows were quietly moving 

 away. Ordering my men to remain perfectly still, I advanced carefully in the direction of 

 the bull, and succeeded in stalking as far as the forest extended without being detected. 

 I found, however, that an open space nearly a hundred yards wide intervened between me 

 and the bull, and this it was impossible to cross. He still remained in the same position 

 as when first seen, so I aimed at the centre of his chest and fired. Down came the bull 

 on his knees, then recovered, and blundered away in a helpless manner that showed that 

 he was grievously wounded. I ran after him, and had not gone two hundred yards before 

 I heard a moaning bellow a short distance ahead of me, and directly afterwards T distin- 

 guished the outline of a Gaur standing broadside on among some high bushes, within 

 thirty yards. Thinking that it was the wounded one, I fired behind its shoulder and rolled 



