80 THE GAUR. 



it over, and on hastening up I found a bull and a remarkably large cow lying side by side. 

 I had struck the bull exactly where I aimed, and the bullet, as was afterwards discovered, 

 had shattered his heart to pieces. I was using my favorite 12-bore by Rigby, with hardened 

 spherical bullet, and seven drams of powder. 



Next morning I sent men to remove the skins of the Gaur entire, as they were destined 

 to be mounted for the Calcutta Museum,* while I hunted on the opposite side of camp. We 

 saw nothing during the day, though pretty fresh tracks were numerous. 



On the 24th we again visited the jungle in which I shot the bull and cow, and on 

 reaching a dense grove of bamboos we found perfectly fresh traces. We followed them up 

 cautiously, but the first intimation we gained of the presence of the herd was the resonant 

 snort of the bull as he detected us and moved away without offering a chance of a shot. 

 Hurrying in pursuit, I soon came up with the herd standing on a low hill among rather thick 

 sal forest, but though I managed to approach to within a hundred yards, I could not get a 

 clear shot at the bull, which kept in the middle of the cows. Having excellent trackers with 

 me I followed the herd for seven hours, but our progress was slow, owing to the stony nature 

 of the ground, and I never came up with them. 



On the 25th, at the earnest solicitation of the hospitable native Zemindar, who attended 

 me with a number of his relations, I consented to try a beat. Several hundred of the 

 neighbouring villagers turned out armed with bows and arrows and axes, while a few of them 

 were provided with ' tom-toms ' and most discordant horns of great power. The Zemindar 

 and his friends had guns of more or less primitive manufacture, and the sportsmen took up 

 their posts at the most likely passes, while the villagers formed line three or four miles away, 

 and beat up to the guns. The first beat was a blank as far as Gaur were concerned, and no 

 animal of any sort came past me ; but a boar and a Sambur hind were killed, the former 

 with an arrow, the latter with a matchlock. The second beat had also nearly come to a close 

 without any results, when a herd, which had been attempting to break on the left flank, 

 were driven across to where I was stationed, in the centre. As they crossed a rocky ravine in 

 front of me, it appeared as if they would come right up to where I was sitting on the ground 

 behind a small bush. Unfortunately, however, they bore away to their right, and passed on 

 the other side of some high bushes, which obstructed my view. The range was not a long 

 one, being only about eighty yards, but the herd came on in a compact mass, so that the 

 big bull was never clear of the cows, and I found it impossible to get a fair shot at him. A 

 fine bull, but inferior in size to the first one, brought up the rear of the herd, and I fired 

 at him as he passed through some thin bushes. A regular stampede ensued, but I could 

 see nothing but a cloud of dust, and the herd escaped untouched by the bullets of my native 

 friends. On following them up we found blood on the track and also on the stems of the 

 trees, but at such a height that it was evident that my bullet must have struck too high. 



It was too late to follow up the same evening, but next morning I sent the two best 

 trackers on the trail of the wounded bull, while we tried another drive. The trackers reported 



* The bull was admirably mounted, and the photograph which heads the present chapter is his portrait. 



