g6 THE NILGAO. 



C. of my regiment was riding after a wounded bull on the same day, when he also got 

 among hedges with ropes in them ; but fancying that they would break, he charged one, and 

 of course came to grief, and lost his bull. 



A few days afterwards I again went out in the Pitasi ' bhirl or grass preserve near 

 Ungana, and on this occasion I was well mounted on a powerful Arab, which I hoped would 

 take me up to a bull should I chance to wound one. I had not been out very long when 

 I discovered two old bulls and two small ones which I endeavoured to get near ; but they 

 were shy and would not allow me to approach within a reasonable distance. At last they 

 fairly took alarm and moved off at a fast pace, so I mounted my horse and followed them. 

 The country was open, but just where we were, the ground was so full of holes and so 

 dangerous, that, after being nearly down about twenty times in the space of about half a 

 mile, I pulled up and contented myself with keeping the Nilgai in sight. After a time they 

 came to a thick but narrow belt of jungle, and I took advantage of their passing through it to 

 gain considerably upon them. Jumping off my horse, I saw them standing within a hundred 

 and fifty yards, and at once brought my rifle to bear upon the largest bull. Unfortunately, 

 just as I pressed the trigger, one of the small bulls moved into the way, and received the bullet 

 intended for the large one. He at once dropped and lay struggling on the ground, apparent- 

 ly nearly paralysed ; but gradually recovering, he first dragged his hind quarters along the 

 ground, and eventually regained the use of his legs and overtook his companions. I quickly 

 remounted, and as a level open plain now lay before us, I urged my horse to his utmost 

 speed. I had a fair start, and after going about a mile and a half, my horse was still fresh, 

 while the big bulls began to show symptoms of distress. I had long ago passed the wounded 

 one, being intent on securing a really good specimen ; and as the two old bulls now labored 

 alono-, with tongues hanging out and foam dropping from their open mouths, I made sure 

 that the victory was mine. I nursed my horse for a final effort, and again urging him on, 

 had nearly reached the flanks of the bulls, when they gained the shelter of a thick ' dhdk ' 

 jungle, and farther pursuit was impossible. 



In the autumn of the same year I was shooting in the neighbourhood of Cawnpore, 

 and commenced operations by hunting for Nilgao in the grass jungles on the banks and 

 islands of the Ganges, near Najafghar. 



Here they were plentiful, but the grass was so high that little could be seen except from 

 the back of an Elephant. I had one with me, and the first morning I went out I soon found 

 a herd of Nilgao. My rifle missed fire at the first bull I fired at, but on my second attempt 

 I dropped one apparently dead. Before we reached it, however, it had made off, and it was 

 not until 1 had hunted for some time that we again found it, and a lucky shot finally rolled 

 it over. A friend having joined me, we went Out together the following day, when I mortally 

 wounded another bull, and rode it down and speared it after a short chase. My friend also 

 wounded one, but was unable to spear it without greatly distressing his horse, so he gave it up. 

 On our last day, we were unsuccessful in finding any large bulls, but three small ones galloped 

 into a muddy watercourse, where one of them stuck fast, and we caught him. As we had 

 no object in keeping him, we extricated him from the mud and restored him to liberty. 



