124 THE SEROW - 



On the 1 6th, I made arrangements for sleeping out, and, accompanied by my Shikari 

 and a couple of coolies, crossed the Wangat river and went up the banks of a stream 

 opposite. The walking was very rough, over boulders and fallen trees, and through thick 

 tangled bushes. At length we reached a place where the valley became narrower, being 

 shut in by high steep rocks, and the forest was so dense that there was hardly any chance 

 of seeing a beast. We, therefore, chose a spot to sleep on, and ascended a ridge where the 

 forest was a little thinner than in other places. We had climbed some way when a heavy 

 shower came on, so I sat down under a tree to watch while the Shikari went a little higher 

 up. In a short time he returned with the news that he had found a Serow lying down, and 

 I at once went in pursuit. The ground was precipitous and covered with pine leaves, and 

 it was very difficult to walk without falling and making a noise. The Shikari led me up 

 behind a large stone on the crest of a ridge, and on looking over I could indistinctly see the 

 Serow standing under the overhanging branches of a pine tree within forty yards. I sent 

 a bullet through its shoulder, but it did not fall, so I fired another shot to make sure. The 

 Serow now rolled down the steep hill-side, and by the time we got down it was dead. It 

 proved to be a very large female with a good pair of horns. 



Skinning took some time, and it was dark before we reached our bivouac. My bed had 

 been made under an overhanging rock, but there were unfortunately cracks in the stone, and 

 as a heavy thunderstorm came on just after I had turned in, my bed was soon flooded. 

 There was nothing to be done but to get up, make a heap of my blankets, and join the 

 Shikaris and coolies under their rock, which afforded rather better shelter. With some 

 difficulty we lighted a fire, and spent a tolerably comfortable night after all. I saw nothing 

 on my way back to camp next morning. 



On the 19th, I again went up the hill behind camp to hunt for a Serow, whose fresh 

 tracks had been seen a few days before. After a long walk we heard a Serow scream at 

 some distance, but it was a long time before we could find out where he had gone to. At 

 last we found the tracks, and followed them till they brought us to a wide rocky nullah, the 

 opposite bank of which was covered with pine trees. We sat down for a long time and 

 carefully examined the opposite forest with the glass, but could see nothing. At last we sent 

 a coolie down to reconnoitre a narrow nullah below us, and directly after he had rejoined us we 

 saw the Serow moving off through the forest which we had been watching in vain. On going 

 to the place where he had been lying at the foot of a tree, we found that he had been in full 

 view of us all the time, and had we only made him out I must have got an easy shot. As he 

 had only seen the coolie at a great distance, we hoped that he would not go far, but we follow- 

 ed the track for hours without coming up with him, and we had at last to give up the chase. 



Next day I moved down to Chatargul and hunted there for about a week without see- 

 ing anything. There were plenty of fresh tracks, but the Serow themselves remained 

 invisible. Hunting at this season among the rank wet jungle is most unsatisfactory, and 

 disagreeable work. 



Early in the season, when the Serow, like other beasts, are compelled to wander in 

 search of food, is the best time to look for them. 



