Jungle By-Ways in India 



and bolted. The low jungle was fairly thick, but 

 I fired. We both rushed madly forward. It will 

 have been gathered that I was a tyro at the game, 

 and Bishu had completely lost his head. Fear 

 and he were strangers. The bison had plunged 

 ahead at the shot, and we dropped into a small 

 offshoot nullah, hoping that if badly wounded 

 it would cross this higher up. In this we were 

 disappointed, and at Bishu' s insistence we re- 

 turned to the spot where the bison had stood as I 

 fired. This we found to be no yards from my 

 own position, but I had little to be proud of at 

 missing. 



What a glorious beast he was as I first got sight 

 of him ! A grand head with massive horns glisten- 

 ing almost white in the sunlight, and a black 

 glossy coat which shone like the satin coat of 

 some blue-blooded racehorse. On reaching the 

 spot where he had stood, we commenced searching 

 for blood. Bishu maintained I had hit an inter- 

 vening twig and gone above the bison. I hoped 

 not, but after a careful search I was forced to 

 allow I had missed. 



Of course, I was eager to follow up. I was told 

 it was useless, but it was unlikely that young hot 

 blood and ignorance would listen to this. It was 

 about 2 p.m. when I fired at the bull. We followed 

 his tracks for about 2 J hours. The shikaris then 

 gave it up and said it was useless going on, the 

 more so that the trail led in the opposite direction 



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