Jungle By- Ways in India 



side to side, but always on our side of the maidan. 

 He had chosen a piece of level ground as high as 

 any in the maidan, and clothed with the short 

 grass only. I could see the greater part of his 

 body and all his head from where I was, about 

 50-60 yards away (I think 50, as I paced it after- 

 wards), and I confess I became distinctly alarmed 

 at this move on the bull's part, and as uncom- 

 fortable in my mind as I had been previously. 



How was this matter going to end if he intended 

 to sit on the qui vive through the long hot hours 

 of the day ; and such a thing had been done by 

 bison before. What I could not understand then, 

 and cannot still, even with the light of subsequent 

 events to guide me, is why that bull chose that 

 position and sat down. It commanded the whole 

 arena, I admit, and he may have been harder hit 

 than I thought ; but if so, he didn't show it in 

 his movements. In fact, had I not seen the 

 wounds I should have begun to think I had missed 

 him. The actions of that bull still remain to me 

 most mysterious, and can only be explained by 

 the fact that he could not make up his mind 

 where or who to go for. I was thus rapidly 

 pondering the situation, when suddenly I was 

 startled "by a rush on my right as if some small 

 animal was bolting through the grass. I could of 

 course see nothing from my lowly position, nor 

 I believe did the bison, though his head came 

 round like a rocket. The rush was in the long 



160 • 



