Horns 



imagined, but I thought the least I could do was to 

 stick to the bull. 



It was but another instance of the many that 

 the shikari has to experience before he learns 

 thoroughly the golden rule, never despise your 

 game whatever he may be so long as he comes 

 under the designation ferce naturce. I had met and 

 shot blue bull many times before, but I discovered 

 that I had still something to learn. 



We followed the bull's tracks, long rather 

 narrow elliptical impressions plainly discernible 

 in the soft soil, slowly through the patch of 

 forest and out into the grassy plain beyond, 

 down into the river-bed, which made a loop 

 here, and down this for some distance. He 

 had soon slowed down into the shambling trot 

 and then into a walk. The river-bed, with its 

 heavy, deep, sandy mud, was bad walking, but 

 we pursued our way down for about half a mile, 

 and then the tracks went up a natural animal- 

 run into the grass land again. I looked round, 

 but could see nothing ! I felt sure that the 

 bull must be somewhere quite close. At the rate 

 he had been going latterly he could not have gone 

 far. Again I looked and searched the whole area 

 in front of me, to my front and left and right. 

 No ! I could see no trace of any animal on the 

 open grass land which lay spread before my eyes, 

 much less of such a large beast as a blue bull, as 

 my eye swept slowly round until it had nearly 



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