108 THE HIGHLANDS OP CENTEAL INDIA 



and another blocking the way out behind him. Poor 

 gallant little Pincher ! He died of a sunstroke some three 

 months later, from being dragged through a long eighteen- 

 mile march in the hot sun by a brutal dog-boy, without 

 getting a single drop of water. I had two brace of capital 

 greyhounds at that time ; one couple crossed between the 

 EngUsh and Eampiir breeds, and the other bred from a 

 Scotch deerhound out of a Bunjara bitch. The Indian 

 fox is not above half the size of English Eeynard, but he 

 has an astonishing turn of speed, and doubles with wonder- 

 ful agility. These dogs had, however, the speed of them, 

 and the run was generally much in a circle ; so that though 

 the ground was well suited for riding, I generally went on 

 foot, along with some of the workpeople who greatly 

 enjoyed the sport, and some of whom (Bharyas) ate the 

 foxes afterwards. It was capital training for bison- 

 shooting, which severely tries the wind, and in which I 

 also spent a day or two now and then. 



Stalking the bison in these hills is very severe work 

 indeed. At times they may be found pretty near at 

 hand, but more generally the Dhupgarh hill, or the great 

 ravine, has to be crossed first, and either implies a good 

 many miles of stiff work before the sport really begins. 

 The bison, though they seem to move slowly, are often 

 really going very fast; and, as scarcely a yard of the 

 country they live in is anything like level, what is appar- 

 ently nothing to them is really a very hard pull for their 

 pursuer. The bottoms of the valleys are also very hot 

 even at this time of year ; and at all times exercise under 

 an Indian sun is much more fatiguing than in a cold 

 chmate. A wounded bison never stops going while he 

 can, short of nightfall, and must be pursued while a ray 

 of hope remains. Thus hill after hill, and ravine after 

 ravine, are put between one and home in the excitement 

 of the chase, till suddenly you pull up and reahse what 

 an immense distance you have come, and that you cannot 

 possibly get back before the middle of the night. If you 

 have anything to eat, the best course under such circum- 

 stances is to sleep where you are. I often used to bivouac 

 thus when out after bison ; and seldom found it much of a 

 hardship. A good fire can always be lit in a few minutes, 



