THE TEAK REGION 207 



the hope of discovering the herd. After going about half 

 round I suddenly almost ran up against a cow in some long 

 grass ; and immediately T., who was a little to my right 

 called out that the whole herd was standing down below 

 among the bamboos. My cow had bolted ofi in a great 

 fright, and I ran up to T. in time to see ten or twelve bison 

 scrambling up the opposite side of the ravine — a long shot 

 from where we were. A bull brought up the rear, and 

 there was another covered by the clump of cows ; so we 

 opened fire on the former, and the third shot broke his 

 leg. He had the other shots too, and after limping on a 

 bit, staggered and fell over down the hill. Being much 

 fatigued by the heat of a very sultry April day, we waited 

 there till the people came up with our leathern water-sack 

 to have a drink, and then went over to the bull, who was 

 stiU alive but unable to rise. The Skunk, who had luckily 

 been exactly in the line of the herd's retreat, now came 

 running up, and, standing afar ofi by special request, told 

 us whither they had gone. 



There was a mighty black bull among them, whose 

 horns we determined to have, if possible ; so, sending the 

 ponies, and with them, alas ! the water, under the guidance 

 of the Skunk, to wait us at a point in the valley beyond 

 for which we thought the herd was making, we started ofi 

 on their tracks. In going along the edge of a spur T. 

 saw three or four of the bison standing under the ridge of 

 the hiU, and we went round to stalk them. It was a long 

 way and the heat was really fearful, so that we were not 

 perhaps so cautious in our approach as we should have 

 been, and the result was that before we got up we heard 

 the alarmed snort of the sentry, and the crash of the herd 

 through the jungle. We now walked along a ridge between 

 two deep valleys — on the right hand that in which the 

 camp should be, and on the left another leading down to 

 where we had started from in the morning. We saw the 

 startled herd far below us in the latter, crossing over at a 

 swinging trot, and afterwards mounting the range beyond. 

 The Shrimp said they were doubtless making for "Dhow- 

 tea " ! Further on, the Shrimp pointed to a motionless 

 coal-black form standing against the sky-Une, which the 



