332 THE HIGHLANDS OF CENTRAL INDIA 



proceed to rejoin the herd, giving her a broadside of two 

 barrels as she passed, which was followed by another end-on 

 charge for several hundred yards. Eventually she went 

 ofi again towards the retreating herd; but, though the 

 ground had now become very bad, cut up in aU directions 

 by deep rifts in the black soil and pitted by the old foot- 

 marks of the buffaloes, I was not going to decline the 

 challenge of this fighting cow. So after reloading my 

 breech-loader, which was a very hght snipe gun pressed 

 into ball service, and wholly unfit for this sort of work, 

 I cantered after her, and, when within distance, made a 

 rush past, intending to fire into her at close quarters. But 

 she was too quick for me, and we almost met, my gun going 

 ofi, I believe harmlessly, in her face. I had another narrow 

 shave as she again charged me, the little horse stumbhng 

 heavily several times in the frightful ground. Again she 

 sheered off, and once again I rode up, though not so close 

 as before, and gave her both barrels, holding the gun out 

 Kke a pistol. She felt these, and, though shaking her 

 head in a threatening manner, did not charge again. She 

 now held on slowly behind the herd ; and as I felt I could 

 not kill her with this weapon, I waited behind, hoping 

 she would lie down and the heavy rifles come up. Presently 

 she slackened her pace to a walk, and I watched her from 

 behind a bush. Peering cautiously aU round, she went 

 on a httle further, and then, after standing about five 

 minutes watching, lay down in the long grass. I marked 

 the spot carefully, as I thought, by a bush, and then rode 

 back full spht for a heavy rifle. About a mile behind I 

 met B. with the rifles and dogs, and we proceeded together 

 to finish off the cow. My large rifle had got bulged on one 

 barrel some time before, being imable to bear the proper 

 charges for buffalo-shooting, so I had only one barrel to 

 depend on. We walked up through the grass close to the 

 the spot I had marked, but she was not there. I soon lost 

 the bearings, there being fifty bushes just like the one 

 I had marked her by, and we wandered about, a little 

 apart, looking for her. I had stood up on an ant-hill to 

 get a better look, when just below me up started her savage- 

 looldng head and long horns, and she plunged towards me 



