334 THE HIGHLANDS OF CENTRAL INDIA 



on his feet and retreated to the middle of the field. The 

 dogs were now loosed, and bayed round him till he began 

 to chase them all round the field ; but as soon as our heads 

 appeared over the fringe of grass, he left them and charged 

 down at ourselves. There was no sort of shelter, and 

 every one had to look out for himself. I stood till he was 

 within about half-a-dozen paces, and then jumped out 

 of his course in the grass, not a moment too soon, my rifle 

 being whirled out of my hands and its ramrod broken. 

 Eecovering it, I fired the undischarged barrel into the back 

 of his shoulder, and at the same time the report of B.'s 

 rifle in front of him rang in my ears. Next moment I saw 

 B. fall spinning to one side, while the bull came down on 

 his knees. Tinker, who had dashed past along with him, 

 clinging nobly to his nose. Neither spare gun, gun-bearer, 

 nor the dog-boy was in sight, as I dashed about, looking 

 for the wherewithal to finish the strugghng bull. At last 

 I saw them, shrunk into nothing, in a shallow hollow in the 

 black soil, and, seizing a couple of the guns, was hurrying 

 up to the scene of action, when I met B., safe and sound, 

 though rather pale, and at the same time heard the report 

 of a rifle, and saw the bull fall over dead. My Mahomedan 

 shikari, a man accustomed to shoot, had fortunately 

 ensconced himself, with my spare rifle, close to where the 

 buU stopped after knocking B. over; and, putting the 

 muzzle to his head, had pulled the triggers of both barrels 

 at once ! Tinker was covered with mire and blood from 

 the bull, but otherwise uninjured, while the nose of the 

 buffalo showed how determined had been his grip. B. 

 had been caught fortunately with the outside edge of his 

 horns, and but shghtly, in the arms and ribs, and was not 

 hurt beyond loss of wind and the shock of his fall. 



The next day B. had fever, and was so shaken as to 

 require a rest, and I went out alone in another direction. 

 I came on a herd of about forty, grazing in an open plain 

 some two miles south of the camp, and proceeded to stalk 

 them. I had an elephant with me, and sent him round 

 a long circuit to attract their attention while I crept in. 

 Getting within about a hundred yards, I saw that the 

 buffaloes had a buU nilgai along with them, which main- 



