THE GAUR 75 



standing in a listening attitude, about seventy 

 yards away on my left. Before he could make 

 up his mind, I had given him a solid soft-nose 

 behind the shoulder, which practically did for 

 him, though it took a few more shots to kill 

 him. Had I not run after the bull as he bolted, 

 I doubt whether I should have got him : it 

 was late in the evening, and night was coming 

 on. He was the biggest bison I ever bagged, 

 and had a fine massive head measuring 31 J in. 

 along the right horn and 30J in. along the left. 

 The girth of both horns was 18| in. And the 

 moral of this is, that he who runs after a scared 

 bison stands a good chance of promptly reap- 

 ing the reward. You may run after a scared 

 tsaing, though, till all 's blue ; but that animal 

 is much too wary a wight to pull up till he 

 has put a mile or more between himself and his 

 pursuer, and then he won't give you even half 

 a chance. 



The bison has often been credited with a 

 ferocity which is more in accordance with his for- 

 midable appearance than his habits. Doubtless, 

 like all the Bos tribe, a wounded bull will charge 

 now and again. But I think when this happens 

 it is usually because the beast has received a 

 trifling wound, or, at all events, one that is not 

 mortal. With modern high-velocity rifles the 

 poor beast gets such a terrific shock that all the 



fight is knocked out of him at the outset. The 



02 



