126 FOREST LIFE AND SPORT IN INDIA 
desired, and that his inopportune cough was not 
entirely due to bronchial affection. We parted 
without effusion of rupees or of thanks on either 
side, and immediately after this Jonah had been 
swallowed up in the distance, the hunter's luck 
appeared. 
My wife, who during all my future wanderings 
shared my sport, one evening accompanied me on 
an elephant to ride through the tree-forest near the 
camp, and shortly after we had started the cry of 
the spotted-deer and the gruff grunting of a panther 
attracted our notice. Noiselessly we passed down 
a shady glade, when from a patch of high grass 
uprose a huge form, that stood with head uplifted 
and horns thrown back, eyeing us in defiance. The 
mahout was as deaf as it was possible for a man 
to be, but he muttered, “ Wild-buffalo! what a 
chance !” and sat quiescent. Consultation with him 
was impossible, but having with me a ‘500 Express 
rifle shooting hollow-fronted bullets, I manceuvred 
the elephant so as to get a broadside shot, hoping 
that the light bullet might perhaps penetrate the 
body. But the bull ever kept his face to the foe, 
leaving the question of fighting or of fleeing entirely 
to us. With a whispered word of warning to hold 
tight, the opening shot was fired, and, to the as- 
tonishment of all, the battle was over, the bull fell 
on his side and rolled on his back, the mighty fore- 
legs pointing uselessly to the sky. More shots in 
the neck did not disturb his attitude, and so we 
left him lying in the forest where he had ruled, a 
victim to over-confidence in his massive strength. 
He might at any time have driven the elephant off, 
