148 FOREST LIFE AND SPORT IN INDIA 
so often stand in the way of the forester in his 
efforts to aid-in the regeneration of those trees on 
areas where magnificent forests once flourished, or 
stand in splendid maturity even in the present day. 
From the Rapti one crossed a stretch of level 
wheat and rice lands extending for miles before 
reaching the small Government forest of Charda. 
This is an area covered with an almost pure growth 
of “sal,” and opinion is divided as to whether it will 
grow timber or only fuel and small poles. The tree 
behaves as if it were disgusted at its isolation; it 
shows unusual sensitiveness, and refuses to grow 
either in the low-lying glades or on the “ dihs,” or 
elevated hillocks. These latter, they say, were the 
village sites of olden times; now they overlook the 
fruitful plains around, deserted save by the “ nilgai,” 
which loves such open spots. A curious antelope 
this, and sometimes a terror to the peasantry, whose 
crops he destroys, while meeting the objections of 
their owners with counter-threats which are not all 
vain; for the male has been known to turn on and 
kill his pursuers, and we ourselves were once held 
up by a fine specimen, who would not yield way to 
our horses. We had on this occasion no weapons 
save hunting-crops, and these he despised, snorting, 
grunting, and pawing the ground, as we approached ; 
nor would he be driven off by two Forest Guards, 
who thought to treat him as they would a refractory 
bullock, so that, unwilling to have him a danger to 
passers-by, we had to send for a rifle and so end 
the affair. On another occasion a wounded bull 
charged an elephant with great determination ; he 
was allowed to advance until there could be no 
