240 
ADVENTURE WITH OLD EMAN. 
are a dead man." I looked round ; we were in the midst 
of a male bamboo jungle so thick that we could scarcely 
see twenty yards ahead, and the few trees were scattered 
fifty to sixty yards apart. It would be impossible to run 
ten yards without falling, on account of the young bamboos 
and other creepers (broken down by the bison feeding) lying 
on the ground so interlaced that they would be certain to 
get entangled between our legs and trip us up ; but in 
the excitement of the moment, the dangers of the situation 
appeared mere trifles to me, and on we went, not making 
the slightest noise for fear of bringing the enraged monster 
on us, Emam making certain that everything that looked 
black was not the bison, before he proceeded a step. Some 
of the bamboos were covered with blood, and the beast 
was evidently so badly w-ounded that he could not face 
the opposite hill ; we came to where he had attempted it 
and had turned back to keep along the valley. At last 
the jungle getting much thicker, the trees fewer, and the 
sun having set for some time, Emam stopped and said we 
should certainly find him a HtUe further on, but as certainly 
he would charge us if he was not too far gone, and as in 
such a jungle we could not possibly get out of his way, unless 
he was dropped in the charge, one or both of us must be 
killed. It was getting dark and we might come upon him 
at any moment before we knew it, and if so, and he was 
alive, there would be very little chance for us. So taking 
all these things into consideration, I turned away with a sad 
heart, leaving the finest bison I had seen severely, probably 
mortally, w^ounded. I asked Emam if Watson and I went 
together the next morning with the shikaries carrying all 
our spare guns we should Have a chance of finding him. 
