On The Rising Of The Sun Next Day We Had Struck Our Camp, And
Were Upon The March To Delladilla.
On the way I shot a splendid
buck mehedehet (R. Ellipsyprimna), and we arrived at our old
quarters, finding no change except that elephants had visited
them in our absence, and our cleanly swept circus was covered
with the dung of a large herd.
As this spot generally abounded
with game, I took a single-barrelled small rifle, while the men
were engaged in pitching the tent and arranging the camp, and
with Taher Noor as my only companion, I strolled through the
forest, expecting to obtain a shot at a nellut within a quarter
of a mile. I had walked about that distance, and had just entered
upon a small green glade, when I perceived, lying at full length
upon the sand, a large lion, who almost immediately sprang up,
and at the same moment received a bullet from my rifle as he
bounded beneath a bush and crouched among some withered grass. I
was unloaded, when, to my astonishment, Taher Noor immediately
drew his sword, and, with his shield in his left hand, he
advanced boldly towards the wounded lion. I reloaded as quickly
as possible, just as this reckless Hamran had arrived within
springing distance of the lion, who positively slunk away and
declined the fight; retreating into the thick thorns, it
disappeared before I could obtain a shot. Taher Noor explained,
that his object in advancing towards the lion was to attract its
attention; he had expected that it would have remained in a
crouching position until I should have reloaded; but he ran the
extreme risk of a charge, in which case he would have fared badly
with simple sword and shield. Being close to the tent, I
returned, and, in addition to my single-barrelled rifle, I took
my two Reillys No. 10, with Hassan and Hadji Ali. In company with
Taher Noor we searched throughout the bushes for the wounded
lion, but without success. I now determined to make a cast,
hoping that we might succeed in starting some other animal that
would give us a better chance. The ground was sandy but firm,
therefore we made no sound in walking, and, as the forest was
bounded upon two sides by the river, and separated from the main
land by a ravine, the fire that had cleared the country of grass
had spared this portion, which was an asylum for all kinds of
game, as it afforded pasturage and cover. We had not continued
our stroll for five minutes beyond the spot lately occupied by
the lion, when we suddenly came upon two bull buffaloes, who were
lying beneath a thick bush on the edge of a small glade: they
sprang up as we arrived, and started off. I made a quick shot as
they galloped across the narrow space, and dropped one apparently
dead with a Reilly No. 10. My Tokrooris were just preparing to
run in and cut the throat, as good Mussulmans, when the buffalo,
that was not twenty yards distant, suddenly sprang to his feet
and faced us.
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