sitated to shoot. But suddenly the birds whirred up into the
air; and, as the Colonel gave them both barrels, Frank did the same. The
cock and three of his wives dropped. The _mahout_ urged his elephant
forward and made the reluctant animal pick up the crumpled bunches of
blood-stained feathers in its curving trunk and pass them to him.

Colonel Dermont searched the jungle for some distance around but could
not find the other jungle-cocks that had answered the dead one's
challenge. Looking at his watch he suggested a halt for lunch, which
Wargrave, whose back was beginning to ache with fatigue, gladly agreed
to. Dismounting, they sat on the ground and ate and drank the contents
of the pockets of Badshah's pad, but with loaded rifles beside them lest
their meal should be disturbed by any dangerous denizen of the jungle.
The two natives sat down some distance away and, turning their backs on
each other, drew out cloths in which their midday repast of _chupatis_,
or thick pancakes, with curry and an onion or two was tied up. The
elephants left to themselves grazed close by and did not attempt to
wander away.

Their meal and a smoke finished the party mounted again and moved on.
But luck seemed to have deserted them. Much to the Political Officer's
disappointment they wandered for miles without adding anything to the
bag. He had calculated on getting another couple of _sambhur_ stags to
present to the _Deb Zimpun_ as food for his hungry followers. The route
that they were now taking led circuitously back towards the _peelkhana_,
which they wished to reach before sundown. They had got within a mile of
it and were close to the foot of the hills when Badshah stopped suddenly
and smelt the ground. Colonel Dermot leaned over the huge head and
stared down intently at something invisible to his young companion.

"What is it, sir?" asked Wargrave in a whisper.

"Bison. Badshah's pointing for us. We can't shoot them here, for we're
in Government jungle where the killing of elephants, bison and rhino is
forbidden unless they attack you. But the track leads north towards the
mountains and at their foot the Government Forest ends. That's only half
a mile away and we can bag them there. Load your rifle with solid-nosed
bullets. This is the _pug_ (footprint) of a bull, I think."

The two natives had seen the tracks by this and were wildly excited.
Badshah without urging moved swiftly through the trees and soon brought
his riders to t