Part 20 (1/2)

They guessed aright It was the serow, (_Capricornis bubalina_)

But the creature was not alone Although we have said he was not running very swiftly, he was going as fast as his thick legs would carry hiood reason too, for, close upon his heels, came a pack of what Karl supposed to be red wolves, but which Ossaroo recognised as the wild dogs of India There were about a dozen of these, each nearly as large as a wolf, with long necks and bodies, soh, erect, round-tipped ears Their general colour was red, turning to reddish white underneath The tops of their long bushy tails were black, and there was a brown patch between the orbits of their eyes, which added to the fierce wolf-like expression that characterised the had proceeded

They were in full cry after the serow

Fritz, on hearing the music, would have bounded forth and joined them; but to keep him out of har work, and Fritz, _nolens volens_, was compelled to keep his place

The chase swept by, and both dogs and antelope were soon lost to the sight, though their howling could still be heard through the trees

After a ti that the chase was again co

A second tis, as before, close at his heels

Once more all disappeared, and then, after a short interval, ”hark back”

was the cry; and, to their surprise, Karl and the shi+karree again saw the wild dogs pressing the serow through the woods

Now it appeared to both that the dogs ht easily have overtaken the antelope at any le spring, which any of theiven, would have launched the it only for their amusement, and at any moment could have overtaken it!

This observation of our wood-cutters was partially true The wild dogs could at any moment have overtaken the antelope, for they had done so already; having turned itit out of a-place, and save the its carcass thither_! This was in reality what the wild dogs were about, and this accounted for their odd behaviour Ossaroo, who knew the wild dogs well, assured the Sahib Karl, that such is their practice, that--whenever they have young ones-- they hunt the larger aniet the place; that then they all spring upon the victi the puppies to approach the carcass and le it at their pleasure!

The plant-hunter had already heard of this singular practice having been observed in the ”wild honden,” or hunting-dogs of the Cape, and was therefore less surprised at Ossaroo's account

Of course it was not then that Karl and Ossaroo conversed upon these topics They were too busy in watching the chase, which once more passed within twenty yards of the spot where they were standing

The serow seemed now to be quite done up, and it appeared as if his pursuers ht at any moment have pulled him down But this they evidently did not wish to do They wanted to drive hi to accoe tree stood in his way Its trunk was reat broad buttresses stood out froular spaces between them, any of which would have made a stall for a horse It was just the sort of place which the seroas looking out for; anda sharp rush for the tree, he entered one of these divisions, and wheeling around, buttocks to the stump, stood firmly to bay

This sudden manoeuvre evidently disconcerted his fierce pursuers There were ht of his horns when brought too close to them They knew his tactics too, and ell aware that once in a position, like that he had now taken up, he beca this,ones in the pack, rash, hot-blooded felloho, vain of their prowess, were asha their tails at this crisis; and these, without more ado, rushed in upon the antelope Then ensued a scene that caused Ossaroo to clap his hands and shake his sides with laughter A desperate struggle was carried on Right and left pitched the wild dogs, so; while one or two soon lay stretched out dead; transfixed as they had been by the pointed horns of the antelope Ossaroo enjoyed this scene, for the shi+karree had a great dislike to these wild dogs, as they had often interfered with his stalking

How the battle would have ended, or whether the bold buck would have beaten off his numerous ene, the great boar-hound, Fritz, contrived so, and the nextlike a streak of fire towards the _s were as much terrified by his sudden appearance in their midst as the quarry itself could have been, and, without staying to examine the interloper, one and all of them took to their heels, and soon disappeared behind the trees

Fritz had never seen a serow before, but taking it for granted it was fair gaht Better for Fritz had it been a Saxon boar, for it cost hile before he became master of the field; and it is doubtful whether he would not have suffered still worse, had not a pea of lead fro the strife to an end

The ga home; as the flesh of the serow is very coarse, and poor eating For all that, the anierly hunted by the natives of the Himalayas; partly because it is not difficult to come up with, and partly that these poor people are not very epicurean in their appetites

CHAPTER FORTY

OSSAROO CHASED BY WILD DOGS