It was a very beautiful place in Arunachal Pradesh where I was posted in 1995 and placed at a remote location called Pongchau. The detachment comprised of some locally built barrack shelters and some Border Roads Organization personnel for construction of roads and bridges, as Bailey bridge construction work was going on in the valley to connect two hills about 5 kms away downhill from my detachment. A small stretch of jungle fell on the way downhill. My job was to go daily at the bridge site, stay there all day and finally wind up in the evening at sunset. Generally, I would go in a vehicle with the men but at times walked to keep myself fit. Carrying a stick, I would set out on the winding kutcha tracks along the hill with many waterfalls enroute, gossiping with the staff accompanying me. We carried packed lunch with us which we relished at the site during the lunch break like in a picnic.
One fine day I decided to return from the construction site early. It was a bright sunny day with a chill so I decided to walk up the hill till my detachment alone. The birds were chirping, the butterflies were flitting from flower to flower on the short bushes and the green valley looked fresh. The hill had a lot of sharp curves crisscrossing each other. Just to ease climbing and keep my hands busy, I picked up a stick as usual. For all I knew, it would come handy later. At various turnings on the freshly cut road I could see some birds picking worms out of the freshly dug mud and some dogs and cattle moving across the road, which made the walk interesting as there was not a person to be seen on that lonely route with whom one could talk. My body warmed up due to continuous walking. I had started to climb up the hill. Round and round I went, with various road turns coming on the way. Nothing was visible for more than 100 metres ahead or behind me as the winding track hid the route and one could only see the beautiful valleydown below.
As I was walking, I got the feeling that something was following me. It was only a sort of intuition; there was no evidence to convince my mind with affirmation. The noise of waterfalls on the way diverted my attention from the thought. As I proceeded further I could feel some movement on the ground which felt like tremors just before an earthquake. It is said that the elephants perceive such waves with their feet and come to know of impending disaster many kms in advance, but if I being a human could sense that meant there was definitely something near me which tensed my muscles. I felt a bit nervous and scared being alone but somehow carried on and increased my pace. I walked whistling along trying to gain control over the unknown fear.
Soon I could hear the thumping noise of hundreds of feet, as if of some horses were charging towards me. I turned back, but still could not see anything as my vision was blocked with the hill and the turns. I walked a few steps ahead with adrenalin pumping through my nerves every second. I kept looking back again and again but all in vain.
Later I came across a straight stretch of about 200 metres showing the clear path ahead and I started to jog a little. As I approached the end of the stretch I could now hear the thumping noise clearly and when I looked back this time, it was no assumption, no dream and seeing was believing. I saw not less than 100 strong buffalo like creatures called ‘Methuns’ all facing me, and amongst them was their leader, the strongest one standing in the centre of the herd. They stood as if were posing for a group photo with the leader staring on to the camera. He had anger in his eyes ready to attack at the slightest provocation. He stood with his legs braced, neck slightly lowered, gazing in front with raised shoulders, gushing air from his wet nostrils and horns erect. All the others were behind him waiting for a ‘ready get set go’ order from their leader. I got the shock of my life and it took me about 10 seconds to come to my senses and understand the situation. I then realised that they were ready to charge at me on my slightest movement indicating fear. I studied the area around me and came to a conclusion that I was caught in a catch 22 situation. If I decide to run away from them I would not be able to as I had to climb the hill towards my detachment and these wild beasts will not take more than a minute to catch up with me and crush me to bits and pieces. The other option was to run to the sides but that was also ruled out as on one side was a steep cut in the hill, inclined at 90 degrees, which could not be climbed quickly as the vegetation was wet and on the other side was a ditch 200 feet deep which would as it is crush me to death, so the only way left to run was downhill towards the Methuns, which only a fool would do.
All these things went through my mind in a fraction of second based on which I had to decide fast before the animals took stock of the situation and followed what their leader decided. I somehow took a long breath and prayed to God as it appeared to be my dooms day. I suddenly remembered something that I had seen in the discovery channel that if you encounter Hyenas, you raise a stick not to hit him but to show that you have grown taller and are of a bigger size than him. This scares him and he turns back and quietly sneaks away from there. But will this Hyena formula work here was the million dollar question. Having no other option I decided to go ahead with it. When a person is in distress he can do anything and all the courage, bravery, and strength come on their own. So without wasting a moment, and before the fear of what I was going to do could grip me with its consequences, I raised the stick I was holding with both my arms stretched up straight, taking the top of the stick to about 12 feet from the ground and charged ahead on to their leader running at full speed towards him shouting aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa at the top of my voice: a suicide mission or stupidity, whatever one can name it. I ran for about 10 metres thinking that something will happen and the Methuns would show their unknown reaction to it and break the suspense.
It took about 3 to 4 seconds for their leader to understand what was going on and all of a sudden he immediately turned back, kicking a lot of dust in the air due to his turning around at 180 degrees and pumped out air from his nostrils with a loud noise, this was what was needed. All his battalion immediately turned back and they started to run in the opposite direction, with me chasing them as a lion chases a group of herds, not knowing that my state was not more than a jackal in front of a group of Tigers! I chased them for a good distance of ten metres. By that time, each one including the last of them had turned back and had started to run in the opposite direction and then ---- I suddenly turned back at 180 degrees and with all the strength and stamina left in me (which I had earned in my life including that gained at Indian Military Academy) ran uphill towards my detachment at a speed much faster than I could attain running downhill, and did not stop in between for a good kilometre or so. I then saw the gap increased very fast as both me and the Methuns were running in opposite directions back to back, thereby adding up our velocities and hence the gap between us.
I came to my normal senses after taking a sigh of relief and thought how God helps those who help themselves. Never after that incident did I venture alone on that path again.
It is a story which repeats in my mind whenever I recall my Arunachal days even today.
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