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SPOUTING AND MILITARY
ADVENTURES

NEPAUL, AND THE HIMALAYAS

A NARRATIVE OF PERSONAL ENCOUNTERS
AND NARROW ESCAPES,

BY

MAJOR BLAYNEY WALSHE.

LONDON :

JAMES BLACKWOOD & CO., LOVELL'S COURT,
PATERNOSTER ROW.

PREFACE.

IT requires but a few words of preface
before launching my little volume on the
sea of public opinion.

I know it will have to do battle with
craft of a higher and more enduring
nature, and may be utterly swamped in its
endeavour to attain the goal of public
approval ; but I venture to hope it -will
outlive the storms of criticism ; and, if my
readers have half the pleasure in the
perusal of these pages that I have had in
writing them, I shall be repaid.

Having passed some of the early years

vi. PREFACE.

of my military career in India, I had op-
portunities of meeting with many adven-
tures ; and although a long period has
elapsed since those days, a vivid recollec-
tion remains, of the campaigning and the
sporting, that together, made up the
pleasantest part of my life.

Breconshirc,

October,. 1875.

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I.

Recollections of Early Life— Enter the Army— Quit England
— Land at Calcutta — Pleasures during a short stay — On the
March to Chinsura to join detachment — Arrival at the Mofussal,
and account of the journey through — Near Chinsura — Non-
arrival of baggage, and journey back to Calcutta in search of it
— Meet with a few acquaintances — Return to Chinsura — Des-
tination changed to Moorshedabad — A Skirmish with the
Nepaulese and their defeat — First Encampment — Adventures of
a Sporting Party 9

CHAPTER II.

Exciting Tale of an Ad venture' with a Tiger — Arrival of Des-
patches and Reinforcements — Again on the March — Another
sharp engagement with the Nepaulese — Renewed Marching and
description of the guides — Treaty with a Native Deserter — Falling
in with the enemy, and renewed attack — Wounded - - 56

CHAPTER III.

A mysterious nurse — Kidnapped — In Prison — An unwelcome
visitor — Escape and journey with a friendly guide — Narrow
escape from a Cobra — Recaptured and condemned to death —
A welcome letter — Released from Prison— Pursued - - 83

CHAPTER IV.

Weary hours passed with a mysterious deliverer — Sleeping in
a tree — A breakfast of eggs and honey — News of the regiment
— A guest of the A'otwal or Magistrate — Parting with a true
friend — Leave taking of the Kotwdl — On the march in pursuit
of the regiment - - 124

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER V.

What occurred on the way— Hunting a miscreant Monkey
and its consequences — Happy condition of my Horses and Ser-
vants— Entertained by a Juggling Party — Avoiding a snare —
First news and meeting with missing comrades — Recounting
Adventures since our separation — Attacked with fever - 158

CHAPTER VI.

On Leave for six months to the Himalayas — Idea of the
Mountains, the Ascent — Arrival at Landour — Reflection —
Meeting a cheerful companion Restored to health — Preparing
for a shooting expedition — Encounter with a Black Bear, and
result of first day's sport — Second day's sport — Narrow
escape of a companion — Capture of a Black Boar - - 200

CHAPTER VII.

Discussing the events of the day with the Shikari, and his
startling acccount of an adventure with a Bengal Tiger — Third
day's sport, and what we met with 235

CHAPTER VIII.

Another interesting Tale of the Shikari's — Adventure with a
musk elephant — Return to the hotel — Parting with the Shikari
— Letter from the adjutant — Leave taking of a companion of
the hills 273

CHAPTER IX.

On the road to rejoin head quarters — A hair-breadth
escape — Capture of a monster alligator, and what was dis-
covered in its maw — Meeting with old comrades — ^Another
attack of fever—A grant of two year's leave on sick certificate
to return to England — A pleasant voyage and arrival home 303

SPORTING AND MILITARY

ADVENTURES.

CHAPTER I.

WAS born in a small town on
the west coast of Ireland, and
though years have since rolled
on, and I have passed through
many adventures in all climes, the
recollections of my much loved home
have never been effaced from my mind.
My rides on a shaggy pony, my first
attempts at fishing, and the first successful

capture of a trout, about the length of my

B

10 SPORTING AND

little finger, are as vividly impressed on my
heart as if it had all occurred yesterday.
I can even recollect the conversations I
had with the peasantry as I rode along, and
can fancy I see the girls now, plodding into
the neighbouring market with their poultry
and eggs ; some of them, in addition to
their well-filled baskets, having to carry
their shoes and stockings, ready to be
replaced on their feet as they approached
the town, whither their steps were bent.

I have been so long from my dear home
that great changes have taken place, but
not so many in the remote parts of Ireland
as in other places. In the neighbourhood
of which I am speaking, there is not even
now a railroad within seventeen miles of
our house, and there was then only a
mountain road leading to it, which was so
hilly and rough, that it half killed our poor

MILITARY AD VENTURES. 1 1

old horse "Jack" whenever he traversed
it, and each time we used to declare
should be the last ; notwithstanding our
determination, the next time anything was
wanted these resolves were forgotten, poor
old * l Jack ' ' was pulled out of his comfortable
stable and attached to our outside jaunting
car, and off we would set to toil and crawl
up the precipices, by courtesy called a
road. Poor "Jack," as well as being old,
was dreadfully fat, and it was pitiable to
see him toiling up the steep hills; yet,
notwithstanding his distress, we were cruel
enough to urge him on both with voice
and whip, for, if these adjuncts were
not freely used, neither jaunting car nor
Jack would have ever reached their des-
tination, not to speak of the getting home
again at night, when we would arrive half-
dead and depressed, feeling thankful that

12 SPORTING AND

the dreadful journey was over, and that we
were safe at home again.

This sort of life lasted till I was sixteen
years old, when it was decided upon, that
I was destined for the army ; my uncle,
who was a general, applied to the autho-
rities at the Horse Guards on my behalf,
and I soon obtained a commission in the
— th Regiment of foot. In due course I
was ordered to join the depot at Chatham ;
but I was not left long in peace there, for
an order came from the Adjutant- General
for a large draft to be prepared for India,
and I was among one of the (.as we then
thought) unlucky ones included in the
draft for immediate embarcation.

As the time drew nigh for sailing, my
feelings underwent a complete change ;
instead of disliking the idea of going to
the gorgeous East, I was enchanted at the

MILITAR Y AD VENTURES. 13

prospect, and looked forward to the pig-
sticking, tiger-shooting and deer-stalking,
with the greatest excitement and longing,
counting the hours till we should embark.
The time came at last, and I marched out
of the garrison town with a much lighter
heart than fellows usually do when starting
for the East ; and yet there are, perhaps,
but few who reflect how possible it is that
they may never return, but go on their
way, never looking at anything gloomy,
and thinking only of the bright future that
awaits them. But, I am getting into
a gloomy strain, which is not my object,
as I think there are melancholy subjects
enough in this world without mixing them
up with our pleasant moments ; and I in-
tend that this little book shall show only
as much of the gloomy side of life as
necessary, and I shall try to confine my-

H SPORTING AND

self as much as possible to the amusing
element.

We landed at Calcutta in due time, and
soon found ourselves comfortably installed
at a very fine hotel. Calcutta is justly
named the "City of Palaces," and the
hotels are certainly not behind hand in
magnificence ; our cuisine was excellent,
the manager attentive, and after our board-
ship life our heads were in a fair way of
being turned by all the attention we re-
ceived. Balls and dinners, and every
description of gaiety, gave us plenty to
do, and the intense heat did not interfere
with our enjoyment. However, we were
not left to amuse ourselves long in Cal-
cutta, before an orderly came to the
commanding officer, who was staying at
our hotel. I looked out of the window
while Major H was reading the order,

MI LIT A RY AD VENTURES. 1 5

and was struck with the novelty of the
orderly's appearance. He was a private
of the — th Bengal Light Cavalry, and
mounted on a beautiful grey charger,
which he sat with grace and dignity. His
uniform was becoming, and at the same
time, workman-like ; it consisted of alight
blue jacket with orange facings, piped
with white cord, looking at a distance like
silver, which is worn by the officers of the
corps, and, on a more intimate acquain-
tance with the regiment, I can dispassion-
ately say there was not a finer corps in the
service, or a more manly set of officers.
To see them at a ball in their light blue
and silver uniform, with their swords and
spurs clanking, and their sabretashes
striking against the broad silver lace down
the outer seam of their overalls, was one
of the prettiest sights possible ; the girls

16 SPORTING AND

seemed to like them as partners, and they
usually selected the prettiest in the room,
no belle requiring to be asked twice to
dance with one of the dashing — th Bengal
Light Cavalry.

I fear I have digressed while looking
out at the smart mounted orderly on his
capering and gaily caparisoned charger.
I was roused from my reverie by Major

H calling to show me the route

for us to march in the morning to Chinsura,
which place is some twenty miles distant
from Calcutta on the left bank of the river
Hoogly. We marched the following morn-
ing at three o'clock, as it was the hot
season, and the Major was anxious to get
the recruits and soldiers into their
tents at Chinsura before the sun became
too hot, and the morning too advanced.
Well, we got off pretty punctually,

MILITARY AD VENTURES. 17

and, though we stumbled about a good
deal in the dark while finding our various
detachments, when we got to them, and
marched them to their places in the main
body, we were all safe ; but, being unused
to the darkness and the new life, I floun-
dered about dreadfully, and, coming across
a hackery bullock lying on my path, quietly
munching his half digested breakfast, I of
course stumbled over him ; but he was so
accustomed to affairs of that sort, that he
continued his occupation as if nothing un-
usual had happened, leaving me to scramble
up as best I could.

I then made a rush for my detachment,
which I happily reached just before Major

H rode up to enquire why I had not

moved it into column. I explained the
cause, and then marched the men off to
their appointed place. The column was

18 SPORTING AND

called " to attention," and then came the
words " quick march," when every man
stepped off with the left foot to the enli-
vening tune of " The girl I left behind
me." It is dreary work the first start in
the early morn, and we plodded along in
the dark, thinking of all the agreeable
girls and kind friends we had quitted ; and
I was brooding over my uncertain pros-
pects, with other matters not of a cheering
or exhilarating nature, when I was roused
from my reflections by the " halt." After
an hour's marching in India there is always
a halt for ten minutes, and this has a capital
effect, as it allows the men time to re-settle
their knapsacks, or take a boot off, making
them more prepared to encounter the
fatigues of the next three and a half miles,
this distance being about the usual pace
at which soldiers march. We now lighted

MILITARY AD VENTURES. 19

our pipes and cheroots, which every one
smoked in my time ; a man might have
gone in those days from the Himalaya
Mountains to the most southern point of
Ceylon without seeing a cigar.

The command to march was given, and
we were soon well out of the suburbs of
Calcutta, and had reached what the Anglo-
Indians call the " Mofussal," which means
the country lying outside the town and
suburbs of Calcutta. It was now broad
daylight, for, in all tropical climes the
transition from darkness to light is very
rapid ; indeed, I often afterwards found
that, almost while mounting my horse and
riding quietly out of my compound, the
transition had taken place.

We now got into the pretty market and
flower gardens surrounding Calcutta,
where the beauty of the flowers and the

20 SPORTING AND

sweetness of their perfume defy descrip-
tion. The road was now superb, and we
stepped along like heroes, and at the next
halt we were refreshed with hot coffee,
which had been sent on by a trusty servant
the previous evening ; it was all ready for
us, and each officer had a steaming cup of
that reviving beverage, especially so at
that early hour in the morning. Coffee
should be called the morning elixir of life,
as we call champagne, or sparkling
moselle, the night elixir. The word of
command to march was given for the
third time, and off we stepped again to
the tune of " We're all noddin." By this
time we, the officers, formed into little
sets, confined to our own particular
chums ; and, as the men were marching
"at ease," the commanding officer did
not care how we got along, provided we

MILITARY AD VENTURES. 21

were sufficiently near to fall in should it
be requisite; but in a friendly country,
and within a few miles of our own capital,
and in the midst of our own dominions,
there was little chance of a surprise,
though I found out afterwards, to my
great discomfort, that too much confidence
cannot be placed in appearances; — but
more of this anon.

We were now within a kos of Chinsura
(I should explain that a kos is two English
miles) when we heard the continual beating
of the tam-tam, announcing to the tired and
foot- worn soldiers that the tents of the camp
were in sight, to the great joy of the men,
many of whom were not in an enviable
state from having imbibed too much arrack
the previous evening in company with
some warrior who could sleep off the
effects of the drowsy god, instead of

22 SPORTING AND

having to take a weary march of twenty
miles through deep dust, and frequently
heavy sand ; the poor sufferer groaning in
spirit, and making many good resolutions,
which are strictly carried out until he meets
a convivial friend the next night, when the
same farce is enacted again with the same
results. It appears to me that soldiers are
the most thoughtless people on the face
of the earth ; I have often studied their
character, and must confess that I am
completely puzzled. They are kind,
liberal, and generous to a degree; but,
on the other hand, they are the most
improvident creatures in the world, and I
believe they would persist in drinking a
glass of brandy if they were assured they
would be dead an hour after it. This
recklessness kills many of our brave
fellows, and indeed, if it were not for this

MILITARY AD VENTURES. 23

dreadful infatuation, we should not find
them so easy to obtain. I shall now go
on with my story, and cast moralising to
the winds.

We had hardly started on our march
this morning when I discovered that no
hackery had come for my tent and baggage,
so I lost no time, when the men were dis-
missed, in waiting on Major H and

asking permission to be allowed to ride
back and see after my belongings ; this he
immediately assented to, and a few minutes
saw me off, mounted on a wiry, but miser-
ably ugly tattu, or native bred pony : they
are very generally used throughout the
Bengal Presidency by officers, to carry
them out to parades, luncheons, or tiffins,
—as we Anglo Indians call them ; and, in
fact, wherever quickness and durability are
required. They are wonderfully enduring,

24 SPORTING AND

but are of comparatively little value, as
you can, — or could at the time of which I
am writing — procure one of these useful
little animals for fifty rupees, (five pounds
of our English money) and they will do the
work of a horse ten times their value. I
have often thought how useful they would
be in this country if they could be brought
home in sufficient numbers to pay. I fancy
if a good many of them were shipped from
Calcutta they might be sold in England at
eight or ten pounds a head, and they would
not cost more than a pound or thirty
shillings each for the passage. It is a pity
some speculative individual does not try it,
as I believe it would be a certain profit.

I cantered back to Calcutta in less
than two hours, and found my tent still
standing and my servants calmly sleeping
in the shade as comfortably and con-

MILITARY AD VENTURES. 25

tentedly as if the tent had been trans-
ported and erected in its proper place in
our camp at Chinsura. I rushed at the
man whose business it was to take the tent
down ; and, angry as I then was, I need
not say that he did not awake to find a bed
of roses ; his shrieks soon brought all my
naukar log (servants) around us, and then
such a Babel of sounds penetrated my ears
that I was stupified at first ; each man
wished me clearly to understand it was not
his fault, but that the delay was all owing
to the idleness and wickedness of all the
others; and that I was aRustumjee, — which
means a good master, — and my clear good
sense would soon shew me who was my
faithful servant, and who were Shaitans, or
sons of the devil. This row continued till
I lost all patience, and I used my chabuk,
or whip, with vigour and satisfactory re-

26 SPORTING AND

suits, for, in ten minutes I had them all at
work taking the tent down and carefully
packing it up. This took the best part of
an hour ; I need not say I was a happy man
when I saw it, at last, safely packed, and
in the hackery with my other belongings,
and the bullocks moving off with the creak-
ing and screaming vehicle; the driver
screwing at the poor animals tails as if he
were moving the ponderous machine
entirely by his own labours.

I now began to feel hungry, and, re-
collecting I had not taken anything to eat
since my dinner at our mess on the pre-
vious evening, I directed my steps towards
my old hotel, after I had seen my tattu
carefully attended to. The poor pony had
done some hard work already. All officers'
horses and ponies are led in the rear of
the regiment on the line of march, and

MILITA RY AD VENTURES. 27

any officer who wishes to ride when the
men are marching at ease, has only to fall
out and let the regiment go on, and when
his horse comes up he can mount him.
When the " tap " on the big drum calls to
march " at attention," he may dismount
and run up to take his place in the column,
drawing his sword, and falling in. In
this way my tattu had done the march to
Chinsura ; I had afterwards cantered him
back to Calcutta, and in the cool of the
evening I had made up my mind to ride
him back again to Chinsura, that I might
be in time to march with our detachment
the next morning. Few horses could be
got to do so much work, and I suppose,
the native ponies being so cheap, one does
not care so much about injuring them by
making them go when required to do so.
After a very good luncheon at the hotel

28 SPORTING AND

and a bottle of " fizz," I strolled about,
looking up my military friends ; for,
short though my stay had been in Cal-
cutta, I had formed many friendships. On
looking back I am astonished at the facility
with which I made acquaintances, and
even intimate friends, in those days, com-
pared with the difficulty I have now in
doing the same. After paying a few
visits, I ordered the unhappy pony to be
again saddled, and it was nice and cool
when I started ; he took me back with the
greatest ease in two hours and a half, just
in time for a late dinner at the mess, to
the astonishment of all the detachment.
Next morning the taps went at five o'clock,
and we marched off much as we had done
yesterday, barring the tumble over the bul-
lock, which, happily, I avoided, as I sup-
pose I kept a sharper look out. At the

MILITARY AD VENTURES. 29

first halt Major H informed us our

destination was changed from Moorsheda-
bad to Alleighur, in consequence of
disturbances in the Nepaul country. He
was under the impression that we should
be engaged with the Nepaulese in the
course of a few days, from the rumours
we had heard in the bazaar ; and news
finds its way into the bazaar frequently
many days before the Government de-
spatches reach the officer commanding the
troops in the field.

The rumour in this case was, that the
Nepaulese were in great force in a strong
position among the mountains, near the
entrance into their country. Of course
we were enchanted at this news, for we
were all tired of the monotony of the
march, or, at any rate, we knew we should
be before it had lasted much longer. When

30 SPORTING AND

we arrived at our camp, all uncertainty was
at an end, for an official order was awaiting
the commanding officer, directing him to
hold the troops under his command in
readiness for immediate service in the
field, and desiring him to halt where he
was for a few days to allow detachments,

which were on their way to join him, to
arrive. There was a field battery of
artillery to join us, and we also required
an officer to take charge of the commis-
sariat, as we should soon be in an enemy's
country, where it would be impossible to
procure even a goat, or a loaf of bread ;
therefore it was incumbent on us to be
fully prepared in every respect with
abundance of provisions, and also an
unlimited supply of ammunition to subdue
our swarthy enemies, who had the reputa-
tion of being extremely handy with their

MILITAR Y AD VENTURES. 31

talwars (swords). They have, also, a
very unpleasant weapon called a jeel,
which they throw with great precision and
dexterity ; it is in the form of a quoit,
only larger, and sharp at the edges ; this
is rapidly revolved on the fore finger till
it has attained a certain velocity, when,
with a sudden jerk, they can propel it in
any direction they wish. It goes like an
arrow, and woe betide the unfortunate
individual it strikes ; if it hits him full on
the chest it will cut him in half, or maim
him so dreadfully that the chances are he
would never recover, or, if he did, he
would be a burden to himself and his
friends for life.

As may be supposed the news of the
coming campaign elated the old soldiers
of the detachment vastly, and the recruits
vied with their more experienced brethren

32 SPORTING AND

in enthusiasm and determination. I was
much surprised at the manly pride our
recruits displayed when they found they
were really in for hard fighting ; they
seemed as joyous as boys released from
school, and nothing but sounds of exhila-
rating fun and laughter were heard all over
the camp. Next morning, long before day-
light, we silently fell in ; and, when the
word " quick march " was given, I felt a
tremor run through my frame that was
quite unaccountable to me at the time,
but I have since learned it was simply a
bracing of the nervous system, which I
believe most men experience when starting
on a perilous and highly exciting under-
taking.

We started silently, without even a bugle
sound, and the drums and fifes were like-
wise silent, so we must have resembled

M1LITAR Y AD VENTURES. 33

ghosts gliding through the black gloom
of the early morning. We took every pre-
caution, and had advance and rear guards,
and also picquets on either flank, and,
indeed, carried out the regulations for the
advance of troops in an enemy's country
to the very letter : lucky it was that we did
so, for we had hardly advanced ten miles
when one of the scouts came running in
with the astounding information that a very
large army was drawn up across our road,
and it must be dislodged before we could

proceed. Major H did not hesitate

long, but formed us up in the order in which
he meant we should fight. He threw out
strong flanking parties, and led the attack
himself with the main body, leaving a
strong reserve, or support, under my com-
mand ; he also left a very shrewd color-
sergeant with me to advise me ; this ser-

34 SPORTING AND

geant was, in fact, my commandant for the
time being.

Our attention was soon occupied with
what was going on in front, for our gallant
comrades were now in the thick of it ; they
advanced in splendid style, without firing
a shot in reply to the showers of arrows,
jeels, and quoits, which came in dense
masses on our brave little army. We were
filled with pride and admiration at the
determined and steady advance which
they maintained under such a murderous
volley of deadly missiles, By this time
they were close up to the main body of the
Nepaulese, and then the order was given
to form line, which order I thought should
have been given before. This formation
did not take more than a few minutes to
execute, as it was done at the double ; and
then we poured such a withering fire into

MILITARY AD VENTURES. 35

them that they turned and fled in all direc-
tions, our guns pouring in grape shot and
shells among them whenever a few congre-
gated anywhere within range. In ten
minutes from the time our attacking party
started not a Nepaulese was to be seen
near us, and in another half-hour not one
was in sight. I had the greatest difficulty
in restraining my command, which, I need
not say, was chiefly composed of recruits,
with a few recovered men among them,
who were too weak for the exertion of
climbing the hills and fighting at the same
time ; besides, it would not have been pru-
dent to have left me nothing but recruits.
We pursued the ememy for several
miles, and my little army being fresh and
vigorous, having just landed in India,
shewed their British pluck and activity by
chasing them like hounds, or, I should

36 SPORTING AND

say, coursing them like greyhounds. It
was nearly dark before we got all the
pursuers back ; then the men fell in to
answer to their names, and I am happy to
say our loss was comparatively small,
considering how sharp the affair had been
while it lasted. We found out afterwards
from prisoners, and other sources, that the
enemy was completely taken by surprise ;
they thought our commanding officer
would have been taken aback and would
not know what to do, and they intended,
when all was in confusion in our army
(as they had calculated it would be), to
rush down on us and gain an easy victory.

But Major H had been equal to. the

occasion, and hence we had gained a
most complete and overwhelming victory.
Our joy is not to be described, and
officers and men were equally pleased at

MILITARY AD VENTURES. 37

their morning's work. There was one
dreadful drawback, however, which we
for a time lost sight of, and this was the
loss of so many dear and valued com-
rades with whom we had been associating
daily for months, now swept out of our
sight without a moment's preparation or
warning. It seems strange that soldiers,
who are living from day to day with their
lives in their hands, should be, as a rule,
the most thoughtless and careless re-
garding their eternal salvation.

Some of the wounds were very bad
cases, the quoits having inflicted fearful
injuries ; one man was nearly cut in two,
and, strange to say, he lingered for hours
till death happily released him from his
dreadful sufferings. I shall not dwell on
this subject only to mention one case of a
private who I heard was lying dangerously

38 SPORTING AND

wounded in hospital. He had been my
servant, and without delay I went to
see him. I found him in bed, sitting
up every few minutes and then tumbling
back. He had a fearful wound in the head,
and the brain protruded considerably ; he
lived in this state for hours. I only
mention this case to show the vitality
there is in the human frame ; I was under
the impression that any injury to the brain
was instant death.

Major H — •— determined to halt where
he was, and to send off a dispatch
announcing our complete victory, at the
same time asking for instructions. He
strengthened our position as much as
possible, by cutting down trees and
throwing up earth -works ; posted strong
picquets on the adjoining hills ; and, in
fact, did all that an able commander could

MI LIT A RY AD VENTURES. 39

do for the protection of his little army.
All this gave us ample occupation for the
next few days ; and then, as it would take
weeks before we could hear from the
Commander in Chief, and as we were
assured from the accounts of the villagers,
who brought milk, eggs, ghi (a kind of
butter), and poultry into our camp 'daily,
that there were no hostile Nepaulese in
our neighbourhood, some of us young-
sters determined to try the shooting in
the vicinity of our encampment ; for we
heard there were plenty of bison, deer,
jungle fowl and pea fowl, besides par-
tridge, quail, and hare.

One morning, just as the sun was rising
in Oriental splendour, four of us sallied
out with our guns, intent on making a
good bag. We had asked the Major's
permission to go, and he had insisted upon

40 SPORTING AND

our taking half-a-dozen soldiers with us as
beaters ; as they would have their muskets,
he thought, in case we came across any
hostile Nepaulese, and twelve of us could
make a good running fight back to camp.
He insisted also upon our observing the
strictest caution and prudence, and then
kindly wished us good sport. When it
was known that we required half-a-dozen
volunteers to accompany us, the whole de-
tachment said they were ready, and we had
much difficulty in making them understand
that we would only take six. We allowed
them to select the required number them-
selves, it was done, after a great deal of
discussion, as all wished to come, and the
lucky ones were told to be ready to accom-
pany us at sunrise the next morning. On
issuing from our tents we found them ready,
with their muskets and pouch belts filled

MILITA RY AD VENTURES. 4i

with ball cartridge, and so we started
at once, and made for a thickly wooded
valley which lay to the right of our camp.
We had not proceeded two hundred yards
through the thick jungle when I heard a
tremendous noise of rustling, as if a large
animal was disturbed, and passing through
the thick underwood ; this was on my right
front. I immediately cried out, "Mark!"
when a huge bull buffalo darted into an
open spot of burnt jungle, and crossed it
rapidly. We all blazed away, when, to
our intense amazement and disgust, he
went off, apparently untouched. We
looked at each other in mute astonishment,

till at last, M who was one of our

party, proposed we should return home,
as he did not think we should have an
opportunity of trying at anything larger !

After a short consultation we all decided

D

42 SPORTING AND

that we had fired in a hurry, and deter-
mined to be very cool and aim more care-
fully before pulling the triggers next time.
We then reformed line, and proceeded,
hoping for better luck : it mortified me
greatly to see a broad grin on the faces of
our military attendants, but I trusted that
my next shot would make amends for the
last one.

We had not proceeded far before a
noble black buck sprang to his feet, and,
unluckily for him, stopped for a second to
reconnoitre, when I seized the opportunity
and planted a bullet exactly between his
eyes, which brought him down with a
crash, to the great delight of my brother
sportsmen^ and to the surprise of our
escort, who begun to see we were not such
muffs as they thought us. My successful
shot gave us fresh confidence, and from

MILITAR Y AD VENTURES. 43

that time we shot very fairly, making
a much better bag than I had antici-
pated. We had to leave all our game,
excepting the jungle-fowl and the par-
tridge ; and as we proceeded, found
we had bagged quite as many as our
escort could carry, considering they had,
in addition, their muskets and thirty
rounds of ball cartridge in their pouches.
We had each our bearers, but they
carried our ammunition and whatever
drink their master fancied : some had
brandy, some claret, and I, for one,
had cold tea, in a bottle, without either
milk or sugar; and though I was a
griff in those days, I have still adhered
to this practise, and after some thirty
years experience think it much the most
refreshing beverage. It invigorates you
sufficiently, without spoiling your shooting,

44 SPORTING AND

which brandy and water, or wine, always
does for me.

We returned in time for mess at seven
o'clock, and great was the curiosity to
hear what was the amount of our bag,
and what we had seen, and whether we
had met any hostile Nepaulese. Major

H was equally anxious to know

what the country was like ; whether
there were any roads, and if it would be
easy for an army to ght through it :
answering all these questions as well as
we could, we hastened to dress for
mess, which we did in an incredibly short
space of time, getting in before the soup
was removed.

We underwent great chaffing at our
missing the bull bison, but the bag we
brought home, and the quantity of large
game left behind (which could not be

MILITARY ADVENTURES. 45

brought in till the next morning) made
them look upon us as sportsmen entitled
to some respect. As the dinner pro-
gressed, conversation became more gene-
ral, and we soon were in harmony with
each other. The Artillery officers, of
whom I spoke before as joining our de-
tachment, had made their appearance at
our mess for the first time, and proved, as
the Artillery officers always do, a great
acquisition to our party. The Captain in
command of them had been many years
in India and was a great sportsman ; so
when the cloth was removed, and we were
enjoying our wine, one of his officers
asked him to relate the adventure he once
had with a tiger in the Rajmahal Hills ;
this he consented to do, and filling his
glass, commenced : —

" You must all know that twenty years

46 SPORTING AND

ago tigers were much more frequently seen
and were fiercer than they are now, and
there was then no reward of fifty rupees for
killing one. The shikari (native sports-
man) in those days were only armed with
a spear, which perhaps is formidable
enough to attack a wild hog, but no man
in his senses would think of attacking a
man-eating tiger with a spear, and they
were then nearly all man-eaters. I liked
the excitement of having a pitched battle
with those cruel brutes, and often have
spent the night in a tree adjoining large
jungles where they abound, and which
commanded the path they usually tra-
velled. By constant practice, and always
handling my rifle, I became a clipping
shot ; and let me take this opportunity of
warning any of my young friends present
not to think of going out tiger shooting

MILITARY AD VENTURES. 47

unless he knows he is thoroughly master
of his weapon, and has implicit confidence
in his firmness. Being a good shot gives
a man great pluck, which is highly
necessary in tiger shooting.

"Well, I was sent off in charge of a
small detachment with two guns into the
Rajmahal district, and tired enough I
became of my own society, for I had not
a soul to speak to, nor a white face within
miles, my party being all native gunners.
One evening I was sitting on a chair, with
my legs up on another, in front of my
tent, smoking a cheroot and moistening
my lips with brandy and soda water,
wondering how I should get through the
next twenty days of the march, when I heard
a beating of tam-tams (native drums) and
great chattering and yelling of the natives
near a village about half a kos off, but I

48 SPORTING AND

took no notice of it for some time, till I saw
a large party of them making for my camp.
They were headed by an old man who
turned out to be the Kotwl of the village.
This Kotwl (or, native magistrate)
came to tell me that his only daughter,
Nema, had been out for a walk that after-
noon near the village, with a friend, when
suddenly, a tiger sprang out of a bush after
they had passed it, and seized the unfor-
tunate Nema, carrying her off to the
jungle. Her friend raised such an outcry
that the distracted father and several of
his men were in time to see the tiger
cutting off in the distance, and the poor
girl being dragged along the ground ;
they followed with tam-tams, yelling, and
making all sorts of noises, but it had
only the effect of sending the tiger and
his prey further into the jungle. They

MILITARY AD VENTURES. 49

had now come to beg of me to shoot the
brute for them, as this was the sixth victim
that had been taken by this dreadful man-
eater. It is a singular fact that if a tiger
has once eaten a human being he does
not care for any other food.

" The villagers told my servants that
Nema was a lovely girl, beloved by all
who knew her for her sweetness of dispo-
sition, and her charity and kindness
to the poor. I could not but feel interested
in so sad an affair, and, though
it wanted only an hour to sunset,
I told the bereaved father that I would
accompany him at once ; so, shouldering
my double-barrelled rifle, and with plenty
of powder and ball, carried by a servant
on whom I could depend, I started, and
we soon came to the village where the
catastrophe had occurred. I was taken to

50 SPORTING AND

the bush, and there saw the marks of the
poor girl being dragged, which marks we
followed until we came to the jungle from
whence they had driven the man-eater;
here the jungle was much more dense,
and I had great difficulty in forcing my-
self through it : I had to exercise the
greatest caution, for the tiger might spring
on me any moment without the slightest
warning.

" We had not proceeded a quarter of a
mile when we heard a dreadful roar, which
sounded as if it came from just under our
feet. This was enough to send the whole
of the natives to the right about, and they
scuttled off like men ; to make matters
worse, with them went my native servant
who had often been out with me, carrying
a spare gun and the ammunition, and he
had always stuck to me well until this oc-

MILITARY AD VENTURES. 51

casion ; so I found myself with only two
barrels in the immediate presence of this
noted man-eater. I knew if I turned tail,
which I had every inclination to do, I could
not have gone two yards before he would
have been upon me, so my only chance was
to show a bold front, and I firmly believe
that was the only thing that saved me. I
stared hard at where the horrid roars came
from, with both barrels cocked, and my
finger on the trigger, but all was still as
death, and I fancied I heard my heart
beating ; this silence seemed interminable,
and I felt I must go mad if it lasted much
longer. In a few seconds I saw the tall
reeds quiver slightly in a hollow just in
front of me, and I need not say that I
gazed on them as if my life depended
upon it, which it certainly did, for in
another second I spied my mortal enemy

52 SPORTING AND

quietly gliding through the reeds. In a
moment my rifle was to my shoulder, and
after a steady aim I pulled the trigger,
but, to my horror, no explosion followed.
I immediately aimed at him with the
second barrel, but I suppose I was too
flurried by the first barrel missing, for I
missed the vital part I aimed at, and only
wounded him. He turned at once, and
with an unearthly roar, which I seem to
hear still ringing in my ears, I found my-
self on my back in a moment, and the
tiger quietly contemplating me.

" I now felt my last hour was come, and
commended myself to the mercy of the
Almighty. At this instant the tiger threw
up his head and looked the way by which
we had come ; hope began to fill my
breast, as I knew assistance was at hand ;
indeed, I heard the sound of approaching

MILITARY AD VENTURES. 53

footsteps — when, in a second, the tiger
caught me up in his mouth by the arm,
and, with a dexterous toss of the head,
jerked my body over his back, and quietly
trotted off into the darkest and most dense
part of the jungle. I suffered the most
excruciating pain from my arm, which
was in some way twisted back. I gave
myself more than ever up for lost, and
only prayed that the end would be speedy.
" Suddenly I recollected that I had a
small double-barrelled pistol in my belt,
which I, with great difficulty, disengaged
and managed to cock. Just at this mo-
ment the brute stopped to listen, and,
after feeling quietly for the beating of his
heart, I put the muzzle of the pistol to
the spot and fired, when, to my inexpres-
sible delight the tiger's jaws relaxed, and
he dropped gently on his face and lay

54 SPORTING AND

motionless. I have no recollection of
anything after this till I found my-
self in a doli, or native palanquin, being
carried along on the line of march. It
appears I was insensible for three days,
and then a raging fever took possession of
me. Fortunately we were near a station
where there was a civil surgeon, and I
was carried to his bungalow ; by his skill
and God's goodness my life was spared,
and I am now able to relate this adven-
ture, and also to enjoy a very agreeable
evening in your society/7

We young sportsmen listened to this
exciting story with breathless attention,
and did not rouse ourselves until the Cap-
tain had risen and wished us good night.
We sat for a long time talking over the
pros and cons of the war, and whether it
was likely to last or not, my impression

MILITARY ADVENTURES. 55

being that the natives were raising an
army, and that we should have very sharp
fighting before we returned to our can-
tonments ; and, as the sequel will show, I
was not far wrong.

CHAPTER II.

HREE weeks passed before we
had any dispatch from the
military authorities, in the mean
time my sporting friends and
myself kept the camp well
supplied with game; we bagged
large game very often, and at our mess we
revelled also in partridge pies, jugged and
roast hares, and occasionally a florakin,
which is reckoned the finest flavoured bird
in India. It is about the size of a jungle
cock, but its flesh is very tender and
delicate, and it was greatly esteemed by

MILITARY AD VENTURES. 57

the " bon vivans" in our camp. I don't
know what we should have done with our-
selves had it not been for our shooting,
for the mere detail of mounting main
guard, and seeing after the outlying
picquets was most monotonous work. We
were also cut off from all intercourse with
the outer world so thoroughly, that we
hardly ever received a letter ; indeed, till
the commander in chiefs dispatch came
in, we had not received a single chit (as
we call letters in India) since entering
the enemy's country.

The arrival of this dispatch, and our
private letters with it, diffused general joy
throughout the camp ; and everyone from
from being dull and discontented suddenly
became alert and joyous. This was
greatly caused by the orders we had
received. The war was to be prosecuted

58 SPORTING AND

with the utmost vigour, and a large
column of troops were then en route for
us, under the command of a well-known
and popular general. The military
authorities were very much pleased with

the way in which Major H • and his

small force had behaved, and we all saw
that he and his little army had plenty of
work cut out for them before the cam-
paign was over. It was this that so
delighted us, for, in a climate like India,
one must have constant excitement, and
what excitement to a soldier is equal to a
short and brisk campaign ?

We did not expect the reinforcements
to join us for another fortnight, and all
our time off picquet duty and guard was
devoted to drilling and being drilled. A
great part of our force was recruits ;
some of them had a little drill at Chatham

MILITAR Y AD VENTURES. 59

before embarking, but some had been
put on board ship as soon as they had got
their uniform, there being no time to drill
them ; so we were now making up for
lost time, and I must say, I never saw any
young men improve so rapidly as our
recruits did. They saw the necessity for
learning their work, as they were all
anxious to be enrolled in a battalion with
the older soldiers, and they also wished
to take a more active part in the next
engagement than they did in the last.

About ten days after the receipt of the
dispatch, one afternoon we saw a quantity
of dust ascending, a sure sign that troops
are in motion ; on examination, this dust
appeared to be approaching, though still
a long way off, but after a little we
discovered, by the length of it, that it
was a column of troops in motion. We

SPORTING AND

all mounted our horses and tattus and
hurried out to meet them, which we did
after a good gallop of three or four miles.
They were, as we expected, the reinforce-
ments for us, and we were delighted with the
appearance of the stalwart veterans com-
posing the force sent out to assist us : we
youngsters were charmed at the way these
tried soldiers stepped out, and the firm
determination they displayed in putting
their feet to the ground in marching.
The reinforcement consisted of two
battalions of infantry, a troop of horse
artillery, and a few mountain guns carried
on strong mules, and I may now say that
we found them most useful. If a body of
the enemy had assembled in any difficult
piece of jungle which the horse artillery
could not penetrate, a couple of mules
could easily be led near the spot, and the

MILITARY AD VENTURES. 61

little mountain guns soon put in position ;
thus, when the enemy thought our guns
were miles in rear, they were bewildered
at finding a couple of shells bursting in
the midst of them, and knocking perhaps
half a dozen of them over before they
had time to escape. We often managed
this at the beginning of the campaign,
but after a little they became too cunning,
and carefully avoided us if our party
consisted of more than half a dozen.

But to return to my story. We allowed
the troops two days rest to get their arms
and accoutrements put in order, and
rubbed up ; besides, the horses and mules
required rest and shoeing, and the pack
saddles restuffing.

On the third morning the whole force
started off, leaving only a sergeant's
guard to take care of the camp, and such

62 SPORTING AND

of the chattels we did not require to take
with us. We took the precaution to build
a rough, strong fort into which the soldiers
could retire in the event of an enemy
attacking them ; which, however, we
thought highly improbable.

Some spies had come into our camp
and told our commanding officer that the
enemy were collecting in masses on the
opposite bank of a small river about fifty
kos from us; they said that men were
joining them in great numbers, and they
had already a very formidable army. I
think it was this news that hurried our
commander, for he knew that the longer
he left them in peace the larger the army
he would have opposed to him.

The first few miles were through a
pretty, undulating country, with sufficient
jungle to give it the appearance of a

MI LIT A RY AD VENTURES. 63

gentleman's park, but afterwards we got
into the mountains, and then our serious
troubles began : frequently the bushes
and trees were so thick that it took the
pioneers hours to cut a very short distance,
indeed, sometimes it took some hours to
advance a hundred yards. The Horse
Artillery retarded us very much, as we
required quite a road for them, but we
knew we should derive ample benefit from
them when we came to close quarters
with the enemy ; at the rate we were
progressing we should not be in their
vicinity for weeks, and if the rains came
on it might be months before we came
into collision with them. Our policy was
to make an attack with as little delay as
possible, but these dreadful, dense jungles
served their friends in good stead. I often
thought that if they had attacked us in

64 SPORTING AND

some of the ugly places we had to pass
through, though we had taken every
precaution in our power, they might have
inflicted great loss on us : in some places
they could have concealed themselves so
effectually, and still have had us under
control, that they might have decimated
us without our being able even to see
them.

By gradually advancing every day, and
working pretty nearly day and night, we
at last approached the enemy's camp,
which we decided upon storming the next
morning at daylight.

In fighting with natives of India it is a
fatal mistake to allow any time to elapse
before attacking them ; they attribute all
delay to fear, and the more you pro-
crastinate, the more their courage rises.
However, in this case, we did not leave

MILITARY ADVENTURES. 65

much time for them to lay in a stock of
courage at our expense, for we were in
their entrenched camp before breakfast
time the following morning. The storm-
ing party had been prepared over night
and I was glad to find myself one of them.
We knew where to assemble before day-
light, so, when all was ready, we moved
forward to our appointed places near the
stockade. Shortly after this, just at day-
light, the Horse Artillery galloped to the
front and unlimbered ; and, in a quarter
of an hour, they had opened a breach in
the wall of the stockade. There the
command was given for us to rush through
the breach at " the double." With a
loud cheer we pressed forward, getting
over the intervening space in a few
seconds, and rushed into the breach,
when the day's work began. We found

66 SPORTING AND

there was an inner stockade, of which we
had no idea; and, though we soon dis-
persed the strong body of the enemy
defending the entrance into the breach,
they, after being forced back, retreated,
leaving about fifty dead and wounded in
our possession. They retired into the
inner stockade which was securely barri-
caded, and then we found ourselves
perfectly helpless to do anything more :
we had no guns with us, and the Horse
Artillery had retired ; we had no scaling
ladders, and there we stood to be shot at
like crows, and many a poor fellow was
shot down through the loopholes of the
second wall.

I should here mention that the officer
commanding the storming party was
killed at the outer breach, and I do not
know what would have become of us if

MILITAR Y AD VENTURES. 67

Major H had not galloped in among

us and ordered an instant retreat ; none
of us subalterns would have dreamed of
giving such an order, but we saw nothing
more could be done, and it would have
been something very like murder to keep
us any longer there, nothing being pre-
pared for either scaling or breaching the
wall.

It can be well imagined how despairing
and sad we felt at having to retrace our steps
and retreat from a stockade which we fan-
cied we had nobly won ; but, contenting
ourselves with the thought that it was the
fortune of war, we hoped to be more suc-
cessful another time. Our loss was great,
and, unfortunately, we could not spare
any of our men, so far as we were from
our base. Our retreat was not followed,
and we were able to carry off our dead

68 SPORTING AND

and wounded. We were again formed
up, and the artillery, with great difficulty,
mounted two guns, which commanded the
inside stockade ; they soon opened fire,
and in a shor time a breach was made,
which enabled a fresh storming party to
enter; and in a few more minutes the
place was ours. After the artillery had
opened the breach they turned their at-
tention to sending two live shells into the
stockade, and when our storming party
entered it, they found themselves sur-
rounded by dead bodies, the deadly work
of our shells. The enemy being so nu-
merous, and the space so confined, they
could not get out of the way of the quan-
tity of shells that dropped in ; the artillery
practice was very good, each shell, when
it burst, killing some half-dozen men, and
their loss was therefore very great.

MI LIT A RYAD VENTURES. 69

I had a narrow escape in the first assault.
Just as I was about to enter the fort, or
stockade, a warrior met me, armed with a
long, heavy spear ; I had only my little
regimental sword, with which I tried to
cut the thick wooden handle of the spear ;
but, instead of cutting it, the blade shivered
in pieces, leaving the handle still in my
hand. The spearman surveyed my loss
with a grim smile and renewed the attack
with fresh impetus ; I was quite at his mercy,
when one of the privates fortunately came
up, most opportunely for me ; he lost no
time in passing his bayonet through my
antagonist, and thus saved my life. I was
in the act of expressing my gratitude to
the gallant fellow when a quoit came spin-
ning through the air, absolutely cutting
the top of his head clean off, to my great
horror and surprise ; the poor fellow kept

70 SPORTING AND

his legs and his position for a few seconds,
and then tumbled heavily on his face. I
stooped down and slightly raised him, but
saw at a glance he was quite dead ; and,
as our work was only beginning, I could
not remain longer with him.

We inflicted such a loss on the enemy
that in the morning there was not one in
sight; but we found a large number of
native bullocks, which we were very glad
to get, as we had for several days been in
want of fresh provisions, and now we had
abundance.

We returned to our camp thoroughly
worn out and exhausted, and, if ever men
slept well, we did that night. Every day
for nearly a month we had been hard at
work from daylight, frequently till hours
after dark, for we would only halt where
there was a supply of water; this was

MILITAR Y AD VENTURES. 71

not always procurable, and we had
often to go long distances out of our way
for it.

I rose early the next morning and pro-
ceeded to the mess tent to enquire
4 'What's the news?" But, though I
asked many of my brother officers whom
I met, no one seemed to know what would
be the next move. I felt sure, in my own
mind, that Government would not send so
large a force such a distance without in-
flicting a lesson that the natives would not
easily forget, and subsequent events
showed I was not far out in my surmises.
About mid- day I heard that we were to
follow the Nepaulese army as soon as the
men and horses were sufficiently rested,
and, as this would entail the delay of a
week, I determined to have a little shoot-
ing ; so, one day I started with two

72 SPORTING AND

brother officers, and we had wonderful
sport.

In addition to deer, bison, pea and
jungle fowl, and florakin, we came across
the jakoor, or Himalaya pheasant, but we
were unable to bag any of these ; how-
ever, I made up for it afterwards by shoot-
ing a wild sheep, which was a source of
great pleasure to us, as it was the first we
had met with, and we had frequently won-
dered at not coming across any. The
eclat of this exploit fell to me, and I
was heartily congratulated on my success
when I returned to camp in the evening.

A very few days saw us en route once
more after the Nepaulese, who we
heard had established their head-quarters
on the top of an almost inaccessible
mountain about twenty days' march from
where we were; and the rumours about

MILITA RY AD VENTURES. 73

the country we must pass through, and
the dense jungles we should have to pene-
trate, almost made one's hair stand on
end. However, we started at sunrise the
following morning, and the first ten or
twelve miles being particularly easy, we
began to think the description of the
country was only intended to frighten us ;
but, by Jove ! we had not penetrated
three miles further on, to a pi ace where we
formed our camp, when it began to dawn
upon us in earnest that there might be
some truth in the statement. This was
confirmed the following day when we
seemed regularly stuck fast and could not
proceed, and also had great difficulty in re-
tracing our steps ; in fact, the guides we
had with us were in the interest of the
enemy, and had taken us into a country
impossible to penetrate, and though they

SPORTING AND

were all well flogged and threatened with
instant execution, it did not help us a bit.
We floundered about in all directions, and
at last hit upon a piece of more open
country, so that, for a time we got on
famously in the direction we knew our
route lay. Our disappointments were
most heartrending, for when we got to a
bit of open country that led in the proper
direction we were sure to find ourselves
shortly in another impassible jungle, without
the means of penetrating further ; then we
would have to go back and try another route.
This weary work had continued for nearly
three weeks — and it seemed an intermina-
ble three weeks to us — when, one evening,
a native came in and asked to see our com-
manding officer. On being taken to him
he was- found to be a deserter from the
enemy who had only left their camp the

MILITARY ADVENTURES. 75

previous day ; he offered to show us the
way by which we could reach the camp in
a few days. He said they were in a dread-
ful funk at our approach, but were in hopes
the thick jungles would prevent our ever
finding the way to them. This man stipu-
lated for a large reward, and that we should
take him back with us to India when the
campaign was over : this our commanding
officer promised to do, and thus a difficult
business was settled.

The next morning at daylight we started
with our new guide and soon realised his
value, for, in a few hours he extricated us
from our difficulties and led us into a com-
paratively easy, open country. It really
was wonderful, after the toil and great
labour we had experienced, to find all
going on so smoothly; and when the
pioneers had to use their axes on the trees

-76 SPORTING AND

and brushwood, it was only for an hour or
so, instead of whole days and nights, as
was formerly the case. On the evening
of the third day we came in sight of the
high hill on which our enemies were perched ;
it certainly looked most unpromising, and
the nearer we approached, the more diffi-
cult it appeared. With the aid of our tele-
scopes and glasses we could see that they
had erected formidable stockades on the
side of the mountain, and, in some places
had swung huge chains from one large
tree to another; they had also erected
barricades in every place where such an
impediment was practicable. All this we
observed as we approached the base of the
mountain, and were now well assured that
we had very hard work cut out for us. By
the evening we had encamped on a nice
open bit of ground, which it appeared the

MILITARY AD VENTURES. 77

enemy had only lately vacated ; we occu-
pied it and began to make preparations for
storming their fortress, or stronghold, in
the morning. In the mean time the officer
commanding, assisted by his staff, was
reconnoitring the enemy's position, with a
view to attacking him on his weakest side.

The following morning we all assembled
before daylight. Just as the first dawn of
day was observed, we moved off and ad-
vanced in extended order, with strong
supports in our rear ; these were to form
the storming party when their services
were required.

Advancing in this way for a short dis-
tance we soon observed their line of
defences teeming with people ; every
available man was pressed into their
service and the whole country was re-
presented. Our skirmishes now began,

78 SPORTING AND

and the incessant popping was very
exciting. The first serious obstacle which
presented itself was a strong barricade of
heavy trunks of trees sunk well into the
ground and loopholed every yard or so ; here
they poured such a shower of all sorts of
missiles on us that we were glad to retire a
little and lie down until the Artillery came
up. It took them a long while to effect a
breach in this solid wall, but, in time
they did so, and on our rushing into it,
we were surprised to find it empty ; the
enemy, seeing the breach we had made,
knew what would follow, and prudently
retreated higher up the mountain ; in fact,
this sort of thing continued till we neared
the top, where we all knew a final and
grand struggle would ensue. We only
reached this height towards evening, when
our chief wisely halted for the night : in

MILITA RY AD VENTURES. 79

the mean time a strong working party
assisted the horses of the Artillery,
without which aid they could never have
brought their guns up.

We were encamped on a partly level bit
of the mountain, jutting out from its side,
and fortunately were so placed that our
guns could throw shot and shell into the
enemy, which we commenced to do soon
after daylight. After the first few shells
had lighted among them, and a few round
shots had passed through their stockade, we
observed a great commotion which we
could not understand. At last, to our im-
mense dismay and astonishment, we beheld
their whole force rushing in innumerable
masses down the hill to attack us. We were
thoroughly unprepared for this, such a
mode of attack being unexpected on our
part ; all that could be done, however, was

80 SPORTING AND

done, and we formed up and calmly awaited
their arrival. In the mean time the Artil-
lery was not idle, but poured in shot and
shell among them with great effect, sweep-
ing off dozens at each discharge, but this
did not cause them to hesitate or waver in
the least : on they came like a torrent, and
really it looked, at one time, as if our
whole army would be swept away by it.
At last they were in among us, for, as to
trying ! to keep them back, one might as
well have tried to turn or stem a mighty
river when it is swollen with heavy rains.

Our first opponents were a body of a
thousand spearmen who were pushed on
by those in rear ; nothing could stand in
their way, for they came on with impe-
tuosity and determination. The party I
commanded was swept away, or speared
in less time than it takes me to tell it ;

MILITAR Y AD VENTURES. 81

and, as each of our opponents was armed
with a sharp tulwar, or native sword, and
in many cases a dagger also, whenever a
man was disabled in any way he was im-
mediately dispatched I, fortunately, kept
my senses, and also my legs, for a con-
siderable time, and parried all the cuts and
slashes aimed at me, disposing of several
of my opponents, when, suddenly I received
a crushing blow on the back of the head
which made me sink on the ground with-
out sense or feeling ; with this, my recol-
lection of what afterwards occurred, ceased.
What I next remembered was finding
myself lying on a mat under a fine, branch-
ing tree, with my head splitting, and my
whole body a mass of pains — so much so,
that when I attempted to turn, it was such
agony that I was only too happy to remain
still. A young woman now approached

82 SPORTING

and gave me a delicious, cool drink, at the
same time examining the bandage on my
head which was throbbing as if it would
split ; and the burning, feverish pain I felt
I shall never forget. She smiled on me,
and said something I did not understand ;
then, patting my cheek, she walked slowly
away and joined an older woman, to whom
she appeared to be describing my case,
if I could judge by the frequent glances
they threw at me as I lay helpless and
thoroughly incapable of moving either
hand or foot.

CHAPTER III.

HE drink she gave
Q, me was a sedative,
for I did not awake
until the evening,
when I was glad to
observe that the
dreadful pains in my
head were abating,
and the burning sen-
sation was leaving
me; so, feeling
easier, I naturally imagined I was a little
better, and could see, by my nurse's face,

84 SPORTING AND

that she also thought I was turning the
leaf. I lay in this state for seven weary
days, when I began rapidly to recover ;
and no one knows, who has not ex-
perienced it, how delightful it is to feel
new life coursing through one's veins
where had been nothing but congealed
blood and dormant vitality. I don't think
any one can realise what life is, till he
has been on the threshold of death ; and
then the delicious feeling of returning
life, is one never to be forgotten.

I was meditating on what could have
become of my brave companions, and
thinking that all could not have been lost,
for our general was a man renowned for
his many resources, and his distinguished
talents as a leader in the field, when I
heard a cough, and, looking up, observed
a native surveying me most attentively;

MILITA RY AD VENTURES. 85

as a matter of course I returned the com-
pliment, and must own I was not pleased
with the result. He was exceedingly
dark, with a very low brow, and a par-
ticularly cunning, bad expression, and I
felt my blood run cold while I was exa-
mining him. He made me a sign that he
wished me to get up, but on endeavouring
to do so, I fell back again on my mat ; he
gave a grim smile at this, and, seizing
me in his arms, immediately flung me
across his shoulders, carrying me off, not-
withstanding that my nurse came forward
to remonstrate, which she evidently did by
her manner ; the man said something ap-
parently in dissent, and I was carried off
without any further delay. He appeared
to strike into the jungle and to traverse a
path which did not look as if it was much
used ; but he pushed on, skilfully dodging

86 SPORTING AND

the low branches which threatened to
sweep me from off his shoulders.

I observed, now, the appearance of the
forest was changed ; the country gradu-
ally became more open, and the grass
much more luxuriant. We were descend-
ing all this time, and the further we pro-
ceeded the change became more apparent,
and I fancied the climate was much
milder ; for, I should mention that, the last
few days I had felt it very cold and com-
fortless, which was perhaps in my favour
as long as I had the severe attack of
fever, but now, the fever having quite left
me, I rejoiced in this change of climate.

We continued to descend rapidly, and I
noticed the vegetation much more luxuri-
ant than it was in the place I had left. My
guide, or carrier, now began to exhibit
signs of fatigue, which I was glad to per-

MILITAR Y AD VENTURES. 87

ceive, as I felt all my old aches and pains
returning from the continued jerking caused
by the motion of his body. At last he said
something in a husky tone, and then softly
pitched me on a bank of moss under a
splendid euphorbia tree, where I was only
too happy to lie quietly with my eyes shut ;
and really, if I had been told that my last
hour had come, I should have hailed the
summons with pleasure, for I felt so utterly
woe-begone and miserable. I now saw my
guide, or keeper — whose short absence I
had not noticed — was approaching me,
accompanied by another native: after a
short consultation I was lifted up by the
new ally and jerked on his back with as
little ceremony as my first carrier had ex-
hibited. They talked earnestly and rapidly
and I soon found out that they were speak-
ing of our army ; and, from their frequently

88 SPORTING AND

pointing towards the south, I concluded the
force had marched in that direction. It
sent such a thrill of happiness through me
to feel certain that some, at least, of our
brave fellows were saved, that all my aches
and pains seemed suddenly removed, and
I tried all I could to catch the meaning of
their words, but found it useless ; after
giving my utmost attention to it, and
straining every nerve in the attempt to
understand, I remained as wise as before.
We now entered a large plain without
any shade ; hitherto we had been pretty
nearly all the way under the shelter of
trees, and the glorious coolness of their
shadows was only appreciated by me when
I had lost it. The heat and motion be-
came now almost unbearable, and as I lay
like a log on my conductor's back, I could
not help myself at all ; but, at last, God,

MI LIT A RY AD VENTURES. 89

in mercy, removed me from this misery by
rendering me unconscious, and the rest of
that dreadful day remains a total blank as
far as my recollection is concerned.

I did not recover conciousness till the
following morning, when I was awoke by
the cool air blowing in through the bars
of a prison. For a considerable time I
could not imagine where I was, or what
had become of me ; but soon enough the
sad reality slowly stood out frightfully,
and vividly, chilling my very soul with the
appalling picture. If I were to live a
hundred years I should never forget the
fierce anguish suffered at that time ; but
God's goodness finds a balm for every
wound, and a ray of hope dawned upon
me as the idea shot through my brain —
" Why not escape ? " In a second I was
a different man and had all my intellects

90 SPORTING AND

as clear as ever. On looking round my
prison again, I was surprised at the im-
proved aspect it assumed ; instead of
its frowning massive bars, these ap-
peared rather tasteful and elegant, and
what I formerly thought gloomy and dark,
now looked to my sight cool and re-
freshing.

On taking a more careful survey of my
prison, I saw much to be thankful for, as
there seemed no solidity, or serious ob-
stacles in my way to escaping. It was a
building apparently constructed some years
previously ; the lower portion was built of
solid stone work, and the upper portion
was formed of strong timber, with mas-
sive beams traversing the weaker parts
at close intervals. After examining the
wooden wall with deep attention, I deter-
mined to effect my escape at that part of

MILITA RY AD VENTURES. 91

the edifice. The exertion of the exam-
ination and the fatigue I had undergone on
the previous day, I suppose overcame me,
for I then fell into a deep slumber, out of
which I did not awake till far into the
night, for I could see the morning stars
twinkling brightly, and I looked upon
them as a cheering omen of hope and
success.

As soon as day broke I could see that
some one had visited my room while I slept,
for provisions and an earthen jar of water
had been left for my use. How I longed
for my bath and the comforts of the toilet
to which I had been accustomed all my
life ! But for the hope of escaping, which
kept up my spirits and gave me courage
and determination, I am convinced I
should soon have sunk into an early grave.
Oh, what joy hope gives to the weary cap-

92 SPORTING AND

tive ! I blest her for the sweet consolation
at a time when I felt myself deserted and
left alone in the world, without strength or
energy to rouse myself to action till her
whisper brought me comfort.

I lay for a considerable time indulging
in this pleasing dream, and fancying I was
far away in my Irish home again, where
the people and my kinsfolk vied with each
other in kindness and welcome, when I
was suddenly reminded as to where I was,
and, in an instant, all my pleasing dreams
vanished.

The key was applied to the lock in the
door, and there appeared great difficulty
in turning it ; from the whispering conver-
sation outside, carried on in a low voice, I
fancied they thought I had been tampering
with the lock. At last they got the key to
act, when the clumsy door slowly opened

MILITARY AD VENTURES. 93

and two natives entered ; one I recognised
as the man who first carried me the previ-
ous day, the other had the appearance of
a native of Bengal. We all stared im-
mensely at each other for a minute or two,
when, to my astonishment and pleasure, I
was addressed by the latter in good broken
English. He began : — " Sahib, this fellow
want to know how many of you damm fel-
lows come to this country ; he also want
to know if any more are coming to be
killed like old lot." I assured him I
did not know, but I was certain the
Honorable East India Company would not
allow a single prisoner to remain in their
hands ; and that they would send army
after army, if it were necessary, till not a
a man was left in confinement. This, he,
in turn, translated to my first carrying
friend who, when he heard it, scowled at

94 SPORTING AND

me with his sinister eyes in a most unplea-
sant manner, and, spoke with great rapidity
and earnestness to his companion, who,
turning- to me, said : — " This fellow says
if his advice is taken, no damned prisoners
for him ; he will make short work of you,
for he means to kill you to-morrow morning
so that Company Sahib need not send a
second army on your account."

They then turned and left me, carefully
locking the door and taking the key with
them. When they were gone I could
hardly breathe for a few minutes with sur-
prise and dismay. Did my ears deceive
me? "To-morrow morning!" This I
kept repeating to myself a dozen times
over till I was incapable of thinking
of anything else. After lying in this
prostrate condition for an hour or two, I,
with a great effort, roused myself and

MI LIT A RY AD VENTURES. 9 5

began to think what was best to be done,
as the time was so short. My first act
was to eat as much as possible, and
though the food was not tempting, I felt
that it nourished and strengthened me,
which was what I wanted ; the water I
found deliciously cool, and after a good
draught I was altogether a different man.
I felt my pulse ; though it was weak, it
was also slow and firm, and I knew I was
able now to undertake any adventure that
promised a shadow of success ; and I
thought it would be much more glorious
to die in the endeavour to escape, than to
be butchered in my prison in the morning,
which I could see would assuredly be my
fate if I did not manage to make off in
the night.

This effectually roused me to recon-
noitre, and to decide upon what course to

96 SPORTING AND

pursue before the night fell, when no work
could be done. I sprang to my feet at
once, and, on examination, I found the
wood- work was much more dilapidated than
I at first had supposed ; it was almost rot-
ten, and a vigorous push would send out
the whole wall — this I must be careful
not to do, or I should alarm the neigh-
bourhood or village, which I concluded
must surround the place of my confine-
ment. I then selected one place that ap-
peared more rotten than the rest, and
found that a gentle continuous push would
soon leave me free. This important point
settled, I returned to my mat and reflected
upon what direction I should pursue when
I regained my liberty. We had deviated
the previous day so much from our course,
and had so frequently retraced our steps,
that I had no idea in what direction my

MI LIT A RY AD VENTURES. 97

route lay. Here let me add a word of
advice to my young military readers who
may not have had any of my experience.
When on active service, never omit to
take the exact bearings of where you
march from, and the place for which you
are bound ; a small shilling compass
will guide you, and if you recollect the
latitude and longitude of the place you
have quitted, you will be able to put your-
self in the right direction in the event of
a repulse, or of being thrown out, or
losing the column. By following this
plan you may also be the means of saving
many of your comrades. But I must go
on with my adventure.

I was glad to see, after a time, that the
daylight was declining, and, when once it
begins to sink, it is very rapid in eastern
countries. I lay as still as I could, for I

98 SPORTING AND

was dreadfully excited, and in about an
hour it was as dark as I could wish. I
got up, walked about the room, and lis-
tened in all directions, but not a sound
could I hear.

I was standing, some few minutes later,
in the middle of the apartment, thinking
it was time to be doing something, when
I heard a gentle tapping at the door of
my prison. I moved across to where the
sound proceeded from, and softly asked
who was there. In a second, footsteps
moved rapidly away, and they were suc-
ceeded by a heavy tread which stopped
at the door and shook it, evidently to
ascertain if all was right ; everything
being quiet and the door firm, the heavy
step also moved off, leaving me bewildered
with doubt and anxiety. I determined to
do nothing for the present, but to lie

Ml LIT A RY AD VENTURES. 99

down and try to recover that firmness and
self control so necessary in the trying
situation in which I was placed ; this I
did, and soon recovered my usual placidity
of mind.

I have no notion how long it was
before I again heard the gentle tapping
at the door; this time I was near it
immediately, and softly asked what was
wanted. A voice, which I at once re-
cognised as that of the Bengalee, replied
that if I did not wish to have my head
taken off in the morning, I had not much
time to lose in escaping. I considered
for a moment, was this a trick to catch
me ? But, on reflecting that I could not
be worse off, I whispered that I would
be with him immediately, and then pro-
ceeded to put in practise my original
plan of escaping at the place I had pre-

100 SPORTING AND

viously selected. Pushing out the boards
with greater ease than I ever anticipated,
I mounted up, and scrambling through
the aperture, stood beside my Bengalee
friend in less time than it has taken me
to describe it. He did not utter a word,
but caught my hand and hurried me off
into the neighbouring jungle, where we
sat down to listen and to consult. The
quick ears of my guide had heard foot-
steps approaching the prison as we fled
from it ; and, as there were several
persons together, one of them carrying a
light, we were anxious to see what was
up. Being in a very good position for
watching them under the leafy branches
of the small tree which we had selected
for our temporary shelter, we saw them
unlock the door and slowly enter the
apartment I had just vacated, and my

MILITARY AD VENTURES. 101

guide whispered that I was none too soon
in escaping, for they had come to behead
me ; it certainly looked like it, as one
man carried a broad axe and another a
block. They evidently intended making
short work of me, and I felt I was not a
moment too soon in getting out of their
clutches. Their cry of disappointment I
shall never forget when they found I was
not there, and on further search saw how
I had escaped. My Bengal friend assured
me the language they used was very
strong, my first acquaintance consigning
me to a very hot place ; but, as nothing
could be done till daylight, they all re-
traced their steps sadder, and, it is to
be hoped, wiser men. They should have
learned the pretty little motto which is
taught to all our juveniles : — " Never defer
till to-morrow what you can do to-day;"

102 SPORTING AND

but, not having had the benefit of an En-
glish education, they let me slip through
their fingers ! I offered up a silent thanks-
giving to God who had preserved me
from such a fate, and a prayer that He
would continue to protect me.

My guide now whispered that it was
time to be moving ; we got up at once
and penetrated into the thick of the
jungle, where it would have been im-
possible to see us, concealment being our
great object, for we knew that at day-
break pursuers would be on our track ;
and, from what I had already experienced,
my readers can understand I had no wish
to be retaken. By the time it was day-
light we were some three or four miles
from our starting point; it may appear
strange that so little ground was got
over, but no one who has not tried it, can

MILITARY AD VENTURES. 103

form any idea how slow and heart-
breaking it is to makes one's way through
an unknown and dense jungle at night.
This is the reason our Creator has fur-
nished nocturnal animals with long
whiskers, in order that they may feel their
way; but, not having any myself, my
readers can fancy how I floundered in the
darkness, hurting my shins at almost
every step.

We were dreadfully tired and exhausted
when we decided to encamp, having first
pulled a quantity of long Indian grass to
make our bed under a thick bush, and we
had hardly lain down when we were fast
asleep. It seemed to me that I had
scarcely closed my eyes when I was awoke
by having my shoulder painfully and con-
tinuously pressed. I looked at my com-
panion, who was green with terror ; and,

104 SPORTING AND

turning to where his eyes were fixed, I
saw, to my horror, a huge Cobra swing-
ing himself by his tail from a branch of
the very tree we were under, each swing
bringing him a little nearer our heads :
his forked tongue was out, and his red,
fiery eyes were fixed upon us with a most
malignant expression. I sank down on
my bed in mute stupefaction, thinking I
had done for ever with all the worries and
cares of this life, when a cry of joy from
my companion again rousqd me. It ap-
peared that just as the snake was about
to dart at one of us, he spied one of his
deadly enemies — a mongoose — quietly
taking stock of him, and this so upset his
nervous system that he could not stand it,
but sloped back, to the great relief of
myself and my dusky friend.

We had received much too great a

MILITAR Y AD VENTURES. 105

fright to think of again sleeping, and, as
it was then about mid-day, thought we
would " make tracks/ ' while we had an
opportunity of doing so. My spirits rose
wonderfully, and though we had nothing
to eat, and hardly knew in which direc-
tion we ought to go, still I felt joyous and
happy; the jungles were magnificent,
teeming with flowers and lovely plants,
and the songs of the birds, with the soft
cooing of innumerable doves, all con-
trasting so favourably with the life I had
been leading for the last three weeks, it
was no marvel I felt my spirits so elated,
and that joy and gladness had succeeded
to pain, gloom, and misery.

We lost no time in starting, knowing
that every hour we remained in the
vicinity, our danger and our chance of

recapture were increased. Our way led

H

106 SPORTING AND

us alongside a pretty, brawling stream,
and we had to advance very gently, it
being necessary to reconnoitre every bit
of ground before venturing to show our-
selves in the open. By this means we got

over a much greater distance during the
day than any one would imagine, and
when twilight began to creep on, we were
glad to lie down for the night. Our food
was a great source of anxiety, and how to
procure enough to sustain us we did not
know ; we had been fortunate in find-
ing a good supply of honey, which had
lasted us thus far, but, procuring a
dinner was more than we could promise
ourselves. Even if we had had a
gun, we should have been afraid to
fire it, as it might have alarmed the
whole population ; so, all things con-
sidered, as we were situated, perhaps it

MILITARY AD VENTURES. 107

was best to get along as we were
doing.

I had such a fright the last time I lay
down, that I could not sleep for nervous
fear, and looked out in expectation of a
snake making its appearance on all occa-
sions ; but, fortunately, nothing came to
prevent our enjoying a thoroughly good
night. We both awoke the next morning
completely refreshed, and set off as soon
as possible. This day we frequently saw
numbers of natives herding their cattle in
the fields, and once my guide ventured to
ask what had become .of the soldiers, but
they professed not to know anything re-
specting them. We managed to buy
some ddl (a kind of pea) from these men,
and for the first time for many days I
made a full meal. This renovated us
greatly, and we got over a good bit of

108 SPORTING AND

ground before dark ; but, as I said before,
making a way through a thick jungle was
particularly slow work. The next night
we slept in an old hut, and I must own
that I felt much safer, having a door to
close, though it was only a mat that re-
presented it.

Having heard from some shepherds that
there were a good many natives in the
neighbourhood, and that we were close to
a very large village, we determined to get
away before any of them were about in
the morning. We, therefore, started be-
fore daybreak, but not knowing the direc-
tion we ought to take, missed our way ;
before we could rectify our mistake, we
took a wrong turn, and found ourselves in
a large village crowded with fighting men
— if one might judge by the way these
fellows were armed, and the formidable

MILITARY AD VENTURES. 109

appearance they presented to our as-
tonished eyes. They gathered round us
at once in a menacing attitude, and I saw in
an instant that we were prisoners ; we were
hustled at once into the presence of the
kotwal, or head man of the village, and,
as he had not time to question us then, he
directed that we should be " taken care of
till the morning," which meant that we
were to be shut up in a strong room and
guarded by a sentinel, who would pace
round the hut all night. I was filled with
astonishment and dismay at the dreadful
fix we were in, and my Bengal friend
quite shook with agitation when we
talked over our new position ; he, how-
ever, told me a bit of cheering news,
and this was that he had observed a
man among the crowd whom he had
known formerly, and that this man had

110 SPORTING AND

made him a sign that he would help
him.

Our mats were then brought in, with some
ddl and water, after which we were locked
up for the night. I was so tired, and had
grown so indifferent about my fate, that I
soon fell asleep, and continued to sleep
till the morning, when I arose wonderfully
fresh ; after I had eaten my breakfast I
was up to anything that might happen,
and did not feel the least alarm at the
prospect of being brought before the
kotwal and all the wise men of the tribe,
who were to sit in council, although upon
their decision rested our chance of release,
arid perhaps much more.

In a very short time we heard the
tramping of many feet, our door was
thrown open, and we were told to follow
the man who now came to fetch us, which

MILITARY ADVENTURES. Ill

we, of course, did ; when in the street, I
could see by the angry faces of the crowd
that we were not especial favourites. We
soon reached the palaver house, which
consisted of a large hall with raised seats
one end, on which sat the kotwal as pre-
sident, and some half a dozen old men
who formed the council. The kotwal, or
chief magistrate, was a sinister, hard,
cruel looking fellow, with a low, cunning
expression, anything but agreeable to
contemplate for men in our unhappy
situation. We were not left long to make
our observations, for, on our being called
up, the examination began. I soon found
they knew more of us than we suspected,
and they were quite aware of my escape
having cheated the executioner ; indeed,
there was my captor himself, sitting in the
hall, his bad, disagreeable fare quite lit

112 SPORTING AND

up with smiles at my recapture, and de-
lighted at being- in time to witness my
execution, for it appeared that he had just
arrived from his own village, from whence
he had been summoned. It seemed with
all our hard walking that we had only got
away about twenty, or five and twenty
miles from the village out of which we
had escaped ; walking in a thick jungle is
so deceiving that you may fancy you
have gone treble the distance really tra-
versed.

The examination proceeded, and every-
thing seemed to go against us. It ap-
peared, from the evidence, that I had
invaded their country, gone about killing
the inhabitants and burning their villages;
and, after doing all this damage, I had not
had the common politeness to remain with
them till I was executed ! They all rose

MILITAR Y AD VENTURES. 113

as one man and condemned me to death ;
they were thoroughly disgusted with me
and wished to put an end to me. My
former enemy hinted that he could take
my head off conveniently just outside the
door, then and there, but, fortunately for
me, this offer was overruled and the
pleasing and interesting spectacle deferred
till the following morning. I was marched
off to my prison by myself and locked up
securely ; I could see the sentry walk-
ing round the hut, as he had done before,
and no doubt they took greater precaution
than ever, to ensure my certain destruction
this time.

In the evening, when my food was
brought in, I observed the man when
setting it down, give me a peculiar look,
and as soon as he and his companion had
retired, I narrowly examined all the things

114 SPORTING AND

which he had brought me : at first it crossed
my mind that the ddl or the water was
poisoned, but then I thought they would
never deprive themselves of the grand
exhibition which was to take place in the
morning. I examined the walls carefully
to see if there was any chance of forcing my
way out of this prison as I had done in
the previous case ; but this building was
all stone, so that was impossible. I then sat
down to eat my last meal, as, at the time,
I fancied it would be. I had hardly com-
menced when I came across a bit of paper
folded up, or, rather, twisted into a roll ;
on untwisting it I saw scrawled in
English:— " Be ready. Midnight." It
immediately occurred to me that the friend
who had recognised my companion on the
previous day, was the sender of this note,
and my heart leaped with joy at the pros-

MILITARY ADVENTURES. 115

pect of again escaping out of their cruel
hands.

It still wanted some hours to dark, so I
tried to go to sleep, and at length I
succeeded in dozing ; but I was con-
tinually starting up, thinking I heard
tapping, though I knew it could not yet
be near midnight. At last it grew near
the time appointed, and every one had re-
tired to bed, if I might judge by the ex-
treme quiet that reigned throughout the
village. Then I began to be dreadfully
anxious as I listened to the steady tread
of the sentinel passing round and round
the hut. I heard a key turn in the lock
just after he had passed my door, and it
was gently pushed open ; I was through
in a second, when the door was again
pulled to quietly, and locked. My new
companion had just time to run with me

116 SPORTING AND

round the corner, when the sentry came
up to the entrance, but no suspicion
seemed to have crossed his mind, for he
passed on while we kept a little in front of
him.

My guide now pressed my hand en-
couragingly, and ran to the back of an
adjoining hut, and I was not slow in fol-
lowing ; we crept on, dodging behind
everything that could screen us from the
sentinel's sight, and in this way walked
safely out of the village. We then made
for a tall tree a few hundred yards distant,
and, on reaching it, found ready for our
use, two native ponies, or tattus, held by a
sai's, or native horsekeeper ; my guide
quickly jumped on one, and I on the
other; we rode off at first at a walk, or
amble, at which pace the native ponies
excel, gradually increasing the pace to a

MILITAR Y AD VENTURES. 117

good round gallop, which we kept up for
several miles, but had to leave the high
road frequently, and make a detour to
avoid passing through villages. Fortu-
nately, as we had not met a creature, no
one could give information about our
movements, so we jogged on comfortably,
but silently, as I knew but little of my
companion's language, and his stock of
English was mighty small. By making
play whenever the road was tolerably
good, we managed to put a good many
miles between us and the village we had
quitted at midnight.

It was just coming daylight when my
guide, to whom I submitted wholly,
turned off from the road and entered the
jungle, with which he seemed to be quite
at home ; after riding through it for half
an hour, he drew up in a thicket, and we

118 SPORTING AND

dismounted, unsaddled our tattus, and
hobbled them to let them graze ; and, as
there was some water near, we felt they
would soon help themselves.

Who can describe the glorious feeling
of liberty under such circumstances as I
enjoyed it ? To have exchanged the
loathsome dungeon, with the certainty of
a cruel death in the morning, for the
beautiful jungle with which I was now sur-
rounded, to hear the soft cooing of the
doves, and the gentle rustling of the trees
as the morning air floated through them,
made me involuntarily send up a prayer
of thankfulness to the Giver of all good
things. My guide, who appeared to have
forgotten nothing, now produced a bundle
wrapped up in a clean cloth, which, on
his opening it, displayed a fine cold roast
fowl, with a good supply of chupatties

t

MILITARY ADVENTURES. 119

(a native bread). This we spread out on
the grass, and both set to work without a
word being spoken ; indeed, I could not
induce him to answer a single question,
and to all my anxious enquiries, he only
put his finger to his mouth, as much as to
say, "Shut up for the present." After
we had taken the edge off our appetites
I found him disposed to be a little more
communicative, but he was dreadfully
cautious, and always peeping out to recon-
noitre, when he would remain away for an
hour at a time ; he evidently expected a
sharp pursuit, and, as the sequel will show,
he was not far wrong in his surmises.

We had rested probably for four
or five hours, when we heard the gallop-
ing of horses which took my guide
immediately to his post of observation,
and I had the curiosity to follow him,

120 SPORTING AND

much against his will, for I believe he had
a very poor opinion of my judgment in
this sort of pursuit. We had heard the
noise of the galloping a long way off, and
the jungle was so quiet now, that
hardly a sound was heard excepting that
of the horses' feet. On their getting
near I discovered the party were ten in
number, and, on their approaching closer,
I observed the kotwal at their head, who
was most energetic in pointing out the
likely spots in which he thought it possible
we might be concealed. I also saw my
enemy among them, looking quite down-
cast and melancholy at having lost the
chance of cutting my head off; he rode
along with his eyes down, and seemingly
much depressed that the pleasure had
again so mysteriously slipped out of his
hands. They had, by this time, reached

MILITARY AD VENTURES. 121

the spot where we had turned off from the
main road, and the quick eye of the
kotwal immediately observed the marks
of horses having moved off; there was
an immediate halt, while some of the
party dismounted and narrowly examined
the hoof marks of the horses.

My guide, who was well up to his work,
signified to me that I must follow him,
which I was only too willing to do. We
retraced our steps and followed the course
we had come, only keeping under cover
of the bushes and high grass. On our
getting half a mile to the rear, we ap-
proached the main road, and, after a good
look round, crossed it at once ; then seek-
ing the nearest cover, we continued our
backward route, only keeping more to our
right and getting as far from the road as
possible. I now began to see the wisdom

122 SPORTING AND

of my guide's tactics, for the chances
were that our pursuers would not think
of following us in the direction we had
chosen. We gave up our tattus for lost,
as indeed they were ; but they had done
their duty nobly by us, and we could well
afford to spare them now, when we dare
not show ourselves on the high roads, but
must be content with lying up all day and
travelling at night. Now approaching a
dense jungle, which abounded in snakes
and tigers, my guide quaintly remarked,
in his bad English, that it was not likely
they would make a very close search for
us there, if, indeed, they would venture
to follow us into it at all. We did not
penetrate far before coming to a clearing
on which we threw ourselves, and, feeling
tolerably safe for the present, determined
to remain where we were till the pursuit

MILITARY AD VENTURES. 123

had cooled a little; for, finding our
ponies, we felt assured, would give our
pursuers great confidence.

CHAPTER IV.

E lay concealed for
the remainder of the
day, and nothing
happened to annoy
or disturb us, but my
guide assured me
that not a native would be persuaded, for
love or money, to enter that terrible
jungle ; he said there were nearly as many
skeletons of human beings in it as trees.
When a tiger killed a native — and this
was almost a daily occurrence — he carried
him off to this wood to devour him here
at his leisure, as he was sure not to be

MILITARY AD VENTURES. 125

disturbed in the middle of his repast. I
enquired why they did not burn the jungle
or cut it down, but he said it was too
green to burn, and too extensive to be
cut ; and another great objection was the
expense, as no one would pay for the
work : most probably things go on there
in the same way, to the present day.

We proposed that one should sleep
while the other kept watch, which was
agreed to, and carried out at once, I being
the first sentinel. My companion was
soon in a deep sleep, and I proceeded to
examine him, as I had not had an oppor-
tunity of doing so before. I had been
struck with the smallness of his hands and
feet, and the slightness and activity of his
form while we were travelling together :
his head was concealed by the turban,
which consisted of a thick cloth wound

126 SPORTING AND

round it many times, and then rolled
round the face so that all was invisible
excepting the eyes, with an occasional
glimpse of the nose. I now felt greatly
inclined to take a peep ; no sooner said
than done, and to my intense astonish-
ment, I beheld my nurse, the girl who
tended me in my great illness, whose
partiality for me,' doubtless, was the cause
of my first carrying friend being so bitter
against me, and pursuing me with so
much animosity. I covered the face up
very gently, and then sat down to
meditate, when I decided it was more
prudent, for both her sake and mine, that
I should say nothing of the discovery I
had made, but let things take their course ;
for, if she knew I possessed her secret it
would embarrass her, and might have the
effect of inducing her to leave me alone

MILITARY AD VENTURES. 127

to my own resources, which would simply
end in my ruin.

I lay down to think over this subject,
and the more I meditated upon it, the
more perplexing it seemed ; to be travelling
about the country with some one's sister
or wife was a grave addition to my offence
of being still alive in their country, after
the decrees they had issued concerning
my death. I now observed that the sun
was rapidly sinking in the horizon, and,
as I knew now the sex of my faithful
guide, I resolved to spare her the respon-
sibility as much as possible, for I observed
she shrank from it whenever she could.
I did not at all fancy being in the plain
when night fell ; it would be an invitation
to the tigers to make their late dinner off
us, and, for my part, I did not like the
idea of being snapped up like a young

128 SPORTING AND

lettuce ; so I looked about me for shelter,
and, after a little, I selected a fine, stately
yew tree, full of foliage, with its branches
extending out from near its stem. I
thought this would be the very place in
which to pass the night, and blessed God
for putting the idea into my head.

I soon climbed up the tree and found it
just suited our purpose; the branches
were thick and numerous, and well forked
so that we could repose comfortably when
a safe distance from the ground. I then
descended and saw we had no time to
lose if we meant to take possession of our
new habitation ; so, rousing my companion
with some difficulty, I told her what I
intended to do, and, partly by signs, and
partly by language, made her comprehend
my meaning : she gladly acquiesced, and I
could see this arrangement of mine gave

MILITARY AD VENTURES. 129

her very great satisfaction. We soon
reached the tree and were not long in
ascending to the upper branches, where we
made ourselves as comfortable as circum-
stances would permit, and had hardly
done so when the night fell, and there was
not a glimmer of light left. I felt rather
proud of my arrangements, and also of
having carried them out while daylight
lasted, for, if we had postponed them
even for a few minutes, I question if we
should have been able to find the tree.

By this time the whole jungle was filled
with the most horrid noises imaginable,
from the unearthly laughter of the jackal
to the shrill trumpeting of the mighty
elephant, and the startling roar of the
tiger. I felt my companion trembling;
but feeling herself securely seated, and
being able to support each other when

130 SPORTING AND

necessary, she was soon reassured and
encouraged. Poor little thing, she seemed
greatly agitated, and it was some time ere
she recovered altogether her natural firm-
ness and courage.

About midnight the moon was shining
magnificently, and I amused myself look-
ing at the various animals passing our
tree. First a herd of stately elephants
would slowly pass, browsing on the
branches of the bushes and the tops of the
young trees; they were hardly out of
sight before a herd of deer would ap-
proach, headed, perhaps, by a noble black
buck, and this is, in my opinion the very
handsomest animal we have in the East.
Then, a huge tiger would crawl after
them, sneaking along with his belly
almost touching the ground, as if he were
only there on sufferance. Certainly there

MILITARY AD VENTURES. 131

appears little of manliness on the part of
the tiger, for, unless he is starving or
badly wounded, he can seldom be induced
to charge ; he is much more inclined to
sneak off into the thickest of the jungle,
where, towards evening, he can crawl to
its outskirts and watch from under a bush,
ready to dart upon some hapless native
unconsciously passing, when he drags the
mangled form into the jungle to be eaten
at his leisure. I know it is the custom to
praise the tiger, but he is no favorite of
mine.

Before the day dawned we began to
feel frightfully hungry, but, as we had
nothing to eat, the less we thought of it
the better ; though I determined in my
own mind that, as soon as it was light, I
would procure something for my com-
panion, if possible. After a time daylight

132 SPORTING AND

slowly made its appearance, and then we
saw all the animals coming back to their
lairs after their nocturnal rambles. Ele-
phants, deer, and tiger, all re-passed
pretty nearly in the same form as they
had proceeded outwards.

I observed a jungle cock hovering
about a bush adjoining our tree, and then,
seeing the hen appear, it struck me we
might get an egg there ; so, after waiting
a little while, I hastily descended the tree,
and, anxiously peeping about, discovered
the nest with nine eggs in it. Here was
a godsend ! With grateful heart I stowed
them away in my pocket, and, calling to
my companion to descend, we made a
hearty meal on the eggs : after this we
felt much strengthened and more able to
think and decide upon what was best to
be done in our trying position. I was for

MILITAR Y AD VENTURES. 133

starting off at once, but my companion
would not listen to it ; she gave me to un-
derstand that the whole country would be
on the look out for us, and we should not
be half an hour out of the jungle before
we might be captured by some one who
would give the alarm ; so we decided
upon remaining where we were for the day,
and to be guided by circumstances on the .
morrow.

My guide slept — or pretended to sleep
— most of the day, and it passed so slowly
that I was glad when I saw the sun be-
ginning to disappear in the west. We
then mounted the tree as we had done the
previous night, and saw the same proces-
sion of animals pass, and return in the
morning, when we were much pleased to
find a couple of eggs in the jungle fowl's
nest : on my penetrating further into the

134 SPORTING AND

wood, I was fortunate to find also a large
nest of honey, enough to last us several
days. With the eggs and the honey we
made a splendid meal — such a meal as I
had not seen for some time.

My companion looked dreadfully worn
and low spirited, and I often saw her in
tears when she thought I was not ob-
serving her ; this I could not account for,
but how was I to prevent it ? It was no
fault of mine that she had placed herself
in such a predicament ; but I reflected
that the sooner I got rid of this selfish
idea, the better ; for, without this gene-
rous girl's aid, where should I have been
now ? Most likely a ghastly skeleton in
some dense jungle with my head hung up
as a trophy, and at the same time, as a
warning to future intruders.

I got so weary — so very weary of this

MILITARY AD VENTURES. 135

sort of stagnant life that death was pre-
ferable to it, and I resolved to make a
start the next morning ; I think my guide
was equally glad to leave our tree home
for one more congenial to her tastes and
habits. The sun was just rising when we
made our breakfast on the last of the
honey; and then, with light hearts, we
made the best of our way out of the
friendly wood which had been our home
now for some days. We were much
nearer the open country than I could have
imagined, and, when we fairly got out
into it again, I felt so elated that I was
equal to walking any distance, but, I ob-
served my companion was not in so fit a
state for a long pedestrian journey ; how-
ever there was nothing for it but to put
our best legs foremost and be thankful
it was in our power to do so.

136 SPORTING AND

After a consultation we decided upon
going in a southerly direction, as we
thought it would take us more speedily
out of the way of our implacable enemies,
and the result proved we were right. The
whole of this day we kept on crawling
from one jungle to another, and if we saw
men journeying, or minding cattle in the
fields, we crouched down under bushes,
lying still till they had moyed on and were
out of sight. One shepherd gave us a
a great deal of trouble ; he saw us and
could not make out what we were doing,
and his curiosity induced him to stare
hard at us, continually stopping to stare
again, which alarmed us, and I need not
say that when he at last moved off, we
were not long in following his example.
No bad result followed, but I often wonder
if he informed against us, for I am quite

MILITAR Y AD VENTURES. 137

sure every one in the vicinity had heard
about our escape, and .were directed to
give instant information if we were ever
seen.

We got over only a few miles in the
day, but when night came we pushed on
more boldly; it was brilliant moonlight,
which was better for us than the sun-
light and much cooler. Wild beasts
were very numerous, and it required
great caution on our part to avoid them,
and if we came near a village, we had to
take a long detour to escape notice ; still,
we pushed on steadily, daily gaining a
greater distance from the scene of our
misfortunes. We had now got so far
away that we relaxed our rule about
travelling only at night, and my com-
panion could venture into the villages to

bring provisions and any little articles we

K

138 SPORTING AND

required ; for I found she had not come away
without money, of which we now began to
feel the great benefit, and I did not
hesitate to use her money, as I hoped to
repay it tenfold some day. We could
not hear a word about our army ; and,
such was the ignorance of the natives,
that, I believe, unless the troops had
actually marched through their own
villages, they would not have known any-
thing at all about them ; indeed, we had
gone now so far from the scene of our
fighting, that many of the natives we
spoke to on the subject had not even
heard that the " Faringees " had invaded
their country.

One day when my guide went to a
village to bring some food, she was told
that a sick stranger had been resting there
for a few days. By the description of the

MILITARY AD VENTURES. 139

man she fancied it might turn out to be
the Bengalee who had interested himself
so kindly in my behalf before my last
capture, and, on seeing him, this proved to
be the case. She brought him with her to
me, and delighted was I to see him again.
He had heard about the movements of
our army, but I had so many questions to
ask that he said he must rest before he
could give me the information I required,
as he had been very ill, and the
walk from the village to the top
of a tree — my halting place — had quite
knocked him up ; but he assured me he
had news for me that would " make my
face white," which strictly speaking, it re-
quired very much, for water was a luxury
I seldom had the opportunity of indulging
in ; and, as to soap and towels, they were
things of the past that I just recollected,,

140 SPORTING AND

and hardly ever expected to see again !
The Bengalee meant that his news would
fill me with joy, but in the native language
they would use the idiom, "whiten your
face.'' I felt much elated, as I knew he
had something pleasant to tell me, and I
had supped so much sorrow lately that it
was time I should have my innings on the
other tack.

My friend now lay down, and was not
long in going to sleep, and I watched him,
— longing for his awaking. He slept
wonderfully sound, and, as the afternoon
wore on, I felt sorely tempted to rouse him,
which I did at last by an assumed fit of
coughing. He sat gazing at us for a few
minutes on first awaking, before he could
recollect where he was, and then he began
to give me the information my heart longed
to hear.

MILITARY AD VENTURES. 141

To my great joy I heard that our army
was safe. And I also learned something
of what had happened after I had received
the fearful blow on my head which had
been the unhappy cause of my long sepa-
ration from my regiment. It appeared
that although the party I commanded had
met with a reverse at that moment, owing
to the tremendous and overwhelming force
of the enemy pouring down upon them,
yet, that lower down they were met by
troops more prepared for them : and,
though our troops suffered most severely,
they were able to stem the torrent and
eventually drive them off; and at last
succeeded in taking their stronghold, which
however, was not a very difficult matter,
as it was quite denuded of troops, for, as I
said in the previous chapter, the Nepaulese
could not stand the shells bursting in among

142 SPORTING AND

them ; and the round shot cutting through
them, after it had penetrated the walls of
the stockade, made it too hot for them to
remain. I believe, from what I now heard,
that our loss was much less than if we had
been allowed to storm it in the usual
manner. The Bengalee did not know
where our troops were, but he understood
they were marching out of Nepaul after
having effected all that had been required
of them. The enemy was to pay a very
heavy indemnity for the expense of the
war, and had promised to behave better
for the future.

This was most gratifying news for me.
Instead of sneaking through the country
as I had been doing, I now intended to
assert my right to respect and assistance
as a British officer who had been left be-
hind wounded. Acting at once upon this,

MI LIT A RY AD VENTURES. 143

I went to the kotwal of the village, to his
surprise, for no one had the least idea
where I had sprung from. I demanded a
horse and an escort to the next village,
and, in the meantime, a hut to be assigned
to me during my stay in his district : I
also asked for the use of two tattus for my
followers, and afterwards ordered one of
the bazaar merchants to be desired to
attend on me with patterns of cloths from
which to select a suit of clothes — not be-
fore I wanted them, as I was nearly re-
duced to rags, and they were in a filthy
condition. The chief magistrate expressed
the pleasure he felt at seeing the sahib
safe and well, and said he and everything
he had, was at my disposal, including
even his wives and children. He said
that if I would rest for a few days, by that
time he could procure a horse that was

144 SPORTING AND

worthy to carry me ; indeed, he knew of
an animal which had belonged to one of
the gentlemen of the army, but had un-
fortunately been lost by him ; he knew
where the man lived who had found him,
and in two days he should be mine. No
doubt the fellow stole the horse, but I was
not in a position to look too closely into
matters of this sort, so I gladly consented
to remain the kotwal' s guest for a couple
of days ; and, in the meantime, the darzi
(native tailor) was hard at work making
me some presentable clothing of which,
as I observed before, I was sadly in need.
I was soon lodged in a cool, comfortable
hut, and every attention shewn me; I
hired a few additional servants whom the
Bengalee superintended for me, the kot-
wal, from his own table, sending my
meals, which consisted of roast and boiled

MILITARY AD VENTURES. 145

meats, poultry, game, and the most de-
licious curries I ever tasted. The Indian
curry is much superior to that made in
England, as the vegetables and herbs
supplying the curry stuff are gathered
fresh every day or so, and this causes the
flavour of the dish to be much finer.

The following morning the kotwal came
to enquire how I was, and if I had any-
thing to complain of which he could
remedy ; I told him I had no complaints
to make, but that I should require a
thousand rupees (a hundred pounds) by
the following morning, for which I would
give him a bill on the English Treasury
in Calcutta. To this he made no objec-
tion, but said he would like to present me
with the money if I would accept it ; but
I was firm in insisting it should only be a
loan, and that I would repay him as I had

146 SPORTING AND

proposed. Soon after this he departed,
much to my relief, for the natives have no
great feeling in common with us, and if he
had sat another hour we should only have
been paying each other compliments all
the time. My stock of Hindostanee was
not very extensive, but I could make myself
understood pretty well ; and now, being
thrown entirely among natives, I acquired
much more of their language: I seldom
heard a word of English spoken, and was
obliged to use what I could command of
Hindostanee.

When I compared my present position
with what it was four or five days ago I
could hardly realise it, and I frequently
shuddered when I thought of the tiger
jungle, and of the dungeons I had occupied,
awaiting execution in the morning. And
here I should mention, that on taking up

MILITARY AD VENTURES. 147

my abode in this village, my faithful friend,
the Nepaulese girl who had helped me to
escape from prison, and who had so unself-
ishly followed me ever since in my wander-
ings— resolved to return to her own village.
Her strength had been unequal to our
hard life and many privations, though I
think she would even now have remained
in my service had I required her assistance ;
but I found a girl rather out of place among
my followers, and urged her to return to her
home without delay. I was now able to
repay her in money all she had so generously
advanced for my necessities, adding, of
course, as handsome a present as my cir-
cumstances would allow; and, this debt
being discharged, I felt that I could do
no more than restore her to her home irj
safety. The Kotwal good naturedly assis-
ted me in providing an escort for her, which

148 SPORTING AND

was the more necessary as her nerves had
been much shaken by all the dangers and
difficulties she had passed through, to say
nothing of the insufficient food.

My host continued his kind hospitality
and in a few days the horse made his
appearance, but he gave me the idea of
having been starved ; he was a fine looking
grey Arab, but wanted flesh, and had a
sore back which had evidently been greatly
neglected. I did not recognise the horse
as one I had seen before, but this was not
to be wondered at, as nearly all the Arabs
are grey, and every gentleman rode one in
those days ; they were much cheaper than
they now are, as a good one could be pro-
cured for some four or five hundred rupees,
whereas now you would pay a thousand or
twelve hundred rupees for the same sort of
animal. This horse embarrassed me a

MILITARY AD VENTURES. 149

good deal ; he, as I have said, was dread-
fully thin, and his back so bad that it would
have been great cruelty to put a saddle on
him; so I was perplexed, and did not
know what to do till my Bengalee came to
my assistance with advice which I was only
too happy to follow, but I confess so artful
a dodge would never have entered my own
brain.

He said : — " This dam horse too much
thin ; he disgrace to a bdra Sahib : Master
must get koprd for horse and tie him up
in it, and roll his legs up, and have him
led by master's sats." Which meant that
the horse was much too thin for a great
gentleman like me to ride ; that I must
buy clothing for him, and put bandages
on his legs, and have him led by the horse
keeper, and then no one would know what
a disreputable brute he looked ! In the

150 SPORTING AND

meantime it was decided that I was to buy
a tattu for myself to ride, and thus it
it would be supposed I was using my hack
to save the valuable horse who was led along
in clothing. It was soon known in the bazaar
that I wanted a good tattu, and by the
morning several very nice ponies were
brought for my examination ; after much
riding and inspection, my choice fell on a
pretty, plump little fellow who had been
carrying a fat old sauddgar (native
merchant), and he was understood to be
very quiet, sound, and enduring. I paid
eighty rupees for him, and subsequently
found that a better little animal was never
foaled. He was about twelve hands high,
with a pretty head and well arched neck,
and he went at the pacing shuffle, or amble,
that the natives delight in riding : it is
certainly the best pace for getting over

MILITAR Y AD VENTURES. 151

the ground, and it is so easy for the rider
that it was no more fatigue than sitting in
an arm chair. My pony was a piebald, a
favourite colour with the natives, and the
lower half of his tail was dyed pink, which
they also consider a great beauty.

I decided upon starting the next
morning, and rode my new purchase
round to take leave of the kotwal^ and to
thank him, in the name of the Honourable
East India Company, for his kindness
and hospitality to me. He received me
in quite a fatherly manner, got up and
embraced me, and, on my leaving him, he
blessed me in a way that was quite patri-
archal. The kotwal was evidently much
impressed with my altered appearence,
for, in no part of the world are appear-
ances so much thought of as in the East ;
and, on the old principle about " fine

152 SPORTING AND

feathers," and the piebald tattu in addition,
I fancy I won the old gentleman's heart.
At the last moment he handed me a hand-
some double-barrelled gun, saying : — " I
have had this lying by for some time, and
it will give me great pleasure if you will
do me the honour of accepting it." I
was delighted at the old man's generosity
and forethought ; and, although the
Honourable East India Company's Sahibs
prohibited an officer taking a present
from a native, still, feeling that mine was
a most unusual case, I at once accepted
the offer, only too delighted to carry
home my prize. On giving it a trial
I had the satisfaction of finding it a first
rate gun. I tried it at a squirrel, knock-
ing him off a tree at a great distance,
and, when I picked him up, he was
stone dead ; this I considered a fair test

MILITARY AD VENTURES. 153

of the killing properties of my new ac-
quisition.

I did not fancy taking so many things
from this liberal old man, for it was repug-
nant to my feelings to be under obligations
to any one, more especially to a native,
but I resolved that he should one day be
repaid in full for anything he had presented
to me ; and in this manner I contented
myself. It is always painful to a gentleman
to be under pecuniary obligations to a
stranger, but it now seemed to me I had
no help for it. I had many calls already
upon my hundred pounds borrowed from
the kotwal, and I required as much as I
could save to help me on in my future
wanderings. I lost no time in sending
into the bazaar for powder, shot
and caps, and was fortunate enough to
obtain all I wanted. The kotwal had de-

154 SPORTING AND

sired his attendants to put up provisions
for my journey, which they had done ;
therefore, for some days I knew I should
fare splendidly ; but, after that, I should
have to return to the fowl curries and chu-
patties — these chupatties, or cakes, being
the substitute for bread all over India when
on the march, or out of cantonments.

There was little now to detain me here,
so I made up my mind to march the fol-
lowing morning, and gave orders to all my
establishment to be ready by daylight.
Having nothing particular to do I strolled
through the bazaar and spent an hour or
two in examining the shops and their con-
tents, but saw little to induce me to throw
away money. Nothing is to be purchased
of the natives without great bargaining,
and I was not in the mood to waste time
over this always disagreeable proceeding,

MILITARY AD VENTURES. 155

and I did not care to encumber myself
with purchases which would be useless.
It was now beginning to get dark, and, as
I was still suffering from weakness — for I
had been slow in picking up strength after
my late privations — I knew that the night
air was dangerous for me, and lost not any
time in making for home ; it was well that
I did so, for, darkness coming on quickly,
and I, not being familiar with the various
turnings in the streets, managed to take
a wrong one. After wandering about
some time, I fortunately came upon my
Bengalee, who, finding I was late in return-
ing, had come out to look for me, and I
was highly pleased to see him just as I
needed his aid. We now proceeded home
as quickly as we could, and I was astonished
at my extreme stupidity when I discovered
that I must have passed frequently within

156 SPORTING AND

a few yards of my house and never recog-
nised it. I suppose it looked somewhat
different at night, and, with all the bustle
of people shouting and talking around me,
my wits were deadened.

My dinner had been awaiting my ar-
rival for some time; it was at once
brought in, and I flatter myself I did
ample justice to the good things placed
before me : but what did me more
good than all was a bottle of East India
ale, which seemed to throw life into my
veins ; but it got up into my head from
the fact of my not having tasted wine or
ale for a long time. The few days I had
been the kotwaFs guest I had resisted this
luxury, dreading it's effect upon my head
in my weak state ; but on this last evening
I resisted it no longer, and realised how
weak I still must be, as it sent me off to

MILITAR Y AD VENTURES. 157

sleep before my meal was over, when my
faithful Bengalee carried me to my bed,
and I never awoke till the sun was up on
the following morning. Thus I passed
my last night under the protection of my
friend the kotwal.

I found all my servants ready for a
start, and was not sorry myself to get
away, as I experienced such a longing to
be moving towards civilization and society,
for, as I have said before, there is no
companionship between a black fellow and
a white man ; one never seems to have an
idea in common — at any rate, I can assert
this with regard to any I have met. Of
course I am not including in my remarks
the high class natives, who, as a rule, are
well educated and courteous men.

CHAPTER V.

S it was early, there
were not many people
about in the village
we were quitting, so
we soon got away,
leaving it behind us
much to my satisfac-
tion, and I could not
help contrasting rny
entrance into it with
my departure from it. I
arrived a poor, worn out, half starved
fellow, and I left it improved in health,

MILITARY AD VENTURES. 159

and, as a gentleman should travel, with
every thing requisite for health and com-
fort. I had also provided two tattus for
the use of my followers ; a tent, which I had
been fortunate enough to procure, had been
sent on the previous night, and I hoped to
find it pitched and breakfast ready on my
arrival at the place where we should com-
plete our twenty miles march. I found
the Bengalee a most obliging and thought-
full attendant ; he appeared so much to
study my wishes and tastes that I often
marvelled at my good fortune in picking
him up : the adventures we had passed
through together, had brought us to think
of each other more as friends than master
and servant. He told me he had been in
an officer's service in Bengal ; had after-
wards married a girl in the village where
he had first joined me, and assisted my

160 SPORTING AND

escape from prison. He had seen at that
first interview, when he acted as inter-
preter, notwithstanding all the dirt and
blood on my clothes, that I was a Sahib,
and had at once determined to befriend
me, and if possible to assist my escape ;
events showed he carried out his intentions
well, for I do not know what would have
been my fate but for his kindly help.
Since then his wife had died of fever, and
he said he had now no wish to return to
the village, so there had been no difficulty
in enlisting him in my service once more.
We rode along together on the march,
and I found him a shrewd, observing
fellow, one also who looked sharp after
number one — second nature in a native of
India.

We reached our tent safely, and every-
thing was ready for my breakfast ; steam-

MILITARY AD VENTURES. 161

ing hot coffee, devilled kidneys, grilled
chicken, and last, but not least, a par-
tridge curry. I made a splendid break-
fast, for, the fact is, I had not yet got
over the dreadful starvation I had under-
gone while making my escape. Honey
and jungle fowl's eggs are very good
things occasionally, but, for a hearty man
to make his daily meal of them is another
thing — particularly when they form the
only ingredients of the meal. I often
now think of the starvation and misery of
those dreadful days, but I do not in the
least regret that I passed through such an
ordeal, for it makes me accept with grati-
tude the blessings and the luxuries which
I now enjoy. I affirm that there is no-
thing so good for a young man as
" roughing it," and the more he has of it
the better ; in my case, however, I confess

162 SPORTING AND

that, at the time, I considered there was
too much roughing it, and the want of
proper food, I feared would tell much
against my constitution, but I am thank-
ful to say I have never felt any lasting
bad effects from the privations and hard-
ships I was forced to undergo.

In the cool of the evening we did
another few miles, as I became impatient
to press on. The following morning our
march was, at first, a pleasant and peace-
ful one. The country we passed through,
for a time, was highly cultivated, the dit-
ferent corn enclosures being very pretty
and home-like ; we did not pass through
the village, as it did not lie in our route,
nor did we see many natives about. Riding
along a footpath through a barley field, I
was surprised to see a couple of splendid
deer jump up out of the corn and stand

MILITA RY AD VENTURES. 1 63

staring at me with their soft, startled
eyes; but this was only for a moment,
and then they bounded off at their best
pace. They had evidently been asleep,
and it took them a few seconds to wake
up sufficiently to understand that I was
not one of themselves. What an oppor-
tunity this would have been to secure
some venison if I had had the good for-
tune to have my gun in my hand ! But it
was, unfortunately, packed in its case,
and stowed away in the hackery, which
was creaking along some two or three
miles in the rear,

Towards the end of our march I over-
took an old baniyd (shopkeeper), mounted
on a miserable, little, half starved tattu ; it
was a regular bag of bones, but it still
appeared to carry him safely and well.
To judge by the size and stoutness of its

164 SPORTING AND

rider, he was a wealthy native. You can
generally, in India, tell the length of a
man's purse by the state of his plumpness ;
and, judging in this way, of my new
companion, he must have been a regular
Crcesus as far as riches went. He told
me he was the owner of a great deal of
land in the neighbourhood, and that he
was then collecting his rent. He also
informed me that monkeys abounded in
the district to such an extent that they
were quite a scourge to the inhabitants
in the adjacent villages ; and if they were
not killed, or driven off, that his tenants
would be ; as these pests would destroy all
the crops when they were ripe, and carry
away the corn into the thickest parts of
the jungle, where it was impossible to
follow them. Their daring was such that
they actually attacked a village where one

MILITARY AD VENTURES. 165

of their number had been killed; and,
although the whole population had turned
out with sticks of all sizes, and other
defensive weapons, yet that the monkeys
had carried off a child, taking it into the
jungle where its parents and neighbours
were afraid to follow the track. He
ended his story by entreating the English
Sahib to join the party that was going out
to-day to find the poor child, and to
punish the offenders ; he urged his re-
quest, pleading so earnestly, that I had
not the heart to refuse him, and at last
consented, though, I must say, the idea
of shooting monkeys was most repulsive
to my feelings.

I once shot one, and shall never forget
my pain at seeing the poor little fellow
sitting up in the tree, putting his little
hand to his side, which had been wounded,

166 SPORTING AND

and trying to staunch the blood ; then he
would look at his bloody hand, moaning
all the time so piteously that I felt misera-
ble all the day after it. I should mention
that the poor little monkey dropped from
the tree very soon, and, on my going up,
I found him quite dead, and was very glad
to know that he was out of his pain and
misery. This pitiful little scene gave me
such a thorough disgust to monkey shoot-
ing that I did not think I could ever fire at
one again ; but I felt justified in the present
case, as it was to restore a lost child to Its
sorrowing parents.

My tent was put up, and, when I had
finished my breakfast, had taken my bath,
and was enjoying my cheroot, I saw a
number of villagers approaching, headed
by my friend of the morning ; they were
all armed with thick sticks, hoes, and every

MILITARY ADVENTURES. 167

conceivable weapon, and some few old
guns were carried among the party; the
guns I thought would prove much more
formidable to us than to the monkeys.

After a brief parley, and after I had given
instructions to the Bengalee to follow with
my gun, and to bring plenty of powder and
shot, off we started, heading in the direc-
tion of the jungle. We went very slowly
as several old people accompanied our
party, and I observed my fat friend of the
morning did not get on so fast without his
half-starved pony. After a time we began
to see monkeys ahead, scuttling off before
us ; they were few in number, but I noticed
they were large and fierce looking. As
we proceeded slowly the numbers increased,
and soon they seemed to be pouring in
from all directions ; they ascended all the
trees in our route, and the chattering and

168 SPORTING AND

screaming- they kept up was deafening-.
They would also spring down to the lower
branches of the trees and show their power-
ful teeth in a most formidable manner;
their eyes, at the same time, darting fire,
and all the hair on their backs standing
erect with fury and excitement. Their
numbers continued to increase, and I pro-
posed beginning offensive operations at
once, but, on turning to ask why we delayed,
I observed all the men were pale with ter-
ror, and they were all shaking and their
teeth chattering with fright.

The monkeys, who by this time, had
received fresh reinforcements, were now
to be counted by thousands, and some of
the larger and older ones were armed with
thick branches from the trees. Our little
army now talked of retreating, and, seeing
the panic they were in, I prepared to take

MILITARY ADVENTURES. 169

the lead. Calling on them to follow, I
stepped forward, and was looking about to
see which monkey should be my first victim,
when, all at once, I felt myself covered
from head to foot with them ; there must
have been about a dozen upon me when
I called out for assistance, but, on looking
for my party, I saw them some distance
off, making for home as fast as their legs
would carry them, leaving me to my fate
without the slightest compunction. My
assailants were not inactive all this time ;
they were biting me in the most cruel
manner (and let me here assure my
readers that monkeys can bite) ; it ap-
peared to me that each one was, in-
dependently, trying to take the largest
mouthful he could get out of my un-
fortunate body.

The agony I endured is not to be

M

170 SPORTING AND

described. In my despair and anguish I
dropped my hand to my side, and it was
seized in an instant by the powerful jaws of
one of the largest of the brutes, who bit me
to the very bone. This was the climax of
of my sufferings, and I sank on the
ground in a dead faint. How long I lay
insensible I have no idea, but when I
came to myself, the monkeys were still
around me in numbers, and some were
sitting upon me ; all the trees in my
vicinity were crowded with them, chat-
tering at the top of their voices, and
evidently very proud of the victory they
had obtained. I was here startled by a
loud report close to my ear, and, on look-
ing round, I discovered that my gun had
exploded. It appeared that when my
hand fell to my side in my agony, my gun
had dropped out of my paralysed fingers ;

MILITARY AD VENTURES. 171

it had both barrels cocked, and now at
the moment of my recovering my senses,
•one of the tribe, taking it up to examine
it with accustomed curiosity, pulled one
of the triggers, and hence the explosion
which might have blown my head off.
The effect of this was most startling, and,
under God's blessing, was the means of
saving my life, for every monkey within
sight or hearing took to his heels in
terrible fear, and, in an incredibly short
time there was not one to be seen.

I staggered to my legs, and seeing the
coast clear, I seized my gun and retraced
my steps at my best pace. I had not
gone far when I met all my own establish-
ment, and they raised a shout of joy at
seeing me safe, as they were seriously
alarmed at finding the party had returned
without me ; and the runaways had given

172 SPORTING AND

a very alarming account of the attitude of
the monkeys when they left the place. I
now stopped to examine the bites I had
received; I was covered with blood, which
was still flowing from many of my wounds ;
there was hardly a bit of my body that
did not contain a bite — the depth and
length depending upon the size and
strength of the jaws of the animal who
had inflicted it, as they were all equally
anxious to punish me to the very fullest
extent of their power ; and, if it had not
been for the accidental discharge of my
gun, I should not now be alive to relate
the adventure.

I was thankful for my escape, but
deeply regretted that I had been unable
to find any traces of the unfortunate child,
whose loss had been the cause of our
entering the haunts of these dangerous

MILITARY AD VENTURES. 173

monkeys; and I was so angry with the
cowardly party I had intended to assist,
that it was well for them — one and all —
that I met none of them before quitting
the place. I need not say they kept clear
of me till they knew I was too far away to
revenge myself. I spent the rest of that
day in bed, my servant bringing in an old
woman who washed my wounds with some
decoction of herbs, and put on some
plaster, and when I awoke in the morning
I was nearly all right again, only for the
excessive soreness all over me from the
bites ; but I vowed it would be the last
time I would trust to the courage of native
villagers in another case where pluck was
required.

The next morning I started off at my
usual hour, feeling wonderfully little ill
effects from the mauling I had received

174 SPORTING AND

the previous day ; and I give all the credit
to the skill and judgment displayed by the
old woman who doctored me over night.
Our camp this day was near some lakes,
so I determined to try and get a few wild
duck or teal. I was most successful and
brought in a great many birds; the teal
were so numerous that I sometimes knocked
down as many as eight or ten at a shot, so
that both my servants and myself had a
thorough feast of them. The next day I
was quite recovered from my monkey ad-
venture, and found my appetite returned
in full force. After I had finished my
breakfast I had a mat brought out and
spread under one of the magnificent tre.es
among which my tent was pitched. I
threw myself upon it and then lighted a
cheroot and I don't think I ever enjoyed
anything more than that smoking ; I was

MILITARY AD VENTURES. 1 75

fanned by a nice cool breeze, the shade
of the foliage kept off the rays of the sun,
and my ride of twenty miles before break-
fast had just sufficiently fatigued me to
enable me thoroughly to enjoy the complete
repose of my present position. I lay thus
till tiffin was announced, and by that time
I had an excellent appetite and was as
" sharp set " as if I had only partaken of
a very moderate breakfast. I believe if a
hearty man is starved for a time, he subsists
on the inner fat of his constitution, and the
first good living he enjoys, the debt is paid
back in full ; hence my extraordinary
appetite, which really seemed to be quite
taking the form of a disease. I felt very
glad I was not a member of the mess just
then, or I should have had but little peace;
my friends would have made up mess par-
ties and invited strangers on purpose to

176 SPORTING AND

see me eat my dinner — the " lion " of the
camp for the time being — and then, when
the novelty was over, fellows would have
got disgusted, and probably christened me
the boa constrictor — not a pleasant appel-
lation to stick to one, perhaps, for life !
So, altogether, my appetite set me thinking ;
and, as it seemed to me that hard work
only served to increase it, I determined to
take things very easily, and march slowly
instead of doing twenty miles in the day,
to do only ten, halting every Sunday.

This suddenly reminded me that I did
not know the day of the week, much less
the day of the month — and, in fact, I had
no idea what month it was. I am sure
the fearful blow I got on the head had
impaired my recollection, for I was fre-
quently forgetting things which occurred
onlv the day before, and I had not nearly

MILITARY AD VENTURES. 177

the same amount of energy I possessed
formerly. I felt as if I had got some
twenty years older in the last month or
two, and at times could not imagine I was
the same fellow with the same tastes I had
only so lately. A few months since, if I
had bought a new horse or pony, I should
have been on his back almost day and
night; now I had two, and I seldom
looked at them. This train of thought
roused me to take a look how the grey
Arab horse was getting on, so on my way
to my tent, I told the sals to take off his
kaprd, and, on this being done, I observed
a very great change for the better. He
was filling out fast, and his back was no
longer disgusting to look at; the sores
appeared to be drying up under the judi-
cious treatment of the attentive horse-
keeper ; his ewe neck and ungainly head

178 SPORTING AND

were less apparent, and I hoped in a week
or two* he would be fit to ride. The
native who had found him, must have
turned him out to graze in the jungle, and
as he had not been used to foraging for
himself, he would have died in another
week or so if I had not, fortunately for
him, come across his path. The sals
grinned his delight when I expressed my
approbation at the altered appearance of
the horse, and told me he was giving him
coarse, soft sugar, and that was the chief
cause of his picking up so rapidly.

I also had a look at the tattu, who was
eating his grain with wonderful satisfac-
tion ; he was less puffy and looked all the
better for it. I thought what a prize he
would be to the proprietor of a circus at
home, for he is a nice tempered little fel-
low, and one that would soon learn any

MILITARY ADVENTURES. 179

tricks if he were taught. The sais let him
loose when I called him, and he always
trotted up for his bit of bread and a piece
of sugar, of which he was remarkably
fond. He was a very cheap pony, and I
am quite sure worth three or four hundred
rupees ; he was so strong and sure footed
that he could carry any heavy weight
safely, and a pony that can do this is very
scarce in India, as so many persons are
on the look out for such.

The following morning I was off soon
after daylight, and arrived at my tent when
the sun became hot, but we always
managed to pitch our tents in a tope of
trees, so that we might get all the cool
shade and fresh air that were to be had.
It was only during the hot winds that we
tried to shut out the air ; and, even then,
the burning blast which blows without

180 SPORTING AND

intermission all day we would turn to
account by putting up thick kaskas screens ;
and, by constantly keeping these wet, the
good soaking of water cools the hot air
that blows through them, and thus the
house, or tent, becomes nice and fresh.
I do not know of any people who study
their comfort so much as the European
residents of India; they certainly under-
stand the method of making themselves
comfortable, and it is absolutely necessary
for their health that they should do so.

I had just taken up my cheroot prepara-
tory to smoking it after breakfast, when
one of my attendants entered the tent to
say that some jugglers were waiting to
exhibit their skill before the great English
sahib, and, as I was heartily tired of my
own reflections, I desired they might be
shewn in. The party consisted of three

MILITARY AD VENTURES. 181

or four men and a girl, and the only ad-
juncts they appeared to have with them
were one or two pretty large baskets and
some kaprd, or dirty white cloth, which I
suppose was to be held up for the purpose
of concealment; for, like their English
brethren, they do not wish their audience
to see more than they intend. I seated
myself under a tree at their request, and
let them arrange my chair themselves, so
that I should not spoil the entertainment
by being improperly placed. As soon as
I was seated, the whole company, in-
cluding the tamtam wallah (the man who
beats a kind of native drum) came forward
in a body and salaamed to me, while the
eldest of the party, quite a patriarchal
looking fellow, commenced a long address
in Hindostanee, which, unhappily for me,
I could not half understand, and I daresay

182 SPORTING AND

I missed a good deal by not having a
thorough knowledge of the language.

The performance then commenced, and,
though I had heard a great deal of the
dexterity and cleverness of these itinerant
jugglers, I must say I was agreeably sur-
prised. They began by planting a mango
seed in the ground, then they watered the
place and covered it up for about five
minutes with a wall of cotton round it ; on
the screen being removed, there appeared a
little plant about three inches high : then
more watering and fanning, when it was
again screened, and after another interval
of five minutes it was shewn as a little tree,
about a foot high, with a beautiful large
mango, quite ripe, growing upon it ; this
was pulled and presented to the English
sahib. Then there was jumping through
tight hoops of rope, through which the per-

MILITARY ADVENTURES. 183

former first proved to us that he had the
greatest difficulty in squeezing himself;
he would then retire a few yards, and, on
the hoop being held up by another man, he
would make a little run and go through it
with ease, head foremost. One of the men
threw a hard cocoa nut high into the air,
and catching it on the top of his bare head
it was smashed to pieces, the milk running
down his face ; this cocoa nut was first
handed to me to inspect, that I might
know it had not been tampered with. The
girl now came forward and placed a small
silver coin on the ground ; then placing
herself with her back to it, and, doubtless,
judging her distance, she bent herself
backward, arching her slender body until
her face reached the coin, which she picked
up with her eyelid. This wonderful feat
led one to question whether she had any

184 SPORTING AND

bones at all in her body. There were
many other tricks which I have now for-
gotten, but I know they amused me very
much at the time, and helped to pass a
pleasant hour or two.

The head man now came up and sa-
laamed to announce to me that the enter-
tainment was over, when I desired my
Bengalee to give them a few rupees, with
which they went off quite satisfied. It
was not an expensive entertainment for
my little establishment, and all their wives
and children crowded round also, enjoying
it as much as I did. All the afternoon I
saw my servants, and all the little off-
springs in the shape of ebony youngsters,
practising the jumping through a tight
hoop, but I don't think they were very
successful excepting in getting some
awful croppers now and then.

MILITARY AD VENTURES. 185

After tiffin, when I was taking my
afternoon siesta, an attendant announced
a man who wished to speak to me, and on
my desiring him to be admitted, he told
me he had been sent by the English
political agent to search for me every-
where, and to find out what had become
of me. He said he had been in the two
villages in which I had been imprisoned,
and that the people in both villages had
been greatly distressed at finding I had
left the comfortable room they had pre-
pared for me, as they had intended to
forward me on, in all honour and state, to
the head quarters of the English army,
but that I had evidently taken a dislike to
them, which they extremely regretted,
and I had gone off without taking leave
of any of them. They felt disappointed
at this, as they had a handsome present,

N

186 SPORTING AND

which they intended giving me ; but as I
did not take it at that time, perhaps I
would be pleased to accept it now as a
token of their esteem and goodwill. The
messenger hinted that the " present"
consisted of five hundred rupees (fifty
pounds) in gold, and he said how gratified
they would all feel if the English sahib
would condescend to accept this small
offering of their goodwill and respect.
From the hearty manner in which this
fellow urged their cause, I could see he
had been well bribed ; he never once
alluded to the cruel manner in which I had
been treated in both villages, nor did he
say a word about my being tried and
twice condemned to death.

I told him I would have nothing to do
with them, or with their present, and that
I would report their infamous conduct to

MILITARY AD VENTURES. 187

the political agent the very first oppor-
tunity I had. I also sternly asked this
fellow what he had to do with it, and how it
was that they had induced him to take so
much interest in my accepting their paltry
present. He seemed confounded at my
having detected his little game, and
retired quite abashed and humbled. The
next morning I overtook him on the
march, and he attracted my attention by
the lowness of salaam and the abject
respect with which he treated me. He
begged I would send by him a chit, or
note, to the political agent, who was
travelling with our army, which he in-
formed me was some two hundred miles
ahead of me : he told me all was satis-
factorily arranged with the Nepaulese,
and that I should be treated with the
greatest respect and consideration in all

188 SPORTING AND

villages en route. He then gave me his
advice not to pay for anything, and said
he heard with some surprise that I had
been doing so, and he thought it a very-
bad custom. This man evidently feathered
his nest well on all occasions, for, as a
rule, these creatures, who are attached
to civilians to perform the humbler duties
and to do all the dirty work, fleece the
poor natives shamefully, and hold up the
name of their master over them as a whip
to make them disgorge their hard earned
savings. This used to be the common
practice some years ago, but I do not
know whether it still continues.

I got so tired of my own thoughts and
my own company that I determined to
push on as rapidly as I could, in order to
overtake the column, but it would take
double marches for a long time, and thus

MILITARY AD VENTURES. 189

would soon knock up the servants, also
the bullocks and horses ; however, I
resolved to try it for a few days at any
rate, so I did a march in the morning and
and also one in the evening, and by this
means we were getting over the ground
rapidly. I took another look one day at
the old grey Arab, and was astonished to
see how steadily he continued to improve ;
his back was quite well, and he looked so
fat and full of vigour, that I decided to
have my saddle fitted on his back, and
ride him the following morning. A native
saddler was sent for at once, and he
altered it to his shape, for a saddle
intended for a pony will not fit a large
horse.

The following morning I mounted the
grey, and was delighted with the elastic,
firm manner in which he put his foot to

190 SPORTING AND .

the ground, and his paces were so light
and springy that it was a real pleasure to
ride him ; though very quiet and gentle,
like all Arabs, he was full of life and spirit,
and I do not remember ever enjoying a
ride of ten miles so much. After we had
a good gallop across the plain, we came
to a pretty little hedge about four feet
high, at which I put him, and, to my
astonishment, he cleared it like an old
hunter ; generally, the Arab horse is not
given to jumping, as, in his own country,
there are no fences of any description, so
he must of course be taught to jump, as it
does not come naturally to him.

When I resigned the horse at the end
of the march to the care of the sats, he
was greatly pleased to hear how much I
liked my new acquisition ; I praised the
care he had bestowed on his charge, and,

MILITAR Y AD VENTURES. 191

to wind up, more to his satisfaction, I gave
him a rupee as bakhshish (a present) which
he thought much more of than all the praise
I could bestow upon him. I told him I
should ride the horse every morning, and
allowed a servant to have a mount on the
tatiu; this arrangement gave general satis-
faction, and we now only thought about
getting settled in cantonments. I was now
within a week's march of the desired
goal, when I ascertained that a few days
would bring me into the vicinity of some
good shooting, so I sent a chit by a
coolie (a porter) into the station in which
the troops were quartered, to ask three or
four of my brother subs to join me over
night and have a good day's shooting,
naming the spot where I should pitch my
tent. I promised to secure beaters, also a
shikari — a sportsman who knows where all

192 SPORTING AND

the game is to be found ; the shikari is
also a good hand at tracking wild animals,
therefore he is a very important personage
at a gathering of this sort.

I received a reply in due time by the
messenger, accepting my invitation, but
first congratulating me on what my friends
were pleased to call my resurrection, as
one of the soldiers swore he had seen me
struck down dead; he had stooped over
me for a minute, and, seeing no sign of
life whatever, he was obliged to hurry off
to save his own, and I am confident the
poor fellow had only stated what he firmly
believed to be true. This note reached
me on the morning of the day on which I
arrived at the appointed place, and I did
not delay in making all the arrangements
necessary for our shooting the following
morning.

MILITARY AD VENTURES. 193

In the evening my friends arrived, and
it did my heart good to see them again,
and to hear their jolly, cheerful welcome
back to the corps. They had believed
me to be dead, and had all mourned my
loss as a dear brother, and the reaction
when they had ocular demonstration that
I was really alive, was most flattering to
me ; they could not make enough of me,
and were never tired of hearing my ad-
ventures; the scenes in the tiger jungle
seemed to afford them never failing inte-
rest and pleasure, and my descriptions of
my girl companion and myself going to
roost in the trees at night would set them
off in a roar of delight that I thought would
never cease. Then, when I told them of
the trial and sentence of execution, which
even now makes me sick at heart, I was
quite overcome ; and the excitement at

194 SPORTING AND

seeing their dear faces again had brought
a reaction that I tumbled off my chair in
a dead faint, much to their dismay and
consternation. They ran about, not know-
ing what to do, till my Bengalee, hearing
the row, came rushing in, carried me into
the air and sprinkled water over my face,
and in time I came round, much to the
relief of my kind visitors ; but I knew I
must give up the idea of shooting in the
morning, as I was so weak I could hardly
walk without assistance, and I felt so ut-
terly done that there was nothing for it
but to lie quietly on my bed.

The evening was so fine that I had the
dinner laid out under a tree, where my
friends conversed in quiet tones so that I
might not be disturbed by their talking.
I felt very ill and thought I was laid up,
and in for another attack : as the night

MILITARY AD VENTURES. 195

progressed I became gradually worse, and
by the morning was in a highly dangerous
fever. When my guests got up at day-
light they were seriously alarmed about
me, so much so, that all idea of shooting
was discarded, and it was decided that
one should remain with me while the
other three rode back to camp to send
medical aid with the least possible delay.
As soon as they had swallowed a cup of
coffee they were off; and, as one of their
tattus had not recovered the journey of the
previous day, mine was substituted, and
off he rattled with the rest.

By this time I was perfectly uncon-
scious, and remained so until our assistant
surgeon made his appearance. He did
not like the aspect of my disease, and
gave orders that I should be put into the
hospital doolie which he had brought with

196 SPORTING AND

him, and be carried into camp as soon as
possible. Before I started he adminis-
tered some cooling lotion, and with his
own hands cut off all my fine thick hair,
of which I had been justly proud. He
was only just in time, for I afterwards
found out that if this malignant fever had
not been checked at once, and had he not
seen me when he did, his opinion was
that no human skill could have availed
me. He rode his pony alongside my
doolie all that day and night, frequently
administering sedatives and applying cool
bandages to rny burning head ; no brother
could have been kinder, or have shown
more devotion than he did to me, and the
recollection of his medical knowledge, and
great, disinterested attention, fills my
heart even now with gratitude to him, for,
under God's blessing, he saved my life.

MILITARY AD VENTURES. 197

When we arrived in cantonments I was
carried at once to the assistant surgeon's
bungalow, put into a bed, and ice applied
to my head ; this was done even before
he had time to summon additional medical
advice. I believe all the doctors who saw
me the following morning were of opinion
that it was a very bad case ; and I after-
wards ascertained that they attributed it
all mainly to the deadly and crushing
blow I had received in battle, and the
want of medical treatment at the time,
but it was too late to regret that now7.
My being carried into the station ill and
insensible, combined with the fact of my
having been a prisoner and condemned
to death, to say nothing of my hair-
breadth escapes, created quite a sensation
in cantonments, and little else was thought
of or talked about for days.

198 SPORTING AND

In the meantime, thanks to my excellent
constitution and the highly skilful manner
in which I was treated, I turned the corner
and began very slowly to recover. I re-
mained for days in a dazed state, and
my head was constantly aching; every-
thing seemed dark and dismal, and my
dreams and thoughts were always of the
most gloomy character. This went on for
weeks, but, at last, a little light began to
penetrate the darkness and gloom of my
mind, and then there came a decided
change for the better ; I gradually re-
sumed my full consciousness and com-
prehended that I had been very danger-
ously ill. I was so weak that I could not
stand, and, as to raising hand or foot,
you might almost as well have invited
me to accompany a bird in its flight
through the air. I cannot imagine any-

MILITARY AD VENTURES. 199

thing more miserable than this total pros-
tration of mind and body, and should be
sorry to see my worst enemy reduced to
such a state of weakness. My recovery
was most tardy, and I lay for a long time
between life and death, one day slightly
better and perhaps the next a little worse :

my case sadly puzzled my kind medical

•

friends, and I believe they attributed my
slow amendment to the starvation, anxiety
and fatigue I had undergone, and nothing
now but the remains of my once excellent
constitution gave hope of a permanent
recovery.

CHAPTER VI.

^ L^-v

^SfT o HE doctors now de-
\ cided unanimously
that I must have
complete change of
air and scene, but
where to send me in
my weak and help-
less state was a per-
plexing question.
There was no doubt
about England being the chosen place if
it had not been for the long land journey
to the port of embarcation ; but this dis-
tance rendering it impracticable for me to

MILITARY AD VENTURES. 201

attempt it, that idea was given up, greatly
to my peace of mind, as I had no desire
to be invalided for a long time away from
my regiment, and Landour, in theHimalaya
Hills, was finally the place selected. There
was a medical board ordered to assemble
at the doctor's bungalow where there was
more pulse feeling, and tongue examina-
tion, after which I was informed that I
was to go to Landour on six months' sick
certificate, and the president of the board,
kindly told me to write to him at the
expiration of that time if I did not feel
quite strong and hearty, in which case I
need not think of returning to the plains,
as he would procure me another six
months.

They were so determined that I should
make a start of it without delay, that I was
hurried off that very night in a palanquin

202 SPORTING AND

for the hills, and by morning I had tra-
velled some forty miles. I remained at
the government bungalow all the day and
had some tea and toast, which was all I
could take ; and, when it became cool I
was assisted into my palanquin, my
bearers trudging off with me as before.
In the morning we had done another forty
miles, and I found myself in a similar
tbungalow, with the same tea and toast, and
it appeared to me the very same rhitmatgar
(attendant) in charge of the bungalow as
on the previous day ; the life was indeed
monotonous.

On the evening of the third day I found
myself at the foot of the hills, gazing up
with astonishment and awe at the
stupendous mountains before me ; to add
to their beauty they were clothed with
lovely foliage from their base nearly to

MILITAR Y AD VENTURES. 203

their tops which were covered with eternal
snow, the whiteness and purity of which,
standing out against the deep blue sky,
formed a most splendid contrast. I do not
think I shall ever forget the wild and wonder-
ful magnificence of this scene — a scene that
I fancy stands unrivalled in the world for
grandeur and perfect beauty. It made a
heavenly impression on my mind at the
time, and it seemed to lift my thoughts
above the world. I think when the body is
very weak and the soul halfway, as it were,
and hovering between the two worlds, our
thoughts are much more pure and heavenly
than when in robust health : my belief is,
that before our heavenly Father takes us
to himself, our ideas — I mean our earthly
ones — are softened and purified, and we
see things, which before were incompre-
hensible to us, much more clearly, and

204 SPORTING AND

are able to understand more about the
heavenly home which we seem to be
rapidly nearing. I know this was my
idea at the time, and I have had no reason
to change it since.

We stopped at Dhera-Doon, at the foot
of the hills, and the next morning ascended
in a curious looking conveyance; it seemed
like the small body of a gig placed on a
long pole which went under and sup-
ported it ; this pole rested upon the
shoulders of four men — two in front and
two behind— and this is the way I ascended
the world-renowned Himalayas. I forget
how long I was ascending, but remember
being struck with the great increase of
cold ; the higher we proceeded, the more
inclined I felt to add warm wraps, until
every article of clothing I had was used
somewhere about me. I cannot tell what

MILITAR Y AD VENTURES. 205

I should have done if my landlady, at the
foot of the hills, had not kindly lent me a
warm rug or two, which were to be re-
turned by the bearers when they had
deposited me safely at Landour. I ar-
rived there in due time, and was recom-
mended to some rooms kept by a French-
man ; fortunately they were unoccupied,
were comfortably furnished, and I engaged
them at once. I felt the climate here
almost too cold for me, and ordered a
wood fire to be lighted at once in my
sitting room; when that was done I sat
down opposite to it in order to give my-
self a good toasting, when I began gradu-
ally to feel more comfortable.

My attendants not having arrived, the
butler of the hotel came to ask what I
would have for dinner ; but, from his ac-
count, there was not a great variety of

206 SPORTING AND

food, the only thing I could hear of, being
a neck of mutton, which would make
cutlets, and he said he might be able
to procure a small chicken in the
bazaar, for curry. He told me beef was
very difficult to get, for when a bullock
was killed, it was all bespoke long before,
and it was impossible to procure a small
joint. So the question of beef was finally
settled. He thought, however, he might
get me a duck on the morrow, but he was
not so sure about that. I found I might
make my mind easy on the subject of
food, as mutton was always to be had in
the bazaar, and no one could starve with
good roast and boiled mutton in abun-
dance. The butler retired, and I was
again left to my reflections and to my
comfortable wood fire, which I continued to
sit opposite to while I meditated upon the

MILITAR YAD VENTURES. 207

wonderfully rapid vicissitudes I had been
subject to in so short a period.

I leaned back in my easy chair, half
asleep and half awake, for, in my weak
state, and after the heat of the canton-
ments, the exertion of travelling in a
palanquin along the dusty roads had tired
me sorely ; but, now that I was rested and
refreshed, I felt considerably better, and
the pure, fresh mountain air, cooled by
passing over the perpetual snow, came to
me as a precious gift from heaven, to re-
store me to that health and manliness
which would enable me to follow out the
profession I had adopted, and in which
my whole soul was wrapped up. A sol-
dier's life was the only life I cared for;
from my earliest recollection, my chief
ambition was to be an officer, and, now
that my feet were resting well on the

208 SPORTING AND

ladder, it would have been too hard if I
had been obliged to leave on account of
bad health or delicate constitution. I had
felt very anxious when the doctors not
only hinted, but spoke very plainly their
opinion that unless there was a great im-
provement in my health, and unless my
constitution gained strength I should not
be wise to continue in the army, a life
that would constantly expose me to the
vicissitudes of various climates, with per-
haps a good deal of nightwork and ex-
posure to rain and dampness ; but, I
trusted, with God's blessing, the bracing
air of the Himalaya mountains would
renovate me speedily.

I sent a servant to the library to get a
few amusing books, for I knew the mind
was as much impaired as the body, and
thought if I could find some amusement

MILITARY AD VENTURES. 209

in the way of light reading it would help
me through my imprisonment in the
house, for taking walking exercise was
still out of the question. The roads at
Landour are very steep, so that whichever
way you turn your steps it is either an
ascent or a descent — most trying to an
invalid. While sitting in front of the fire,
my reflections at last assumed a more
cheerful form than at first, and I reasoned
with myself on the folly of being low-
spirited and depressed ; and assured my-
self that if I wished to be strong and
healthy, the way to become so was to
keep up my spirits and make the best of
everything, putting the most favourable
construction upon all that happened to
me; by this means I should always be
able to swim on the surface, instead of
grovelling at the bottom in all the slime

210 SPORTING AND

and mud. I felt much happier after I had
come to my senses ; allowances, after all,
must be made for a fellow so ill and worn
out as I was, for I had not yet had time to
recover from the horrors and dismal effects
of my never-to-be-forgotten escapes.

A knock now came at my door, and a
slight, pale looking young man entered
the room to call upon me. At the first
glance I knew he also had been sent to
the hills on medical certificate, for there is
no mistaking the pallor of the cheek and
the extreme emaciation of the body, to be
seen at a glance by a brother sufferer.
He told me his name was Smith, and said
he was a cornet in the first Light Cavalry ;
that he was just recovering from a smart
attack of jungle fever, and had been sent
up from the plains on six months' sick
leave, with the advice that if not perfectly

MILITARY AD VENTURES. 211

cured he was to apply for six months
more : in fact, just my case, and I dare
say we should have matched each other
splendidly, and run in a curricle together.
I was glad to find Smith was staying at
the same hotel — indeed our rooms were
adjoining ; so we agreed to dine together,
and be in each others' company as much
as possible, as we found, on comparing
notes, we were both as miserable as we
could well be. We spent the evening
together, and were much amused, when
his dinner was brought in along with
mine, to find that we had both mutton
cutlets and curry and rice. In the course
of the evening, on our mutually liking
each other, we determined to establish a
little joint mess and to appoint his
rhitmatgar our khansumar, or messman ;
this arrangement added much to our

212, SPORTING AND

comfort and considerably diminished the
expense to each of us.

From this time I began rapidly to improve
in mental as well as bodily health, and I
was pleased to see a similar improvement in
my new chum, who, however, I think
passed me a little in the race for life we
were running. I did not, for a long
while, get over the dreadful dreams I had
frequently at night. I used to dream that
the awful fellow who first carried me away
after I had been wounded, was shaking
me, telling me to get up as my last hour
was come ; I used to fancy he was looking
straight into my eyes on these occasions,
and I saw his firm mouth compressed and
his sinister glances, as clearly as I had
seen him in reality when we exchanged
looks for the first time, as he threw me
across his broad shoulders before carry-

MILITARY AD VENTURES. 213

ing me off to prison, and, as he thought,
to death. I would then start up in terror
to find myself bathed in cold perspiration,
and this would occur two or three times
a week. I told my friend Smith about it,
and he did what he could for me by
keeping me amused till the small hours.
We used to play ecarte, back-gammon, or
any thing else to make the night pass
quickly, and I found that by going to bed
very late that I had not these painful dreams,
and having once discovered the remedy,
I did not fail to put it into practice.

Sometimes my chum would get a return
of his fever, when he would have to go to
bed at nine or ten o'clock, on which
occasions I used to sit in my arm chair in
front of the fire all night, not going to
bed till the servants were up in the morn-
ing, and at their work dusting and clean-

214 SPORTING AND

ing out our rooms. I fancy they thought
I was a little out of my mind for pursuing
so singular a course, but if they had ex-
perienced my frights in the night they
would only have been too happy to
follow my example. We both steadily
progressed in health and strength, and,
by the time we had been two months in
the hills, could walk with the aid of our
sticks a mile out, when we could sit down
and rest awhile, and leisurely stroll home.
They were gala days to us when we were
able to take these quiet constitutionals, for
we were often prevented going out on ac-
count of the frequent thunder storms,
which generally brought on rain, lasting
several days ; but when we did get
a fine, sunny day, we made the most
of it, and on our return from our walk,
would throw ourselves on the mutton

MILITARY AD VENTURES. 215

cutlets and chicken curry with fierce

avidity.

Becoming so strong and vigorous we

talked of a little shooting excursion, but
it would have to come off some time hence,
for as yet, neither of us could have walked
five miles if our lives had depended upon
it ; but we did not think it improbable
that we might be able to start in a month,
and it would take us very nearly that time
to prepare ourselves for the excursion. I
had to write for my gun and also for the
piebald pony to be sent up, with several
of my servants, but some of them had to be
discharged. Altogether I made my estab-
lishment into a working one, and I asked
a friend, who was one of my sporting
chums, to procure me three or four good
dogs, which were to be started off to me
at once. Some of these common, half-

216 SPORTING AND

bred dogs are excellent ones to find game;
and, though they will not stand when
they find it, still by following them up
closely you may get wonderfully good
partridge and quail shooting over them.
I ordered also one of the strong Persian
greyhounds, which are as fleet as our
greyhounds at home, but a much more
powerful animal to pull down a wounded
deer. With this lot, in addition to the
dogs Smith expected, we thought we
should have very decent sport, and were
not far wrong in our expectations. I
asked a friend, in cantonments, if he
would accept the loan of the Arab horse
till I returned, which I did not see any
prospect of doing for at least, some
months, as we both intended to apply for
the extra six months which we had the
option of taking.

M1LITAR Y AD VENTURES. 217

Several days must elapse before we
could receive our guns, dogs, and ponies
up from the plains, so we looked out for a
shikari to accompany us ; and, from the
cheering accounts this man gave of the
quantity of large game lying close to
where we were staying, and also hearing
that they were seldom shot or disturbed,
we hoped to make such a bag as seldom
had been heard of by sportsmen in the
Himalaya mountains. We left the shikari
to engage the coolies and beaters, and, in
addition to these we required several
coolies to carry our tents, bedding, pro-
visions, and wines ; though we did not
intend to take a large supply of the latter
article, still we were both invalids -'and
absolutely required our wine. I used to
take half a dozen glasses of good old
port every day from which I derived the

218 SPORTING AND

greatest benefit ; Smith was also ordered
to drink port, so we were obliged to take
a fair quantity between us.

All our luggage was so arranged that
every box, or parcel, was to be a load for
a coolie, and by this means we saved a
great deal of trouble and breakage : every
parcel, or load, is carried on the head, so
that the coolies can ascend the steepest
hills, and also descend them with perfect
confidence and safety. We heard a good
account of our shikari and we were much
pleased with the men he had engaged, all
of whom were under him,, so that we had
no occasion ever to speak to one of them ;
we were to give the shikari a specified
sum of money for the journey, which was
to last so many weeks, and when we
returned he was to receive the balance of
his hire, to take himself and his coolies off,

I

MILITARY AD VENTURES. 219

and we were to have no further trouble.
He was to provide food for himself and all
his people, so we had only to cater for
ourselves and our personal attendants,
and we never had reason to regret our
arrangement with this hardy mountaineer.
Ascertaining that my pony would be of
very little use in the mountains, I decided
not to take him with me, but he was very
handy to ride about Landour. Before
starting on this shooting expedition I sold
him one day to a colonel of artillery who
had often admired him, and he had asked
me if I would sell him, as he was cal
culated to carry a much heavier fellow
than I was. I now offered him to the
colonel for four hundred rupees (forty
pounds), for which amount he gave me a
cheque without demur, so the piebald
pony and his master parted company ;

220 SPORTING AND

and I may add that I frequently saw him
carrying his new owner, who weighed
sixteen stone, and who told me that he
would not take a thousand rupees for his
bargain ; thus we were mutually satisfied.

At last the happy day arrived when we
were to make our grand start and I could
hardly sleep at night for thinking over the
pleasures of the morrow. And here I may
mention that I never now suffered from
those dreadful dreams which had so long
distressed me, and my remedy there-
fore was a complete success.

At day break the shikari called us, and
when we turned out after breakfast the
little compound was filled to over-flowing
with the number of coolies we required, I
had previously labelled every load so that
we might know at a glance what each
contained ; * and I must take this oppor-

MILITA RY AD VENTURES. 22 1

tunity of impressing my young sporting
friends with the importance of adopting
this plan if the loads are to be carried on
men's backs. We met a party of three
officers, afterwards, who were also on a
shooting expedition, and they were always
in a state of confusion ; if a little powder
or a box of caps were wan ted, then the whole
eighteen loads would have to be opened,
and most probably the required article
would be found in the last load. I need
not suggest that it is equally necessary to
replace the packet in the same load when
it is done with.

It took us some time to load all the
men and get them off, but our head man
had had much experience in this sort of
travelling ; he gave each coolie and his
parcel a number, telling the man that if
he lost or mislaid his load he would get

222 SPORTING AND

a good hiding and have his talab cut
(which means his pay deducted), and, as
most of them had been on similar expedi-
tions before with him, I did not anticipate
losing anything, nor did we lose a single
article during the expedition. We got off
just at daylight, and for a good while
struggled on through a thick fog, but our
shikari assured us the fog would lift as the
sun rose, and he was right, for it turned
out a heavenly day ; and, as we ascended
to the top of a hill just above the station,
the view was most enchanting. We now
entered some scrubby bush composed of
dwarf oaks and clematis prettily grouped
together; this was very pleasing to the
eye, but we had other business on hand
that required all our attention, and we
pushed on. The dogs now beating very
closely I ran up just in time for a double

MILITARY AD VENTURES. 223

shot at a covey of partridge which rose
as I got near, and I had the satisfaction
of seeing a brace and a half picked up.
There were great grunts of approbation
from the coolies at witnessing our first
success, and they seemed to step out more
lightly when they saw that one of the
party could kill.

We now descended a steep hill, but the
carriers took off their loads, and sat down
to watch us beat up the valley with as
keen an interest as English beaters would
have displayed. The first thing that
showed itself was a splendid cheetah ; he
got up in front of Smith, who had two
bangs at him, but he went off apparently
untouched. I thought it was rather lucky
for Smith that he did not hit, for the
cheetah would have turned on him, in all
probability, and given him a severe mang-

224 SPORTING AND

ling, though I must own I envied the
animal the splendid skin with which he
walked off. We now got plenty of shots,
and our stock of game increased satis-
factorily, but we ought to have bagged
more than we did : whether it was
nervousness or the effects of the fever I
cannot say, but my companion missed
some very easy shots ; I fancy it was from
firing too soon. If sportsmen would
only allow their game to get away some
forty yards before firing they would have
a very much greater chance of killing, for
the shot then expands and covers a
greater radiance ; whereas, firing at a bird
the moment he is on the wing is very
imprudent, for the shot has not time to
separate, but goes like a bullet, and if it
does hit the object it almost blows it to
pieces ; after all, perhaps this has one

MILITAR Y AD VENTURES. 225

advantage as it either kills the bird stone
dead or misses it altogether.

We still proceed, and presently a large
black bear came out of the jungle to see
what all this shouting and knocking the
trees with sticks meant. He did not
appear the least frightened, but gazed on us
with stupid curiosity : he was within easy
shot of me, so I promptly popped in a
bullet just behind the left shoulder, and,
before he could turn, I had planted
another in his skull ; but I fancy the
second bullet glanced off the bone, for in
afterwards skinning him, we could not
find it. On receiving this unexpected re-
ception his whole appearance changed in a
second; from being a sleepy, good
natured looking animal, he was suddenly
transformed into a demon ; his eyes,
which before had a mild expression, now

226 SPORTING AND

appeared bloodshot, and they were flash-
ing with furious rage. He came at me in
a lumbering canter, but, having a fresh
double barrelled gun just put into my
hand, I cocked it and calmly awaited his
approach. When he got within a few
paces of me, he stopped and got up on his
hind legs, intending to hug me, and at
the same time to tear me to pieces with
his formidable hind claws ; but I was
equal to the occasion, for as soon as he
was in this position, he disclosed a white
spot on his chest which is just over the
heart, and, without further delay, I
popped in another bullet there and had
the great satisfaction of seeing him roll
over stone dead.

He was a magnificent specimen, and the
shikari assured me he had never met with
a finer bear. Half a dozen coolies now set

MILITARY AD VENTURES. 227

to work to skin him, an operation which
they completed in an incredibly short
space of time ; the flesh was then cut into
twenty pound pieces which were fastened
on the top of the carriers' loads, and the
men were all delighted at the prospect of
such a good meal, and I believe they
prefer bears' meat to either beef or
mutton. We had some of the flesh
dressed for our own dinner in the evening.
I can hardly describe its flavour, as it
savoured both of pork and of beef, but we
found it deliciously tender. We were
exceedingly tired and done up, but felt
rather proud of our first days' work ; and,
on counting our game, we found we had
got twenty brace of partridge, three hares,
five deer and the renowned bear.

We did not waste much time over our
port wine that evening ; indeed Smith was

228 SPORTING AND

asleep before the cloth was removed, and
all my efforts to awake him were
ineffectual, so I directed his servants to
take off his necktie and boots and place
him on his bed, which was done, and I
rather envied him the next morning when
I saw him so well forward in dressing.

We started again at daylight, and this
day's sport was better, which we attributed
to our being further away from canton-
ments. We did not begin shooting very
early as we had to ascend a steep
mountain which quite knocked up the
poor coolies, but, we cheeredthem with a
promise that we would endeavour to
procure them another bear ; in this, how-
ever, we failed, Smith had an encounter
with one, but let him escape in a clumsy
manner. He had rather a narrow escape
himself, for, when the bear charged hirn

MI LIT A RY AD VENTURES. 229

his attendant ran off, (probably not having
much confidence in his master's shooting
powers) and the bear might have injured
poor Smith very severely if the shikari
had not come to his assistance with his
hunting spear — without which he never
travelled, and thus he was the means of
saving Smith's life. One of the men ran
up to tell me of this adventure, but I
heard a more full account of it afterwards
from the shikari. It appears great folly for
any one to go after dangerous game, such
as tiger and bear, unless he is firm in his
nerves and an undeniable shot ; otherwise
his servants will not stick to him if he gets
into trouble, but will make off with his
spare gun at the shortest notice. But I
am digressing and must hark back.

While this encounter with the bear was
going on, I had some very pretty quail

230 SPORTING AND

shooting all to myself in a little barley
field ; the whole patch was not a hundred
yards square, but it was full of birds, and
I am afraid to say how many I bagged
there. When I had cleared it out, I went
into another cornfield similar in size to the
one in which I had found such good sport.
I had not been long beating it when I
observed a large black lump of some-
thing— I could not tell what, — lying at
my feet ; while I was examining this, it
suddenly jumped on its legs and then I
discovered it was a great black' boar, who,
without a moment's delay, charged at me,
and I do not know what would have
happened to me if I had not had the
presence of mind to turn the gun down-
ward and fire at the instant, when I was
fortunate enough to send the whole
charge into his eye, and he tumbled

MILITARY AD VENTURES. 231

heavily forward, falling dead at my feet, —
or, I should have said, on my feet, which
knocked me over; and, having thus felt
something of his weight, I did not require
to be told that he was " a splendid fellow
and fat as a pig/' which was the general
remark when my friends came up later to
see him. I was amused at the screams of
delight from the coolies, who were perched
on the hill above me, at the prospect of
another great meat dinner ; they sang and
danced with pleasure, not altogether at
the prospect of the feast, but also, I
believe at my skill and success. If I had
missed the boar it would have been a
serious matter, for in passing me, he
would, without doubt, have ripped me up
with one of his great tusks, and I have
seen some very ugly wounds which these
have inflicted before now.

232 SPORTING AND

I sent a messenger for Smith, who was
full of congratulations on my presence of
mind. He then gave me a more explicit
account of his adventure with the bear
than I had from the man who gave me
the news, and I found he had had a much
more narrow escape than I imagined.
It appeared the brute had actually
knocked him down and was about to
lay hold of him, when the shikari went
to his assistance, and, only for the prompt-
ness of the sportsman, it would have gone
hard with my poor friend. When Smith
first saw the bear he was going from him,
so that he could only see his back ; firing
on the spur of the moment, he only hit
him in the rump, when the bear, without
a moment's hesitation, charged him, and
he fired the second barrel without taking
any aim ; of course he missed, and on

MILITARY AD VENTURES. 233

looking round for his second gun, his at-
tendant was to be seen scuttling off with
it. Smith then retired backwards as fast
as he could, keeping an eye on his adver-
sary, but a root or some other impediment
caught his legs, and down he fell with the
bear on top of him, It was at this
moment the shikari came forward and
drove off bruin by inflicting a severe
wound on him with his spear.

I made Smith promise me that he would
not fire any more at tigers or bears till he
had gained more experience, for I knew if
he continued to do so it would end in his
coming to grief some day ; he had plenty
of pluck, but was a dreadful muff with a
gun. I am writing of many years ago,
and have since then heard that he is re-
puted to be one of the best and coolest
tiger shots in Bengal.

234 SPORTING

But, to return to my own adventure. The
shikari now came up and surveyed the dead
boar with astonishment, for he said he had
been all his life in the jungles and had
never seen a larger one ; the coolies were
called to cut up and prepare the flesh,
which process commenced while I amused
myself knocking over a few partridges,
which I found at the other end of the
barley patch.

CHAPTER VII.

THINK poor
Smith's nerves were
a little upset by
his encounter with
the bear, so we de-
termined to make
for our encamping
ground with as
little delay as pos-
sible, as we had to unpack some of our
loads to get out ammunition and other
stores that we were in want of. We

236 SPORTING AND

slowly ascended the mountain where all
the packs had been left, and there we
filled our pipes and sat down to admire
the splendid panorama spread out at our
feet, with the snowy range in the back-
ground : it was a most glorious view, and
the sharp outlines of the snowy peaks were
bathed in sunshine which imparted a lovely
golden tint to the white snow, adding
greatly to its beauty.

We sat for a considerable time enjoying
the perfect repose and tranquility of mind,
that usually steals over one when quietly
contemplating such scenery as we now
had before our eyes, and in the mean-
while the coolies had got off with their
loads and were slowly descending the
hill. It is a great object on a march, to
get them to leave in good time ; it is also
highly necessary to keep one's eye upon

MILITARY AD VENTURES. 237

the party frequently during the day, or
they will very likely all put down their
loads, pull out their hubble bubbles, or
pipes, and if undisturbed, will smoke all
day long ; and their consciences are so
elastic that they would have no hesitation
in the evening about taking their talab
(pay). We were roused at last by the
shikari saying, that if we sat much
longer looking at the view, we should
have to remain the night there, which
stirred us into action in a very short time.
How true the fable of the hare and the
tortoise ; though our coolies only crawled
along the road, we did not overtake them
for miles, and they had nearly got to our
next encampment when we passed them.
We did not shoot any more that day, as I
had an uncomfortable feeling about
Smith's escape ; and I am sure, poor

238 SPORTING AND

fellow, from what he said on the sub-
ject, whenever we discussed it, that his
nervous system had suffered.

We determined to unpack a case of the
port wine and have a jollification, as I
thought it would do us both good. We
made a nice fire to leeward of our tent,
and there we sat, completely screened from
the cold wind, sipping our wine. It is a
great pity that port wine is going out of
fashion, for I don't know any substitute for
it; if a man is weak from ill health, or
thoroughly pulled down in strength by
hard work, there is not such a ' 'pick-me-up5 '
to be found as a glass now and then of
good old port.

We sat far into the night chatting and
telling stories ; and, on the shikari coming
to us for orders about the next day's sport,
we insisted upon his sitting down and

MILITARY AD VENTURES. 239

taking a glass of our wine ; I imagine he
found the liquor to his taste for he did not
require any pressing after the first glass,
but rolled it down his throat like a seasoned
old gentleman who had been in the habit
of drinking his two bottles a night for the
last fifty years. Of course we chatted
about the bear adventure, and he was
regretting very much that I had not been
near at hand to assist Smith, when he
believed the result would have been
different. This conversation I thought
might be unpleasant for my friend so I
changed the subject by asking the shikari
to relate one of his tiger adventures, as I
made no doubt he had had some hair-
breadth escapes in his perilous profession.
He at once assented, but it seemed to us
that a sadness came over his face as of
some unhappy memory that our request

240 SPORTING AND

had revived ; he heaved a deep sigh, and
helping himself to a bumper from the
decanter on the table, tossed it off and
commenced his story : —

" It is now some twenty years since I
took to my present occupation, and it was
by the merest chance that I did so, for all
my family were farmers and have lived on
the same land for the last hundred and
fifty years. My father and his family are
well known in the district as breeders of
the best and strongest hill ponies for
many miles round. He has an old pony
now, that he has ridden a hundred and
fifty miles without taking the saddle off,
giving him only one feed of grain, -or
parched peas, during the entire journey,
the pony was not in the least prepared
for this long journey as it came about all
of a sudden. My mother was going over

MILITARY AD VENTURES. 241

the farm one day looking after, and
tending some young lambs ; for, as it had
been a very severe winter, and was still
raw and chilly, she kept them in different
parts of the farm in huts erected for the
purpose. She had nearly completed her
work, and had only to visit the last hut
which lay at the extreme end of the farm
and close to the low jungle. Before she
opened the door she heard an unaccount-
able noise, but thought little about it, and
boldly threw open the door after she had
unfastened it. Coming suddenly in from
the light, she did not at first observe its
occupant, and only noticed a hole in the
thatch which she had no recollection of
having seen before. Something at her
feet now attracted her attention, when,
to her horror and dismay, she found
herself in the presence of a huge Bengal

242 SPORTING AND

tiger, and near him, lying dead, were
several of her lambs whose blood he had
sucked, and to this circumstance she
attributed her own safety for the moment.
Having entered the hut hurriedly, she had
gone in a little way — the door pushing
open inwards — and now, seeing the
enormous tiger stretched out his full
length, with his huge head resting on his
fore paws, and his savage, sullen looking
eyes firmly fixed on hers — she was
paralysed, and had neither power to move
nor speak ; indeed, if she had shouted for
help no one could have heard her, for she
was quite alone and the hut lonely and
detached.

"The tiger now got up, and without
taking his eyes away from her, he walked
quietly round to the open door and lay
down in exactly the same position across

MILITARY ADVENTURES. 243

the doorway. She sank to the ground in
terror and despair, and afterwards had no
recollection of time, or how long she had
remained in a half swooning state, after the
brute took possession of the door. When
she came to herself it was pitch dark, and
seeing (like two balls of fire) the dreadful
eyes fixed upon her, — never wavering or
winking for an instant, — she again seemed
to loose all recollection, but was fully
roused at daylight by the tiger suddenly
seizing her in his terrible jaw, jerking her
over his back and springing through the
open door. My father by this time had
become alarmed at my mother's long
and mysterious absence, and coming out
to look for her, he just reached the hut at
this fearful moment; doubtless the brute
had heard the approaching footsteps and
they had roused him to action.

244 SPORTING AND

" The tiger starting off with my mother
seemed to break the spell of her silence,
for she uttered a succession of the most
piercing screams, and my father, who was
most sincerely attached to her, nearly
fainted away with horror at the sight he
beheld : recovering himself in a second,
he rushed from the spot, only to spring
upon a horse's back and dash off for
assistance, which all his neighbours will-
ingly gave, and he soon collected a large
body of well armed men who immediately
started in pursuit. My father knew from
the direction in which the tiger was
heading, what jungle he was making for,
so we all galloped off for it, and after
going at top speed for a couple of miles,
we discovered the brute (who had taken
it very leisurely when he found he was at
first not followed), trotting on quietly,

MILITARY AD VENTURES. 245

with my mother still lying across his back.
He did not even now seem to know that he
was followed, and when he reached the
jungle he found the party was close to
him : now, at last becoming aware that he
was pursued, and quickening his pace, he
was making for the densest part of it ; but
my father, who had had some experience
in tiger hunting, guessed what he was
about doing, and he, with a few others
dashing on ahead, got in front of him,
and this move seemed to perplex him
greatly. Finding pursuers in front as
well as in rear, he did not know what to
do next, but, after a little hesitation, he
made for a thick bush and crept under it,
taking his victim in with him. Our kind
neighbours -were afraid to fire at him for
fear of hitting my mother, but my father
implored them to fire at him whenever

246 SPORTING AND

they got a chance, as he knew this was the
only way to make him charge.

" They must have sent some twenty shots
into the bush when, with a deafening roar,
the tiger sprang out into the very midst
of our party. I shall never forget the
consternation and utter confusion that
ensued. The first person he encountered
was an old man, whom he tore off his
horse in a second, but, before he had time
to mangle him, my father had put a bullet
into the tiger's shoulder, and had got
round so as to cut off his retreat into the
bush he had quitted. Another of our
party gave him a fresh wound, so he
began to find it was not all fun, and,
turning round, he went off at his best pace
growling most frightfully : as long as he
was in sight, and indeed, long after he
had disappeared, we could hear his dread-

MILITARY AD VENTURES. 247

ful noise. We lost no time in rushing
into the bush to rescue my dear and most
unfortunate mother. She was alive, but
that was all ; and, as we expected, most
shockingly mangled, so we wrapped her
in a sheet and carefully carried her home.
In the evening she expressed a wish to
see her sister, who lived same seventy or
eighty miles distant ; my father without
any hesitation rode off, and in twenty four
hours he had returned, carrying my aunt
on the croup of his horse. This was the
cause of his having to ride the hundred
and fifty miles at so short a notice.

" My poor mother was dreadfully injured,
and witnessing her sufferings when we got
her home, induced me to register a vow to
devote the remainder of my life to the
destruction of the cursed breed of
animals ; I have religously kept it sacred

248 SPORTING AND

up to the present time, and have been
at the death of about a hundred
tigers already, and I hope to see the
destruction of double that number before
I become too old to take part in the man-
liest of all manly sports. Though I had
vowed enmity against all tigers, I had
doubly sworn it againt one in particular,
and I need not say that this is the one that
killed my mother, for she did not survive her
injuries many days. After she had been
buried a week I thought it time to look
him up. I knew his haunts and where I
was most likely to fall in with him ; I also
had a private mark by which I could
swear to him out of a thousand, this was a
very broad black stripe down his side
which was quite remarkable ; he was also
much larger than the common run of
tigers and his ears were set further back ;

MILITARY ADVENTURES. 249

the brute always keeping them close down,
which gave him a most cruel, diabolical
expression, so that I felt I could pick him
out of a thousand.

" Taking my father's long gun, also his
talwar and long hunting knife, I sallied
out one evening when I thought the tiger
would be thinking of issuing forth to look
out for his supper. I walked into the
very dense part of the jungle where the
trees were so thick that they obscured the
daylight ; here the place was one mass of
bones, and, as I glanced at them in
passing, one or two appeared wonderfully
like human bones, but I confess my nerves
were in too excited a state, to enable me
to observe them as accurately as I could
have wished.

" I now proceeded most cautiously,

knowing the slightest indiscretion on my

R

250 SPORTING AND

part, or even the displacing of a stone or
a bone with my foot might lead to my
instant destruction ; you can, therefore
imagine how daintily I stepped, stopping
every few seconds to listen attentively,
hoping to make out his whereabouts by
his heavy breathing. At last I heard it,
and my heart gave such a bound of joy
that I feared very much the tiger might
also have heard that ; but, on my again
breathlessly listening, I was glad to find
all was quiet, and the sound of his deep
breathing was now confirmed. I stood
still to consider what my next move should
be, and all at once the idea struck me —
why not remain where I was ? The deep
gloom gave me as great an advantage
as it gave him ; and I thought that
if he came out of his den to yawn
and stretch himself, what a splendid

MILITA RY AD VENTURES. 251

chance I should have with the long gun.
This gun was my mainstay, for when once
it was discharged, I had nothing for it but
to trust to the talwar and knife, not
pleasant weapons to attack so formidable
and fierce an enemy as mine was likely to
prove ; but it was too late now to think
of the danger of the conflict, so I looked
at my priming, and stepped behind a tree
which was so situated that I could over-
look the den where the brute lay con-
cealed, for, though I could hear him
breathe, I could not see him ; if I had
been able to do so, I should soon have
planted a bullet in his head.

" I think I must have stood behind the
tree for the best part of an hour, when I
heard a twig crack and knew the fierce
battle was about to begin. He came out
very quietly and I could see his broad,

252 SPORTING AND

square face and his cruel ears peeping out
from under a bush ; he was evidently
taking a good look in all directions before
he showed more of himself, so my hopes
about the yawning and stretching were all
fallacies, for I could see with half an eye
that he was quite as wide awake as I was.
I should think he lay ten minutes in this
position, his head resting on his paws as
he had appeared to my mother on that
fatal night. When she told her melan-
choly story she laid more stress on the
dreadful eyes always fixed upon her, than
on anything else — the tiger's gaze had
paralysed her energies ; I am glad to say
it had not the same effect on me, for the
sight of his ugly face only maddened me
with revenge, and I was now thirsting for
his blood with an intensity that frightened
myself.

MIL1TAR Y AD VENTURES. 253

" His reconnoitring must have proved
satisfactory, for very soon the creature's
body was slowly drawn into view ; gradu-
ally raising himself up on his legs, at last
my deadly foe stood before me. He little
knew that a man bent on vengeance was
close to him, or he would have felt less
comfortable. To my joy I saw him begin
to lick his sides, and while he was thus
occupied I gently raised the gun and put
it through a branch of the tree; but,
gently as it was done, the sound caught
his ear and he stopped his employment,
looking round suspiciously, but seeing
everything quiet he resumed the licking of
his sides. He was now standing within
five yards of me, so I took a steady aim at
him — aiming just behind the shoulder —
and with a firm hand I pulled the trigger :
this was followed by a loud roar and an

254 SPORTING AND

explosion which sent me staggering
back several yards, and then I tumbled
on my back. Of course the tiger's
attention was now called to me, and,
before I could regain my legs, he was
on the top of me and I could feel his
hot, foetid breath on my face. I had
presence of mind enough to hold in
my breathing and feign death, but I
do not think this deceived my expe-
rienced enemy, for he gave my arm such
a bite that it was] all I could do to avoid
screaming out with pain ; fortunately,
I had on a thick leather shooting dress
which prevented his drawing blood, for,
if once he had tasted that, it would have
been all up with me then and there — he
would have quietly sat down to his supper,
and, after picking my last bone, would
have retired into his den to enjoy a

MILITAR Y AD VENTURES. 255

comfortable snooze till the same hour on
the following evening.

" Instead of tearing me to pieces
without delay, which I fully expected
would be my fate, he would stop every
now and then to look at his sides, and I
distinctly saw him stagger, so I had hit
him after all. He now began to growl
frightfully and bite his sides, but I was
only just able to see what was going on,
for he had put his heavy foot on my chest,
and I felt as if it must crush in my breast
bone, which is not a pleasant sensation.
He now, at last began to lick me prepar-
atory to making his supper, when all at
once I recollected my hunting knive, and,
gently disengaging it from my belt, I
seized it with both hands and thrust it
upwards into his chest with all the energy
of despair. All the previous roarings

256 SPORTING AND

were gentle whispers compared with the
roar that now emanated from his broad
lungs, and without more ado he began to
maul me most terribly : he broke my left
arm at the first bite, and then began to
crunch it; the pain forced me to shriek
out, and I made the jungle resound with
my screams and cries of agony. This
seemed to give the detestable brute the
greatest pleasure, and he continued maul-
ing my arm, as much as to say : I have
found the raw and will work it.

" At length I became insensible, and
must have remained in this state a long
time, for, when I came to myself it was
quite dark, and not even the twinkling of a
star could be seen through the thick mass
of leaves overhead. I could not at first
recollect where I was, or how I came to
be there; soon, however, my position

MILITA RY AD VENTURES. 257

dawned upon me, but where was the
tiger ? I felt about with my right arm to
ascertain whether my legs were eaten off,
or not, and was rather astonished to find
them whole ; and further examination
shewed me that my left arm was the only
injured limb, and this was quite stiff and
useless. Thinking it would be as well to
try and leave so dangerous a neighbour-
hood, I attempted, with much difficulty,
to get on my legs, and, in my effort to
rise, lurching on something to the left of
me, I fell heavily on my wounded arm ;
the pain was excruciating and I nearly
fainted. After a little while, however,
I managed to get up on my legs, and
then tried to find out what I had fallen
over ; and, after a great deal of feeling
about, I discovered, to my immense joy
and triumph, that it was the body of my

258 SPORTING AND

deadly enemy which was lying stiff and
cold within a yard of me, — so I had won
my first great battle.

" I was perplexed to know what to do
with myself for the rest of the night, as I
did not fancy remaining where I was,
knowing that the jungle I was in was full
of tigers ; and, although I had disposed
of one there were plenty more as danger-
ous. My first thought was to ascend a
tree till the morning, but, with my left
hand useless, I could not get up into one ;
to move about the jungle at that time of
night would be an invitation to a tiger or
a bear to attack me ; so I decided upon
remaining at the foot of the tree till
daylight, when the animals would all be
too anxious to get back to their lairs to
think of looking me up. I passed a
perfectly quiet night, remaining unmo-

MILITAR Y AD VENTURES. 259

lested, which was fortunate for me as, if
I had been attacked, I do not know what
I should have done, my gun being un-
loaded, and I could not have done much
execution with the talwar, my left arm
being so entirely powerless.

" Mortal man was never more pleased
to see the returning dawn than I was, and
when the first streak of light came to
announce the approach of another day, my
anxious fears melted away and my full
energy returned. As soon as it was broad
daylight I shouldered my gun, having first
taken the precaution of loading it, and this
gave me a feeling of security as I retraced
my steps through the jungle. Nothing
molested me on my homeward path, and
I reached our house just as my family were
about to sit down to their breakfast. My
aunt was the first to perceive me, and

260 SPORTING AND

seeing me returning pale, and covered with
blood, she uttered a piercing shriek and fell
down in a dead faint, when all eyes were
of course directed to me, and I perceived
for the first time that I was covered with
the tiger's blood. When he stood over
me I had felt something warm trickling
down on my clothes, but I hardly noticed
it, for at the time, I did not think the
brute was so badly hurt ; and, indeed, he
might have got over the gun wound but
for the hunting knife, which evidently,
was the weapon that had given the death
blow. My father was rejoiced to learn
what I had accomplished, and assured me
I had only anticipated him by a few hours,
for he had intended going out on a similar
errand that afternoon, having made up his
mind to rid the country of such a monster,
or perish in the attempt ; I fancy he

MILITAR Y AD VENTURES. 261

envied me my adventures, even while he
praised my enterprise. Calling some of
the men, he at once started off to secure
the skin of the tiger : I should have
greatly liked to have accompanied them,
but my father would not hear of my doing
so after he had examined my arm and
shoulder, but he ordered me at once to
bed; my aunt came to me and applied
soothing remedies, for, by this time, my
hand, arm and shoulder were all fearfully
swollen, and they were afraid to set the
fracture till the inflammation had subsided.
" The time seemed to be interminable
until the party returned with the tiger's
skin, and when they did return and related
their adventures I was not suprised at the
delay. From my description of the place
they had no difficulty in finding the object
of their search, but on approaching the

262 SPORTING AND

spot, they were horrified at hearing" a loud
roar in the immediate vicinity of the dead
tiger ; however, our people were too much
in the habit of being disturbed to be long
taken aback, and they were up into the
trees in an instant. They were hardly
stowed away safely among the branches
before they saw a magnificent female tiger
steal out of the jungle and walked delibe-
rately to the one I had shot, smelling it and
walking all round it. She then began to
roar in a frightful manner, when, as if
suddenly recollecting something, she
walked off briskly, making all the jungle
resound with her cries ; and, after a little
while, other tigers took up the tune,
making the whole jungle hideous with
their hoarse roaring, but no animals were
in sight. Then my father and his party
were not long in descending the trees, and

MILITAR Y AD VENTURES. 263

setting to work to skin the huge beast,
and as there were several of them all
expert at the task, this was speedily
accomplished. They were rolling up the
skin when they heard the tigress return-
ing ; so, making off in the opposite
direction, they ran off with all speed and
arrived at home without any further inter-
ruption, much to the satisfaction of us all.

" On unrolling the skin and examining
it, I found my bullet must have gone clean
through the tiger's body, passing close to
his heart — if it did not touch it — and the
wonder is how he managed to keep on his
legs so long with such a fearful wound ;
besides, the bullet was one of the largest
size, as my father was in the habit of
shooting large game occasionally.

" During the night a fiery, sharp attack
of fever set in ; by the following morning

264 SPORTING AND

I was quite delirious, and for many days
my life trembled in the balance; at last
the crisis was passed, and, thanks chiefly
to my aunt's medical skill, I soon began
to gain strength, and in a few weeks I
was able to get about as usual ; but my
father would not hear of any more tiger
shooting, and locked up the large gun. I
was astonished at the effect this sporting
adventure had produced on the bearing of
my neighbours ; from being looked on as
a boy and taken no notice of, I now found
myself treated with the utmost considera-
tion and my opinion listened to with great
deference and respect."

The shikari had ended his tale, and we
thanked him very much for relating such
an interesting adventure. He was weary
and did not linger with us much longer ;
but, as he tossed off another bumper of

MILITARY AD VENTURES. 265

port and took leave of us, he volunteered
to relate another story, some other evening
which he thought would interest us. We
were not long in " turning in," and my
friend Smith was half asleep while he was
undressing ; for, when I wished to con-
verse with him about the amusing story of
the shikari, I could not get a word out of
him, and when he got into bed he was too
tired to snore ; not hearing the accus-
tomed sound, I thought he must be ill, but
on listening again I heard his breathing
regular and strong. He was all right the
next morning and ready for a start,
though he had to be shaken considerably
before he could be aroused.

We were a little later than usual in
getting off that morning, and I observed
the head man did not scold and cuff the

coolies with his accustomed energy, and

s

266 SPORTING AND

that he allowed us to have our cups of
coffee without hurrying us, which he was
in the habit of doing by locking up our
sugar in the patarah, or box in which it
travelled, giving us no time to take a
second lump. The fact was evident ;
being thoroughly unused to take any wine,
the bumpers he had taken with us the
previous night had been too much for him,
and he had a splitting headache, if one
might judge by the piteous groans he gave
vent to, when he thought he was sufficiently
far from us not to be heard.

Our course to day was over some bleak
plains and steep mountains, so that I do
not think we fired a shot. We were on
our way to a famous jungle where we
believed we should be repaid with good
sport, and, as the result proved, it was
well worth the journey, though the road

MILITAR Y AD VENTURES. 267

to it was long and dreary. We encamped
that night on the edge of the jungle which
appeared to be of great extent; it was
densely clothed with low bushes and a
rank, tall grass, which made it exceedingly
hard work finding a passage through it,
and there were very few open spots where
we could get an easy shot : our only
chance was to walk along as quietly as
possible and without speaking. Sports-
men make a great mistake in talking ;
it is a very frequent habit, which in my
opinion should be relinquished ; for the
wild animals have the greatest horror and
fear of the sound of a man's voice, and
make off directly they hear it ; but they
are so often accustomed to hearing a
heavy tread in the jungle, that they do not
so much mind it. By advancing quietly
and cautiously, animals will let you get

268 SPORTING AND

within a few yards of them, whereas, noise
and shouting only drive them away
altogether.

Before going very far, a splendid buffalo
bull sprang up just in front of me,
and I let drive at him, but did not
touch him in a vital part. In a second
he turned, and, with his formidable
horns lowered, he came full at me; not
expecting such marked attention, I was
unprepared to give him a shot in the
head, so I popped behind a tree (which
fortunately I was just passing at the time),
and I was none too soon, for the top of his
horn took a piece out of my shooting
jacket, which, however, was better than
taking a bit of my flesh along with it. He
pursued his headlong course, knocking
over one of the coolies in rear, which
caused a wonderful amount of chattering

MILITAR Y AD VENTURES. 269

and conversation among them for the rest
of the day.

I had not gone much further, before a
large bear jumped up with a loud surprised
snort out of some thick bushes ; he had
reason to be more surprised, when I
planted a bullet at the back of his ear as
he had the impudence to stop and look
round. He dropped like a stone and lay
there perfectly motionless, so much so, that
I was afraid to approach him for a time,
thinking it was but a trap to catch us,
many sportsmen having lost their lives by
running up to wounded animals, who, in
the mean time, partially recover, and then
their rage is fearful, and they shew no
mercy ; so we advanced very cautiously
on our friend bruin. I directed some of
the beaters to throw stones at him, when,
as he did not stir, I went up to him slowly

270 SPORTING AND

with both barrels cocked — but he was
dead. The coolies uttered a scream
of joy, rushed at him with their knives,
and in a few minutes his nearest relative
would not have recognised him. I de-
sired them to keep the two hams and
the skin for me, and they loaded them-
selves with the rest, anxiously enquiring
where we were going to encamp, as visions
of bear steaks presented themselves to
their view.

We continued to shoot till it was almost
dark, and made a very good bag, consist-
ing of a fair supply of partridges, jungle
fowl, hare, and a couple of jakvor, or
Himalaya pheasant. This last is a beau-
tiful bird, but a man must be thoroughly
master of his gun before he can hope to
bring one of them down, for they fly like
the wind, and the pace they dart down the

MILITARY AD VENTURES. 271

rhods, (ravines) of the mountains, is an
"eye opener." Smith had shot very
fairly, among other things, knocking over
a jungle sheep which we found delicious
eating, and it was very tender. As Smith
had been so successful with his gun, he
was in wonderful spirits, and we sat up far
into the night talking, and smoking, and
rehearsing every good shot that we had
made during the day ; and as we had had
very hard work, Smith as usual undressed
when half asleep and had not energy to
snore. I really thought that this hard
work had broken him of that vile habit,
and I threatened to patent the idea on my
return to England. I was too tired to
sleep, and then the responsible position in
which we had placed ourselves, began to
dawn upon me for the first time. Though
we had not agreed to feed the followers,

272 SPORTING

we always did so, and the small supply of
flour they had brought with them, was by
this time all exhausted ; no matter how
successful we were in shooting, by the
evening of the next day, not a scrap of any-
thing was left, and we were too far from
the cantonments to be able to purchase
supplies. As long as we had our health, and
could daily come across large game, all was
right, but let us only be prevented from
shooting for a couple of days, the
camp would be destitute of provisions ;
however, I trusted to God's goodness to
keep us from such dire calamity, and I
think from this time, we made better bags
than we had done before. The truth I
suppose was, that we were getting more
accustomed to the work, and could now fire
at the largest game without getting flurried
in the least.

CHAPTER VIII.

\

JUR agreement with the
shikari and his men was
drawing to a close, and we
knew we must begin to
think of returning to the
cantonments, so we deter-
mined to keep the old
sportsman up to his promise,
of relating another of his exciting adven-
tures. When I invited him to join us
that evening, I saw by the twinkle of his

274 SPORTING AND

eye that he had remembered one, which he
thought would do him credit ; he came in
just as our dinner was removed, but
nothing would induce him to touch the
old port wine, so we both abstained from
it, and ordered a supply of coffee instead.
The shikari having finished his first cup
at a few gulps, began : —

" You must know, sahibs, that in
pursuance of my vow to devote the rest
of my life to the destruction of tigers,
(and with these I included all other
dangerous animals, ) I had chalked out
for myself a life full of privations, hard-
ship, and great peril ; but, once having
made up my mind to it, I was not the
fellow to draw back, or to repent what I
had done. I prevailed on my father to
give me the big gun, which I polished
and cleaned up so successfully, that no one

MI LIT A RYAD VENTURES. 275

would have recognised it as the rusty
dirty weapon, that used to hang over the
kitchen fire place ; and I also resolved
that when I had saved enough of money
by the sale of skins, I would devote it to
the purchase of a double barrelled rifle.

" One day I began to think it was time I
should be doing something, towards
enabling me buy the much desired new
gun ; and as I had long since recovered
from the mauling my first and only tiger
had given me, I determined to delay no
longer, but to sally forth at daylight the
next morning. This resolve I put into
practice, and started off for the jungle just
as the sun was beginning to rise, for I knew
this was about the hour when the animals
would be hurrying home after their night's
feeding, and if I hastened on I might
intercept one, before he could gain the

276 SPORTING AND

repose and tranquility of his own den.
I stepped out briskly and soon reached the
jungle ; but, instead of turning my steps
in the same direction as I had taken the
last time, I took an opposite one, and
began to traverse the jungle with great
caution and care ; I did not put my foot
to the ground without looking first if there
were any twigs to snap or get displaced,
and in this manner, I quietly advanced a
considerable distance without seeing or
hearing anything to interest me. Some-
times I would catch a glimpse of a large
snake — the deadly cobra — gliding off in
front of me, but this was all that attracted
my attention, during the first hour I traversed
that lonely and desolate jungle. I pro-
ceeded on, and at last, after I had passed
a part of the jungle that was a little thicker
than usual, I heard a great rush, and a

MILITARY AD VENTURES. 277

crushing of boughs and small trees, as if
some very large animal was forcing his
way through the bushes at headlong
speed. From what my father and the
shikaris had told me of these matters, I
felt sure it must be a musk elephant, and
he is the most dangerous of animals. A
musk elephant is a male one, who is driven
out of a flock of elephants by the other
males, and this does not occur, till he has
fought them all and been beaten by them
all in turn; he then leaves the tribe to
wander into the jungle by himself, and
being now dreadfully sulky and ill-
tempered, he amuses himself by doing
all the mischief he can ; and he is then most
dangerous in the way of attacking travel-
lers, who, in consequence, have a whole-
some dread of him.

11 1 had hardly cast this up in my mind,

278 SPORTING AND

when the brute was almost close upon me,
and I had only just time to spring aside,
when he dashed past me with a shrill
scream ; he was going at such a pace that
he could not pull himself up, and, as he
shot in one direction, I shot off in the
opposite one. Knowing him to be such
a dangerous animal, I felt that the greater
the distance I put between us, the safer I
should be, so I ran as hard as I could and
heard the beast beating up the jungle in
his efforts to find me. Very shortly I
could tell, by the noise he made in
crashing through the bushes, that he was
following me closely, so I made up my
mind to give him battle.

" On came the elephant, and I had only
time to get behind a large tree and poke
the long barrel through the branches,
when he dashed into sight, and, catching

MILITARY AD VENTURES. 279

a glimpse of me at the same moment, he
come forward like an arrow from a bow.
As his head was down in the act of
charging, I tried to cover the little hollow
in the skull just above the eye, which is a
fatal spot if you can hit it ; but, from the
flurry of firing in haste, and the pace he
was going, I missed the mark and saw my
bullet flatten on his skull. I knew it was
all up with me if he caught me ; but, the
moment I saw my bullet flatten on his
head, I was convinced it would at any
rate stun him for a few seconds ; so,
pitching my gun down, I lost no time, but
made off at my best pace. I was right
about the bullet bothering him, for turning
quite round, he appeared to have lost all
recollection of me, and looked as if he in-
tended to subside into a respectable family
elephant, who would bring up his little

280 SPORTING AND

ones to be a credit to himself and the herd
to which he belonged. This was quite a
delusion, for I had just cleared the open,
and once more got into the thick jungle,
when on glancing back, I saw the demon
had again entered him, and that he was
as fully bent on murder, as before he had
felt my bullet cracking on his skull : this
had certainly bothered him for a while,
but he had soon shaken off the surprise,
and was himself again, hence his pursuing
me with such vindictiveness.

" I had got a little start of him, and re-
solved to make the most of it, by dashing
head foremost into the densest part of the
jungle ; and where I could not penetrate
in any other way, I crawled along on my
stomach, gliding through like a serpent.
I was glad to find that these dodges of
mine perplexed him, and, at last, I could

MILITARY AD VENTURES. 281

hear him stop to listen, which shewed me
that he did not exactly know my where-
abouts. At this moment I sneezed — most
likely in crawling under the bushes some
insect got up my nose — at any rate
I was unlucky enough to sneeze, and the
moment I had done so I heard the bushes
in violent agitation, for he now knew in
what direction to find me : twice he
essayed to come to me but was obliged to
try back again, and I, acting on his plan,
retraced my steps and crawled back, so
that when he occupied my old resting
place I was in his, much to his disgust. I
then sped away to where I had left my
gun, picked it up and began to load with
all possible haste. The cunning brute
heard me ramming down the bullet and
was on me as soon as I could prime. 1

got into the old spot and put the barrel

T

282 SPOR2ING AND

through the branches as before ; this
time he did not forget the lesson I had
taught him, for he advanced much more
cautiously, and at a walk.

" Again I missed the fatal hollow,
planting my bullet in his right, eye. I
do not think I ever heard such a cry of
pain and rage as burst from him now. I
was quite stunned by the noise, and before
I could recover myself he was nearly on the
top of me, for he threw me down and tried
to kneel upon me, but, luckily, I always
managed to wriggle aside in some way, so
that he could never contrive to throw his
whole weight upon me, which was what he
evidently wished to do. Failing in this,
he endeavoured to transfix me with his
formidable tusks, but I was always between
them, so he could not hurt me much.
This went on for some time, till I became

MILITARY AD VENTURES. 283

so exhausted and worn out with repelling
his attacks, that I commended myself to
God, feeling that nothing short of a miracle
could save me.

" Suddenly the elephant thought he
would try a new dodge ; jumping up and
winding his trunk about my body, with a
tremendous jerk he sent me high up into
the air : I came down crashing into a high,
thick tree, and, to my vast satisfaction and
immense surprise, I found myself safely
caught and reposing in its thick, sheltering
branches, and there I lay quite conscious,
but without strength to move hand or foot.
I could see through the boughs that the
elephant was running about, to try and
find out what I was doing ; but, having
had quite enough of his company, I de-
termined to remain where I was. ' Rest
and be thankful ' was now my motto, and

284 SPORTING AND

I was only too happy to have my life
preserved in so miraculous a manner.
The elephant continued to run about very
excitedly, and seemed as if he could not
rest for a minute at a time ; he could not
form the slightest idea where I was, and I
had not the least intention of letting him
know.

" I either fell off in a deep sleep about
this time, or else fainted away, for when I
awoke, or came to myself, the moon was
shining as clear and bright as day, and
the night was heavenly, and the fever of
excitement that had so lately coursed
through my veins was succeeded by a
calm and regular pulsation. I felt re-
freshed and invigorated by my rest, and
began to wonder how it was that I was
perched up in a tree ; then gradually the
whole affair came to my recollection, and

MILITARY AD VENTURES. 285

I longed to find out what had become of the
elephant, when, on peeping down through
the branches, to my surprise I saw him
resting on his knees with his head sup-
ported by his tusks. I lay still, till again
drowsiness overcame me, when I dropped
off to sleep. When I awoke the sun was
high in the heavens and I felt throughly
refreshed and strong, and very grateful for
the wonderful escape of the previous day.
On looking down I was surprised to see
the elephant still in the same spot and in
the same attitude, and I observed that he
did not appear to be in a natural position :
I then saw several wolves and jackals
hanging about, when it occurred to me all
in a moment that, after all, my shot in the
eye must have killed him. I descended
the tree cautiously, and did not leave its
friendly trunk till I saw one of the jackals

286 SPORTING AND

biting at his foot, and I knew that, if the
elephant had been alive, he never would
have tamely put up with such an insult as
that ; so, leaping down to the ground, I
approached him and found he was quite
dead and stiff.

" How I gazed on his enormous bulk !
In the excitement of my joy I mounted
up and stood on his back. But what most
riveted my eyes and filled me with delight,
were his enormous tusks, for I saw they
were thoroughly good ivory, and here at
once was the price of my new gun !
Having nothing with me that could remove
them, I picked up my gun again, and,
quickly loading it, I threw it over my
shoulder and made for home as rapidly as
possible. I was not afraid of any one steal-
ing the tusks, for the jungle had such a bad
name that I believe no native would have

MILITARY AD VENTURES. 287

taken a thousand rupees to go a hundred
yards into it. Nevertheless, I hurried
home and arrived there in a comparatively
short time, although the fear of encounter-
ing a tiger, or an elephant, never disturbed
my mind : in my battles with both these
animals I had come off victorious, so that
I began almost to despise all wild animals,
and I have never feared them since.

" My father was out when I returned,
and nothing would induce the men to go
for the tusks unless I accompanied them ;
so, snatching a morsel of bread, and
tossing off a jug of new milk, I started off
with them and found the dead elephant
without any difficulty. We soon knocked
off his tusks and the men insisted upon
taking the feet also, as they are considered
a great delicacy when baked in a hot oven
for several hours. We got back before

288 SPORTING AND

sunset and my father had not yet returned
home, but, while we were examining and
valuing the ivory, he rode up to the door,
and his astonishment was great when he
saw proofs of the second victory his boy
had won. I may now tell you that the
money I got for the tusks enabled me to
purchase my double barrelled rifle ; and if
I had had it in my hand on that occa-
sion, instead of the long barrelled gun
I should have probably saved myself
all the mauling I received from the
elephant."

The shikari had kept us wide awake
with his exciting anecdote, and we talked
it over before he wished us a good night,
when, gulping down another cup of coffee,
he strode off to his own little tent, leaving
us in astonishment at his determined
courage, and at the same time in admira-

MILITARY AD VENTURES. 289

tion of the simple modesty with which he
related his adventures.

We were off the next morning at
daylight on our way back to the canton-
ments, and, although we had a little
shooting on our road, it seemed tame
to us after the splendid sport we had
enjoyed. I never knew what shooting
was before, and shall never forget the
three happy weeks we passed in the
Himalaya jungles ; though I have had
many a pleasant time of it since then, in
other parts of the world, yet it has lacked
the freshness and novelty of first
experiences.

As the weather came on to be wet, we
had a good deal of cold rain and muddy
travelling, which made our coolies look
very miserable, so we gave leave to as
many as we could spare to make for their

290 SPORTING AND

homes, and Smith and I started off with a
guide; after a tremendous day's walking
we arrived late in the evening at our hotel,
and sat down with thankfulness to our
mutton cutlets and curry and rice. I was
not sorry, after all, to get back to the
comforts of a house again, for the last few
days had been very wet, and no one, who
has not experienced it, can realize the
discomforts of travelling in the Himalayas
in bad weather ; the natives dislike it so
much, and look at one so beseechingly,
to help them out of it, that you feel as if
you were murdering the poor fellows by
subjecting them to the dreaded wet and
cold ; and, though we hurried on as fast
as we could to cantonments, still two or
three of our men were very ill on the road,
and the shikari told us the only thing that
could save them was to get them into

MILITAR Y AD VENTURES. 291

their own comfortable huts with as little
delay as possible. We had no trouble in
settling with our shikari as he was an
honest man, and, therefore, contented with
what we had agreed upon, and he was also
grateful for what he received ; so we parted
excellent friends, and I must confess to a
feeling of sincere regret when the good
old sportsman took leave of us.

My six months leave was nearly up,
and, being so well in health, I had not the
wish to get an extension of it ; indeed I
looked forward to meeting my regiment
again with much pleasure, for in the east,
you regard your brother officers as the
greatest friends you have in the world ;
the same feeling, perhaps, applies to regi-
ments at home, but it is in a lesser degree :
in India you are thrown so much on each
others' society, and the knowledge that you

292 SPORl'ING AND

will be together probably for years, serves
to cement friendship. At the hotel I found
a letter from the adjutant of the regiment,
who wrote by the desire of the command-
ing officer, to say, as he heard I had
been on a shooting tour, he requested that
I would rejoin the head-quarters without
delay ; for, if I were well enough to go out
shooting among the Himalaya mountains
for a month, I must be strong enough to
do my duty with the regiment. I wrote
to the adjutant, for the commanding
officer's information, that I was prepared
at once to rejoin the head quarters; and
when my letter was ended, I lighted my
cheroot and thought over my next move.

The result of my meditations was, that I
should immediately send to the kotwdl,
desiring him to let me have twenty coolies
the following morning, to carry myself

MILITARY AD VENTURES. 293

and my belongings down to the foot of
the mountains, and, acting on this reso-
lution, I at once started my bearer off
to make arrangements. He very soon
returned, bringing me a message that
every coolie was engaged in carrying up
stores for a sanddgar, (native merchant)
so that I could not have any till the day
after ; there was nothing for it but to wait
with patience till it suited their conve-
nience to attend to me. In the mean time
Smith, who was not returning to his
regiment for another month, and who was
delighted at my unexpected delay in
starting, proposed that we should have a
walk in the bazaar, which is the place
where all the shops are situated, and where
all the business is transacted ; so we put
on our hats, after lighting our cheroots,
and started off for our stroll.

294 SPORTING AND

The bazaar in the hills is (or I should
say was at the period of which I write)
a very poor and indifferent one compared
with those at large stations, such as
Cawnpoor and Delhi ; in those places you
can buy any article, from a pin up to a
new carriage, and, as to ladies dresses, or
cloth for gentlemen's suits, if you ex-
pressed a wish to see any, you would be
nearly smothered by the rolls they could
produce. I believe there are no people in
the world so enterprising as the natives of
India, and their love of money makes them
such persevering salesmen, that you are
seldom allowed to leave a shop without
buying things you do not require. We
strolled from one end of the bazaar to the
other, but not a thing could we see
tempting enough to purchase. I wished
to take down some little trifles from the

MILI1AR Y AD VENTURES. 295

Himalayas to my chums in the regiment,

but the only articles of the kind that I

could procure, and they were brought out

from some hiding place at the back of the

shop, were pretty cigar cases made of

leather, with split quills inserted in them

by way of ornament : these can be bought

for two or three rupees, and they were not

a bad present to take from the hills, as it

was the only place, in my day, where they

could be procured. Having secured the

cigar cases, I persuaded my friend Smith

to accompany me to a high hill which not

only commanded a full view of the plains,

but also of the high mountains running

back from where we were standing.

These mountains rear their summits higher

and higher, till they terminate in what is

called the " snowy range," where — as

their name implies — there is perpetual

296 SPORTING AND

snow ; and it is beautiful to see from the
plains below, where you are stifled with the
heat, those lofty peaks looking so purely
white and cool.

The reason I required so many coolies
was, that my baggage was considerably
increased by the number of valuable skins
now in my possession ; and while I was
thinking about them that evening, it
struck me, and a most valuable thought it
was, that they should be looked to before
my departure for the plains. .

No sooner said than done ; a man
cunning in dressing skins was applied to
in the bazaar, and he said he would call in
the morning to see the state they were in ;
as nothing had been done to them from
the time they had been stripped off their
late owners, it was lucky for me that
I had them examined when I did, or

MILITARY AD VENTURES. 297

they would all have been irretrievably
spoiled.

The man came the following morning,
and found they were all getting into a
state of decomposition ; but by the rub-
bing he gave them and the preparation he
put on, they were saved for the time, and
he suggested that when I reached the can-
tonments I should get a man accustomed
to the work, to take them in hand, and
properly dry and prepare them for the
voyage home. I may here mention that
I followed this advice, and they arrived at
my Irish home in due course of time in
first rate condition, where they were duly
exhibited to all my relations and friends
as " Master John's " work ; and those
who had only seen me knock over
a snipe, or a wild duck, thought I must

be very much improved in my shoot-

u

298 SPORTING AND

ing to be able to kill a bear, and a
bison.

The day of my departure at length ar-
rived, and I was awoke out of a very sound
sleep that morning by great chattering
under my window, and I did not require
to be told that the coolies had arrived. I
jumped up at once and was soon dressed,
and as most of the things were packed
over night, it did not take long to com-
plete my portmanteau, strap it, and hoist it
up on the head of a coolie. I must say
my attendants, who were natives of the
plains, worked well, for they were all
dying to get back to their homes again,
as the mountain air is much too cold for
them : as a rule they will sit shivering all
day long, their teeth chattering from
the cold, morning and evening. I fancy
this is very much the way they passed

MILITAR Y AD VENTURES.

my sick leave in the hills ; but now,
with a prospect of leaving, their jokes
and laughter were something wonder-
ful to hear. My old fat cook, Beto,
was in such spirits that he began to
sing, but in such an unearthly voice
that one or two of the coolies dropped
their loads, and would have taken to their
heels, if their chief man had not requested
him to reserve his vocal powers till a more
fitting opportunity.

. We rapidly descended, and I had never
seen anything more lovely than the road
we were travelling ; the foliage was luxu-
riant, and the surrounding hills were
clothed in it to their very tops, abounding
in beautiful flowers, and we had quite an
abundance of wild strawberries, which grow
there in the greatest profusion. We
gradually reached the foot of the hills ;

300 SPORTING AND

and after I was installed at the hotel, and
had counted the loads, found all right, and
paid the coolies, I began to consider how I
could get forward on my journey. I went
to the post master about palanquin bearers,
and he promised I should have them in
the morning ; then I hired a hackery,
which I ordered to be at the hotel in an
hour, in order that it might then be
packed and made ready to start at
daylight next morning. I went back to
my hotel and sat down to dinner wit.h
a light heart, having satisfactorily arranged
all my affairs. I should like to impress on
my young readers the necessity of always
doing their business first, and afterwards
they may study their own comforts, and
enjoy themselves. In a country like India,
where every one has a habit of procrasti-
nating, it is absolutely necessary that you

MILITARY AD VENTURES. 301

should arrange with the natives yourself,
or you will find, when you are ready to
start in the morning, that the hackery for
your boxes has not come; or, perhaps,
the bearers for your palanquin have not
arrived, and you may lose half the day in
running after them ; or, perhaps you fine1
matters worse than that, somebody else
has boned them !

My forethought and good arrangements
were rewarded by seeing the hackery
slowly creak itself out of the compound of
the hotel at the intended hour ; and then,
after taking a cup of coffee, and taking
leave of my friend, Smith, and of the
obliging landlord, I stepped, or rather
scrambled, into my palanquin, which was
lifted up on to the shoulders of the
bearers, and off we went at a quick shuffle
of about four miles an hour.

302 SPORTING

I must own that I felt heartily sorry to
leave the beautiful hill country, whose
climate had invigorated my enfeebled
frame, and whose wild jungle had afforded
me so much exciting sport. The many
dangerous scenes I had passed through,
only served to make my happy escapes
stand out more prominently, and my
memory recalls this, as one of the
pleasantest six months of an eventful
life.

CHAPTER IX.

JOGGED along
comfortably
enough in my
palanquin, medi-
'tating upon the
very jolly time I
had passed in the Himalaya hills and
wishing it could all come over again ; and
then I thought I would act differently in
this case, and in that ; that I should have
allowed this bear to charge more home
before firing, or that buffalo to get away a
little further, and so on. In this manner I

304 SPORTING AND

beguiled the time till it was getting near
sundown, and still my bearers were rapidly
getting over the ground. I then took a
cheroot, and, leaning back in the palan-
quin, closed my eyes : after a time I was
sound asleep, and I think I must have had
a good long nap, when I was awoke by a
crash and a great shock ; on starting up
to ascertain the cause, I found the bearers
had let the palanquin fall, and that they
were scuttling off into the jungle at their
best pace, screaming out " bdgh bdgh"
(tiger, tiger), at the top of their voices.
It was pitch dark and raining steadily, as
miserable a night as I ever recollect, and
my first care was to pull the sides of my
palanquin together quite close, and then I
held in my breath to listen. Presently
my ear caught the sound of a stealthy
step, as of some large animal, approaching,

MILITA RY AD VENTURES. 305

and I heard him sniffing all round the
palanquin : feeling sure it was a tiger, I
congratulated myself on having closed the
doors, but I knew they would only be a
very small protection when he had warmed
himself up to his work. He crept round
several times, sniffing all the while, and
each sniff seemed to me to be louder and
more determined than the last ; and then
I heard a sharp scratch against the side of
the palanquin, when I knew at once that
he meant business.

The moon now shewed herself slightly,
and, contriving to peep through a crack
in the panel of my conveyance, I saw, as I
had feared, a very large tiger a little way off,
crouched on the ground, — his eyes flashing
like fire and firmly fixed on my unfortunate
palanquin. I knew the decided moment
for action was come, so, opening the far

306 SPORTING AND

sides with a jerk, I bounded out at the
same instant that the tiger landed head
foremost through the broken panels on the
other side of my palanquin Seeing a tree
within a few yards of me, to seize a bough
and spring up into it was the work of
an instant; and, before the tiger had
recovered from his surprise, I was well
up in the branches, and, for the present,
out of danger. My consternation was
great at finding myself clothed only in a
shirt and pde-jdmas (muslin drawers), in
the middle of a damp tree on a chilly
night ; and, to add to my misery, I had
not the slightest idea what hour it was,
or how long I should have to remain
there. I knew that the tiger would be
obliged to make a start of it at day-
light, as we were on the high road where
many people would then be passing,

MILITAR Y AD VENTURES. 307

but how long it would be before daylight
appeared, I knew not.

I kept my eyes steadily fixed on the
brute, who knew well where I was, and
who indulged in many a long stare at my
expense. At last he crawled away into
the jungle and took up a position under a
bush, within easy springing distance of
the tree I was in : I could see his fiery
eyes peeping out all night, and I dare say
he was wondering why I did not descend,
and allow him to have his supper comfort-
ably, instead of leaving him to lie under a
damp tree, starving with hunger. The
tiger must have had a very poor opinion
of a man's understanding, if he fancied
for a moment that I would descend to
gratify his appetite; but, no doubt, he
imagined himself so well concealed that I
would fancy the coast was clear and would

308 SPORTING AND

come down after all. How wonderful it
is that every animal thinks he is so much
more knowing than another ! and the
human species are not exempt from this
infatuation.

I never recollect a night that passed so
wearily, and I was glad when I saw the
first streak of day appearing. The dawn
is very short, as I have before mentioned,
and, in ten minutes more, it was broad
daylight. I had observed that my enemy
had for some time been very uneasy ; and
now he got up, and, with head and tail
hanging low, he skulked off across the
road, disappearing in the thickest part of
the jungle. Though I could not see him,
I was able to track his course, by the bushes
shaking as he passed along, a sadder and,
it is to be hoped, a wiser tiger than he
was when he left his family residence !

MiLITA RY AD VENTURES. 309

I now heard great shouting down the
road, and very soon my palki bearers
approached most cautiously, calling out to
me to know if I was alive, of which, from
their manner, they had very little hopes. I
shouted to them in return, and then they
ran up to me, and I really believe were
heartily glad to see me safe and sound.
It appeared from their version of the story,
that while they were jogging along in the
dark, the bearers ahead had suddenly seen
the tiger's eyes flaming at them from
under a bush : not thinking he was per-
ceived, he no doubt had intended to let
them pass and spring out on the rear
man ; but all the bearers taking fright,
the clatter of the falling palanquin must
have upset his nerves for a time, and he
therefore let the whole party escape —
myself happily among the rest — and hence

810 SPORTING AND

had to go home in the morning low and
dejected.

We did not waste much time over the
broken palanquin, but proceeded on our
journey at once, for we were in a
dangerous neighbourhood, and, it being
onlv the panel that was smashed, we got
on as well as before the adventure.

The road was extremely good, as main
roads in India generally are, and we pushed
on at a brisk pace. I think my bearers
had got an idea into their heads that the
tiger was jogging along after them, and
this kept them up to the mark, till they
changed places with the fresh relay of
men. By the evening we had reached the
banks of a river which I should have to
cross ; but, as it was very high and much
swollen, I found I must remain on the
bank till the water had subsided in some

MILITARY ADVENTURES. 311

degree, and I slept comfortably enough in
my palanquin by the river side.

My servant was bringing me a cup of
tea in the morning, when we heard a fear-
ful screaming from the water's edge not
far off. I jumped out and ran to the spot
to enquire what all the screaming meant,
when I was told that a huge alligator, that
pest of all Indian rivers, had dashed into
the midst of a number of women bathing,
and seized upon the unfortunate girl
whose piercing shrieks had reached my
ears; and, dragging her off into deep
water, they had both sank together. The
poor girl was just about to be married,
and the intended husband was running
about like a maniac, tearing his hair, and
cursing not only the alligator himself, but
all his family ; and he was continually
spitting on the ground (which I suppose

312 SPORTING AND

represented the family) to shew his great
contempt for them all. This would have
amused me at another time, but I could
not help feeling pity for the poor fellow,
who was so dreadfully cut up that he
blubbered like a child, but there was no
help for him.

During the day I hit upon a plan to
punish this monster in scales, for, as the
river was still rising, it was pretty sure
that I should be detained here for a few days
longer. I first sent to the blacksmith in
the village, to make a large iron hook with
a sharp point, and a strong chain from its
shank ; this order he carried out fairly well,
and the apparatus came in the evening.
The next morning I was up betimes and
got a large piece of pork to put on the
hook ; I pushed the meat well to the back,
so as to leave the point free, and as there

MILITARY AD VENTURES. 313

was no barb on it I determined to hold it
myself. About the same hour that the un-
happy girl was carried off, on the previous
day, I went to the water's edge, at the
same place, and threw my bait and hook
as far in as I could, playing it about in
the water. In a very few minutes, feeling
my bait move, I struck at once with all
my strength ; I knew I had him, for I ex-
perienced a jerk that nearly threw me on
my face, and I should have been pulled
into the river if I had not shouted out to
the bystanders to assist me. Every part
of my tackle was so strong that T resolved
not to give him a chance, but to " run him
in " at all hazards. We called out
lustily for assistance, and soon three or
four dozen men were hanging on to the line.
Being so strong a party, I gave the word,

and we got way on him, and then ran

v

314 SPORTING AND

him up on the bank at once, no doubt
quite as much to his astonishment as ours.
He was a monster in size, and although
I had seen and shot a good many
alligators, I never remembered seeing
one so large. It took us, I should
think, half an hour to kill the brute, the
whole population turning out with Idthies
(thick sticks), men, women and children
all pounding away at him ; and many
were tumbled over by the sweeps of his
powerful tail. When I said it took half
an hour to kill the monster, I should have
said, that it was fully that time before the
edge of his fury, was taken off, for I do
not think he was really dead, for twenty
four hours after he came out of the river.
I ordered the men to open him, when a
strange medley of objects were discovered
in his stomach. First, there were portions

MILITAR Y ADVENTURES. 315

of the unfortunate girl, his last victim — such
as a foot, a hand, and the wrist with the
silver bangle, or bracelet upon it, which was
recognised by numbers of her friends who
had seen her constantly wear it. There
were also a kid, a portion of a pariah dog,
and some fish in his capacious maw.

I then cut off his head, which I have had
preserved, and it is still a source of wonder
to my lady friends, and a terror to their
children. Before leaving on the third
morning, I went to see the carcass, and it
was still wriggling about. The tenacity
of life that these brutes display is most
remarkable, but surely this could only
have been a muscular motion. The river
was now falling, and the villagers in-
formed me that it would probably be safe to
cross on the following morning ; so, to pass
the intervening day, I got out my gun,

316 SPORTING AND

which had been carried on the top of my
palanquin during the journey, and amused
myself by shooting wild duck and widgeon
on the river ; and, as people, when travel-
ling dak in India always have an extra
coolie to carry the petarahs — (boxes made of
tin,) which hold a good many clothes,
besides other necessaries, one is always
well provided wherever one is obliged to
stop, and the palanquin forms a house and
bed combined.

Before starting that morning I went to
look at the alligator and felt very much
inclined to believe, that if he had been
shoved into the river, then and there, he
would have floundered off into deep water,
and disappeared to frighten other alligators
who should have seen our friend swimming
about without his head ! I crossed quite
comfortably after breakfast and arrived at

MILITARY AD VENTURES. 317

the cantonments in a couple of days. I
found all my old chums well and delighted to
welcome me, and I do not remember ever
enjoying a dinner so much as that night's
at mess, when we sat on into the small
hours, asking and answering questions, till
an old Captain jumped up and reminded us
that we had an early parade the following
morning. A brother officer had given
me a shake down in his bungalow, so
I turned in and had a good night's
rest.

The warning bugle awoke me just at
daylight, and, getting into my uniform, I
turned out to make my way on foot to the
parade ground. A led horse intercepted
me, and, from the pleased grin on the face
of the sdis, and on taking another look at
him, I recognised my own man with whom
I had left the Arab in charge. My friend

318 SPORTING AND

had ridden him ever since I offered to lend
him while I was in the Himalayas, and my
sdis had now reclaimed him for my use. He
had grown a magnificent creature, and I
jumped on his back and cantered to the
parade. After the usual two hours drill
we were dismissed, and I felt quite grati-
fied when many of the privates came up, to
say they were glad to see me well again.
Soldiers, as a rule, are kindly dispositioned
and warm-hearted men, and when once
attached to their officers will follow them
faithfully through every peril. I had been
an object of interest both to the men, and
officers in my regiment on account of my
sufferings, and my escapes out of the
hands of the natives in Nepaul, and I
think few of them expected to see me
among them again, when I first started for
the Himalayas*

MILITARY AD VENTURES. 319

I was now fit for duty, and took my
guards, parades, courts-martial, etcetera,
as they came ; and the station being
particularly gay at that time, my life was a
very pleasant one. We got up theatricals
in the regiment, and having always had a
taste for acting, I took part in most of the
plays that were produced. All this, how-
ever, was too much happiness to last, for,
before I had been back with my regiment
three months, I was again laid up with
fever, which gradually got worse, instead
of better, and I was nearly at death's door.
The medical officers were at their wit's
end, as I declared I would not go home ;
but, as I did not mend, the serious ques-
tion was at last put to me by one of my
doctors, whether I preferred remaining in
India to die as a certainty, or going home
to be cured in all probability, by the

320 SPORTING AND

change of climate, and I had no resource
but to decide upon the latter.

As mine was considered by the learned
ones a very grave case, no time was lost,
and a medical board assembled. They
merely put a few words to me, and then I
was told that I had passed the board, two
years sick certificate being granted me to
go to England. The president, in the
kindest manner, earnestly urged upon me
the necessity of making an early start of it,
in which, he said, all the members of the
Board concurred; and, after they had
wished me a safe passage and restored
health, I left them, I must own, greatly
depressed at the unpalatable mandate.
Taking leave of my brother officers sent
my spirits below zero, and when I started
that same evening for Calcutta, I felt much
more miserable than ever I did, in the

MILITARY AD VENTURES. 321

Nepaulese prisons. Now those days of
peril had glided into the past, all the
wretchedness of them was well nigh
forgotten, and only the excitement of the
adventures lived in my memory. The
shooting in the hills was a never-failing
subject of pleasant remembrance to me,
but there was some pain in the thought
that I might never enjoy such sport
again ; yet, in spite of all the croaking of
my medical advisers, I did not lose all
hope of a perfect recovery, and a return
to India.

I duly arrived at Calcutta and felt a
little better already from the change of air
and scene, though much worn out by the
journey. My agents provided a passage
in the " Lord Lowther," a very fine ship,
and we set sail the following day at
sunrise. We had a good number of

322 SPORTING AND

pleasant passengers on board, and what
with their cheerful society, and the bracing
sea breezes, I was a different man in a
month, and no one would have recognised
me as the weak, emaciated invalid who
was carried on board the " Lord Lowther,"
probably to die on the passage, which I
knew was the opinion of a]l my friends.
In due time we landed on English shores,
and, after reporting myself in London at
the Horse Guards, I started off by the
mail train en route for my Irish home,
where I regained my strength in such an
incredibly short space of time that the
medical board in India would have been
astonished had they seen me ; for they
had, I believe, but faint hopes of my
recovery, even at home. " While there is
life there is hope," and my case was
another illustration of the truth of this

MILITARY AD VENTURES.

323

happy old adage. Thus ended my adven-
tures in India for the present, but I
resolved to be laid up on the shelf no
longer than my two years sick leave
necessitated.

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