THE LIBRARY

OF

THE UNIVERSITY
OF CALIFORNIA

PRESENTED BY

PROF. CHARLES A. KOFOID AND
MRS. PRUDENCE W. KOFOID

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

BY THE S4ME AUTHOR

DULALL, THE FOREST GUARD

By C. E. GOULDSBURY

LIFE IN THE INDIAN POLICE
By C. E. GOULDSBURY

TIGERLAND

REMINISCENCES OF FORTY YEARS' SPORT
AND ADVENTURE IN BENGAL

By C. E. GOULDSBURY

TIGER SLAYER BY
ORDER

(DIGBT DALIES, LATE BOMBAY POLICE)

BY

C. E. GOULDSBURY

(LATE INDIAN POLICE)

AUTHOR OF "DULALL, THE FOREST GUARD" — A TALE OF SPORT AND
ADVENTURES IN BENGAL ; " LIFE IN THE INDIAN

WITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS

LONDON

CHAPMAN & HALL, LTD.
1915

DEDICATED

BY SPECIAL REQUEST OF MR. DIGBY DAVIES TO
AND WITH KIND PERMISSION OF

THE RT. HON. LORD HARRIS, G.C.S.I., G.C.I.E.

LATE GOVERNOR OF BOMBAY, DURING WHOSE TENURE
OF GOVERNORSHIP MR. DIGBY DAVIES ENJOYED HIS BEST
YEARS OF SERVICE, AND THROUGH WHOSE KIND OFFICES
HE WAS ENABLED TO CARRY OUT HIS SHOOTING
EXPEDITION INTO SOMALILAND, N.-E. AFRICA

THE AUTHOR

M304Q93

AUTHOR'S NOTE

THIS work, to which I have given the title of " Tiger Slayer
by Order," as being obviously the most suitable, has been
compiled entirely from notes and stories, furnished by Mr.
Digby Davies, late a Deputy-Inspector-General of the
Indian Police, and contains his own experiences as a Police
Officer, and Bhil Agent — coupled with the unique office of
Tiger Slayer to the Government of Bombay.

Mr. Digby Davies served for over thirty years in that
Presidency, and during this long period had many and
exceptional opportunities of indulging his great taste for
sport, especially when carrying out his duties as " Tiger
Slayer." I have, at his request, endeavoured, with the
aid of his notes, to construct a tale — or rather, autobio-
graphical narration of his adventures and experiences,
and in order to do this have necessarily been obliged to
make use of the first person throughout.

To relate another's story is, naturally, more difficult
than to tell one's own ; but in this case Mr. Davies' accounts
of his adventures are so full, and his descriptions of the
appearance and habits of the various animals he
encountered given in such detail, that my task has been
comparatively easy, and a very pleasant one.

In my last book — " Tigerland " — written also in these
lines, I was, for reasons given, in the Preface to that work,
unfortunately unable to divulge the name of the individual
whose experiences I was narrating. Thus, in spite of my
explanation, I was undeservedly credited with having
experienced the adventures myself.

In the present instance, however, being under no such
restriction, I am glad to be in a position to acknowledge

b vii

AUTHOR'S NOTE

my indebtedness to Mr. Digby Davies by name, for the
excellent material which has enabled me to compile this
work, as well as for the interesting photographs from which
the illustrations have been taken. Mr. Davies' hunting
experiences were not confined to India alone, for during
one period of leave, he made an expedition to Somaliland
where he was singularly fortunate in procuring several
elephants and lions, besides specimens of nearly every
other wild animal to be found in that country. An account
of these adventures is given in this narrative and should
make interesting reading from the sportsman's point of
view.

In conclusion, I take this opportunity of acknowledging
the numerous and very favourable notices accorded by the
Press to my last book — " Tigerland " — and venture to
hope that the present volume may meet with a similar
reception.

AUTHOR.

MALVERN WELLS,
July, 1915.

Vlll

CONTENTS

PAGE

AUTHOR'S NOTE . ... vii

CHAPTER I

Decide on an Indian career — The lure of big-game hunting — Consider-
ing ways and means of adopting it professionally — Final resolution
— Sail for India — En route for Bombay — The pains and pleasures
of a voyage to the East — A game of quoits interrupted — Man
overboard — Attempts at rescue — The shark and its victim — Some
remarks about sharks — Superstitions concerning them — The voyage
at an end — Anxiety to land explained — " Privilege leave," its
object and advantages described — A description of Bombay — First
impressions of the East — The Elephanta caves, or temples, and
their gods — 'The Towers of Silence cemeteries — Swarms of vultures
— Gruesome reasons for their presence — Parsis, their origin,
customs and religion: an enlightened and interesting race —
Preparation for journey to Guzerafr — Bullock- carts described —
Anticipation of sport — Purchase a gun in the Bazar — Discomfort
and luxury of railway travelling in India — Full length sleeping
accommodation — Long journeys rendered comfortable , . .

CHAPTER II

A journey by bullock-cart — Come across antelope — A successful stalk —
Skinning my first trophy — Exhibiting my prize — Join the 19th
Native Infantry — A martinet C.O. — Life at Malegown — Hurdle
races and a fall — A novel remedy — The Station Shikari and his
wiles — Paying for experience — Beating for a phantom panther —
Counterfeited footprints — The fraud detected — Flight of the
culprit — Pursuit and punishment — A description of the offender —
Experientia docet — Unreliability of native information — Lying
to please — Other reasons for false reports of game — Tact and
temper necessary to success — Rewards for true information —
Money well laid out — How to acquire experience — A sad incident
in our station life — Skylarking ends in a disaster — Going to a race
meeting by rail — Walking along the foot-board — Approaching a
bridge — Warned too late — Cannoned off into the river — Body
subsequently recovered 9

ix

CONTENTS

CHAPTER III

Leave Malegown for Khandesh — Appointed Assistant Political Agent
and Adjutant Bhil Police Corps — My chief — A fine old sportsman
— Air-guns dangerous at times — A marvellous performance — Some
reminiscences of my early youth — An accommodating tutor —
Questionable justice — My headquarters in Khandesh — A palatial
residence — Description of my duties — A banyan tree tribunal —
Some accounts of the Bhils, their belief in witchcraft — Omens and
superstitions, love of sport — Legend of their origin — Life in the
station — Christmas camps — Running amok — A thrilling experience
— Shooting a Havildar — My first tiger — A description of the beast
— Rejoicings in camp — An unselfish sportsman — Efficiency of a
•500 Rigby Express rifle — The best weapon in those days for tigers
— Diversity of opinion as to rifles — Various weapons or projectiles
used by well-known sportsmen — To be judged by results — Best
rifles for soft-skinned and heavy game described in next chapter . . 16

CHAPTER IV

Some talk about rifles for big game — Efficiency of small bores doubtful
— Selous on this subject — Knowledge of anatomy — An important
factor — A quotation from Sanderson — An advocate for heavy
weapons — Rifles recommended — Sir Samuel Baker's opinion —
Experiments I have made — Various projectiles used with results —
Some rifles I have used — Apology for digression — Narrative resumed
— The district of Khandesh described — How the Bhils were civilized
— The necessity for a local and special officer — His duties — Experi-
ence, how gained — The origin of the office of Tiger Slayer — Cattle
and human beings destroyed by tigers — Khandesh a stronghold of
wild beasts — Special body of hunters from Bhil Corps — Government
elephants — Useful to shoot off or as beaters 23

CHAPTER V

A description of my Shikaris — A reliable quartette — The wild man of
the woods — A true Aborigine — My first introduction to him — The
palaver — Brother Shikaris — Become the best of friends — His
progress in life — The tiger, and how to get him — The best season
for tiger shooting — Baiting the jungles — Looking up the baits —
Tracking by footprints — Stops on trees — The drive — Monkeys and
peacocks as guides — Random shooting to be avoided — Following up
a wounded tiger — Dangerous but necessary — Precautions to be
taken — The art of tracking — How to be acquired — Difficult at first
— Hyena or panther — How a tiger can be distinguished from a
tigress — An adventure on the Satpuda hills — A tigress and her cubs
— Arranging the beat — The tigress viewed — A beater charged —
Seeks refuge in a tree — Seized by the leg — I go to the rescue — The
wounded man sent into camp — Tigress takes cover — Refuses to
come out — We attack her in her stronghold — A furious charge and
subsequent retreat — Darkness sets in — We leave her for the night . 30

CONTENTS
CHAPTER VI

PAGE

Resume the attack — A bait taken — The tigress charges — A difficult shot
— Hit — Wounded mortally, yet attacks a beater — I go to the rescue
— A fortunate escape — Tigers not incapable of climbing trees — The
wounded man recovers — Wounds from tiger's teeth and claws — The
character of tigers described — Man-eaters — Causes that produce
them — Fallacies regarding man-eaters — News of another tiger —
Posted on foot — Killed with a single buUet — Tenacity of life —
Fortunately rare — A dangerous sport — A tigress with cubs — One
bagged — An unexpected attack — Fire both barrels into her face —
The tigress gets home — I am knocked over — A period of un-
consciousness— Badly clawed and bitten — Saved by Bapu's pluck
— Bandaging the wound — Carried into camp — Treatment and
eventual recovery — The dangers of a light rifle — Heavy casualty list
in Khandesh — Another instance of light rifle inefficiency — Monkeys
give the alarm — Sudden appearance of the tiger — An unfortunate
slip — Reserving my fire — A terrified dog-boy — Tiger sits up dog-
fashion — A perilous situation — The tiger fortunately retires — Send
for heavy rifle — Tracking up the tiger — Success at last — A fine
trophy 37

CHAPTER VII

A rare chance — A bull bison and a tiger — Hopes of a record — " Right
and left " — Beating on spec — The bull bison viewed — Changing my
rifle — About to pull the trigger — The tiger appears on the scene —
An unparalleled situation — A chance of making history — Another
change of rifles — Fatal hesitation — The tiger alarmed — Making off
at a gallop — A difficult shot — The record unachieved — The tigress
shot — The light rifle scores for once — Another tiger killed —
Evidence in favour of the heavier weapon — Experience gained as
Tiger Slayer — Some remarks on tigers — Varieties of the species —
Hot and cold weather coats — Colour a sign of age — Muscular
development — " Lucky bones " — Cattle-killing and hill tigers — Dif-
ference in weight and size — Length of tigers — Methods of measure-
ment— Age difficult to determine — How a tiger kills its prey —
Manner of eating — Not necessarily nocturnal in its habits — An
example — The tiger's attack — Wounds generally fatal — Time of
breeding — Number of cubs produced — Devouring their young —
Feeding the cubs — Cubs as pets — Tiger fat and rheumatism — Milk
of tigress as medicine — Adventures of a sample — Legends and
superstitions — A curiosity in tigers — Declared a new species — The
mystery solved — Disillusion 44

CHAPTER VIII

i

Tiger Slayer and Policeman — A useful combination — Tracking a dacoit
leader — A troublesome gang — Eluding the police — In pursuit — My
early morning visitor — A nude, wild figure — An unexpected meeting
— A conditional surrender suggested — Offer of a drink — Sampling
the brandy — Arrested in the act — Camp life in India — Tents —

xi

CONTENTS

PAGE

Council round the camp fire — Useful information thus acquired —
A day in camp described — Fascination of the life — Camping near
jungles — Noises in the night — As music to the sportsman —
Possibilities of adventure, an example — A dinner interrupted —
Pace to face with a leopard — Dangerous curiosity — Another
camp adventure — A shooting camp disturbed — Besieged by a
wild elephant — Its threatening attitude — A thrilling moment —
Suspense relieved — A well-considered shot — Comical conclusion —
A Christmas camp — Some bears marked down — The beat begun — A
frock-coated sportsman — Charged by a bear — His headlong flight
— Coat-tails flying — Caught in a creeper — A Scotch doctor to the
rescue — A lucky fluke — " Get up, mon, I've shot the bar " — Proud
of his success — His boast ... ... 53

CHAPTER IX

A bear adventure — Following up the tracks — A black object seen — An
erroneous conclusion — Firing too hastily — An old woman shot dead
— Howls from the Press — Bloodthirsty suggestions — Another bear
adventure — A short-sighted sportsman — " Thinking it was a bear "
— " What, not dead yet?" — The second barrel — A revelation and
explanation — Disturbing the bees — Pandemonium — Horses stung
to death — Floods in Khandesh — A perilous adventure — Saving a
woman's life — Native gratitude — A thankless task — A change of
headquarters — My mosque bungalow — Said to be haunted — The
ghost appears — Life at Nundobar — Coursing jackals, etc. — Cholera
epidemic — A village devastated — Lose my cook — Death of the
apothecary — I turn doctor — A successful prescription — Administer-
ing the mixture — My patient recovers — A claim for damages — A
police mutiny averted — Drastic measures — My orders upheld — My
first attempt at spearing a panther on horseback — An exciting chase
— The panther crouching — Avoids the thrust— Seeks refuge amongst
the rocks — A lucky escape — Panther spearing — A dangerous but
most attractive form of sport — Railways and their influence on
game — Revisiting old hunting grounds — Ravages caused by axe and
plough — The march of civilization — Jungle now devoid of game —
Sic transit gloria mundi 62

CHAPTER X

My duties as tiger slayer — Panthers included — Some description of
them — Variety of the species — Size, weight, and markings — What
they prey on — Climbing powers — Their courage and ferocity in
attack — How they feed on their kills — Man-eating leopards — The
black panther rare — The cheetah — Panthers difficult to locate —
Returning to their kills — Dangerous to follow up — An experiment
with buck shot — S.S.G. best for close quarters — Panther un-
expectedly encountered — My Shikari attacked and mauled — A huge
beast — Another panther hunt — Attacks and mauls beater — Its final
charge — Finished with S.S.G. — The uncertainty of sport — Killed
with a single shot — Handsomely marked skins — An unusual sight
— Tiger and panther seen together — Abject terror of the latter —
Slinking off into the jungle— A tiger's sovereignty of the jungles —

xii

CONTENTS

PAGE

The wild boar excepted — Uncertainty — The fascination of Indian
sport — An unexpected meeting with a bear — Bagged — Capture the
cub — Becomes quite tame in time — Walking out with the dogs — A
leopard adventure in Bengal — Shooting for the pot — A partridge
shot — Retrieving the bird — Sudden appearance of a leopard —
Changing cartridges — Leopard dropped but still alive — Attempts
to charge — No more ball cartridge — On the horns of a dilemma —
My orderly's ingenuity — An extemporized projectile — Complete
success 71

CHAPTER XI

Take three months' leave — A shooting trip to Central Provinces — A fine
shooting country — Local Shikaris — A monster tiger bagged — Hear
of many bears — Sitting up at night — A great fusillade — Surprising
result — My feat with a -360 — Hitting the right spot — A fine bison
brought to bag — Stalking a herd — Within ten yards of a bull — A
tempting shot — -Taking a risk — The "360 scores again — Astonishing
my friend — A remarkable performance — Small bores not suitable for
big game — Exceptional cases — The Indian bison — -Where to be
found — Average size of — General appearance — Description of the
horns — Difference between bulls and cows — Difficult to approach —
Solitary bulls — Savage and morose — Stalking two bulls — Risking a
shot — " Missed " — A long chase — Come upon them at last — Off
again — Another long chase — Pound once more — A right and left —
Doubt as to result — Following up — A pleasing surprise — Both found
dead — Camping out for the night — A favourite resort for bison —
Encounter with a solitary bull — The first shot — Following up
tracks — A determined charge — Effects of an 8-bore — Why solitary
bulls are savage — Dangerous not only to sportsmen — Expelled from
herds — Solitary wild elephants and buffalo 80

CHAPTER XII

The Indian wild buffalo — Its size, appearance and habitat — Dangers
in tracking them up — An encounter with a solitary bull — A shot
with 10-bore rifle — Hit but not disabled — At bay — Effects of a
second shot — Threatening to charge — A timely shot — Floored — A
herd encountered — Selecting the bull — Badly hit but makes off — •
Found lying up — Dead or alive? — The question unexpectedly
solved — The advantage of being prepared — A shot in the chest —
The last gallop — Buffalo shooting a dangerous pastime — Poor
trophies as a rule — The Indian bear — A terror to the native — Attack
without provocation — Many victims — Bears uncertain in temper —
Effects of feeding on intoxicating berries — -Dangerous to tackle —
Very tenacious of life — Size and general appearance — Where found
— The best plan for bear shooting — They afford good sport — Two
narrow escapes — An exciting adventure — No room for two to pass —
A lucky shot — The non-dangerous big game of India — First in size
and importance — The sambar — Some description of this animal — A
good head — A fine trophy — The bara-sing or swamp deer — Its
resemblance to the red deer — The chetul or spotted deer — The
handsomest of the deer tribe — The barking deer — The mouse and
hog deer described 87

xiii

CONTENTS

CHAPTER XIII

PAGE

Indian antelope — •'Black-buck the best known — Where found — Descrip-
tion, habits, etc. — Rifle recommended — The Indian gazelle — The
gazelle or chinkara — Its peculiar call — The four-horned antelope —
Flesh uneatable — The Nil Ghi — Meaning of the name — Ibex or
wild goat of Asia Minor — A stalk described — Rolling down a
precipice — Ibex driving in Afghanistan — Posted to Sholapur — No
big game — Pig-sticking — The sport described — A comparison — A
boar described — Its formidable weapon — How used — Riding for
first spear — Keen competition — The pig-sticking spear — Spears
used in Bombay and Madras — The short spear of Bengal — Blades —
Varieties in shape of — Horses best suited for the sport — Cunning of
the boar — Its courage and determination — A formidable foe — Some
runs described — The secret of success — Full speed a necessity — A
sport sui generis — I lose a favourite terrier from hydrophobia —
Two servants bitten — Apparently none the worse — A tragic sequel —
Both men die of hydrophobia — No clue as to how the dog was
bitten — The danger of owning pugnacious terriers — Village curs
dangerous to fight with 95

CHAPTER XIV

A lack of amusement — Fishing on the lake — Good sport — Snake charm-
ing— A performance described — " Music hath charms " — Discordant
but fascinating — Lured out of a well — A marvellous performance —
Removing poisonous fangs — The hamadryad — Its rapidity of move-
ment— A friend's experience — Hatching the eggs — A male mother
—The nest found — A rare specimen — The insatiable collector — The
biter bit — The snake stone — Method of using it — The cure effected
— An heirloom — Purging the stone — A narrow escape — Rough on
the fishing-rod — A snake in the hall — Prompt measures — Taking
the bull by the horns — A strange protest — Posted to Shikapur —
Its evil reputation — The hottest place in India — How we keep cool
at night — Sand-flies and mosquitoes — Sand storms — No regular
rainfall — A change to Sukkur — Cold weather — Short and severe —
Wild-fowl in plenty — Pleasant days at Khairpur — An old-time
chieftain — A sportsman over seventy — Wild shooting — Ali Murad
and his falcons — A day's hawking — Well-trained birds — An old
reprobate — Curious way of fishing 103

CHAPTER XV

After furlough — Posted to Bijapur — A city of the dead — Tomb as
official residence — Mosque with whispering gallery — A dome larger
than St. Paul's — My tomb-house — Its advantage and drawbacks —
Plague and famine — My next station — The sacred city of Nasik —
On plague duty — High-handedness and extortion — Discontent
— Riot and murder — Victims of the plague — Dacoities and sedition
— Police measures — A robber chief — His formidable gang — Baffles
the police — A police post attacked — Pursuit — A havildar and his

xiv

CONTENTS

PAGE

men killed — Vengeance on a spy — Organize a flying column — The
robber stronghold stormed — Desperate resistance — Heavy casualties
on both sides — Capture of ring-leader and ihis gang — Treasure
recovered — A fine body of men — A wounded robber chief in hospital
— Some startling revelations — A sporting ruffian — Sedition in
Nasik — Mistaken sympathy from the Press — Trial and conviction
of the ring-leaders — Inadequate sentences — Agitation renewed —
Manufacture of bombs — Art acquired in Europe by so-called
students — Murder of officials — A judge shot in native theatre . . 110

CHAPTER XVI

Wild animals as pets — I start a menagerie — Experiments with tiger and
panther cubs — Hunting by scent or sight and hearing ? — A much-
vexed question practically decided — Conclusive evidence — " Billy,"
my tiger cub — Pillow fights with tiger cubs — The dog-boy and his
charges — A troublesome pair — Gymkhana for the police — Bicycles
supersede horses — Re-visit Khandesh — A hunting box — Old friends —
Shooting under difficulties — Blank days— A tiger at last reported —
The beat— -A tiger and tigress put up — Charging the beaters —
Situation becomes dangerous — Bescuing the stops— The beat aban-
doned for the night — Disappointment — Nasik antiquities — Traffic
in curios — Made in Birmingham — Transferred to Dharwar —
Shooting off ladders — An accident near ending in a tragedy — Fit
only for a madhouse — An interesting temple — The god Khundobar
— Said to have been a sportsman — Hunting with his hounds —
Worshippers assume attitude and character of dogs — Feeding the
dog-devotees — On all fours — Biting and barking — A repulsive and
degrading exhibition — Backsheesh the main object .... 118

CHAPTER XVII

The Western Ghats — Castle Eock and Morumgoa — Fine scenery —
Spend a hot season at Castle Eock — A kill in a ravine — The guns
posted — A tiger viewed — A doubtful hit — Bapu the optimist — A
tell-tale leaf — An advance in close order — The enemy prepares to
charge — Careful shooting necessary — Success — Following up a
wounded bear — A curious story — Second sight — An apparition in
the night — Convincing evidence — An apology to my readers —
Another tiger marked down — Caught napping — An unexpected en-
counter— My perilous position — Face to face — A desperate proceed-
ing— Seeking refuge in a bush — A precarious shelter — Suspense
relieved — A lucky shot — Curious evidence of a recent victim — A
man-eating panther — Carries off a child — The body found — Watch-
ing over the remains — An eerie vigil — A jackal greedy but suspicious
— The panther at last — Creeping up to the " kill " — Only five yards
off — A steady shot at his chest — Hit, but not dead — Too dangerous
to follow up by night — The hunt resumed — Tracking by blood and
footprints — Found dead — A well-nourished beast — The fallacy of
theories regarding man-eaters 126

XV

CONTENTS
CHAPTER XVIII

PAGE

A bait taken — Living animals as bait — A seemingly cruel practice —
Reasons for adopting it — A tigress put up — Missed — Charging
through the beaters — Cubs discovered— An all-night vigil— The tigress
returns — Finding her cubs — Process described — An opportunity
lost — The cubs disappear — Tigress or ghost — How the cubs iwere
removed — Morning at last — Tracking up—Death of the tigress —
The cubs found — Dharwar again — A shooting camp — News of game
— Daily disappointments — Two tigers reported at last — The beat —
Turned by a stop — A roar and a rush — A hurried shot — Instan-
taneous effects — The tiger's mate — Beaters charged again — Marked
down — Drawing lots for places — A tempting offer — Why I rejected
it — Premature congratulation — The tigress let off again — Questions
and answers — Extraordinary performance — Subsequent explana-
tions— What might have been accomplished — The shikaris' disgust
— A panther in my tent — My dogs wake me up — A desperate struggle
in the dark — Firing haphazard— A sudden crash— Ominous silence —
The servants aroused — They arrive with a lantern — What the light
revealed — One dog missing — Carried off by a panther — A fruitless
pursuit in the dark — Resumed at daybreak — Remains of Rover
found — An unsuccessful vigil — The spot revisited months later — A
panther shot — Was it the same ? 134

CHAPTER XIX

The destruction of panthers — Trapping often necessary — A trap described
— A trapping incident — Screams in the dead of night — Turning out
the guard — Rush to the rescue — What was found in the trap — The
biter bit — " A fine bait for the panther " — Drugged and disorderly —
Bhil police and prisoners — How the position was reversed — A par-
tridge shooting record — The Dangchia Bhils — An extraordinary .race
— Monkeys and rats as food — Belief in witchcraft — Veneration for
tigers — Habits and customs — Another quaint people — Professional
bird-snarers — Their snares described — A terror to legitimate sports-
men— Why panthers are so destructive — Less dangerous to human
life than tigers — An example — Sportsman charged by a wounded
tiger — Attempt to escape — A fatal slip — Severely mauled — Succumbs
to injuries — Another fatal accident — Wounded tiger in high grass
jungle — A sudden charge — Savage attack — Shaken like a rat—Ex-
traordinary courage shown by a Goanese butler — Grappling with a
tiger unarmed — A double tragedy — Twelve-foot tigers — A myth —
How to cure and preserve skin and heads — Hot-blooded animals
should be skinned promptly — Instructions for skinning — Pegging
down — How to retain proportions — Burnt alum or wood ashes —
Trophies to be looked after — A curious result of neglect . . . 142

CHAPTER XX

An apology and explanation — Big-game shooting and the camera — Some
advice on the subject — How a fine picture was saved — Morumgoa
and Goa — Poisonous water snakes and jelly fish — Phenomenal
rainfalls — Ancient rights and dignity — Convicted criminals at large

xvi

CONTENTS

PAGE

—Method of dispensing justice — A lengthy trial — Distortion of
evidence — Paid by the page — Judges' fees — How regulated — More
prisoners out of gaol than in it — A Gilbertian system — Result of the
trial — An interesting but depressing relic — A city of palaces that
was — The cathedral and shrines — Site of " Auto da fe " — St. Zavier,
the Patron Saint — Curious discrepancies — The convent by the sea —
An old story retold — Abduction of a nun — A modern Paladin — An
unpleasant surprise — The great festival of the Church — Mummified
body of the Saint — A sacrilegious souvenir hunter — The glass coffin
— Transfer to Poonah — A bed of sedition — Absence of sport — Effect
of the war on India — Surat my next station — The " Cradle of India "
— Battered forts and ruins — The Nawabs and their descendants —
An ancient Begum — Opposing factions — Pearl trade — Origin and
present position — German intrigues and aspirations — The pearl
merchant — The sorting and polishing processes — A magnificent
specimen 151

CHAPTER XXI

Decide on a shooting trip to Somaliland — Popular belief about its
inhabitants — Erroneous ideas — Diminishing game — Collecting in-
formation— Preparations for the expedition — Initial difficulties
finally overcome — Calling for volunteers — Gungdya and Sabha
come forward — A study in contrasts — Stores and equipment — My
battery — Embark for Aden — The voyage — Its effect on the two
Bhils — Explaining the compass — Arrive at Aden — Take passage to
Berbera — Black beetles and noisy natives — Collecting a " Kafila" —
Purchase baggage camels — Engaging an escort — Supplies and pro-
visions— A desolate land — Drilling the escort — Abdi, the headman
— His multifarious duties — The construction of zarebas — A camp
in Somaliland described — Engage two Shikaris — Khaliffa and Nur —
Projects and plans — Unfriendly natives likely to be encountered —
Confidence in Abdi — Troubles with camel men — Marching across a
waterless plain — Somalis armed to the teeth — Wild appearance of
these men — Decorated murderers — "Weapons used in warfare —
Somali women — Their dress and appearance — Not held in much
account — Often abandoned on the march . .... 161

CHAPTER XXII

An uninviting country — Gazelles occasionally met with — Early morning
marches — The dik-dik antelope — Large herds seen — The klip-
springer — Terrific heat — The Nasiya or Shelter tree — Eeach the
first water — Lion-hand mountain — The lesser koodoo — Their appear-
ance and habits — Extraordinary leaping powers — Shoot a fine buck
— Ascending the Golis Eange — Haunt of the greater koodoo — News
of an old bull — A fruitless search — Eeturning to camp — A pleasant
surprise — Sudden appearance of the bull — A long shot — Bagged — A
splendid trophy — The greater koodoo described — We march en route
to Hargesa — Wild wooded country — Oryx, and hartebeest encoun-
tered— Shooting for the pot — Many mouths to feed — The oryx, ap-
pearance and habits — A herd of four hundred seen — Wounded oryx

xvii

CONTENTS

PAGE

dangerous — Bushmen's method of killing these animals — Poisoned
arrows and dogs — Uses made of the skins — The hartebeest — Several
species — Fine texture of coats — Peculiarity of the skull — Vast herds
often met with — The inquisitiveness of these animals — Indifference
to thirst — The sommering gazelle — Very common in Somaliland —
A herd of one thousand — Peculiar characteristic — Variety in shape
of horns — Subject to parasitical maggots — Flesh uneatable . . 168

CHAPTER XXIII

The Girnook or Waller gazelle — Where found — A giraffe-like antelope —
Extraordinary length of neck — Small herds — Difficult to approach —
Advantages of a long neck — Halt at Hargesa — March continued —
Arrive at Arabsea — Our zareba at night — A lion prowling around —
We hear but cannot see him — The lion's call — Next morning search —
Marked down — Beating through the grass — My first lion — A splendid
specimen — Lions and tigers compared — Difference in skulls — Game
plentiful — Two more lions sighted — Gallop in pursuit — A savage
charge — Chased for one hundred yards — I shoot the lion — In pursuit
of the other — Crouched in a patch of grass — A snap-shot — My third
lion — Eaiding Somalis met with — A lioness and cubs — I shoot the
mother — Escape of the cubs — Man-eating lions common — A woman
carried off — Tracking up the man-eater — I fail to locate him — Shoot
a cock ostrich — Bushmen wonderful trackers — A hunter killed by a
wild elephant — Torn limb from limb — Too light a rifle — Difference
between Asiatic and African elephants — Latter superior in size — A
herd of a hundred — Most dangerous of African game — Tenacity of
life extraordinary — Skull curiously protected — The temple shot
preferable — Not always successful — A male and female wounded —
Curious results of shots from 8-bore Paradox 175

CHAPTER XXIV

We strike camp — Arrive in Elephant Country — An attempted mutiny
in camp — One black sheep in the flock — Armed literally to the
teeth — Alarming situation — Drastic measures necessary — I threaten
to shoot the ring-leader — A critical moment — Cocking my rifle turns
the scale — Order restored — Jungles teeming with game — Herd of
elephants reported — Preparation for the attack — In the midst of
the herd — Shoot one of them — Habe-Awal and Gadabarsi horsemen
surround the herd — Jungle alive with elephants — I kill five bulls
and one cow — Fine haul of tusks — Continue hunt next morning —
At unpleasantly close quarters — Under the elephant's trunk — Saved
by standing still — The elephant moves off — A parting shot in the
ribs — Follow up and finish her — Shoot another bull — Bivouac for
the night — Lion heard calling — News of a large bull — Found and
wounded — A determined charge — Retires into a jungle — At bay —
I hit him again — Another charge — I am chased and nearly caught —
I give him the slip — Eeturn to camp — Take up tracks next day —
Found dead — Move camp — Six elephants bagged one day — Charged
by a cow elephant — A Somali attracts her attention — She chases
him — He is caught and killed instantly — Pounded beyond recogni-
tion— I kill the elephant — We try, but fail to capture the calf . . 188

xviii

CONTENTS
CHAPTER XXV

PAGE

Move my camp — En route to Abyssinian border — Halt at Karia —
Gungdya bitten by a snake — Rough-and-ready remedies — The
patient recovers— A deadly adder— I am regarded as a curiosity —
An involuntary exhibition — Bad water — The water difficulty —
March resumed — Shoot a wart-hog — The animal described — A
permanent camp — Good sport — Native elephant hunters — Their
methods described — Quotation from Sir Samuel Baker — Hamstring-
ing elephants — A renowned Arab hunter — Advancing on his quarry
— The bay mare — Face to face — A tense moment — The hunter
hunted — Clever mancBUvring — The blow delivered — A handful of
dust — The second blow — Bleeding to death — A herd of giraffe —
The Somali species different from South African — I secure a fine
old bull — The hunt described — Another bull shot — The wild ass —
Secure two as specimens — A woman and child - abandoned by
Somalia — I act the good Samaritan — Death of the mother — The
infant on my hands — How to rear it ? — The problem solved — Con-
densed milk and sago — Wonderful results — The pet of the camp —
Infant physical culture — The Somali method — My leave draws to a
close — Forced marches to the coast — Malodorous trophies — Back
to Bombay — I meet Sir Samuel Baker — Interesting conversation —
An enthusiastic sportsman 190

CHAPTER XXVI

At Dharwar again — Hear of wild elephants in Kanara jungle — Damage
done to crops — Native district officer puzzled — His petition to
Government — Forest officer and myself consulted — Suggestion and
inaction — I act on my own — Special shooting camp — An unlucky
guest — Some erratic shooting — "Nearly a record bag" — Com-
mendable perseverance — The elephants at last — A moonlight hunt
— Watching the herd — Close quarters — I fire at a bull — A forehead
shot — Effect instantaneous — Another bull floored — Let off a small
one — The herd makes off — Congratulations — Dangerous " vermin "
— Natives' misuse of English words and phrases — A slave to rules
and regulations — The lonely railway station — Young Bengal — A
sudden invasion — Flight of the staff — Besieged in his office — Only
thing to be done — A wire to Headquarters — " Tiger in charge " —
Realizing the situation — A night of mental torture — Morning brings
relief — Wild dogs — The damage they do — A nuisance to sportsmen
— Hunting in packs — Tigers occasionally attacked — Description of
the animal — Difference between the wild and the domestic dog —
Crocodile, method of attacking their victims — The final rush . . 198

CHAPTER XXVII

Wild-fowl and small game plentiful — Coolin and Sarus — Venerated by
natives — Many alligators — I shoot one — Internal evidence of human
victims — Muggurs — The snub-nosed variety — Good fishing — Wild
figs and frogs as bait — Shooting fish — Thieves in camp — Some
description of their methods — A victim's experience — Choice between

xix

CONTENTS

PAQB

being robbed or murdered — A clever thief — Carelessness of native
syces — An example — Pony trap adventure — Both reins unbuckled —
Pony bolts with cart — Two helpless women — A railway level crossing
— Charging the gates — A smash — Advantages of being a heavy
weight — Lying insensible on the line — A train approaching —
Agonizing suspense — A miraculous escape — The distracted husband
— Well-merited castigation — Driving accidents not uncommon in
India — Partially trained horses — Amateur horse-breaking — Imple-
ments used — Home-made, but useful — The break — Hamshackle con-
trivance— A haphazard system — Dangerous vices engendered —
Bolting and shying — I fall a victim to the latter — More native
carelessness — A coronation celebration — Arranging for a royal
salute — An ancient weapon found — Volunteer gunners — Loading
the weapon — The supreme moment arrives — The salute is fired —
Direful results — A tragic ending 206

CHAPTER XXVIII

A veteran police inspector — Some of his exploits — Tulia Naik — A famous
dacoit leader — Small beginnings — First arrest — Escapes from his
escort — Forms a gang — A terror to the neighbourhood — Baffles the
police — Inspector on his track — The tables turned — Captures the
inspector — A drinking bout — The inspector's opportunity — A clever
re-arrest — Convicted — An apparent reformation — Return to crime

— Final surrender — Transported for life — Sir F S r — A

notable police officer — Rising of the Bhils — Babajee their leader —

His arrest attempted — Refusal to surrender — Captain H of the

police shot dead — Escape of the gang — Subsequent pursuit — Sir

F S r in command — The gang marked down — Disguised as

a native — Babajee found bathing — Captured in the water by Sir

• F S r — A remarkable achievement— Many of the gang

secured — Importance of the capture — Compliment paid to the
police — Relation between the military and police — Commissioner
of Police, Bombay — A lakh of rupees offered as a bribe — The offer

indignantly refused — Strange action of the Government — Sir F

S r and an American globe-trotter — His anxiety to see the man

who had refused so large a bribe — Enquires if true I — His astonish-
ment when convinced — " Guess you Britishers will keep India I " .

CHAPTER XXIX

Small-game shooting in India — The season for this sport — Snipe offers
best sport — Arrival of these birds — Two varieties of true snipe —
Other kinds, the jack and painted snipe — Migratory birds — Large
bag can be made — Quail — Small charges and 20-bore preferable
— River and bush quail — Partridges — Three kinds — Painted, grey,
and black — The last best for table — Sand-grouse — Strong on the
wing — Floriken finest game bird in India — Peculiar habit of the
cock — Native explanation — Very plentiful in places — Indian bustard
— A huge bird — Good sport for rook rifle — Peafowl and Indian
plover — Ortalon, too small for sport — Snared i by natives — Excellent
eating — Wild-fowl — Many kinds — Found on tanks — Very numerous

XX

CONTENTS

PAGE

— The blue-winged teal — An excellent bird — Cotton and whistling
teal — Not worth shooting — Widgeon and pochards — Swarm in
thousands — Mallard— Similar to the English bird — The spotted bill
and gadwall — The pin-tailed duck — The red-crested pochard and
white-eyed duck — The shoveller — Wild geese — Two varieties — The
common, or grey-bag, and the pink-footed goose — A curious hybrid
bird, half goose, half duck — Bittern — Same as the English bird —
Ground game — Hare only — No rabbits in India — Hare afford good
coursing with Persian hounds 222

CHAPTER XXX

Remnants of Babajee gang — Joined by the Barwattis — A formidable
coalition — Bounding them up — Another European officer shot dead —
The gang finally destroyed — More about tigers — A tigress and three
cubs — Monkeys announce their presence — I shoot the tigress —
Driving out the cubs — Two rolled over — Beaters dispose of third —
Wounded tigers often lost — Cases in point — (1) A tiger on an island
— The beat begun — A momentary glimpse — Snap -shooting — Crash-
ing through the jungle — Mysterious disappearance — " Here he is 1 "
— Found dead under water ! — A mangy specimen — A remarkable
dying effort — (2) Another instance — Three tigers put up — Two soon
disposed of — In pursuit of the third — Marked down — A snap-shot
again — Concluded he was missed — Further search abandoned —
Found dead the next day — Man-eating tigers — Happily now rare —
Indenting on ancient history — Alarming news at 5 a.m. — Camp in
transit — Attacked by man-eater — Disobedience of orders — A bullock
driver carried off — Panic-stricken servants — Pursuit taken up — The
body found half eaten — Man-eating tigers on high road — The traffic
held up — Seven hundred human victims ! — Mail-cart attacked —
Tiger jumps from a hillock — Horse badly scarred — Shown to travellers
as a curiosity 230

XXI

LIST OF ILLUSTEATIONS

PACING PAGE

The Tiger Slayer— His Shikaris and Some Trophies Frontispiece

A Noble Trophy , 48

Bull Buffalo (Central Provinces) 48

Panther (Khandesh)— A Nasty Customer 72

A Fine Bison bagged ......... 82

Bull Bison (Khandesh), shot with -360 Express .... 90

The Bear, shot with -360 Express 90

Chetul or Spotted Deer 92

A Sambar (Central Provinces) 92

Snake-charmer with live Cobra 102

AH Murad, Chief of Khairpur (Baluchistan) 108

Ibex (Baluchistan) 109

My Finest Koodoo Bull 109

A Shooting Camp 118

The Indian Boar 119

Approaching Tigerhood : " Billy " the Cub 119

Skinning a Tiger 148

Trophy Koom, Looking East 150

Trophy Koom, Looking West 150

A Jungle Scene (Khandesh) 152

The Morning Bath, " Motee" and " Pir Bux " 153

My Camp in Elephant Country (Harawa Valley) . . . 166

Lesser Koodoo Bull (Africa) 170

Waller's Gazelle (Africa) 170

Oryx Bull (Africa) 174

Hartebeest (Africa) 174

A Sommering Gazelle (Africa) 176

Gazelle Naso (Africa) 176

Black-maned Lion (Africa) 178

My First Lion (Africa) 178

Bull Elephant (Africa) 182

The Sleep of Death (African Bull Elephant) 182

The Vicious Cow Elephant (Africa) 188

Victors and Vanquished 192

Tigress and her Cubs 232

xxii

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

CHAPTER I

Decide on an Indian career — The lure of big game hunting — Considering
ways and means of adopting it professionally — Final resolution —
Sail for India, en route for Bombay — The pains and pleasures of a
voyage to the East — A game of quoits interrupted — Man overboard !
attempts at rescue — The shark and its victim — Some remarks about
sharks — Superstitions concerning them — The voyage at an end —
Anxiety to land explained — " Privilege leave," its object and ad-
vantages described — A description of Bombay — First impressions
of the East — The elephant caves, or temples, and their gods — The
Towers of Silence cemeteries — Swarms of vultures — Gruesome reasons
for their presence — Parsis, their origin, customs and religion: an
enlightened and interesting race — Preparation for journey to Guzerat
— Bullock carts described — Anticipation of sport- — Purchase a gun
in the Bazar — Discomfort and luxury of railway travelling in India —
Full length sleeping accommodation — Long journeys rendered comfort-
able.

WHEN at the age of nineteen, now some thirty years ago,
I set out to seek my fortune in India, I had already made up
my mind that whatever career I might adopt, or be com-
pelled by necessity to accept, my leisure hours should be
devoted to the hunting of big game. From my earliest
childhood upwards, I had read every book on Indian and
African sport I was able to procure till by the time my story
opens, to become a big-game hunter was the one object of
my life. Indeed so infatuated was I with this notion that
had I been a free agent at the time, and possessed of
sufficient capital to embark on the adventure, I might
possibly have adopted big-game hunting as a professional
pursuit.

Fortunately for my future, however, I was neither free
to choose my own profession nor had I the capital to invest

B 1

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

in any scheme so idiotic, for as I learnt later professional
big-game hunting in India is practically tabooed, nor even
if permissible to engage in it, would the profit derived from
its pursuit cover the cost of ammunition much less provide
a livelihood for the hunter.

Nevertheless the fact that big-game shooting was ob-
tainable in India — even if it had to be combined with some
less congenial occupation, was quite sufficient to inspire
me with the desire to go out.

Thus it came about that on a bright March morning,
I found myself and my belongings on board the s.s. — — ,
en route for Bombay, and eventually Guzerat where my
father was then commanding the 1st Bombay Grenadiers.

The voyage out was not in any way remarkable, and
except for one incident, my experiences were probably
much the same as those of the majority of youngsters
making this great voyage to the East. The first night on
board with all its attendant discomfort and anxiety,
followed by days perhaps of sea-sickness and misery — till
a calmer sea restores his physical and mental equilibrium,
must obviously be endured by all who voyage on the waters,
and to those who do so for the first time in their lives, must
necessarily prove more irksome.

But after these first few painful days comes a period
generally most enjoyable, for amongst the crowd of pas-
sengers on board a P. & O. there are always some to be
found both capable and willing to cater for the amusement
of the rest.

Thus once the stormy waters of the " famous " Bay
are passed — and weather conditions consequently more
favourable — life on board assumes a very different hue.
Dances, concerts, or theatricals now fill up the after-
dinner hours, which heretofore had passed with leaded
feet, while cricket, deck-quoits or shovel-board tend to
shorten the otherwise long periods between meals.

It was while one of these exciting contests was in
progress that the exceptional incident I have referred to
occurred. The game was one of deck-quoits, so far as I
remember, the ship being in the Indian Ocean at the time
— about half-way between Aden and Bombay.

It was a lovely morning with hardly a ripple on the
2

A MAN OVERBOARD

water, breakfast was just over and those of the passengers
not actually engaged in the contest were all on deck, some
smoking and others interested spectators.

Suddenly there came from somewhere forward that awe-
inspiring cry " Man overboard ! " In an instant there was
a rush to the side — instinctively the one over which the
man had fallen.

The ship was brought to immediately, but before a
boat could be lowered the man gave one long piercing
scream, threw up his hands, and disappeared.

A few moments later the fin of a shark was seen cutting
swiftly through the water, but whether this was the beast
concerned we could not tell, probably it was not, for there
had been hardly time for it to have disposed of its victim,
nor were there any blood-stains on the surface of the water.

The unfortunate man was one of the lascars of the
ship, who, while furling an awning, had suddenly lost his
balance and fallen overboard, but would, in all probability
have been saved, for, like all natives, he could swim like
a fish, happier for him had it been otherwise since he would
have met with an easier death.

After this sad incident it was remembered that sharks
had been seen following the ship, a fact which by the
superstitiously-inclined might tend to confirm the belief,
said to have been held by ancient mariners, that when a
shark follows a ship it is a sign that before long there will
be a death on board !

But although this tradition doubtless owes its origin
to some coincidental happenings of the kind, it was not
really verified in this case, for the Indian Ocean is, as
everybody knows, infested with these monsters, and they
seem to prefer swimming on the surface to under water.
They are, in calm weather, frequently to be seen, and easily
distinguished by the peculiar shape of the dorsal fin. That
they should follow a ship, moreover, is not at all surprising,
considering that a shark is probably the most voracious
of all creatures inhabiting sea or land and the amount of
offal and edible refuse of all kinds that is constantly being
thrown overboard from ships.

However, be this all as it may, the incident cast a gloom
over the ship, for to those who had actually seen the man

3

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

pulled down, and heard his agonizing scream, the scene
was one calculated to impress itself too deeply on the mind
to be easily erased.

But fortunately the voyage was now nearly at an end,
and three or four days later we dropped anchor in the
harbour of Bombay. Here, after the usual trouble and
delay, I succeeded at length in re-establishing connection
with my heavy luggage — produced from that mysterious
receptacle somewhere in the bowels of the ship known as
the hold.

My belongings being collected, I lost no time in going
ashore, accompanied by many others, all seemingly anxious
to be there as speedily as possible. This seemed strange,
for the voyage, on the whole, had been a most enjoyable
one, but all who have travelled much by sea will probably
understand it, for, however pleasant a voyage may have
been, it is seldom that any one desires to prolong it, and
no sooner has the vessel reached her destination, than all
are anxious to be out of her with the least possible delay-
even the professional sailorman who makes his ship his
home, is apparently no exception to this rule.

The conclusion to be drawn from this is obviously that
the average individual is not by nature partial to a life on
the ocean waves, but only tolerates it for so long as necessity
compels him so to live.

Amongst those who hurried ashore, however, were
possibly some returning from three months' privilege leave,
and who, having to rejoin their respective stations within a
given date, had probably to leave by the first train out.

" Privilege leave," by the way, though a curious and
somewhat cryptic combination of words, is one of the
conditions of Indian Service, much valued by Anglo-Indian
officers, both civil and military, since it is the only form
of leave that can be taken on full pay. It is accumulative,
but limited to three months at a time.

The principle on which it works is this — for every eleven
months' completed service, an officer earns one month's
leave, which may, if not availed of then, remain to his
credit, and is allowed to accumulate up to a limit of three
months. Then at the end of thirty-three months' con-
tinuous service, an officer can claim three months' leave of
4

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

which he can avail himself at any time. The chief ad-
vantage, and in fact object, of this system being that as
the whole of this leave is on full pay, the recipient can
afford the expense of his passage home and back, and if
he travels by the mail, gives him six clear weeks at home.
But I am afraid I have rather wandered from my story,
so must now come back to it.

Every Englishman landing for the first time in Bombay,
must necessarily be struck with the extraordinary con-
trast it presents to any city or cities he may be acquainted
with either in England or even on the Continent, for despite
its reputation as the most European of the three Presidential
capitals of India, the Oriental atmosphere about it is quite
as marked as that of Madras or Calcutta, though possibly
its European population — in proportion to its size — is
larger and, to use the modern comprehensive phrase, more
up-to-date — which is but natural seeing that it lies three
days by land and several by sea, closer to London and Paris,
the recognized centres of civilization.

In the matter of public institutions, such as Clubs and
Hotels, Bombay, at the time I write of, was, and probably
is still, far ahead of its two sister cities ; the Byculla and
Yacht Clubs being well known for their excellence, while
Watson's hotel, at that time the only institution worthy
of the name in India, had a wide and well-merited reputation
for comfort and excellence of its cuisine.

But even while enjoying these comforts, not to say
luxuries, products proper of Western civilization, the
newly-arrived traveller will find it difficult to forget he is
in the East, for the irritating mosquito buzzing continu-
ously around him, or a cockroach — two inches long at
least — scurrying across the matted floor, would in them-
selves be sufficient to remind him of the fact.

But there is evidence more conclusive still in the huge,
lofty rooms, with whitewashed walls all bare and punkahs
swinging overhead, to say nothing of the white-jacketed
black waiters — " Boys " as they are termed, though some
seem perilously near the limit of three-score years and ten
— who, barefooted and silent, perform their duties with a
willingness and promptitude difficult to extract from their
smarter brethren in the West.

5

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

I cannot now, after so many years, recall very clearly
my own first impressions of the East, but as I make no
claim to be original, have no doubt that they were something
of the nature above described. What I do remember more
vividly, however, is an excursion I made in company
with several of my fellow passengers, to the Elephanta
caves situated about five miles distant from Bombay among
the group of islands which shelter the harbour.

These ancient, rock-hewn caves, or rather temples, said
to have been dedicated to the god Siva, are approached
by a steep ascent for half a mile through rocks, trees and
tropical plants of many kinds.

Near the landing place is the life-size figure of an
elephant, carved out of a solid rock, whence, probably,
the caves derive their name. A long stairway, also cut
out of living rock, leads to a temple in which are several
figures of gigantic gods and goddesses, including a colossal
bust of the three-faced god of Buddha. Another striking
figure is that of the god Siva, one of the Hindu Trinity,
on whose face severity and revenge, characteristic of his
destroying attributes, are strongly depicted.

One of the hands holds a large snake of the Cobra
species, and the other certain fruit and flowers, symbolical
of blessings for mankind. Though much defaced by the
iconoclastic tendencies of the Mohammedans and Portu-
guese, this wonderful temple still retains much of its
original splendour.

We also visited the famous " Towers of Silence," which
stand in a large garden in the highest part of Malabar Hill,
and are surrounded by a great quantity of trees swarming
with vultures, who in their countless hundreds occupy
every branch. The reason for the number and continual
presence of these ill-omened birds is a gruesome one, for
these Towers of Silence are used by the sect known as the
Parsis for the disposal of their dead; the bodies, all
uncoffined as they are, being laid out on the summit of
the towers, purposely to be devoured by these birds.

It is a curious, not to say revolting method of disposing
of one's dead, but the process is simple and effective, for
the bodies rest on a grating, thus as soon as the birds have
stripped off the flesh, the bones fall through into a pit
6

PARSIS AND ANTELOPE

below, whence they are removed by the relatives, through
subterranean passages under the towers and cast into the
sea.

Curiously enough, however, the Parsis, except for this
barbarous fashion of treating their defunct relations, are
a singularly civilized and intelligent race. Believed to be
descendants of the ancient Persians who migrated to India
on the conquest of their country by the Arabs, they appear
to have settled down in large numbers in Bombay, where
they are frequently to be found filling important positions
both under Government and in the commercial world.
They are mostly good scholars too, and almost invariably
speak several languages.

In addition to their curious burial customs they have
some others almost as unique as, for instance, the practice
of benevolence, which being one of the great principles of
their religion is carried to such an extent that a Parsi
beggar is a thing unknown. Then again, they are Fire-
Worshippers, and as such probably the only people in the
world who do not smoke, as their intense reverence for
this element debars them from using it for so trivial a
purpose as the smoking of a hookah, pipe, or cigar. In
fact, taking them all round, the Parsis would appear to be
the most unique and interesting people of any that inhabit
British India, as they are probably the most enlightened.
******

After a stay of two or three days in Bombay, I prepared
to set out on my journey to Guzerat, part of which was to
be performed by train and the rest by road in bullock
carts. This last is a mode of travel much disliked by
Europeans as a rule, being slow and generally uncomfort-
able, but I was looking forward to it for I had learnt from
inquiries I had made that the road passed through vast
cultivated plains on which antelopes in hundreds were
frequently to be seen.

This discovery naturally roused my sporting instincts,
but it had come so unexpectedly that it found me un-
prepared. For some reason unexplained — financial, most
probably ! — neither a gun nor a rifle had been included in
my outfit, and I had hitherto trusted to being able to beg,
borrow, or steal one or the other from my father when we

7

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

met, but this hope, justifiable though it afterwards proved,
did not cover the present difficulty, viz., being without any
weapon more deadly than a pen-knife with which to wage
war on the antelope.

I might, of course, have bought a gun or rifle at one of
the European gun-smiths, but only for a price far greater
than I could afford, so finally decided to try to pick up one
in the bazar, where guns, of a sort, are occasionally to
be found.

Afraid of trusting so important a purchase to anybody
else, I went myself to the bazar, and eventually succeeded
in securing an old, single-barrel, muzzle-loading gun, for
what seemed to me an absurdly low price. It was a risky
investment though at best, for as a rule guns bought in
a bazar are apt to be more dangerous to the user than to
the animal he may fire at. However, this one was evidently
of superior make, for though old it still bore traces of finer
finish than is generally found in such guns purchased in
bazars.

The journey by rail was not a long one, nor of any
interest — railway journeys in India seldom are, and, more-
over, are generally uncomfortable, because of the heat
and dust, though in one respect Indian railway travel is
more luxurious than in Europe, and this is that every
first and second-class passenger is entitled to full length
sleeping accommodation at nights, which renders the long
journeys, so often necessary, more tolerable than they
otherwise would be.

8

OHAPTER II

A journey by bullock cart — Come across antelope — A successful stalk — •
Skinning my first trophy — Exhibiting my prize — Join the 19th Native
Infantry — A martinet C.O. — Life at Malegown — Hurdle races and a
fall — A novel remedy — The station skikari and his wiles — Paying for
experience — Beating for a phantom panther — Counterfeited foot-
prints— The fraud detected — Flight of the culprit — Pursuit and
punishment — A description of the offender — Experientia docet —
Unreliability of native information — Lying to please — Other reasons
for false reports of game — Tact and temper necessary to success —
Rewards for true information, money well laid out — How to acquire
experience — A sad incident in our Station life — Sky-larking ends in a
disaster — Going to a race meeting by rail — Walking along the foot-
board— Approaching a bridge — Warned too late — Cannoned off into
the river — Body subsequently recovered.

IT was early morning when I left the railway station, at
which I had been deposited during the night, and started
in my bullock cart on the journey by road.

We had not gone very far when we came across vast
herds of antelope. One small herd was feeding in a cotton-
field some distance apart from all the rest, so this was the
lot I elected to stalk. Working my way cautiously towards
them, I gradually approached within range when, taking
a long deliberate aim, I fired at what appeared to be the
largest buck.

The beast fell to the shot at once, and by the time I had
run up to it, was dead. I was naturally much delighted,
for this was the first shot I had ever fired at any four-legged
animal larger than a rabbit, whereas this one, though only
an antelope, was at any rate regarded as big game.

The buck was quite an ordinary one, but to me, as my
first sporting trophy, most precious, so much so in fact
that I insisted on skinning it myself, after which perform-
ance, very indifferently performed I fear, we proceeded
on our way.

9

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

The journey, much to my disappointment, was com-
pleted without further adventure, and in due course we
arrived at my father's bungalow, when I remember well,
how, after the first greetings, I instantly produced my
trophy, and with what pride I related how I had procured
it, indeed had it been a tiger that I had slain I could have
scarcely been prouder of the feat !

All sportsmen, probably, will understand my feelings
for the first comparatively big thing shot by a novice has
always a special value in his eyes, but looking back now,
after thirty years, I feel ashamed to think that I should
have made all this fuss about a wretched deer.

After spending some time with my father at Guzerat,
I went on to Malegown to join the 19th Native Infantry
to which I was attached, for a course of drill, prior to taking
up an appointment in the Indian Police for which service
I had already obtained a nomination.

The 19th was at that time commanded by a certain

Colonel J , one of the good old school, who, though a

martinet and somewhat given to exceedingly strong
language on parade, was, nevertheless, very popular with
the youngsters in the regiment.

Our life at Malegown, a small, uninteresting station,
was not very exciting, but weekly gymkhana meetings,
to which friends from neighbouring stations were in-
variably invited, helped to pass the time. Those sports
usually consisted of cross-country racing, tent-pegging,
tilting at the ring, etc.

Having ridden from my childhood, I was naturally a
good rider, and used consequently to pull off many of these
events — the money prizes helping considerably to the pay-
ing of my mess bills. In the hurdle races, I remember,
the jumps were usually fairly stiff, and on one occasion
came perilously near to ending my career. Fortunately,
however, I escaped with only a good shaking, notwith-
standing that the horse had rolled over me and that I was
picked up unconscious and carried away in that condition
from the course. A strong whisky and soda, as I learnt
later, was the only remedy administered and apparently
with marvellous results, for I came round at once, at least,
so I was informed, for I was not in a position to know how
10

A PHANTOM PANTHER

long I was unconscious. At any rate the cure was evidently
complete for I have no recollection of feeling any the worse
for the fall.

Amongst the other " griffs " * in the regiment were
several as keen on sport as myself, but beyond small game
— and an antelope occasionally — the sport we obtained
was not on a very extensive scale. To the station shikari,
however, we were the source of a good income, for taking
advantage of our unquenchable desire to bag something
really big, he was constantly arranging beats for various
tigers and leopards, none of which had any real existence,
nevertheless, the beaters had to be paid every time, and at
a rate which allowed of a goodly sum being pocketed by
the shikari.

On one occasion I remember, he brought us news of a
big panther, supposed to be in a jungle some thirty miles
distant. This information being more than usually cir-
cumstantial, several of us decided to go after the beast,
fully convinced that we were at last to be recompensed for
all the disappointments we had suffered.

On arrival at the jungle we found some two hundred
beaters assembled, and elaborate arrangements made for
a beat. The guns being duly posted, the beaters were
solemnly marshalled and went through the jungle to the
music of tom-toms and other noise-producing instruments
of various tones and power, making sufficient racket to
rouse any animal within five miles of the place, but without
any result, for there were none within that distance of the
spot. We tried a second time, but with no better success ;
finally we decided on following up what were stated to be
the animal's tracks, but had not proceeded very far, when
my orderly, who was something of a shikari himself,
suddenly burst out laughing. " Look, sahib," he exclained,
pointing to some foot-prints more perfect than the rest,
" those tracks are made by hand ! " and sure enough they
were, for looking at them closer, we now could see they had
been carefully prepared to represent the foot -prints of a
large panther.

The shikari, finding himself detected, bolted at once ;
but furious at the trick he had played us, I ran after him,

* Short for Griffen, meaning in Anglo-Indian parlance a Novice.

11

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

thirsting for revenge. He knowing this and probably
also guessing the form that it would take if he allowed
himself to be caught, did his bsst to get away. It was a
good race, for though I was younger, and probably faster,
he had a good start, and, moreover, was not encumbered
with a superfluity of clothing or boots. However, I
caught him up at last, but my anger by this time having
somewhat cooled down, I let him off quite lightly as
compared with his offence.

This was, I think, one of the worst disappointments I
ever experienced in pursuit of sport, for it is seldom that
a fraud is so deliberately manufactured. That native
information is often unreliable is quite true ; but there is
generally some foundation for it, such as a tiger or leopard
having been heard or seen in the locality, or the skeleton
or a few bones found of some domestic animal believed to
have been killed.

And yet from the general appearance and character of
the offending shikari in question, no one would have
supposed him capable of concocting a trick so well thought
out and ingenious. A Mohammedan by caste, he was
nevertheless addicted to strong waters, and when off
duty was not infrequently seen drunk. In other respects,
too, he was a low type of native distinctly more stupid
than intelligent. In dress, too, as I have already hinted,
he was not what might be called particular. A generally
unclean turban and a string round his waist over which
hung, fore and aft, a narrow strip of cotton cloth, plus a
brown blanket, carried, not worn over his shoulder, was
all that he had on in the way of a " suit," while a brass badge
hung on his person described him as " Emamdeen, the
station shikari." This badge of office being, in his esti-
mation no doubt, the most important part of his attire, at
any rate was the only evidence of civilization about him.

After administering the well-deserved correction to this
prince of deceivers, we wended our way homewards, sadder
and wiser men than when we had set out on this adventure,
and resolved to keep the matter to ourselves lest the ridicule
of those who had refused to join the expedition should be
added to our discomfiture.

But we had counted without that extraordinary,
12

LYING TO PLEASE

almost wireless-like telegraphy by which news in India
is so rapidly and mysteriously conveyed, for when on our
return that night we went in to dinner we found that every
member of the mess was in full possession of the facts.
The chaff that we were consequently subjected to may
therefore be imagined, though amongst there scoffers there
was probably not one who would have detected the fraud
any sooner than we did, for the counterfeited pugs, as I
have said, had been exceedingly well done.

For some time after this incident we devoted our leisure
moments to the hunting of smaller and less important
game, and any news of tiger or leopard kills brought in,
unless absolutely verified or within a reasonable distance
from the station, were left severely alone.

This incident, however, was only another verification
of that ancient Latin proverb Experientia docet, which
is nowhere better exemplified than when applied to Indian
big-game shooting ; firstly, for the reason that the Aryan
brother is not invariably truthful as to the information
he brings in, not that his reports are always deliberately
false, on the contrary there is generally some foundation
for his story, but being always desirous of pleasing his
sahib, he often goes out of his way to repeat not what has
actually occurred, but what he thinks the latter would like
to hear. Thus, if a leopard happens to have killed a dog
in his village he will walk several miles into the station
and report that a tiger has killed a bullock, simply because
he knows that the sahib would sooner have news of a tiger
than a leopard !

Or again, if the inhabitants of a village have any
reason, however slight, for suspecting the presence of either
of these dangerous animals in any adjacent jungle, they
will generally dispatch one of their number, usually the
village chokidar or watchman, to the nearest camp or
station with a circumstantial report to the effect either
that the animal has actually been seen or that it has taken
up its abode in a certain jungle which he is ready to point
out.

For making a practically false report like this, however,
there is usually an underlying reason, over and above the
mere desire to please the sahib, for as it is assumed that the

13

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

latter will take the bait at once, they know the result must
be that the suspected jungle, or jungles, will be thoroughly
beaten out by beaters, who, incidentally, will pocket two
annas a piece, hence should the animal be there it will be
either killed or driven off and thus relieve the villagers of
its presence, or if the beat should prove a blank, set their
minds at rest by thus proving that no dangerous animal
is there.

Such then are some of the traps into which the embryonic
Indian sportsman, unfamiliar with India and her people, is
likely to fall and generally does, until personal experiences
such as the one I have described have taught him to estimate
the proper value of any information he receives before
deciding to act on it. But even if after he has done this
he goes out to the spot only to find that the information
was false or grossly exaggerated, he must be very careful
to resist the temptation — often a very strong one — to deal
harshly with the informant, for it must be remembered
that in the pursuit of big game, especially leopards and
tigers, everything depends on the receipt of prompt in-
formation of " kills," and as these are usually of village
cattle, it is the villagers only who can supply this informa-
tion.

Hence it is obviously necessary for the sportsman to
cultivate friendly relationships with these men and to gain
their confidence, which can best be done by kind treatment,
generally and by always rewarding liberally any individual
who brings in accurate information.

Money thus expended will in the end be found to have
been well spent, for in India, as I have said before, news is
rapidly transmitted, thus the name of a sahib who pays
rewards will soon be spread abroad, and men will travel
many miles to bring him information of a kill or other
evidence of a tiger or leopard's presence, of which he could
not otherwise have heard.

Nor would he be necessarily out of pocket in paying
for this information, as there is a Government reward for
the destruction of such animals which he can claim by
producing the head and skin. The sums vary in amount
in different provinces, but are always on a fairly liberal
scale, hence amply sufficient for the informer who is usually

A SAD ACCIDENT

an indigent individual to whom even a couple of rupees will
spell riches, and five almost a fortune.

* * # * * #

I remained for some months with the regiment at Male-
gown, learning my drill and incidentally acquiring consider-
able experience of jungle life and sport, for amongst the senior
officers were one or two old shikaris as willing to relate
their adventures and experiences as I was to hear of them,
and in this way picked up much valuable information,
which in after years stood me in good stead. So that on
the whole, life at this little station, if not very exciting,
was at any rate instructive and decidedly enjoyable. On
one occasion, however, a gloom was cast over our small
community by the death of one of our young officers under
circumstances so sad that it made a great impression on
us all. He and a midshipman, on leave from a man-of-
war lying in Bombay harbour, were travelling to Ahmeda-
bad for the race-week by train, and on the journey, wishing
to join some friends, who were in another carriage, they
got out on to the footboard and were walking along it
when the midshipman, who was in front, saw that they
were approaching a bridge. He called out to warn his
companion, meanwhile flattening himself up against the
door. The other attempted to do the same, but being a
much bigger man, and possibly less agile, was cannoned off
and fell into the river below, whence his body was subse-
quently recovered.

15

CHAPTER III

Leave Malegown for Khandesh — Appointed Assistant Political Agent and
Adjutant Bhil Police Corps — My chief, a fine old sportsman— Air-guns
dangerous at times — A marvellous performance—Some reminiscences
of my early youth — An accommodating tutor — Questionable justice
— My headquarters in Khandesh — A palatial residence — Description
of my duties — A banyan tree tribunal — Some accounts of the Bhils,
their belief in witchcraft — Omens and superstitions, love of sport-
Legend of their origin — Life in the station — Christmas camps —
Running amok — A thrilling experience — Shooting a Havildar — My
first tiger, a description of the beat — Rejoicings in camp — An unselfish
sportsman — Efficiency of a '500 Rigby Express rifle — The best weapon
in those days for tigers — Diversity of opinion as to rifles — Various
weapons or projectiles used by well-known sportsmen— To be judged
by results — Best rifles for soft-skinned and heavy game, described in
next chapter.

HAVING completed my course of drill, I left Malegown,
parting from my companions in the regiment with much
regret and joined my appointment in Khandesh, to which
district I had been posted as Assistant Superintendent of
Police and Adjutant of the Bhil Corps, under that fine old
sportsman Colonel Oliver Probyn, C.I.E., to whom in grate-
ful remembrance for many kindnesses received, I have
devoted a special chapter.

Some time before I became acquainted with him he
had had the misfortune to lose his right arm and two fingers
of his left hand through the bursting of an air-gun, yet
notwithstanding being thus handicapped, he still remained
the splendid shot and rider that he had always been.

Strangely enough, though, he had despaired of ever
handling a rifle again, and it was merely through a friend
at a picnic casually challenging him to shoot at an empty
bottle that led to his taking to his shooting again.

It appears that when handed the rifle by his friend,
instead of firing at the bottle, he, doubtless preferring a
16

A NEW USE FOR A TUTOR

living target, aimed at a small bird perched on a tree a long
way off, and, to the amazement of those present, brought
it down. It was a marvellous performance, and as a first
attempt at rifle- shooting with one hand, probably un-
surpassed ; hence, it is not surprising that, with the self-
confidence born of this extraordinary feat, he should
eventually have gained the reputation of being one of the
finest shots and tiger-hunters India has known.

This reference to air-guns reminds me of a youthful
experience of my own in connection with one of these
weapons. The event, however, had no such tragic ending
as the one described, though it terminated somewhat un-
pleasantly to the one principally concerned, viz., a French
tutor, who, for his sins, perhaps, was occupying the
unenviable position of bear-leader and instructor to my
brother and myself. He was, however, a most good-
natured individual, and taking advantage of his disposition
we persuaded him to procure for us an air-gun or air-cane,
as these dangerous weapons were then called. Fortunately
for him, however, the one he had obtained for us was not
very powerful, for we had no sooner mastered the
intricacies of the weapon, than, taking further advantage
of his amiability, we started our shooting by making use
of his person as a target.

This went on for some time much to our edification,
though — so far as I remember — not without some feeble
protests from our victimised preceptor. At length one
day we were caught in the act by the two old maiden
ladies who had had the misfortune to be constituted our
guardians until such time as we should be too old for
feminine control, which period, however, judging from our
exploits, had seemingly arrived already.

These two old dames, possibly under the impression
that our shots were fired in anger, instead of as a pastime,
were horrified beyond measure ; but with commendable
promptitude and courage, immediately disarmed us,
confiscating the weapon.

Much as we resented these arbitrary proceedings at the
moment, we came in time to realize that they had probably
been necessary, for we were wise enough to know that tutors
were not intended to be made use of as targets, therefore,

c 17

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

having so misused him, the confiscation of the offending
weapon seemed to us quite a natural precautionary measure.

But what we failed to understand, either at the time or
later, was the subsequent action of the " authorities "
with reference to our luckless tutor, who, doubtless much
to his amazement, too, was summarily dismissed ! This
to our budding notions of justice and fair dealing seemed
altogether wrong, for — as we well knew — he had not
participated in the pastime of his own free will, nor had it
afforded him amusement, on the contrary, for the part
he had played was scarcely an amusing one.

But to return to events more modern. My head-
quarters in the Khandesh district were at Dhurumgoan,
where I lived in the palatial mansion built by Outram of
Indian Mutiny fame. It was naturally much too large
for me, indeed some idea of its size may be gathered from
the fact that it is now a cotton factory ! Fortunately,
in India, bachelors are not expected to furnish their abodes
on a European scale.

My duties were not of a very onerous description, my
time being chiefly occupied in studying native languages, and
preparing for Departmental Examinations. Nor was there
much of office work in those days. Many a land or other
dispute, which would now run to reams of paper and many
months' delay, were then settled under the village banyan
tree by Colonel Probyn, who, in his capacity of Bhil Agent,
adjusted quarrels too, and released many a hard-pressed
debtor from the clutches of the exacting money-lender.
Indeed in the year 1870 the pressure of Gujar * money-
lenders in the Western District, aroused so much ill-feeling
that but for Colonel Probyn's intervention and his great
personal influence, a general rising of the Bhils would
undoubtedly have taken place.

As a great portion of my Indian life was passed amongst
these people, and consequently many of the adventures I
am about to relate are connected with them, a short
account of this tribe may prove of interest.

Though found in small numbers in every part of Khan-
desh, the bulk of the Bhil population inhabit the western,

* Generally capitalists and landholders in North-west Khandesh.
18

THE BHILS OF KHANDESH

and wilder portion of the district. They are quite distinct
from any other race in India, and are the true aborigines
of their country. The typical Khandesh Bhil, the wild
woodsman of the Satpuda mountains, is a dark, well-made,
active and hardy individual, with high cheek-bones, wide
nostrils, and almost African in feature. His dialect is a
mixture of Hindustani and Marathi with Guzeratti ter-
minations.

Strong believers in witchcraft, they have " Barvas,"
or hereditary sorcerers, whom they consult on all occasions,
particularly when planning some plundering raid, and whose
advice they invariably follow. Great attention is paid to
omens, as, for instance, if a bird screams on the left, or a
fox or snake crosses the path and escapes, there will be
no success that day. On the other hand, should a bird
call on the right or a dead snake be seen, the enterprise
will end successfully.

In character they are thriftless, addicted to drinking
spirits, and as a rule averse to steady work, but on the whole
the Bhils as a people are simple, honest and faithful, and
above all, excellent sportsmen, their love of jungle life and
skill as shikaris being evidently inherent, for in all my long
experience of them I never met a Bhil who was not possessed
of all the qualities which contribute to the making of a good
shikari, and as to their honesty, I can say with absolute
truth that during the many years I passed amongst them
I never missed the value of so much as a rupee.

The Hindu legend of their origin is that of an union of
the god Mahadoo with a beautiful woman, name apparently
unknown. The result of this union was several sons,
amongst them one ill-favoured and vicious, whose sins
culminated in killing his father's favourite bull. For this
offence he was banished an outcast to the hills and there
became the founder of the Bhils. The word Bhil being
derived, as is supposed, from the Dravidian " Billi," mean-
ing a bow.

It was not until I was appointed to succeed Oliver
Probyn as Bhil Agent and Tiger Slayer to Government, as
will be referred to later, that I learnt more of these very
interesting people, a further description of whom and of
my duties in the above dual capacities will be given later.

19

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

Meanwhile, as Assistant Superintendent of Police and
Adjutant of the Bhil Corps, my life was enjoyable enough.
We were but a small community it is true, but frequently
visited the neighbouring stations for race meetings, in
fact on any plausible excuse — besides we had many pleasant
shooting camps ourselves and especially at Christmas time
when, as is the case all over India, such camps are regular
institutions and usually of a very festive order ; except at
large stations where instead of shooting camps these
Christmas gatherings usually take the form of race
meetings or gymkhanas at headquarters.

The quasi-military portion of my duties was on the
whole fairly monotonous, but on one occasion we had an
exceedingly exciting experience with a Naik or corporal of
the Bhil Corps.

This enterprising individual, electing to run amok one
morning when Probyn and I were on parade, shot his
Havildar dead, then loosed off into a squad of recruits at
drill, wounding one severely.

Happening to be quite close to him at the time, I ran
up and disarmed him, narrowly escaping a shot he fired
at me, the bullet hitting the ground at my feet. The fact
of my being in rapid motion at the time probably saved
my life, for the man was evidently a good shot, as proved
by his practice on the Havildar.

With the exception of this exciting little incident, the
only other shooting adventure worth recording that I
experienced during these early years of my service while
stationed in Khandesh, was one which no true sportsman
would be likely to forget, since it was no less important an
event than the bagging of my first tiger.

Although it is now nearly thirty years since this red-letter
day in my life, I can still recall quite vividly those few
exciting moments of that day when, perched on the branches
of a tree — my rifle ready for instant use — I waited with
bated breath for the animal to appear, and when it came
out at last, the first tiger I had ever seen in its wild state,
how anxiously I watched its every movement, wondering
at its enormous muscular developments, extraordinary
girth of limbs, especially noticeable in the forearm and
wrist, its beautiful white beard and bristling whiskers, all
20

CLEVER SHIKAR TACTICS

so different to the long, lithe, skinny animals on which I
had often gazed with such longing admiration in the Zoo !
It was a grand and yet an awe-inspiring sight, for there is
something in the personality of a tiger which fills the mind
with thoughts such as no other wild animal inspires. With
the sportsman, suitably armed and bent on the destruction
of the beast, this feeling is not one of fear, but rather of
respect, as for a foe whom he knows instinctively will
require all his skill to beat.

But what perhaps interested me as much as the tiger
itself was the way in which, under the directions of my
chief, the beat had been arranged. For while the main
body of the beaters were advancing through the jungle,
others had been posted up in trees, at twenty or thirty
paces' interval, as stops to prevent the animal sneaking
off unobserved, up some smaller pathway or ravine instead
of passing by my post. These tactics were admirably
carried out for, as already mentioned, there are no better
shikaris in India than the Bhils^or any who can compete
with them in the art of driving the quarry in the direction
required.

Thus, each time the tiger had attempted to turn off to
right or left, the stop posted nearest to the spot had suc-
ceeded in preventing it, either by tapping lightly with his
stick upon a branch, or by giving a low cough — these sounds,
slight as they were, being quite sufficient for the animal's
keen sense of hearing to detect.

Finally he was driven up to within a hundred yards
of my machan and then, objecting to any further hustling,
came charging past my post at racing speed. Waiting
till I thought I had made certain of my shot, I fired, but,
seemingly, without effect, for the beast held on with
undiminished speed, covering with each bound some
fifteen feet at least. Continuing at this pace for about
five and twenty yards, he suddenly collapsed, falling into
some brushwood, where we found him later lying on his
side — stone dead.

There was great rejoicing in the camp that night, and
to celebrate the occasion Probyn insisted on my drinkng
the major portion of a bottle of champagne, for was not
this my first tiger, and killed with one shot too ? But,

21

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

strictly speaking, the triumph should have been his, for
we had drawn for places and though he got the best naka,*
he had given it up to me. However, good sportsman that
he was, he could not have been more pleased if he had shot
the beast himself.

I may mention that I had not on this occasion used the
single barrel gas-pipe of which mention has been made,
but a *500 Express by Rigby, taking 6 drams of powder
and bullet of pure lead. This is probably, or rather was
in those days, the best kind of rifle for use against a tiger,
or any of the larger soft-skinned animals, but, as there
seems to be such diversity of opinion on the subject, I propose
in the next chapter to give a description of the various
weapons and projectiles used by well-known sportsmen
and myself on different kinds of game, and with what
result, so that the reader may judge for himself not only
as to the rifle best suited for tigers, but for most heavy
game as well.

* Position or post.

22

CHAPTER IV

Some talk about rifles for big game — Efficiency of small bores doubtful —
Selous on this subject — Knowledge of anatomy an important factor
— A quotation from Sanderson — An advocate for heavy weapons —
Rifles recommended — Sir Samuel Baker's opinion on experiments I
have made — Various projectiles used, with results — Some rifles I have
used — Apology for digression, narrative resumed — The district of
Khandesh described — How the Bhils were civilized — The necessity
for a local and special officer — His duties — Experience, how gained —
The origin of the office of Tiger Slayer— Cattle and human beings
destroyed by tigers — Khandesh a stronghold of wild beasts — Special
body of hunters from Bhil Corps — Government elephants — Useful to
shoot off, or as beaters.

THE question as to which is the rifle best suited for big
and dangerous game is a somewhat controversial one, and
I am aware, while recording my opinion, that I differ from
many great authorities on this subject ; but every sports-
man who has actually experimented with rifles of various
patterns, on big game must necessarily be guided by the
results he has obtained and naturally favours the weapon
which he has found most successful.

Personally, I am no believer in small bores in the hands
of ordinary sportsmen, they lack the smashing power and
paralyzing effect of the heavy bores. I propose, later on,
illustrating the truth of this theory by anecdotes, and as
I have on more than one occasion been in a tight corner,
and was once severely mauled by a tiger, the marks of
whose teeth and claws I bear to this day, I trust my ob-
servations will act as a warning to young sportsmen against
rashly entrusting themselves to light and so-called " handy "
weapons when in pursuit of dangerous game.

Selous, the great African hunter, advocates small bores,
but it should be remembered that that celebrated sports-
man, with his intimate knowledge of anatomy and life-
experience of big-game shooting, knows how and where to

23

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

strike the game in a vital spot. This is exemplified by his
having on one occasion shot five elephants in succession
with a -450 Gibbs Metford, an extraordinarily small bore
rifle to use against such very heavy game.

I have myself killed several bison and buffalo with
small bore rifles too, on one occasion with a '360 Express,
but these were all picked shots. It is not, however, always
possible to obtain a head or shoulder shot, therefore the
rifle for such exceedingly heavy game should be one
powerful enough to kill, or at any rate to stop such an
animal on whatever part of the body it may be hit.

Then, again, to quote that well-known sportsman, the
late Mr. Sanderson : " It is sometimes argued," he writes,
" that hundreds of large animals have been bagged with
12 or 14-bore rifles or even smaller weapons. True, but
how many more have escaped or have been consigned to
die lingering deaths that could have been secured with
heavier metal ! A 14 or 16-bore with 4 drams of powder,
is sufficient to kill even an elephant, if a fair shot can be
had at his brain, but supposing the elephant to be rushing
through a tangled brake of long grass, when only a hurried
and indistinct shot can be had at him, the smaller gun
would be useless unless its ball reached his brain, whilst
the heavy projectile would floor or stun, even if it did not
kill him. A rifle for heavy game should be capable of
meeting these contingencies, not being adapted only for
picked shots and bright moments."

For ordinary sportsmen, therefore, I think there is no
better weapon for thick-skinned animals such as elephants,
rhino, buffaloes and bison than an 8 or 10-bore Paradox
gun or rifle, burning 8 or 10 drams of powder. I prefer a
Paradox gun as it is lighter than a rifle of the same calibre,
a great advantage in African hunting of which so much is
done from the saddle. It also gives a higher velocity
and greater penetration with the same charge of powder,
and the recoil is less. For soft -bodied or thin-skinned
animals such as tigers, lions, leopards and bears a "500
or -577 Express, burning 5 or 6 drams of powder, would be
the most suitable weapon.

Having now said my say about rifles, I will add a few
lines about the quality of the projectiles, which, in my
24

BEST BULLETS FOR BIG GAME

opinion, are the best suited for big or dangerous game.
The late Sir Samuel Baker, in his most interesting book,
" Wild Beasts and their Ways," states : " The duty of the
bullet is to preserve its direct course ; it should possess a
power of great penetration, should not be easily deflected,
and together with penetrating power, it should produce
a stunning effect by an overpowering and striking energy."

I have experimented with all kinds of bullets on Indian
and African game, and have come to the conclusion that for
elephants, buffaloes, rhino, and bison, the solid hardened
or steel core conical bullet, 150 grains, is the best. This
bullet has an enormous penetrating power and is capable
of crashing through every opposing obstacle such as
massive bone and muscle, a matter of great importance
should the beast be charging, or rushing through high
grass or bush, when only a hurried and indistinct shot can
be had at him. For tigers, lions, panthers, bears and the
larger Indian or African deer or antelope respectively, I
think the long Rigby or Holland bullet, 570 grains of pure
lead, with a small hollow and a heavy, solid base to ensure
necessary penetration and expansion is the best.

A bullet of this description on striking an animal will
not splinter up, but assume a mushroom shape, also it is
not easily deflected. The small, light bullet invariably
used with Express rifles, though admirable for small
antelopes such as black buck, chinkara, etc., is, in my
opinion, too hollow, consequently too light for dangerous
game. It smashes up into minute fragments immediately
on impact, merely inflicting a surface wound, and is, more-
over, easily deflected on striking a twig or any other
obstruction.

I have invariably used 10 or 8-bore rifles against ele-
phants, buffaloes, rhino, and bison, and a '500 Rigby Express
for tigers, lions, leopards, etc., each with the projectile
already described, though, at a pinch I have never hesi-
tated to use my *500 Express against heavier game —
elephants and buffalo — using, of course, a solid bullet. This
rifle was originally built by Rigby for a well-known sports-
man in Madras, and has been my companion for over twenty-
six years. With it I have shot all kinds of game both
large and small.

25

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

I have had no experience with cordite rifles, but I
believe they require very careful treatment which would
be a serious drawback in wild country where weapons are
often subjected to very severe usage. Nevertheless, these
rifles, as with all things new, are probably being largely
used by the modern big-game hunter, and, for all I know,
may possibly be superior — bore for bore — to those I have
described ; but if so, they must be extraordinarily efficient
weapons of destruction.

***** •*

I will now resume my narrative, which, I fear, I have
too long neglected, and I ought perhaps also to apologize
for this long digression, because, except to sporting readers,
the preceding pages of this chapter must necessarily make
dull reading ; but I have always held that a work which
purports to be a book on sport should be instructive as
well as entertaining, if only for the reason that it is as
likely to be read by budding sportsmen thirsting for know-
ledge as by those who have passed their lives in the pursuit
of big game.

Not that I am suggesting that the knowledge derived
from my own experiences of big-game shooting can compare
with those of such past masters in the art as the two great
sporting writers whom I have quoted, for such is very far
from my intention. At the same time, I may say, without
fear of contradiction, that I have had exceptional advan-
tages, in the matter of opportunities for judging of the
merits of sporting weapons of all kinds and of studying
the habits of most wild animals which come under the
definition of big game.

I was also specially fortunate in having as my mentor
for some years that prince of sportsmen, Colonel Probyn,
under whom, as I have already stated, I served during the
earlier period of my Indian career, and whom I eventually
succeeded in his dual appointment of Bhil Agent and Tiger
Slayer, when, having reached the age of fifty-five, he was
obliged by the rules of the Service, to retire.

One of his last official acts before retiring was to pass
a strong recommendation to the Government that I should
be appointed to succeed him, and thus, despite my youth
and comparative inexperience, obtained for me the
26

THE BHIL AGENT AND HIS DUTIES

much-coveted and, from my point of view, most interesting
appointment in the Service.

The District of Khandesh, at the time of which I write,
was a wild tract of country some 15,000 square miles in
area, bordered on the north by the Satpuda range, a
mountain tract from thirty to forty miles wide, teeming
with wild animals, especially tigers and panthers, and
peopled by a once savage race of men, the Bhils, whom
Government gradually weaned from savagery by the wise
policy of free grants of land, seed and cattle, which induced
them to settle down as cultivators. Since the beginning
of British rule these people had always given trouble, and
an attempt to bring them to order by force having failed,
the above measures were adopted, in addition to enlisting
them in special corps. The inherent lawless spirit of these
wild men, however, necessitated the constant presence of
a British officer amongst them, hence the appointment of a
Bhil Agent, whose duties were heavy and varied, e.g., such
gangs as were still in revolt had to be reduced and kept in
order, offenders punished or committed for trial, disputes
to be settled and complaints redressed, saving them from
the clever and unscrupulous money-lenders, the Gujars,
of whom mention has already been made, etc., etc.,

I was very fortunate in being selected for the appoint-
ment of Agent, as the wandering life amongst the hill men
suited me to perfection, and gave me many opportunities
of acquiring a knowledge of their feelings and customs
which often proved of immense value in my official duties,
while as to jungle-lore and wood-craft, the information
I derived from them was both in quantity and quality
such as it would be impossible to obtain from any other
source, for living as these men do in close companionship,
so to speak, with the animal denizens of the jungle, the
knowledge they possess of wild beasts and their ways, is
naturally much greater than that of any other natives
I have met.

But if the information and experience I had thus ac-
quired were of such value to me in the discharge of my Bhil
Agency duties, they were of infinitely greater value in my
capacity of Tiger Slayer, as was only natural since the know-
ledge I had gained enabled me in time to supervise efficiently

27

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

the work of my shikaris and even, when the necessity arose,
as it sometimes did, to track and locate a tiger myself, or
tell by a glance at its pugs whether they were fresh or some
hours old, accomplishments which, though most useful to
the hunters of big game, few Europeans take the trouble
to acquire.

To me, however, all the details of my work as Tiger
Slayer had an extraordinary fascination, and, next to my
old chief through whose influence I had obtained it, I often
found myself blessing the individual who had created this
appointment.

The post — probably the only one of its kind in all India
—was held, as I have already mentioned, in conjunction with
that of Bhil Agent, and as far as I could gather from
inquiries and perusal of old records, had been originally
created to meet a pressing necessity due to the increase of
wild animals in the District. In those disturbed times at
the beginning of the last century, large tracts of land in
Khandesh passed from villages into forest from which
tigers roamed and dealt destruction in the very heart of
the District. In 1822, for example, five hundred human
beings and twenty thousand head of cattle were destroyed
by wild animals, tigers being the principal destroyers.
This wholesale destruction of human beings and cattle,
which had apparently been going on for some time, led to
some stringent preventive measures being adopted, for
I found that during the months of May, June and July of
that year, no less than sixty tigers were killed.

In spite of these efforts, which were apparently made by
Sir James Outram and his successors, tigers and other
beasts of prey continued in such large numbers that the
fear of them kept waste and desolate some of the richest
tracts in Khandesh. Even as late as 1857 this District,
more than almost any part of Western India, continued
as a stronghold for wild beasts. Indeed, so dangerous and
destructive had they become, that at length a special
party of the Bhil Corps were especially deputed as tiger
hunters and placed at the disposal of the then Super-
intendent of Police and .Bhil Agent for the destruction of
these animals.

When I took up the appointment this special party
28

OFFICIAL SKIKARIS

consisted of forty men of the Bhil Corps, to which were
attached two Government elephants, to be used to shoot
off or as beaters. In addition to this official staff, I had
my own shikaris, four excellent individuals to whom I
owed a great deal of my success and are therefore entitled
to be honourably mentioned. A description of them,
therefore, will be found in the next chapter.

29

CHAPTER V

A description of my shikaris — A reliable quartette — The wild man of the
woods — A true Aborigine — My first introduction to him — The palaver
— Brother Shikaris — Become the best of friends — His progress in life
— The tiger, and how to get him — The best season for tiger-shooting
— Baiting the jungles — Looking up the baits — Tracking by foot-
prints— Stops on trees — The drive — Monkeys and peacocks as guides
— Random shooting to be avoided — Following up a wounded tiger —
Dangerous but necessary — Precautions to be taken — The art of track-
ing— How to be acquired — Difficult at first — Hyena or panther — How
a tiger can be distinguished from a tigress — An adventure on the
Satpuda hills — A tigress and her cubs — Arranging the beat — The
tigress viewed — A beater charged — Seeks refuge in a tree — Seized by
the leg — I go to the rescue — The wounded man sent into camp —
Tigress takes cover — Refuses to come out — We attack her in her
stronghold — A furious charge and subsequent retreat — Darkness sets
in — We leave her for the night.

THE names of the four shikaris referred to were Etoo,
Gungdya, Bapu and Sabha, and a pluckier or more
reliable quartette would be difficult to find. Etoo was a
Havildar, or Sergeant, in the Bhil Corps. He belonged to
a family of shikaris, and his father before him had been
Probyn's favourite gun-carrier in the days of muzzle
loaders. His son, Gungdya, a chip of the old block, was
also a private in the corps, a quiet unassuming man, but
cool and self-possessed withal. He was also an excellent
shot.

Bapu, a real wild man of the woods, I picked up one
day in rather a curious fashion when shooting in the
Barwanee jungles of H.H. the Holkar. A true aborigine,
he had literally lived all his life amongst wild beasts, and
possessed the most extraordinary knowledge of their habits.
As a tracker he was unequalled. It was about Christmas
time in 1888 that I first met him. I was out one evening
in the hills looking for sambar, when I saw in the dense
jungle below me what at first appeared to be a bear,
30

A WILD MAN OF THE WOODS

Closer examination with my glasses, however, revealed to
me a nude savage, who, armed with a rude bow some six
feet long, was crawling on his hands and knees, evidently
stalking a bakri — jungle sheep.

I sent my men to fetch him, and after a deal of palaver,
he came dragging the little antelope which he had success-
fully stalked. Patting him on the shoulder, and telling
him that we were brother shikaris, I induced him to
accompany me to my tents where I gave" him some food,
and we were soon the best of friends.

Bapu subsequently became much attached to me,
professing to have great faith in my prowess as a shikari.
Before leaving the province I enlisted him in the Bhil
Corps, which I eventually commanded, and I heard later
that he had by his good conduct risen to the rank of
Havildar.

Sabha first joined my service as a dog boy, but seeing
his keenness for sport, I enrolled him as a shikari, much to
his delight. He and Gungdya were always my greatest
allies, and both afterwards accompanied me on a shooting
expedition to East Africa, of which an account will be
given later.

******

While on the subject of shikaris, it will not, I trust, be
considered out of place to give some description of tiger
shooting and of the various methods employed for cir-
cumventing these wily animals, by no means an easy task,
as every sportsman who has had any experience of this
sport will readily admit.

These methods necessarily vary according to the nature
of the country, the kind of jungle to be beaten, the season
of the year, any known peculiarities of the particular
animal being hunted, etc., etc., but the following remarks,
which may be applied to panthers also, will give a general
idea.

The best season for shooting tigers is during the hottest
months of the year — March, April, May — when the jungles
are burnt and the scarcity of water drives all game to the
immediate proximity of the rivers and pools, etc.

I have always held that baiting the country, as described
below, brings more game to bag than any other plan, though

31

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

it should be remembered that both tigers and panthers
will often refuse to kill a tied -up bullock, especially in
jungles where game such as deer or hog are anything like
plentiful ; but these are idiosyncrasies which have to be
ignored.

The presence of a tiger having been ascertained by
its fresh footprints, etc., some young buffaloes should be
procured and tied up early in the afternoon at the most
likely places, such as meeting of paths or ravines, and near
pools of water if there happen to be any.

Towards eight or nine o'clock, when the sun is powerful,
the baits should be examined, and if one has been killed,
the sportsman with one or two good trackers, should quietly
approach the spot and endeavour to find out where the
tiger's or leopard's pugs or tracks lead to. Should they
lead into a thick covert or rocks where the animal is supposed
to have lain up, the ground for some distance round should
be carefully examined, and, if no footprints are found
leading out, men must be silently posted on trees, at twenty
or thirty paces' interval, as stops to prevent the game
from slipping away unobserved up one of the smaller side
ravines or paths leading to the covert. This is a most
necessary precaution, and the carrying out of it should
therefore be personally supervised by the sportsman as
on the way these stops are placed may depend the success
or failure of the beat, for tigers, if not disturbed, will remain
near their kill for two or three days, sometimes even longer
(it all depends on the size of the animal killed), hence if
well ringed round will probably be bagged. A gorged
tiger is easy to beat out as he is lazy and slow in his move-
ments.

The guns must now be placed so as to command any
pass or passes leading to the cover for which the tiger is
likely to make when started, and the beaters will then
commence to beat the jungle at some distance from the
spot where they know or believe the tiger to be lying up,
for if roused suddenly it may, if not too gorged with meat,
rush too quickly past the guns to allow of a sure shot.

In driving a ravine, it should be remembered that a
tiger will, almost invariably, come along the bank in
preference to down the bed. If during the drive any
32

HINTS ON TIGER SHOOTING

monkeys or peacocks are heard giving their peculiar cry
of alarm, it may be safely assumed that there is a tiger
or panther in the beat.

Assuming that the drive has been properly managed,
there should be no difficulty in bagging the tiger, for it
is a large mark to fire at and will probably come along at
a jog trot or slow walk. Care should however be taken not
to fire at it too hurriedly and certainly not until it is well
opposite the post (tree or ledge of rock) so as to make a
certainty of him.

If the sportsman fires too excitedly or too soon he will
probably miss or, worse still, merely wound the animal,
which would then most likely break back on to the beaters,
who, it must be remembered, are usually only armed with
sticks, striking down any so unfortunate as to be in its
way, and possibly inflicting fatal injuries. Hence in tiger
hunting random shooting should never be indulged in ;
on the contrary, every shot fired must be well considered
and intended to strike a vital spot.

Should the tiger unfortunately get away wounded, it
must be followed at all costs, though not necessarily at
once. And it is here that the value of an elephant comes
in, for it is obviously safer for the sportsman to follow
mounted on an elephant than on foot. Nevertheless, I
maintain that the absence of an elephant is no excuse for
abandoning the pursuit, though I have often heard it said
that to follow a wounded tiger on foot is what no sane
sportsman should do.

I have no wish to take up a hostile attitude in this
matter, nor do I pretend to the possession of a courage
greater than that required of any ordinary sportsman,
but I do not consider any man should wage war with
savage beasts unless he is prepared to take some sporting
risks, and it is not a very sportsmanlike proceeding to leave
a wounded animal in the jungle — perhaps to die a lingering
death — no matter whether the beast is a tiger or a hare !

Moreover, I maintain that if proper precautions be
observed, a wounded tiger may be followed up on foot
without excessive risk. In the first place it should be given
time to bleed to death or for its wounds to stiffen so as to
render the animal less effective. Then, before advancing,

D 33

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

the direction the beast has taken must be definitely as-
certained by examining each footprint, and looking for
the faintest speck of blood on fallen leaves and bushes
against which it may have brushed. Any thick cover,
too, from which the animal might make a sudden onslaught
should be very carefully approached, with the rifle not
only at full cock, but held ready for instant use, and
lastly, the sportsman should be accompanied by some men
who may be relied on to stand firm ; for even a wounded
tiger will seldom make good its charge if boldly faced.

I would therefore impress on all young sportsmen
desirous of becoming successful big-game hunters, the
necessity of invariably following up and killing any animal
they have wounded, not only because by doing so they put
the poor beast out of pain, and incidentally secure a
sporting trophy, but in addition, probably save some human
lives, for wounded animals such as tigers, leopards, bears
or bison are always a source of danger to any natives in
the neighbourhood, who might inadvertently come upon
them while seeking for cattle or firewood in the jungle in
which they are lying up.

There is yet another practice to which every would-be
hunter of big game should, if he wishes to succeed as such,
devote his attention and study to acquire, and that is, the
art of tracking. It is, doubtless, difficult to learn, but by
constantly accompanying his men when scouring the
jungles for game, and carefully observing various marks
or indications of where an animal has been, he will in course
of time be able to decipher them with ease.

He will find it very difficult at first to distinguish
between the footprints of various beasts, and may find
himself mistaking the track of a goat for a boar or those
of a hyena for a panther, but time and experience will over-
come these difficulties, and he will ultimately be surprised
to find how easily he is able to discriminate between foot-
prints much less distinguishable even than these, as, for
instance, those of a tiger from a tigress, which though
apparently very similar, are to the practised eye quite
different, the former being much squarer, especially if
the animal is old, whilst those of the tigress are more oval
in shape.
34

A TIGRESS AND HER CUBS

And now having, to the best of my ability, endeavoured
to initiate the reader into the mysteries of tiger shooting
as practised in the Presidency of Bombay, I will go on to
relate some of my own experiences and adventures with
these animals, both during my term of office as Tiger
Slayer to Government and subsequently in my ordinary
official life as a District Police Officer.

To give an account of every tiger I have slain would
make as tiring reading as it would be tedious to record.*
I will confine myself therefore to recounting such incidents
only as were specially exciting, or tend to confirm the
opinion I have expressed as to the merit or defects of the
various rifles I have referred to in the preceding chapter.

To begin then with an adventure I experienced while
encamped at the village of Langdi Bawanee, a deserted
Bhil hamlet in the Satpuda Hills.

I was out one morning looking for sambar, when we
came on the fresh tracks of a tigress and two cubs, leading
to a deep, rocky ravine, banked on either side by high
grass and reeds. Having only a couple of men with me,
I sent to the nearest village, six miles distant, for some
beaters.

By the time these arrived it was nearly 5 p.m., so as
there was little time to lose, I selected a tree, at the lower
end of the covert, and, mounting into it, told the beaters
to drive the tigress towards me.

As the men came along the tigress showed herself for
an instant, and then retiring under a mass of green foliage,
lay perfectly still.

Making a signal to the beaters with my hand, indicating
the position which the tigress had taken up, I waited
patiently. Presently one of the men, neglecting my ex-
press instructions to keep well together, approached the
spot alone from above and throwing a stone into the
foliage was promptly charged by the tigress.

He ran for some trees, where his comrades had taken
refuge on hearing the tigress roar, closely followed by the
infuriated beast. Two more strides and she would have

* Mr. Digby Davies has shot to his own rifle over 250 tigers and has
assisted at the destruction of many others.

35

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

caught him up, but at this moment he had fortunately
reached the tree, and seizing a branch, swung himself up.
The tigress, however, by getting a momentary hold for
her claws on the trunk, seized him by the leg, inflicting
two deep wounds, but luckily the man held on, for had he
loosed his grip nothing could have saved him.

I had a perfect view of these proceedings from my tree,
but the distance — about ninety yards — was too great for
accurate shooting, and by the time I had climbed down
and reached the spot, the tigress had gone back into the
cover whence she had charged.

We bandaged up the man, and making a litter of boughs,
sent him off to camp. Meanwhile, the tigress could be
heard growling savagely in the covert, and thinking she
would probably repeat her tactics, and so give me a shot,
I quietly mounted the tree on which the man had been,
while the Bhils bombarded her with stones, but failed to
make her move.

There was nothing for it now but to walk her up, in
other words, to attack her in her stronghold, so, collecting
a few likely looking men, we approached the spot, but had
not gone very far, when out she rushed with a loud roar,
and before I had time to fire had gained the shelter of an
overhanging ledge of rock, disappearing into some dense
jungle below, where I had to leave her for the night.

36

CHAPTER VI

•

Resume the attack — A bait taken — The tigress charges — A difficult shot —
Hit — Wounded mortally, yet attacks a beater — I go to the rescue —
A fortunate escape — Tigers not incapable of climbing trees — The
wounded man recovers — Wounds from tiger's teeth and claws — The
character of tigers described — Man-eaters — Causes that produce them
— Fallacies regarding man-eaters — News of another tiger — Posted on
foot — Killed with a single bullet — Tenacity of life fortunately rare —
A dangerous sport — A tigress with cubs — One bagged — An unexpected
attack — Fire both barrels into her face — The tigress gets home — I am
knocked over — A period of unconsciousness — Badly clawed and bitten
— Saved by Bapu's pluck — Bandaging the wound — Carried into camp
— Treatment and eventual recovery — The dangers of a light rifle —
Heavy casualty list in Khandesh — Another instance of light rifle
inefficiency — Monkeys give the alarm — Sudden appearance of the
tiger — An unfortunate slip — Reserving my fire — A terrified dog-boy
— Tiger sits up dog-fashion — A perilous situation — The tiger fortu-
nately retires — Send for heavy rifle — Tracking up the tiger — Success
at last — A fine trophy.

THE next day, accompanied by Major M , I.M.S.,

Surgeon to H.E. the then Governor of Bombay, who
had come out to me for a few days' shooting, I returned
to the jungle, where we found fresh tracks of the tigress
in the same covert. She had, during the night, killed one
of the buffaloes I had tied up as bait.

As my friend had never shot a tiger, I placed him in
the best position, and taking up a post some distance
behind him, told the men to beat the jungle up towards us.

At the first sound of the beaters the tigress showed
herself, and growling savagely the while, charged past

M 's tree. It was a difficult mark she offered, for

besides the pace she was going, some clumps of bamboos
intervened, but he hit her with his first barrel, the bullet
striking her about the middle of the ribs, passing, as we
found later, diagonally through the opposite shoulder.

37

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

The wound was a mortal one, but she managed to gallop
on some forty yards, then, attempting to rush up the bank,
was challenged by one of the " stops," whom she instantly
charged, actually scrambling up the tree for some distance
in her efforts to get at him.*

Hearing the shouts of the men, mingled with the savage
roaring of the animal, I thought some one had been seized
by her, and running up to the spot, was just in time to
finish her off, much to the relief of the hapless Bhil who,
however, beyond the fright he had suffered, was happily
none the worse for his adventure. We subsequently
measured the tigress' highest claw-marks on the tree,
which, so far as I remember, was some twelve feet from the
ground ; thus proving that she had actually climbed up
to that height, which, seeing that the tree was bare of
branches to a point above the spot she had reached, was
not a bad performance. It would seem, then, that tigers
are not, as is generally supposed, physically incapable of
climbing trees, indeed, to this particular animal, it seemed
to come quite naturally, for both on this occasion and
before, she had done so evidently without effort.

The man she had mauled the day before remained with
us for some weeks, and, thanks to my medical friend's
skilled treatment, eventually recovered from his wounds,
fortunately for him blood poisoning had not set in, for this
condition often follows on wounds from a tiger's teeth or
claws, and almost invariably it the animal happens to
have been recently feeding on an old and decomposed kill ;
at the same time he was unfortunate, in that the tigress
happened to have cubs, for otherwise it is improbable that
she would have made this furious and practically un-
provoked, attack on him.

Tigers, in common with wild animals generally, differ
considerably in character, some being savage and morose,
others shy and retiring ; but as a general rule, tigers, unless
confirmed man-eaters, will not attack a human being
without some provocation, though those which eventu-
ally take to man-eating, frequently attack their victims

* There are other instances on record where a tiger, shot through the
heart or brain has been known to travel several yards.
38

MAN-EATERS

boldly, first creeping up to them with a rapid, stealthy
movement.

These pests of the jungle, happily now rare, are usually
old tigers and invariably ex-cattle lifters who, having
frequented the neighbourhood of villages and become
accustomed to the presence of men, begin by carrying off
some wretched unsuspecting cowherd or wood-cutter, and
having thus discovered that killing human beings is easier
work than cattle or game, take to man ea'ting as a source
of subsistence.

It is an error to suppose, by the way, that man-eaters
are invariably mangy or lean, for, on the contrary, they
are usually in prime condition, with bright and glossy
coats, excellent as trophies. Unfortunately, however, the
rapidity and uncertainty of a man-eater's movements
always make it difficult to bring one to bag.

•>..»•*-••:*'.»*

Towards the end of April, '88, I was encamped at
Mitagaon on the borders of the Bar wan ee territory. This
place, owing to innumerable deep and tortuous ravines,
filled with long grass and thorny bushes, was notorious
for the number of tigers in its vicinity, and in one year I
had killed thirty-one to my own rifle, and helped to slay
several more.

The day after my arrival at the camp, khabbar * was
brought to me of a tiger having killed a buffalo a short
distance off. I started immediately for the spot, and
taking up the tracks, marked the beast down in a small
nullah. I sent in the beaters, and, there being no suitable
tree available, had to await the drive on foot.

The shouts of the beaters soon disclosed the fact that
the animal was started, and presently a very large tiger
emerged from the cover, and leisurely walked past me,
about fifteen yards away, thus presenting a large and easy
target which I could scarcely fail to hit. I fired at once
with my -500 Express, rolling him over like a rabbit, the
bullet of pure lead having entered close behind the shoulder
and smashed the heart to pieces.

Here was thus an instance of a tiger being killed by a
single bullet, and yet, only two days later, with this my

* News.

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

rifle, I shot a tigress through the brain, but she held on,
and with undiminished speed, for fully thirty yards before
she fell !

This — with the case described in the earlier pages of
this chapter — shows how tenaciously at times the larger
beasts of prey will cling to life, thus rendering their pursuit
so dangerous to the sportsman when on foot. Such
tenacity to life, however, is fortunately rare, for, as a general
rule, a shot if well placed will, even if not instantly fatal,
at any rate put the animal out of action. Nevertheless,
accidents in tiger shooting, as with polo or any other
dangerous form of sport, must occasionally occur, and
sometimes most unexpectedly as the following incident
will show.

I was once encamped at Pansunba — also in the Bar-
wanee .territory — when my men who had been out as usual
looking for tracks, reported the presence of a tigress and
two cubs in a broad, sandy ravine not very far off. On
my arrival there I found the ravine in question ran between
two sloping banks, both covered with high grass and
reeds.

Placing some men on trees to drive the tigress back,
should she attempt to break up either side, I took my
post on a tree at the furthest end of the cover. Knowing
the danger they ran in beating up a tigress with cubs, I
cautioned the beaters to keep well together and distributed
amongst them some spare guns which I had loaded with
buck shot.

I had scarcely taken up my position when I heard loud
shouts, followed by a succession of savage roarings from
the tigress. Presently one of the stops at the upper end
of the covert signalled that the tigress had broken back
and gone up the bank ; however, the beaters still came on,
driving before them a three-quarter grown cub which I
promptly rolled over.

I then left my tree, and accompanied by my two trusty
shikaris, Bapu and Etoo, proceeded in the direction the
tigress had gone, with the intention of taking up her tracks
and marking her down again if possible.

Guided by the men on trees, we cautiously approached
the spot where she was last seen and were carefully
40

I AM MAULED BY A TIGRESS

examining the ground, when we were startled by a deafening
roar, instantly followed by the tigress who came charging
down the bank, and at such speed that her belly almost
touched the ground.

Stepping forward, clear of some bushes, I had barely
time to aim. but succeeded in ffettinff off both barrels of

EEEATA.

Page 40, line 15, far "Pansunba," read " Punsunbal."

Page 49, line II, for " numerous," read " large."

Page 50, line 29, between "remember" and "one," insert "on."

Page 51, line 3, for " boxes," read " hoaxes."

Page 54, line 26, for " keep," read " try."

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER.

up. Had 1 had my Rigby, which was unfortunately in
the hands of the gun-maker at the time, I am confident
its long heavy bullet would have stopped the tigress,
possibly killed her instantaneously, as on examining the
skull, I found both my shots had struck her fairly between
the nostrils, from which there is a clear passage to the
brain.

41

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

rifle, I shot a tigress through the brain, but she held on,
and with undiminished speed, for fully thirty yards before
she fell !

This — with the case described in the earlier pages of
this chapter — shows how tenaciously at times the larger
beasts of prey will cling to life, thus rendering their pursuit

luiicu uvcr.

I then left my tree, and accompanied by my two trusty
shikaris, Bapu and Etoo, proceeded in the direction the
tigress had gone, with the intention of taking up her tracks
and marking her down again if possible.

Guided by the men on trees, we cautiously approached
the spot where she was last seen and were carefully
40

I AM MAULED BY A TIGRESS

examining the ground, when we were startled by a deafening
roar, instantly followed by the tigress who came charging
down the bank, and at such speed that her belly almost
touched the ground.

Stepping forward, clear of some bushes, I had barely
time to aim, but succeeded in getting off both barrels of
my rifle right into her face, which then was hardly three
paces from me. However, she managed to get home, and
the next moment I was on my back with the tigress standing
over me growling savagely.

I remembered nothing more, but on coming to found
myself surrounded by Bhils and my late antagonist lying
dead at my feet — a fine, heavy beast with a rich dark skin.
I now learnt that on the tigress seizing me, Bapu had most
pluckily run in and shot her through the head, all this
having been the work of a few seconds.

My chest and arms were badly clawed and bitten, but
the wounds were not so serious as they might have been,
thanks to the crippled condition of the tigress, whose
lower jaw had been literally blown to pieces by my shots,
and to the cool and plucky Bapu, who with great presence
of mind had shot her before she could do me further
mischief.

The men now bandaged me up with strips torn off their
clothing, and making a litter of boughs, carried me back
to camp, distant some eight miles, where I had my wounds
attended to by the native apothecary in charge of the
Pansembal Dispensary. Eventually, under the skilful

treatment of Colonel B , Civil Surgeon of Dhulia, I

recovered entirely from my wounds.

The rifle I had been using was a '450 Express, carrying

a light hollow bullet, lent me by my poor friend G of

the Forest Department, who was afterwards killed by a
tiger. This bullet being so hollow had completely broken
up. Had I had my Rigby, which was unfortunately in
the hands of the gun-maker at the time, I am confident
its long heavy bullet would have stopped the tigress,
possibly killed her instantaneously, as on examining the
skull, I found both my shots had struck her fairly between
the nostrils, from which there is a clear passage to the
brain.

41

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

However, I was glad enough to have got off so cheaply
as I had, for the death-roll of sportsmen killed by tigers in
Khandesh was very heavy about this time, amongst them

H of the Civil Service, K , Royal Army Medical

Corps, and others whose names I have forgotten, besides

G , already mentioned, who, like myself, had been only

slightly mauled, but blood poisoning setting in, had died
within a week. A fine sportsman he was, too, and a great
loss to the district.

Another instance of a light bullet from a small bore
failing to inflict a fatal wound, was on one occasion when
I was shooting in the Satpuda range of hills. I had strolled
out one evening, accompanied by my dog-boy — a lad of
about ten years of age — to look for chinkara, or ravine
deer, in some scrub jungle near my camp. Not expecting
to meet with any big game, I had taken only my single
•400 Express and half a dozen cartridges.

A short distance from the tents was a deep, rocky
ravine, choked with dense bushes and masses of creeping
plants. As we were skirting round this, we suddenly
heard some monkeys at the extreme end of the covert
uttering their harsh, peculiar cry of alarm, and thinking
they had probably seen a panther, we cautiously approached
the spot, keeping a sharp look out.

Crawling on hands and knees, we had almost reached
the end of the ravine, and I was searching the ground for
tracks, when the boy, catching me by the arm, pointed to
some rocks above us. At the same moment I saw a large
tiger picking his way leisurely among the boulders, about
twenty yards to my front, and evidently quite unconscious
of our presence.

I fired at once, striking him in the ribs. Unfortunately,
my foot slipping at the moment on some stones prevented
my swinging the rifle as far forward as I had intended, with
the result that the bullet struck the animal a little too far
back.

Quickly pushing in another cartridge, I fired again,
smashing his forearm.

This brought him rolling down the slope to within ten
yards of where we stood, but I now reserved my fire, for
when we first saw the tiger I had only three cartridges left,
42

A PERILOUS SITUATION

having fired the rest at some chinkara which we had come
upon before.

Meanwhile, my small dog-boy, terrified out of his young
senses, had closed up to me for protection, and no wonder,
considering his years, for the tiger was now growling
savagely and biting his injured leg in impotent rage, as
wounded tigers often do.

Presently, he sat up on his haunches, .like a huge dog,
and looking in our direction, I knew at once that he had
seen us. Drawing himself back, with body arched, ears
laid flat, lips drawn up, exposing his long white fangs, and
eyes flashing fire, he fixed his gaze upon us. This was
certainly one of the most perilous situations I have been
in, for truly the beast was an awe-inspiring spectacle, and
I felt my heart beating considerably quicker than its wont,
as I thought of the light rifle in my hands, and how
ineffective it had shown itself to be.

Still I reserved my fire, expecting every moment that
the beast would charge when I intended to blaze into his
face, and trust to luck, but presently, and to my intense
relief, he stood up, and then, slowly retracing his steps
over the rocks, disappeared from view.

I now sent off the boy to camp to fetch my heavy rifle,
and as many men as he could collect. By the time they
arrived the sun had almost set, nevertheless, we took up
the blood tracks into some high grass where one of the men
who had climbed on to a tree called out that he could see
the tiger.

Handing the man my rifle, I climbed up too into the
tree, and soon made out the beast in a crouching position
and facing in my direction. Taking a steady aim, I fired
and shot him through the neck.

He was a large heavy tiger, measuring nine feet five
inches as he lay. My first bullet had struck him in the ribs
but being light and expanding, had merely inflicted a
surface wound. My second had shattered his forearm,
but this would not have prevented him from charging
home had I not finished him with the heavy rifle.

43

CHAPTER VII

A rare chance — A bull bison and a tiger — Hopes of a record — " Right and
left " — Beating on spec — The bull bison viewed — Changing my rifle
— About to pull the trigger — The tiger appears on the scene — An
unparalleled situation — A chance of making history — Another change
of rules — Fatal hesitation — The tiger alarmed — Making off at a gallop
— A difficult shot — The record unachieved — The tigress shot — The
light rifle scores for once — Another tiger killed — Evidence in favour
of the heavier weapon — Experience gained as tiger slayer — Some
remarks on tigers — Varieties of the species — Hot and cold weather
coats — Colour a sign of age — Muscular development — " Lucky bones "
— Cattle-killing and bill tigers — Difference in weight and size — Length
of tigers — Methods of measurement — Age difficult to determine —
How a tiger kills its prey — Manner of eating — Not necessarily nocturnal
in its habits — An example — The tiger's attack — Wounds generally
fatal — Time of breeding — Number of cubs produced — Devouring their
young — Feeding the cubs — Cubs as pets — Tiger fat and rheumatism
— Milk of tigress as medicine — Adventures of a sample — Legends
and superstitions — A curiosity in tigers — Declared a new species —
The mystery solved — Disillusion.

IT was seldom, even in the India of thirty years ago — a
period when its jungles were swarming with big game —
that a sportsman had the luck to find himself simultaneously
confronted with two such noble quarry as a bull bison and
a tiger ! Yet such was the rare, though somewhat em-
barrassing, situation I was placed in one evening when
out shooting near my camp.

I was returning home after a fruitless search for bison
accompanied by my henchman Bapu, when we came
across his co-tracker Etoo, and the remainder of the
men, who had been in a different direction, also looking
for tracks. They informed us that they had come on
the fresh pugs * of a tiger early in the morning and had
followed them to the edge of a hill where, the ground being
hard and stony, they had lost them.

* Footprints.

44

CHANCE OF A POSSIBLE " RECORD " MISSED

As this hill was but a short distance up and there was
yet sufficient light, I decided to beat it on spec. We
accordingly made for the spot where, taking up my position
near a tree with Bapu beside me, I told the rest to go
round and work over the hill towards us. Parallel to,
and at the foot of the hill, was a dry water-course, the
far side of which was covered with dense reed and
bushes.

I had my '500 Express as well as a 10-bore rifle, which
Bapu was carrying, the latter being intended for the bison
I had hitherto failed to find.

Scarcely had the men reached the top of the hill, which
was studded with teak trees and bush, when I saw a
splendid bull bison emerge from the reeds, and come
walking along the water-course directly for our tree, which
he passed to the left, about five paces' distant.

Quickly exchanging the Express for the 10-bore, I had
covered his massive shoulder, and was about to press the
trigger, when Bapu suddenly drew my attention to a huge
tiger which was trotting down the hill immediately opposite
us !

The position was now a difficult and most perplexing
one, for here was I with a bull bison to my left and a tiger
to my right, free to shoot at either, perhaps at both, and
thus, with luck, create perhaps a record " right and
left " !

It was an achievement by no means impossible, but
unfortunately not destined to come off. Deciding to take
the tiger, I foolishly changed rifles again, and quietly as
this was done, the movement was sufficient to betray
us. The tiger, now only some twelve yards off, detected
us at once, and swerving abruptly to the left, went lumbering
down the hill.

He passed me at a fast gallop. I managed, however, to
hit him, and on receiving the shot, he lurched heavily
forward but held on, and entering a thick bamboo jungle
bordering the hill, was soon lost to view.

As it was too late now to follow him, we postponed the
pursuit to the next morning, when we took up his tracks.
We found a few drops of blood at first, but after a time these
ceased to show, and though we followed up the pugs for a

45

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

considerable distance, we were finally obliged to abandon
the search.

Probably the tiger had merely received a flesh wound
from which, as I did not get him, I hoped he would
eventually recover, and that we might meet again some
day !

The bison, no doubt, had made off earlier hi the pro-
ceedings— at any rate, I have no recollection of having
seen him after transferring my attention to the tiger.

Thus ended an incident which, had fortune favoured
me, might have proved better worth recording, but though
I failed to achieve what would, probably, have been a
record " right and left," yet the situation in itself was so
unique that I make no apology for describing it.

*****

When out shooting on one occasion with B of the

policein the Ghorisgaon jungles (Khandesh), we had wounded
a tigress and followed her up into some very thick jungle.
So dense was the cover that we had to hack our way to
where the tigress lay. Suddenly we came upon her, crouch-
ing within five paces of us, and opening fire at once, rolled
her over dead.

Fortunately she did not charge, or she would certainly
have left her mark on one, or both, of us. It was a broken
hip, no doubt, that prevented her from doing so, for at
such extremely close quarters, it is seldom that a wounded
tiger fails to take the offensive. She was a fine beast,
measuring eight feet six inches, and it was with some
difficulty that we dragged the carcase out of the dense
cover.

On another occasion I was beating for bakri * in a strip
of jungle, when suddenly a fine tiger put in his appearance.
I was on foot and armed with a light, single-barrelled rifle,
but the chance was too good a one to lose. The tiger was
standing facing me about fifteen yards off, so taking a
steady aim between the eyes, I fired, and lurching heavily
forward, he fell stone dead.

Hearing the shot the beaters came running up, expecting
to find I had " bagged " the bakri, and were consequently

* Jungle sheep.
46

ADVANTAGES OF A HEAVY RIFLE

much amazed to see me standing over a tiger instead — and
a fine one at that, the animal measuring nine feet eight
inches.

On walking through the covert later, we found he had
killed one of the beasts I had been looking for, and had
eaten the greater portion.

The above was seemingly a distinct score for the
advocates of light rifles taking a hollow bujlet, but in point
of fact this incident was no proof of its efficiency, for had
there been tough twigs, or even reeds, intervening between
the tiger and myself, the light bullet would probably have
been deflected, whereas with a heavier projectile such
obstruction would not necessarily have affected its course.

As an example of this I may quote the following
incident.

I was once following up a wounded tiger, when we
suddenly came upon him, crouching behind a clump of
bamboos, the tough stems of which partly protected his
head and shoulders. In these circumstances to fire at the
beast, with any certainty of killing him at once, was
extremely problematical.

However, there was no time to wait for a more favourable
opportunity, as from the quick, twitching movement of
the tail, I could tell that the tiger was on the point of
charging, so, aiming at as much of the head as I could see,
I fired, killing him almost instantaneously.

Subsequent examination showed that the heavy, solid
bullet, driven by six drams of powder, crashing through
numerous obstructing twigs, had struck him half-way
between the nostrils and the eyes. Had it been a lighter,
hollow bullet, it would either have been deflected by the
twigs, or broken up completely.

I hardly deserved this tiger, however, for I had missed
him badly the day before, though this was possibly due to
my being somewhat shaky at the time from repeated attacks
of fever, and, moreover, had not quite recovered from
the mauling I had received, as described in a previous
chapter. In a second beat, however, I had managed to
hit him in the ribs, but too far back, and it was only after
weary miles of tracking with my men, that we had finally
come on to him.

47

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

This incident brings me to the end of my list of exciting
or out-of-the-way adventures experienced with tigers
in Khandesh, for though I shot many more of these animals
while employed in that district, none of them, so far as I
remember, gave me any trouble to secure, nor was the
pursuit of them attended by any circumstances of sufficient
interest to relate.

During my long term of office there as tiger slayer,
however, I had, as I have already observed, quite excep-
tional opportunities for acquiring a knowledge of the
habits, etc., of these animals, not only by personal obser-
vation, but by talking to and questioning the Bhils, than
whom, as a people, there are none better informed on this
subject.

As much of this information thus acquired would possibly
be of interest, and certainly of some value, to any sports-
man who may be contemplating a shooting trip to India,
I will, before closing this chapter, give a brief resume from
notes I made from time to time.

To begin with, there is, as, I believe, universally
acknowledged, but one species of tiger, though varying
a good deal in size and colour, those found in Northern
China and Korea or Manchuria, for example, being said
to be larger, and have certainly thicker coats than those
of India, nature's provision, no doubt, for the colder
climate they inhabit, for tigers killed during the cold
weather in India, too, have a much richer coat, the fur
being closer and longer than of those shot in the hot
weather.

Tigers in India become lighter in colour from age, the
stripes becoming narrower, fainter, and further apart as
their age increases.

The muscular development of a tiger is enormous, and
there are two curiously bent bones, about four inches long,
disconnected with any other bones, embedded in the flesh
and muscle of either shoulder, that give extra strength
and cohesion to the parts. These clavicle bones — called
by Europeans " lucky bones " — are much prized by the
natives as charms.

The weight of a tiger is between four and five hundred
pounds, but varies considerably according to the locality
48

A NOBLE TROPHY.

BULL BUFFALO.

(Central Provinces.]

TIGERS AND THEIR WAYS

in which they are found. The cattle-lifter or cattle-killing
tiger is usually heavier and in better condition, subsisting
as it does chiefly on cattle, than the game-killing or hill
tiger, which lives principally on game, and is usually a
lighter and more active beast because of it having to travel
longer distances for its food. I have, however, killed very
large hill tigers in jungles where such game as wild pig or
sambar were plentiful.

The length of a tiger depends greatly on the manner in
which it is measured, for a skin can be stretched to almost
any length. Of the numerous number of tigers I have shot,
none exceeded ten feet two inches, and I can only remember
one of that length, shot in the Central Provinces, the
average length being nine feet six inches. In measuring
a tiger, care should be taken that the measurement is in
a straight line from nose to tip of tail and not round the
curves as measurements are taken in Bengal.

The average age to which a tiger lives is, I believe,
twenty years. It is always difficult to tell the age except
by the size, faintness of the stripes, and the discoloured
appearance of the teeth or fangs.

In killing cattle or game, the tiger invariably fixes its
claws and teeth into the flesh to obtain the necessary
purchase, then seizing the throat in his jaw from under-
neath, gives the fatal wrench which dislocates the neck,
bearing down its victim by sheer weight. Human beings
are invariably seized by the head or neck.

In eating its prey the tiger always commences at the
hindquarters. The exact spot where the first mouthful
will be taken can be told with certainty. After and during
the meal the tiger drinks largely.

Tigers are not necessarily nocturnal in their habits.
They hunt by day as well as by night. I recall on one
occasion tying up a young buffalo, as bait for a tiger early
in the afternoon. Shortly after we had left the spot,
we were startled by a roar and on returning found the
tiger had already killed the buffalo and dragged it into a
nullah close by ! Strangely enough, we did not get that
tiger, though we beat for him twice !

The attack of a tiger is terrific, as may be imagined
from an animal of such vast muscular proportions, one of

E 49

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

the most powerful elements in the attack being the startling,
coughing roar with which it is invariably accompanied,
a sound so intense in volume and ferocity as to be almost
paralyzing to the coolest, and once heard can never be
forgotten or mistaken for any other sound.

Wounds from a tiger's teeth or claws are very often
fatal, blood poisoning usually setting in, besides the shock
to the system which is naturally very great. Tigers do
not breed at any fixed seasons. I have taken cubs in
April and October — on two occasions four at a litter, but
this is unusual, three being the more common number,
and occasionally two. The cubs, as with pups and kittens,
are born blind.

Tigers not infrequently devour their young, hence it
is seldom that a tigress with young cubs will be found in
the same jungle with her mate. A tigress remains with her
cubs till they arc almost full grown and able to take care
of themselves. While under her charge she is most
assiduous in teaching them to kill. When very young she
feeds them with gobbets of half-digested flesh which she
disgorges on her return from hunting. I was once an
eye-witness to this interesting performance while watching,
unperceived, a tigress with her cubs.

Tiger cubs make charming pets if taken young. I have
reared several, but have never kept them for any length of
time. They thrive best on raw meat. The fat of a tiger
is considered by the natives a valuable cure for rheumatism,
as also is milk taken from a tigress.

I remember one occasion, while following the tracks of
a bison, coming upon the deserted lair of a tigress, where
amongst other evidence of her recent occupation, the
Bhils discovered some white, chalky-looking substance.
They collected this with delight, exclaiming that it was
tiger's milk and would command a good price in the market
as medicine.

It seems that the tigress had apparently been deserted
by her cubs, and the overflow of milk had solidified. I
kept a small portion, which I sent to the Chemical Analyser
to the Government of Bombay with a view to its being
examined, but received no reply.

Years afterwards, happening to meet this official, I
50

SUPERSTITIONS REGARDING TIGERS

discovered that the match-box containing this curious
substance had not been opened, as it was believed to be
one of the many boxes to which his particular department
often fell a victim. He much regretted, however, having
missed the opportunity of examining such a phenomenal
specimen !

There are many other theories as to the traits or habits
of the tiger, which though doubtless founded on experi-
ence as long, or even longer than my own, I have not quoted,
as they do not happen to have come under my personal
notice. One such hypothesis, for example, is that a tiger
and tigress will sometimes hunt together, the one taking
up a position while the other drives the game towards it.*
Another, that if a kill is handled by any human being,
the tiger will not return to it ; or again — though this is
more probably a native superstition — that if the animal
killed by a tiger should happen to fall with its head pointing
to the west, the tiger will abandon it, or at any rate will
not return !

Before concluding these remarks on tigers and their
ways, I am tempted to quote a curious incident which,
while it has no reference to the habits of these animals,
yet proves how easily even sportsmen of experience may
sometimes be deceived and led to imagine, from the seem-
ingly good evidence before them, that they have discovered
a new species. Here is the story as told to me by one who
had read it in an old Indian sporting magazine.

Many years ago a party of sportsmen in Bengal had
shot a tiger, and on examining it later found it had ears
like those of a crop-eared fox-terrier and a tail but a few
inches in length.

After careful consideration, they solemnly pronounced
the beast to be a hitherto undiscovered species of the tiger,
and reported their discovery in the magazine above quoted,
and after some controversial correspondence on the subject,
the strange animal was finally accepted as a new species*

Meanwhile, a sportsman of an adjacent district, who
happened to have been on leave in England at the time,
returned to India, and coming across the magazine, was

* For a verification of this see the author's last work, " Tigerland,"
p. 151.

51

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

much interested to find that a new kind of tiger had been
discovered.

Suddenly, however, he remembered that some years
prior to the date on which this tiger had been shot, he
and a friend had captured a small cub, and one day, while
cutting the ears and tails of some terrier pups, had, on the
impulse of the moment, performed a similar operation on
the cub, which some months later had escaped and was
lost in an adjoining jungle !

52

CHAPTER VIII

Tiger slayer and policeman — A useful combination — Tracking a Dacoit
leader — A troublesome gang — Eluding the police — In pursuit — My
early morning visitor — A nude, wild figure — An unexpected meeting —
A conditional surrender suggested — Offer of a drink — Sampling the
brandy — Arrested in the act — Camp life in India — Tents — Council
round the camp fire — Useful information thus acquired — A day in
camp described — Fascination of the life — Camping near jungles —
Noises in the night as music to the sportsman — Possibilities of
adventure, an example — A dinner interrupted — Face to face with a
leopard — Dangerous curiosity — Another camp adventure — A shooting
camp disturbed — Besieged by a wild elephant — Its threatening attitude
— A thrilling moment — Suspense relieved — A well-considered shot —
Comical conclusion — A Christmas camp — Some bears marked down
—The beat begun — A frock-coated sportsman — Charged by a bear —
His headlong flight — Coat-tails flying — Caught in a creeper — A Scotch
doctor to the rescue — A lucky fluke — " Get up, mon, I've shot the
bar " — Proud of his success — His boast.

As Tiger Slayer to the Government in Khandesh, much of
my time was necessarily devoted to the destruction of
these animals, for to be successful in this work required
a great deal of personal attention to preliminary details.
Thanks, however, to the efficiency of the inestimable
Bapu and his colleagues, this labour was considerably
lessened, enabling me to give the attention necessary for
the performance of my other duties as police-officer of the
district.

In point of fact, however, I found that much of what I
learnt while tiger-hunting, was of equal use to me as Super-
intendent of Police, for to carry out efficiently the duties
of either office it was essentially necessary to mix freely
with the people and to elicit from them the information
I required in both cases.

Thus, while ostensibly and actually inquiring as to
the whereabouts of a tiger, I was often able to pick up useful
information regarding the people of the village I happened

53

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

to be in, as for instance, any persons whom I had reason
for supposing were secretly engaged in criminal pursuits.

In this way I picked up on one occasion some valuable
information about a Bhil named Lai-Sing, who subsequently
developed into a somewhat famous leader of Dacoits, and
whose arrest was eventually accomplished in the following
curious fashion.

We had been troubled for some time by a gang of Dacoits
supposed to be under the leadership of this man, who was
a deserter from the Mawas, or Irregular Police. They had
committed several murders, held up villages, stopped
travellers on the roads, etc., etc., and when finally pressed
by our special parties, the leader took refuge in the hills
where it was impossible to locate him, though he was seen
once or twice and fired at, but escaped.

At length one night, while still engaged in the pursuit,
I was asleep in a bungalow at Palasnair, a village at the foot
of the hills, when I was awoke by a feeling as of some one
near me, and in the dim morning light I saw a nude, wild
figure, armed with a bow and arrows. I asked him what
he wanted, awaiting his answer with some interest, for
I had by then recognized my visitor as being no less
important an individual than the famous Dacoit leader,
Lai-Sing himself, the very person I was in pursuit of !

He said " he had come to give himself up on condition
that he was forgiven, and that I would keep him myself,"
by which, I presume, he meant that I would not give him
up to justice. He added " that he would return for my
answer, but that he must now rejoin his comrades, who were
awaiting him in a village some two miles off."

I replied " that I was delighted to see him," which was
true enough ; then, knowing a BhiPs weakness for alcoholic
liquids, suggested he should have a drink before he went,
and producing a full bottle of brandy, handed it to him,
after knocking off the top. While he was testing its con-
tents, swallowing the major portion in the process, I stole
out, and calling to the sentry — who, by the way, I found
asleep — we captured the sporting reprobate, who was
eventually sent up and tried, and being convicted, was
sentenced to a long term of imprisonment.

*****

54

CAMP LIFE IN INDIA

One of the pleasantest periods in the life of an Indian
Police Officer is that portion of it which, under the regu-
lations, he is required to spend in touring through his
district on inspection duty. This cold-weather tour, as
it is termed officially, usually begins about the 15th
November and is continued, with short intervals at head-
quarters, till the end of March.

During these four months the climate. of India is at its
very best, and is probably, at this season, the finest in
the world, with day after day of brilliant sunshine, tempered
by cool breezes, and the nights so cold and often frosty,
that a fire is by no means a mere luxury, especially out in
camp, where, apart from the comfort it imparts, it serves
to light up the surroundings as well as to purify the air
which, after sunset, in the neighbourhood of jungles, is apt
to be malarious.

Camp life in India has often been described and, as it
deserves to be, generally in glowing terms, since it would
be difficult to imagine a condition of life more thoroughly
enjoyable, for it must not be supposed that camping in
India, in the sense referred to here, involves any of the
hardships or discomforts such as one experiences in that
questionable amusement known as " camping out," which
some people, gifted with more energy than discretion,
occasionally indulge in in England.

On the contrary, for, in the first place, every official,
whose duties include an annual tour of his district, is
provided by Government with large, roomy tents, usually
sufficient in number to allow of one being always sent on
ahead, to be pitched on the new camping ground. Thus
when marching from one encampment to another — usually
done in the early morning — the official finds a comfortable
shelter awaiting him, as well as breakfast, for the cook,
with his appliances, has come on during the night.

The other tents and equipage, transported on many
bullock carts, arrive some hours later, and before the
night sets in, the tents are re-erected, their furniture
arranged and the carts being paid up and discharged, the
encampment is, to all appearances, as it was the day before
the move was made.

Then, as the sun goes down, and the brief Indian

55

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

twilight is merging into darkness, comes a period of blissful
inactivity passed lounging in a hammock-chair by the
camp fire, discussing sport with the shikaris, may be, or
in extracting information from the head men of the villages
in the neighbourhood of the camp.

Much useful information, whether concerning sport or
crime, can be picked up in this way, for while voluble enough
when talked to in this unofficial manner, natives are singu-
larly reticent if they suspect they are being questioned for
some specific purpose. Thus, at these camp-fire councils,
the official not only picks up information which he could not
otherwise obtain, but, what is as important, gains the
confidence of the people, which once secured, is a valuable
asset in all dealings with orientals, and one not easy to
acquire by Europeans.

But to continue. The most important function of the
day is dinner, which served in the cosy comfort of a warm,
well-lighted tent, has little in it to suggest the primitive
kitchen whence it issued, for though cooked in the open,
and on a range, ingeniously constructed out of clay, in the
number and quality of the courses, it differs in no way
from an ordinary meal.

Nor in such matters as table linen, glass or plate, is any
difference to be seen, and even the furniture, though
obviously of a kind made to take to pieces or roll up, is
solid in appearance and comfortable in use. In fact,
except for its poles and canvas walls, there is nothing much
in the interior of the tent to distinguish it from that of an
ordinary, plainly furnished room.

In addition to this, the day or " dining " tent, which,
by the way, is usually sent on the night before the camp is
moved, there is the sleeping tent, a counterpart of the other,
and being as comfortably furnished, makes as cosy a bed-
room as any one could wish for.

The general pattern of these tents is what is termed a
Swiss cottage, varying in size from twelve to fourteen
feet square, with two poles, connected by a transverse
bar, or ridge pole, and having a verandah at either
end, the one at the back being enclosed to form a bath-
room.

There are two openings, or doors, in front, one on each
56

A LEOPARD IN CAMP AT NIGHT

side of the pole, fitted with chicks,* which can be let down
during the day to keep out the glare, and heavy curtains
stiffened with lathes, for use at night, and as these are made
large enough to overlap the openings, they keep the tent
quite warm.

In fact, as a place to sleep in, it would be difficult to
find anything so snug and comfortable as these tents, and
there is a fascination about this life too, for when, as
often happens, the camp is pitched near a jungle, strange,
awe-inspiring sounds are sometimes heard during the night,
as, for instance, of a tiger calling to its mate, or the weird,
rasping cry of a leopard on the prowl.

These animals are probably some little distance from
the camp, but in the stillness of the night, their cries sound
as if the beasts were prowling round the tent. The situa-
tion, therefore, is, to say the least of it, sufficiently exciting
for the occupant, and if he is a sportsman, most fascinating
too, for to him there is no music more entrancing than the
call of a tiger or leopard in the night.

But it must not be supposed that such experiences are
common, for even when encamped in the midst of a dense
forest, night after night may pass without a sound to
indicate the presence of any animal within it, still, as
few Indian forests are untenanted, there is always the
possibility of this silence being suddenly dispelled by a
tiger's awe-inspiring roar, or by the cry of some other
beast as interesting from a sportsman's point of view.

As an example of how unexpectedly one may be con-
fronted with wild animals, when encamped in the vicinity
of a jungle, I may quote two incidents, both of which
occurred to a friend of mine, a police officer in Bengal.

On the first occasion, he and the district magistrate,
while camping together in one of the wildest portions of
their district, were seated one moonlight night at dinner,
when suddenly there arose a loud, sharp, rasping cry,
which, continuing for some seconds, seemed to come from
just outside the tent. My friend, being the keener sports-
man of the two, rushed out at once to find himself face to
face with a huge leopard, which, evidently attracted by a
dog inside the tent, was standing a few paces from the

* A curtain made of thin bamboo strips strung closely together.

57

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

door. Fortunately, however, it made no attempt to
attack him, but turning quickly round, sneaked off into
the jungle whence it came. It was a lucky escape, for
in his eagerness to catch the beast in the act of uttering its
curious, weird cry, my friend had run out unarmed.

His next adventure, experienced a year or so later, was
even more exciting, and might well have ended in disaster,
if not to himself, to one or more of the twenty odd persons
present at the time.

On this occasion the scene of the adventure was a
shooting camp, pitched on the borders of a large Govern-
ment Reserve Forest, and the time, as before, while my
friend and his guests were at dinner.

The meal had just been served in the brilliantly lit up
dining tent, when, suddenly, there was a tremendous
uproar in the camp, servants and camp followers all
shouting together, but producing no intelligible sounds,
except for the two words " Jungli Hati — Jungli Hati " *
which, repeated frequently, could be heard above the
din.

In a moment the dining tent was emptied of all but the
two lady guests, the rest rushing out with one accord,
most of them wondering, for the moment, what had
happened, for amongst them were some to whom the two
Hindustani words conveyed no information.

My friend ran out with the others, but, mindful possibly
of his former indiscretion, called for his rifle, which with
some cartridges were quickly brought to him by one of the
Khit-magar f in attendance. Loading the weapon, he
followed the others to where the shouting crowd of natives
were assembled.

There, standing about thirty paces from this crowd, and
in the very centre of the camp, consisting of some half a
dozen larger and several smaller tents, was a huge tusker
elephant, coated from head to foot with mud from a pool
in which it had evidently been wallowing.

Whether frightened at the shouting, or merely confused
for the time, it stood perfectly still, its only movements
being a forward and backward motion of its huge ears

* Wild elephant. t Table servant.

58

ADVENTURE WITH A WILD ELEPHANT

and an occasional swaying of the trunk. But in these
seemingly harmless movements there was danger, as the
more experienced of those present knew, for such action
in an elephant often precedes an attack. At the same
time there was nothing to be done, for to fire at the
animal then would in all probability have precipitated the
attack.

Fortunately, however, the beast was not, apparently,
in a pugnacious mood just then, for after a" minute or two,
which to the helpless crowd awaiting its decision, must
have seemed the longest in their lives, it turned slowly
round, and picking its steps carefully through the tents'
ropes, strode majestically away.

But the danger was not over yet, for presently it stopped,
and with its body half turned towards the camp, was stand-
ing in a thoughtful attitude as if meditating whether it
would not be better to advance again, when my friend,
thinking rightly that at this critical moment a sudden
shock might change the current of its thoughts, fired both
barrels into its stern.

The effect was instantaneous. With a squeal of pain,
rage, or fear — possibly all three — the huge animal scuttled
off as fast as it could go, seeming quite ridiculous in the
anxiety it exhibited to be off, and thus bringing to a comical
conclusion what had come perilously near to being a very
serious tragedy, for there was no limit to the damage it
might have done had it charged into the crowd.

With the possibility of experiencing adventures such
as these, always present, added to the free, healthy life
he leads during this period, it is no wonder that the official
Anglo-Indian should look forward to the camping season,
for after the long weary months of heat and toil, it comes as
an oasis, so to speak, in the desert of his late existence.

Moreover, as already mentioned in a previous chapter,
it is during these cold- weather tours — generally at Christmas
time — that shooting parties are made up, when, by previous
arrangement, the various officials of the district meet and
camp together for a week or more, each carrying on his
own duties, but devoting his leisure hours to sport. On
these occasions it is usual to have a general mess, one large
tent being set apart for this purpose, in which, after the

59

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

day's work or sport, dinner, the most enjoyable social
function of the day, is served, followed by hot grog, while
seated round the camp fire, when every animal bagged that
day is shot over again, and many a story told — some
perhaps not unlike " travellers' tales " though probably
quite true, for incidents in Indian sport are often quite as
strange as fiction.

It was at one of these camp gatherings during Christmas
time, that we had a somewhat amusing adventure with a
bear, an animal, by the way, which, though quite as
dangerous as many to be found in the Indian jungle, is
from its peculiarities also a comical beast at times and
affords the sportsman much amusement.

On this particular occasion, however, it was not so much
the conduct of the bear as that of some of the sportsmen
which amused us. We were rather a large party, consisting
of two Indian civilians and their wives, the district judge,
the doctor, and myself.

The shikaris having marked down a couple of bears,
we sallied forth one morning, the two ladies accompanying
us on an elephant, from which they could watch the whole
proceedings in absolute security.

On arrival at the jungle, we took up our respective
places, and the beaters being already assembled, the beat
began at once.

We had not long to wait, for presently one of the
bears broke out in the direction of the post occupied by,
let us say X, who, much to the amusement of the rest of
us, was attired in a long frock-coat. How he came to
have such a garment with him in camp, and why he had
donned it to go bear-shooting in, we never discovered, but
there it was, as originally created, silk facings and all
complete.

However, notwithstanding his extraordinary, unsports-
manlike get-up, he was evidently quite at home with his
rifle, and as the bear came nearer, he fired — but unfortu-
nately missed — whereupon the beast promptly charged
him.

Then ensued a scene as comical as any I have ever
witnessed in the jungles, for our friend, after his miss,
having apparently lost all confidence in his shooting powers
60

THE DOCTOR'S LUCKY SHOT

or those of his rifle, threw away the weapon and fled,
closely pursued by the bear.

Running blindly between the two elephants in his
terror — his coat-tails streaming out behind him — he con-
tinued his mad career, negotiating every obstacle in his
path with extraordinary skill till his foot, catching in a
creeper of uncompromising toughness, he fell and lay prone
for a time.

Meanwhile the doctor, who had been posted on his
right, seeing his friend's danger, had also fired at the bear,
and by a lucky fluke, shot it through the head, and was
now loudly proclaiming the feat, shouting in broad Scotch,
" Get up, mon, get up. I've shot the bar."

When discussing the adventure that night round the
camp fire after dinner, I was complimenting the doctor
on his performance, he replied, " Eh, mon, but I felt that
steady I could have killed a bumble bee at a thousand
yards ! " I did not ask him whether he meant sitting, or
on the wing !

61

CHAPTER IX

A bear adventure — Following up the tracks — A black object seen — An
erroneous conclusion — Firing too hastily — An old woman shot dead
— Howls from the Press — Bloodthirsty suggestions — Another bear
adventure — A short -sighted sportsman — " Thinking it was a bear "
— " What, not dead yet ? " — The second barrel — A revelation and
explanation — Disturbing the bees — Pandemonium — Horses stung to
death — Floods in Khandesh — A perilous adventure — Saving a woman's
life — Native gratitude — A thankless task — A change of headquarters
— My mosque bungalow — Said to be haunted — The ghost appears —
Life at Nundobar — Coursing jackals, etc. — Cholera epidemic — A
village devastated — Lose my cook — Death of the apothecary — I
turn doctor — A successful prescription — Administering the mixture —
My patient recovers — A claim for damages — A police mutiny averted
— Drastic measures — My orders upheld — My first attempt at spearing
a panther on horseback — An exciting chase — The panther crouching
— Avoids the thrust — Seeks refuge amongst the rocks — A lucky
escape — Panther spearing — A dangerous but most attractive form
of sport — Railways and their influence on game — Revisiting old
hunting grounds — Ravages caused by axe and plough — The march
of civilization — Jungle now devoid of game — Sic transit gloria
mundi.

SHORTLY after the incident just related, we heard of another
bear adventure or, rather, to put it more correctly, one in
which a bear, although the object of pursuit, was not
actually encountered, yet, indirectly, was the cause of what
occurred.

A friend of ours — the Forest Officer of the district —
was out shooting, and happening to come upon the fresh
tracks of a bear, was following them up, when he saw a
black object moving in the jungle, a little distance off.
Concluding, very naturally in the circumstances, that this
was the beast he was after, he fired and saw the animal, as
he thought, fall in a heap.

Forcing his way through the jungle, he went up to it,
when imagine his horror to find, instead of a bear, a rough,
black blanket with an old woman lying dead beneath it.
62

MISTAKING HIS FRIEND FOR A BEAR

It was a terrible disaster, and yet he could hardly be
held to blame, for it appears that the woman had been
stooping down gathering sticks, and in this attitude with
the rough, black kumle or blanket over her shoulders,
resembled no object more closely than a bear.

He was naturally much distressed, and eventually recom-
pensed her relatives handsomely for the bereavement he
had so unwillingly caused them, so that in the end she
proved more profitable dead than alive. " However, the
matter eventually got into the native papers, which
violently demanded that " the murderer " should be
sentenced to death and that his execution should take place
on the scene of the tragedy !

While on the subject of accidents in connection with
bear shooting, I may mention another one I heard of later,
which ought to have ended as fatally, but fortunately did
not. Two district officials out after a bear, were posted
on trees at some distance from each other. As the beaters
approached, the senior of the two sportsmen, who was very
short-sighted, and moreover rather deaf, saw something
black moving in the jungle at some little distance from his
post, and thinking it was the bear, promptly fired at it,
evoking a response from the object which to his imperfect
hearing seemed to be the cry of an animal in pain.

" What, not dead yet ? " he exclaimed, and under the
impression he had only wounded the beast — whereas he
had missed it altogether — he fired the second barrel, and
unfortunately with better success, for this time the response
was louder, and in a voice which he now recognized as
unmistakably human.

He now realized what had happened, and horrified at
the thought that he had perhaps killed, or at anj rate
wounded, some native living in the neighbourhood, he
clambered down the tree and ran up to the spot where he
had fallen.

Here he found, not a native as he had imagined, but
his own companion, lying on the ground, almost un-
conscious and bleeding profusely from a bullet wound in
the shoulders, but mercifully too high up to be likely to
prove serious.

He bandaged the wound up tightly with his kummerbund,

63

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

which happily stopped the flow of blood, and wetting
the bandage with water from a stream near at hand, ran
off to a neighbouring village, whence he returned shortly
with a palki and some bearers to convey the wounded man
to camp.

He found him quite conscious again, and able to explain
how the accident had occurred. It appeared that while
waiting for the beaters to come up, he had suddenly espied
what looked to him like the footprints of a bear under his
tree. Forgetting the risk he ran, and unwittingly adding
to it by not removing a thick black ulster he had on, he
climbed down and was stooping to examine the marks more
closely when he felt the bullet strike him.

Fortunately, as it happened, the bullet was an ordinary
one, fired from a smooth bore, hence the wound was not
serious and eventually healed up, but the bullet was never
extracted, and though he made a complete recovery, he
carried it in his shoulder to his death, which occurred from
natural causes many years later.

This incident should be a warning to all sportsmen never
to leave their posts until the last beater has come up, for
there is not only the danger from the tiger lying up, until
he is almost trodden on, but, as in the instance quoted, of
the rash sportsman being made a target of himself. I
have known of even experienced sportsmen nearly coming to
grief in this way.

Before we broke up the Christmas camp I have referred
to, we had a most unpleasant experience with some bees,
which I must relate if only to prove how dangerous the
stings from these insects can be.

One day during our afternoon siesta we were roused by
a terrible commotion in the camp caused, as we learnt later,
by a police sepoy lighting his cooking fire under a tree in
which there happened to be several nests of bees.

In a moment our quiet, peaceful camp was transformed
into a veritable pandemonium, many large swarms having
been roused by the smoke from this fire. I ran out at
once and cut the heel ropes of the horses, being horribly
stung about the face and hands during the process, for
the little brutes hung on to me like bulldogs. One of the
ladies in the camp wisely sought refuge under the mosquito
64

RESCUE A DROWNING WOMAN

curtain of the bed, and so escaped, but the rest of us,
including her husband, were all badly stung.

But the strangest part of the proceedings was that
while all the human beings who were stung eventually
recovered, two of our horses actually died from the effects
of the stings. True, both these animals had been very
severely bitten, yet one would hardly have imagined that
a strong, comparatively thick-skinned aninial like a horse,
could be killed by the sting of so small an insect as a bee,
however severely stung. It would be interesting to know
whether such a case has been heard of before, though so
far as my own experience goes, I believe it to be unique,
or I would not have recorded it, for to be attacked by bees
is by no means an uncommon experience when in camp or

in the jungles.

1 * * * * *

Khandesh was periodically visited by heavy floods,
which often carried away small villages situated on the
banks of the Tapti river, and it was during one of its flooded
periods that I met with a somewhat exciting, not to say
dangerous, adventure.

I was moving my camp that day, and, on my way to
the next encampment, was riding along the banks of the
river mentioned, which at the moment was rushing like a
torrent, when, amongst all the timber and different refuse
sweeping past, I noticed what I took to be a chatte *
bobbing up and down in the stream about forty yards off,

Examining it more carefully, I saw that it was a human
head, and from the length of the hair on it, evidently that
of a woman. On the impulse of the moment, and foolishly,
perhaps, I spurred my horse into the river, but it was
swept away from under me immediately and carried down
the stream.

Left to swim alone, I managed with some difficulty to
clutch the woman, and holding her up as best I could, we
were swept some distance down, till we reached some
shallow water, when, finding I had got a footing, I drew
her on to the bank close to a village, where I found my
horse, which the villagers had caught.

* Earthen pot for carrying water.

F 65

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

They soon lighted a fire, and by means of hot bricks
and much vigorous rubbing, we eventually brought the
woman round, for she was very nearly gone. However,
once she was restored to consciousness, she was not long
in making use of the faculties she had regained, though not
exactly in the manner I expected.

Getting up on to her feet, she first shook herself just
as a spaniel does when it lands after retrieving from the
water, then, to my amazement, turned on me, using every
abusive epithet she could think of, till her vocabulary
being apparently exhausted, she went off.

The reason for this extraordinary, and seemingly un-
provoked attack upon me was, I discovered afterwards,
that, intending to commit suicide, she had thrown herself
into the river, hence, so far from being grateful to me for
having rescued her, she was exceedingly annoyed at what
she probably considered my unwarrantable interference.
Whether she eventually succeeded in accomplishing her
object, I cannot say, but I noticed that when she went
away it was not in the direction of the river ! Possibly
she had found drowning as a mode of self-destruction not
so enjoyable as she had probably imagined it to be.

I have now come to the period of my service when, on
the retirement of Colonel Probyn and the appointment

of his successor, Colonel W , as District Superintendent

of Police, I, though still an Assistant Superintendent, was,
at the recommendation of the former, appointed in addition
as permanent Bhil Agent, which office also included, as I
have before stated, that of Tiger Slayer.

Somewhere about this time, too, the Bombay Govern-
ment, thinking it desirable that the Bhil Agent should
live absolutely among the Bhils, a place called Nundobar
was fixed upon as my headquarters, where an old mosque,
on the summit of a hill, was converted into a bungalow.

This old building had the reputation of being haunted,
and once on my return from tour I found my orderly, who
had been left in charge, in a semi-conscious condition,
his teeth clenched and presenting all the appearance of
having suffered some severe mental shock.
66

LIFE AT NUNDOBAR: CHOLERA

On recovering he solemnly informed me that he awakened
in the night and had seen an old man with a long grey
beard walking up and down, who, on being challenged,
had melted into space ! An over-indulgence in his evening
meal of rice was probably the origin of this apparition ;
anyway it was never seen again, nor were we ever troubled
by any other ghosts.

My life at Nundobar was necessarily a solitary one, for
except when a man or two came out to me for sport, I
never saw a European. However, I was perfectly happy,
living amongst the Bhils, and being in excellent health
too, had no reason to complain.

What with my police and tiger-slaying duties, I had not
much time to myself, but occasionally took a morning or
afternoon off for coursing, both jackals and foxes being
very numerous in the plains below my bungalow. The
going was excellent too, and I had some first-rate Persian
greyhounds, which I had purchased from the stables in
Bombay when buying remounts for the troop of Mounted
Police.

Nevertheless, my life was not all " beer and skittles,"
to use perhaps a vulgar, but most expressive, phrase, for
we had once a very bad visitation of cholera, which swept
away most of the inhabitants of a village some three miles
from my bungalow, and though in my own establishment
I took every precaution, I lost two orderlies and my cook,
the last a serious blow !

This man and his wife were both attacked at the same
time, and attended by the native apothecary, who, however,
was struck down himself the next morning and died.
The woman recovered, owing possibly to brandy and chloro-
dyne, which, being now without a medical expert, I pre-
scribed and administered in large doses.

But — such is the curious working of the native mind —
she was no sooner convalescent and able to get about, than
she came up to my bungalow and insisted I should present
her with a new " sari," * declaring that I had ruined the
last.

It appears that in administering my remedies I had

* Clothing worn by native women,

67

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

spilled some of the mixture over her sari and stained it !
The fact that I had done this in my attempt to save her
life was, apparently in her estimation, no excuse for
damaging her clothes.

Battling with epidemic, however, was not my only
trouble in those days, for in the process of the amalgama-
tion of the Bhil Corps with the Khandesh Constabulary,
which took place during this period, I had considerable
difficulties with the men ; the rearrangement of pay and
grades, etc., as well as the fear of losing distinction as a
separate corps, causing great dissatisfaction amongst the
latter.

Finally matters became so serious that I had the ring-
leaders up before me, and after inquiring fully into their
grievance, summarily dismissed ten of their number.
These measures, though decidedly somewhat drastic, had,
however, the effect of quashing what might otherwise
have developed into a serious mutiny.

Shortly afterwards, happening to be staying at Govern-
ment House at the time, his Excellency questioned me on
the subject, adding that he had received a number of
petitions in connection with their dismissals. However,
being fortunately able to satisfy him as to the necessity
for acting as I had done, he was good enough not only to
uphold my action, but to compliment me.

To the north of my bungalow at Nundobar was a long
range of hills, covered with dense cactus bushes, affording
good shelter for such animals as bear, leopard, and wild

Pig-
Riding out early one morning with a sowar * on the
chance of coming across a boar, I came suddenly on a huge
panther in the open. He had killed a chinkara,f and was
lying up under the shelter of some bushes.

On seeing me he made off at once for the hillside some
sixty yards distant ; but as I was riding an exceptionally
staunch horse, and the ground was fairly level, I thought it
an excellent opportunity — especially as the sowar was

* Police trooper. f Ravine deer.

68

"RIDING A PANTHER"

carrying my hog-spear — of trying my hand at spearing a
panther off horseback.

Telling the man to follow me, I started after the beast
at once at racing speed, for the distance was short, and I
knew that if he reached the hill before me I was done.
Fortunately, my horse being as fast as he was plucky,
we won, and I was about to lower the spear for a thrust
when the panther, now scarcely his length in front of me,
stopped suddenly and crouched.

Going at the pace we were, I had neither time to check
my speed nor to drop the point of my spear, which, as we
flashed past him, merely glanced harmlessly over the
panther's back, and before I could pull up and wheel round,
the beast had reached some rocks, where it was impossible
to follow him.

Meanwhile my orderly, having come to grief over a dry
watercourse, had had a nasty fall, the horse rolling over
him. He was accordingly literally hors de combat, and had
been so for some time. I was greatly disappointed at
not getting the panther, at the same time I quite realized
that he had come very near to getting me instead, for
crouched as he was all ready for a spring, had I wounded
him in passing, he would certainly have sprung on to
me.

The panther, always a dangerous animal, is never more
so than when crouching, for its hind legs, being then doubled
up beneath it, act like springs under compression, it can
bound from this position in a second, and to a distance
almost inconceivable in an animal of its size and weight.
Then again, to inflict a fatal wound on a panther with a
spear from horseback, is not so easy, for the skin fits so
loosely that unless the thrust is delivered absolutely at
right angles to the body, which is seldom possible, the
point of the spear, instead of penetrating the flesh, will
often pass between it and the skin, thus inflicting a
painful, but not necessarily a fatal or even incapacitating
wound.

Thus it will be seen that spearing panthers from horse-
back is, on the whole, a dangerous form of sport. At any
rate, it is one in which the hunter and the hunted are more
equally matched than in any other contest between man

69

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

and beast ; in fact, the odds, if any, are possibly in favour
of the latter.

Nevertheless, in spite of the risks attending it, or more
probably because of them, there is no kind of hunting done
on horseback — pig-sticking even not excepted — more
attractive to the sportsman than " riding a panther," as
this form of sport is sometimes called.

But alas ! so far as this portion of the country is con-
cerned, there are now no panthers left to ride, nor game of
any kind to course or shoot. The Tapti Valley Railway
now runs through Nundobar, and has long since scared
away all game for miles around, as the advent of railways
always does.

Many years later, while travelling by this line, I passed
the scene of my early wanderings, and was shocked to see
the change. The old haunted bungalow was still there,
but the well-stocked jungles and hunting-grounds I
remembered had, under the axe and plough, all passed
away for ever. Sic transit gloria mundi I might well
have cried, for truly all its glory had departed from the
land!

70

CHAPTER X

My duties as tiger slayer — Panthers included — Some description of them
— Variety of the species — Size, weight, and markings — What they
prey on — Climbing powers — Their courage and ferocity in attack
— How they feed on their kills — Man-eating leopards — The black
panther rare — The cheetah — Panthers difficult to locate — Returning
to their kills — Dangerous to follow up — An experiment with buck-
shot— S.S.G. best for close quarters — Panther unexpectedly en-
countered— My shikari attacked and mauled — A huge beast —
Another panther hunt — Attacks and mauls beater — Its final charge
— Finished with S.S.A. — The uncertainty of sport — Killed with a
single shot — Handsomely marked skins — An unusual sight — Tiger
and panther seen together — Abject terror of the latter — Slinking off
into the jungle — A tiger's sovereignty of the jungles — The wild boar
excepted — Uncertainty the fascination of Indian sport — An un-
expected meeting with a bear — Bagged — Capture the cub — Becomes
quite tame in time — Walking out with the dogs — A leopard adventure
in Bengal — Shooting for the pot — A partridge shot — Retrieving the
bird — Sudden appearance of a leopard — Changing cartridges —
Leopard dropped but still alive — Attempts to charge— No more ball
cartridge — On the horns of a dilemma — My orderly's ingenuity —
An extemporised projectile — Complete success.

ALTHOUGH the main object of my appointment as tiger
slayer was, naturally, the destruction of these particular
animals, yet, though not officially stated, the office was
intended to include the reduction of all other beasts of prey
dangerous to human life or cattle, especially leopards or
panthers, as they are equally often termed.

As these animals are actually far more destructive to
cattle and goats, and more numerous, too, than tigers, I
was as assiduous in my efforts to destroy them and experi-
enced many an exciting adventure while in their pursuit.
Before relating some of these, however, it would perhaps
be as well to give a short description of these animals and
their ways, for although much of what I have said regarding
tigers applies also to the leopard, yet there are many
points on which the two animals differ very materially.

The great variety in their species render classification

71

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

very difficult, but except in the case of the black leopard
the difference is practically only in size, the larger variety
in India being, rightly or wrongly, generally spoken of as
panthers. Some naturalists, I believe, are of opinion that
a panther and leopard are of two distinct species, claiming
that the skulls of the two are somewhat different in
shape, but though I have compared many a score I have
never been able to detect any difference between any two,
large and small.

A leopard, or panther, varies in size from six to eight
feet in length, the last being very rare, and weighs between
160 and 180 pounds. His colouring is too well known to
need description. In the smaller animal the black spots
are closer together than in the larger beast ; hence the
latter often appears to be of a lighter colour when seen in
the jungles.

Like the tiger, the skin of the leopard grows fainter in
colour as the animal increases in years. Leopards frequent
belts of jungle, rocky hills, and caverns, from the last of
which it is generally most difficult to dislodge them.

They are, as I have already mentioned, far more destruc-
tive to the smaller cattle and goats than tigers, often coming
into a village to carry off a goat or calf, and are also specially
attracted by dogs, which they have been known to carry
off from the verandah of a bungalow, and even from inside
a tent.

Leopards, too, are capable of climbing trees, which they
can go up as easily as cats,* and are often to be found lying
hidden among leaves and overhanging branches, on the
look-out for monkeys, which, in spite of their activity,
they occasionally secure.

Though less powerful in attack than a tiger, the leopard
is, I consider, a far more dangerous animal for the sports-
man to encounter, as he is more easily provoked to anger
and exceedingly courageous in his retaliation. I have been
repeatedly charged by these animals, and on two occasions
have had my men mauled by them.

In eating his " kills " a leopard, unlike the tiger, seldom
attacks the hindquarters first, but almost invariably tears

* See " Life in the Indian Police," p. 213, by the author.
72

8

LEOPARDS AND CHEETAH

open the belly — making his meal off the intestines — covering
up the remaining portion with leaves, etc., to keep for later
consumption.

Man-eating leopards are happily rare, for when one
happens to take to killing human beings, he is far more to
be dreaded than any other man-eating animal, and his
victims may run to a score or two — sometimes many
more." *

The black leopard or panther is very "rarely met with,
these animals generally confining themselves to thick forest
beyond the haunts of men. I have never had the good
fortune to come across one ; but have seen the skins, which
are of uniform dull black colour, the spots showing in
particular lights only.

Another distinct variety is the snow leopard found
throughout the Himalayas at great elevations. It is
beautifully marked of a silver grey colour with darker
spots, the fur being long and very soft.

The cheetah or hunting leopard, though often errone-
ously classed amongst leopards is quite a different species ;
in fact, a different animal altogether. He is small in the
loins like a greyhound, and his claws, though long, are not
retractile, neither are they curved to the same extent
as are others of the genus Fell. The cheetah, moreover,
unlike the real leopard, is apparently easily tamed and
taught to hunt antelope, for which purpose they are kept
by native princes of India.

Unlike the tiger, the leopard is very difficult to mark
down. He seldom remains near his kill, preferring some
distant ravine or adjacent hill. It is only by watching
over a goat or calf tied up as bait, that there is any certainty
of bringing him to bag. Still, I have shot a great number
of them, but mostly over animals which they had just
killed.

But although the leopard does not always remain near
his kill, he usually returns to it at dusk for a second meal ;
but as he sometimes puts in an appearance much sooner,
it is advisable for the sportsman to take up his position
early in the afternoon, either on a tree or behind some

* See the author's last work, " Tigerland," p. 76,

73

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

natural barrier, such as a thick bush. But the watcher
must be careful not to move or make the slightest noise,
as the leopard is most wary and cautious in approaching
his kill.

In following up a wounded leopard, the very greatest
caution is always necessary, as the most practised eye
cannot discover these animals unless they are on the
move, their colour assimilating so perfectly to the ground
and jungle they are in as to render them practically
invisible.

It is this peculiarity which makes a wounded leopard so
dangerous an animal to follow, for the sportsman may be
quite close to him and yet be quite unaware of the fact
till he charges, which he will certainly do in nine cases out
of ten and with a courage and ferocity far exceeding that
of a tiger, and is, moreover, so quick in his movements that
he is extremely difficult to kill, as he is also a very small
target to aim at.

When shooting on one occasion with Probyn and

W of the Civil Service, we had marked down a panther

in the bed of a river close to our camp. By the shouts of
the beaters, we soon knew the beast was started, and pre-
sently it came out and stood facing us about twenty yards

distant, Probyn and myself being on foot and W on a

tree on the opposite bank.

As soon as the panther appeared, Probyn whispered
to me that he would take the shot, as he was anxious to
try the effects of buck-shot on one of these animals, and
this was an excellent opportunity. On the report of the
gun the panther charged, with lightning rapidity, straight
for the smoke.

When within five paces, however, he swerved to the
right, and I shot him through the shoulder with my Rigby.
Nevertheless, he managed to reach a patch of cypress into
which he disappeared. We had an elephant out with us,
and mounting it, cautiously approached the spot, where we
found him lying dead.

On skinning the beast later we found that some of the
pellets had pierced the lungs, which no doubt would eventu-
ally have killed him.

The cartridge (Kynoch's brass) was loaded with 5 drams
74

MY SHIKARI MAULED BY A LEOPARD

of powder and 16 mould or S.S.G. shot. Since then I
invariably used S.S.G. in the left barrel in following
up wounded panthers ; at close quarters it is most
effective.

On another occasion, when out beating for hog at Ner
(Khandesh), I came suddenly upon a huge panther, as
large nearly as a small tiger, which was quietly trotting
out towards a small, rocky hill about two hundred yards
distant.

Snatching a Snider carbine from my sowar who was
with me, I galloped after the beast and made a lucky shot
from the saddle, crippling him behind, on which he laid
up in a small bush a short way ahead.

My men now coming up, I dismounted and we walked
up to the bush, when the panther, with one bound, was on
the top of my shikari Etoo, then a havildar in the corps,
hanging on to his shoulder with his teeth. I could not fire
for fear of killing the man, so seizing a spear from my syce,
I drove it with both hands through the panther's side,
killing him at once.

Etoo was badly mauled about the arms and shoulder,
but being only some sixteen miles from Dhulia, I was able
to despatch him the same afternoon to the hospital, where
under skilful medical treatment he eventually recovered
completely from his wounds.

This panther measured eight feet — an exceptionally
big measurement — and was very old and light in colour.

At this same camp I had wounded a panther with a
snap shot in the foot, and on following up his tracks,
found him crouching in a thick coriander bush in the bed
of a river.

On going round the bush to get a better view, his head
and shoulders being partly hidden by some boughs, he
suddenly charged out and knocked over my gun-bearer,
stripping him of my shikar bag and water-bottle.

He now got further into the bush, and we were con-
sidering how best to attack him, when out he came again
with a savage roar, and striking down a man to my right,
inflicted two deep wounds in his thigh. So quick had
been his movements on both occasions that I had no time
to fire.

75

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

We now retreated to some distance, and on one of my
men firing into the thicket, under my direction, the
panther again, for the third time, charged out straight
for the guns, when I met him with a charge of S.S.G. in
the face, killing him at once.

This panther measured seven feet two inches, and was
the most determinedly aggressive of any I have ever come
across, and furnished a good example of the ferocity these
animals are capable of displaying when roused.

And yet — such is the glorious uncertainty of sport — even
a leopard, savage as they almost invariably are, can some-
times be bagged with as little difficulty as a rabbit or a
hare, as the following incident will show.

I was once watching over the remains of a young
buffalo, which had been killed by a large panther, when I
suddenly heard the beast behind me making that curious
rasping, grating sound peculiar to these animals.

So dense was the cover, however, that I could not see
him, and being on foot, with no better shelter than a light
screen of bushes between us, I naturally felt somewhat
uncomfortable. Presently the noise ceased and I was
wondering whether, having seen or scented me, he had
sneaked off, when he leisurely walked out into the open
from a bush opposite to me and only about five yards
off.

I felt at once that I had him, so quietly raising the
rifle to my shoulder, I fired, planting my bullet, as I found
later, exactly in the centre of his chest, and of course
killing him on the spot. He was a fine, handsome beast,
and with a beautifully marked skin, which I had much
pleasure in adding to my collection. For there is probably
no finer sporting trophy to be obtained than a perfect
leopard skin, that is one taken from an animal shot while
in its prime, and preferably towards the end of the cold
season, when the fur is at its longest and best. Though
less imposing in respect of size than that of a tiger, it
presents a handsomer appearance, possibly by reason of a
more equal blending of the colours.

Nevertheless, when seen together in the jungle — a sight
which I had once the good fortune to witness — the leopard
in spite of the greater beauty of its colourings, sinks into
76

THE TIGER AND THE LEOPARD

absolute insignificance as compared with the grand, awe-
inspiring appearance of a tiger.

The incident I refer to happened in this wise. I was
on this occasion beating for a tiger and had taken up my
position on a tree. Presently, as the beaters approached,
a panther came out of the jungle and stood under my tree,
but I was not to be tempted. Shortly afterwards the tiger,
being also roused by the noise of the beaters, came along
by the path taken by the other, and though it must have
seen it, seemed to take no notice of the panther.

On the latter, however, the meeting had an immediate,
and seemingly, most disquieting effect, for no sooner had
it become aware of the tiger's presence, than down it
crouched, and putting its tail between its legs — as a cat
might do when confronted by a mastiff — slunk off into the
jungle, evidently in terror of its life and anxious to escape
from its perilous position.

And yet it seemed almost incredible that a panther, of
all wild animals the most daring and ferocious, should be
so easily cowed, and by a beast, which even though its
superior in size, is no match for it in courage or ferocity,
but apparently the tiger's terrifying appearance had
paralyzed these faculties for the moment.

At the same time it must not be imagined that of all
the larger animals which infest the Indian jungles, the
panther stands alone in this respect, for with the exception
of the wild boar perhaps, there is probably no animal, from
the mighty elephant downwards, which would not rather
avoid a tiger than meet one face to face.

However, be this as it may, it was an interesting sight
to have witnessed this meeting of these two beasts, for
it is seldom that a sportsman has the luck to see any other
animal than the one he is pursuing, and not always does
he succeed in viewing even that ; yet it is just these unknown
possibilities which lend to Indian shooting the fascination
it possesses for the sportsman.

For example, I remember strolling out from camp one
Sunday evening with a couple of Bhil, and my 10-bore
Paradox gun, to pick up, if possible, a pea-fowl for the
pot.

Entering a dense bit of ground with a jungle path down

77

TIGER SLAYEE BY ORDER

the middle of it, we saw a bear walking leisurely towards
us down this path. As she had not seen us, we slipped
quietly aside and concealed ourselves behind some bushes.
The bear, meanwhile, came slowly on, and when within
ten yards or so, I fired, and the heavy paradox bullet
entering behind the shoulder, she — for it proved to be a
she-bear — fell stone dead in her tracks. On going up to
her, a cub which she was carrying on her back, suddenly
detaching itself from the carcass, scrambled off. We gave
chase at once, and after some difficulty secured the little
beast by throwing a blanket over it. It became perfectly
tame in time and used to accompany me wrhen I went out
for a walk with the dogs, playing about with them as if one
of themselves.

Another somewhat similar adventure once happened
to a friend of mine in Bengal. One evening, shortly before
dusk, he went out on a pad elephant to shoot a partridge
or two for dinner, in a jungle close to camp. He got his
first bird at once, and a little later dropped another, which
his orderly was just getting off to pick up, when suddenly
from almost under the elephant's feet, up jumped a large
leopard, which, rushing through the lighter jungle, entered
a thicker bit a little way ahead.

My friend, like most experienced Indian sportsmen, always
carried a couple of ball cartridge in his pocket, but though
he did not know it, it so happened that on this occasion he
had only one. However, inserting this into the empty
chamber, he quickly followed up the leopard, and, catching
sight of it again, dropped it, as he thought, dead.

He watched a minute or two to make quite sure, then
as it gave no sign of life, he ordered the mahout to take
his elephant up to where it lay ; but in spite of the man's
efforts, the animal refused to advance ; in fact, showed a
decided inclination to retire.

Meanwhile the leopard, which so far from being dead,
was apparently very much alive, now moved its head above
the jungle, and growling savagely, made desperate attempts
to charge, but was evidently powerless to do so, which
seemed to incense it all the more.
78

AN EXTEMPORISED PROJECTILE

It was only now that my friend discovered he had no
more ball cartridges left, but knowing that if near enough,
he could finish off the animal with a charge of No. 6, he
tried again to make the elephant advance, but with no
better success, and as it was now getting dark, he decided
to get off.

To walk up to a wounded leopard with a weapon charged
with shot was, as he knew, a risky thing to do, but he felt
he could not leave the beast to linger through the night
in pain, so was resolved to take the risk.

Fortunately at this moment his orderly was suddenly
inspired with an idea, which he proceeded to demonstrate
at once. Extracting the shot from a cartridge, he tore a
strip from his pugri, and putting the pellets into it, rolled
them up tightly into a ball, then replacing the charge,
handed the cartridge to his master.

The latter, quick to see the possibilities of this extem-
porised projectile, lost no time in testing it, and the next
time the leopard raised its head, in its attempt to charge,
he fired, killing it on the spot, for as he found later, the
charge had sped like a bullet, but scattering on impact
had made a frightful wound, an inch or two below the
ear. His first bullet, he now discovered, had hit the animal
in the back, and grazing the spine, had paralyzed the
hindquarters, thus accounting for its inability to charge.

79

CHAPTER XI

Take three months' leave — A shooting trip to Central Provinces — A fine
shooting country — Local shikaris — A monster tiger bagged — Hear
of many bears— Sitting up at night — A great fusillade — Surprising
result — My feat with a "360 — Hitting the right spot — A fine bison
brought to bag — Stalking a herd — Within ten yards of a bull — A
tempting shot — Taking a risk — The "360 scores again — Astonishing
my friends — A remarkable performance — Small bores not suitable
for big game — Exceptional cases — The Indian bison — Where to be
found — Average size of — General appearance — Description of the
horns — Difference between bulls and cows — Difficult to approach —
Solitary bulls — Savage and morose — Stalking two bulls — Risking a
shot — " Missed ! " — A long chase — Come upon them at last — Off
again — Another long chase — Found once more — A right and left —
Doubt as to result — Following up — A pleasing surprise — Both found
dead — Camping out for the night — A favourite resort for bison —
Encounter with a solitary bull — The first shot — Following up tracks
— A determined charge — Effects of an 8-bore — Why solitary bulls
are savage — Dangerous not only to sportsmen — Expelled from herds
— Solitary wild elephants and buffalo.

IN the early part of the year 1888, I took three months'

leave and accompanied by I D of the Civil

Service, and T S of the Public Works Department,

went on a shooting trip to the Central Provinces.

This part of India had not been much shot over in
those days, hence we had some excellent sport, our bag,
as far as I remember, amounting to eleven tigers, three
panthers, six bear, besides several buffalo and bison.

We took a party of the Bhil Corps with us, and were
therefore independent of the local shikaris, though we
found the Ghonds * excellent beaters, and very useful
in the matter of supplying information of tigers, etc., in
the neighbourhood.

We were greatly assisted, too, by the Forest Officer of
the Chanda District, who, poor fellow, was shortly after-
wards killed by a buffalo.

* A local tribe.
80

BEAR SHOOTING BY NIGHT

Of the eleven tigers we bagged, one, which fell to my
rifle, measured ten feet two inches, the record so far as my
own shooting is concerned, for I have never shot one
bigger, and yet, strangely enough, it gave me less trouble
to secure than many considerably smaller.

I had taken up my position in a tree overlooking a dry
watercourse, and as the beaters approached, the animal
came walking down this nullah. As he was passing the
tree I fired, and at the shot, which struck him high up in
the shoulder, he gave a savage roar, and springing up the
bank close under my very tree, was looking to right and
left in search of his hidden foe, when I dropped him with
the second barrel.

He was a very old tiger, light in colour, and, I remember,
much scarred about the face, possibly the scars from wounds
received in combat with others of his kind, or in a battle
with a boar.

At one of our camps in the Chanda District, we heard of
a number of bears in the neighbourhood, and as they were

said to frequent a pool of water near the tents, D and

I decided to sit up for them, so had a machan * erected,
and taking our blankets, settled down for the night.

Soon after dark, and just as the moon was rising, we
heard a couple of bears on the hill opposite us, making a
fiendish noise, evidently engaged in an amorous encounter.

A little later one of them — or so we assumed, for we
could only make out a moving mass of black — came down
to the water and was sent off screaming with a broken
shoulder in the direction whence it came. After this we
carried on a fusillade for the greater part of the night, taking
alternate chances. I forget how many shots we fired between
us, but I know we only bagged one bear !

I dislike night shooting, and this was the last but one
occasion — when I missed a tiger — that I have ever indulged
in this kind of sport.

One day we were beating a strip of jungle for sambar,
or anything else that might turn up, when a bear came
shuffling along a narrow path opposite my position.

Thinking this a good opportunity for trying the effect
of my little *360 Express on one of these animals, I took a

* Platform.

G 81

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

careful aim for his shoulder and fired, the distance being
about ten yards. At the shot the bear spun round, and made
short rushes in all directions, growling savagely the while.

I now blazed into him as fast as I could load, telling
my shikari, who had my heavy rifle, that he was on no
account to fire unless the bear got hold of me in the scuffle,
and in the end I managed to kill him with a shot in the
temple.

Since then, as will be seen later, I have killed a bull
bison with this little rifle, thus proving that, providing an
animal is hit in the right spot, a light rifle is as deadly as
a heavier weapon, no matter what the size of the beast
may be. The rifle in question was built by Henry of
Edinburgh, for that well-known sportsman the late Colonel
Baigree.

A few days after my adventure with this bear, S

bagged a very fine bull bison. It took two men to bring in

his head, and as I told S at the time, although I was

well satisfied with my ten feet two inches tiger, I would
willingly have exchanged with him for that grand old bull,
whose measurements I never capped, though I have shot
many of these animals since.

Of these, the most notable, though not in point of size,
was the one I have just referred to as having shot with the
•360 rifle. The incident happened in the Satpudas, where
I was shooting on one occasion with Captain, now Colonel,

P , whom I had known well when attached to his

regiment, the 19th Bombay Infantry.

We were encamped in the depths of the jungle, far
away from any human habitation. The jungle cocks were
crowing as we turned out in the morning and ascended
the mountain, accompanied by our beaters, to look for
sambar.

Hardly had we separated with the intention of watching
different passes or " runs " accessible to the deer, when
Bapu, my shikari, pointed to some dull objects far away in
the valley below us. My field-glasses told me they were
bison, and we at once commenced a stalk.

There was one bull and four cows in the herd, and the
wind being favourable, I crawled up to a bamboo clump
within ten yards of them. I had my heavy rifle, also the
82

Jfl^/l^ $*j I

*. s

A REMARKABLE PERFORMANCE

•360 Express, which I invariably carried with me in case
I came across any pea-fowl, etc.

The bull was standing broadside on, exposing his neck
and shoulder in such a way as to ensure a deadly shot, and
tempted by this, I decided to use the smaller weapon.
Taking a most careful aim about three inches behind the
ear, I pressed the trigger.

Instantaneously, as if struck by lightning, the mighty
beast fell dead. It seemed almost incredible, but there it
lay, absolutely motionless. However, knowing that I
should have some difficulty in convincing my friend, I
cut off its tail, then going back to him, made him put his
finger down the muzzle of my heavy rifle, then look down
the barrel of the other, and when I saw that he was satisfied
I had used the latter, I produced the tail !

On going up to the animal, we found a minute hole,
hardly perceptible where the little bullet had entered.
Nevertheless, small as it was, it had divided the jugular
vein in two, thus causing instantaneous death.

This was the most remarkable instance of a large and
powerful animal being killed by a single shot, and from
so small a rifle, that I had ever seen or heard of and only
proves, as I have said, how much depends on the placing
of the shot.

At the same time, I do not mean by this to advocate
the general use of small-bore rifles for such large game, as it
must be remembered that this was quite an exceptional
case, for the odds against obtaining a quiet, steady shot
at so short a distance as ten yards are probably about
a hundred to one, especially in the case of a bison, which
is an extremely wary beast and most difficult to get near.

Nevertheless, there is no animal in the Indian jungle
more worthy of the hunter's best efforts to secure, for the
Indian bison * is truly a magnificent animal. It is found
in all the larger forests and is fairly plentiful in Kanara,
the Central Provinces, and on the bamboo-clad spurs of the
Satpudas in Khandesh, where I have shot a considerable
number.

The average height of a bull is about six feet at the
shoulder and its length from nine to ten feet. They are of
* Indian bison (Bos Gaurus).

83

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

a dark copper colour, which in mature old bulls deepens
to black.

The legs, from the knee downwards, are of a dirty white
colour, and also the forehead, which is covered with short,
curly hair, while inside the thigh and forearm, the hair is
bright chestnut. The head is square with a peculiar
formation of the frontal bone which projects above,
muzzle large and full, the eyes are blue and ears broad
and fan-shaped. Neck short, heavy, and immensely
powerful, ending in a chest broad, deep, and muscular.

Above the back and immediately above the shoulders
rises a ridge, which ends abruptly halfway down the back
with a drop of nearly five inches in large bulls. The legs
are short and thick, and the hoofs small for so large an
animal and like those of a deer in shape. The tail is about
thirty inches long with a tuft of hair at its extremity.

The horns of the old bulls are massive, rugged, and
indented at the base, and often worn out at the points.
The cows are lighter in make and colour than the bulls,
and their horns are more slender and upright with a more
inward curvature, while the frontal ridge is scarcely per-
ceptible. Finally, there is a peculiar smell about the whole
animal like that of fresh herbs or thyme. Cow bisons
calve in September, April, and May. Unlike the bulls, they
are of a reddish-brown colour.

Bison seldom form herds of more than twenty or thirty
individuals. They feed on various grasses, . bamboos,
leaves, etc. They are extremely shy, and, as I have said,
difficult to approach, their sense of smell being extra-
ordinarily acute.

The solitary bison is invariably an old bull, turned out
of the herd by his more youthful rivals, and in conse-
quence is savage and morose, but always a fine specimen
of his race, and usually carries the best head.

But to return to my narrative. I was shooting at
Ghoramba (Satpudas) once, when early in the day, we came
upon the tracks of two bull bison close to a pool of water,
where they had evidently been drinking during the night.
After two hours' tracking we came up with them, feeding
in some dense bamboo jungle.

Stalking to within twenty yards of them, I was about to
84

A MOST SUCCESSFUL RIGHT AND LEFT

fire at the largest when they winded us and made off, but
following at a run, I got a snap shot at the leading bull and
missed.

I soon realized the mistake I had made in firing this
hasty shot, for the animals were now thoroughly alarmed,
and I knew it meant many hours of weary tracking before
we could come up with them again. However, we took up
the spoor over a grassy plateau, and at last, just as the sun
was setting behind the hills, we sighted them, quietly
browsing on the tender shoots of the bamboo in a valley
below us.

They were about a hundred yards away, and I was con-
sidering how best to circumvent them, the breeze being very
shifty, when there was a sudden crash — they had winded
us and were off again. I ran for all I was worth to head
them off, followed by my henchman Bapu, who was carrying
my rifle.

We went tearing along down the steep incline and then
along the ridge, both greatly out of breath, when coming
to an opening in the forest, I suddenly sighted the two
bulls standing about fifty yards to my right. Stretching
out my right hand behind me, Bapu handed me the Express
rifle, which was fortunately loaded with solid bullets.

I now fired at the big bull with the right barrel, aiming
for the point of the shoulder, and emptied the left at his
companion, when they both wheeled round and disappeared
into some dense covert ahead. I knew I had hit the first
bull in the right spot, but was uncertain about the second,
as his head and shoulders were partly hidden by a branch
when I fired. However, following up the first by its blood
tracks, we soon came upon him, and, to my delight, also
the second, both lying dead within a few yards of each other !

It took some time and trouble to cut off the heads of
these two monsters, and night had long set in before we
completed the operation, so collecting some wood, we lit a fire
and camped out for the night, our dinner consisting of bison
steak cut from along the dorsal ridge of one of the two bulls.

Ghoramba, at the time I am writing of — some twenty
years ago — used to be a very favourite resort for bison, the
country being high and well wooded with extensive bamboo
jungles.

85

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

One of my later adventures with bison was an encounter
I had with a solitary bull. I was out one morning with my
Bhils, looking for game, when we came upon his tracks,
and after going some distance, saw him grazing on an open
glade about a hundred yards off.

The jungle being only partially burnt, and the ground
covered with dry teak leaves, made stalking very difficult.
However, with care I managed to crawl up to within thirty
yards of him, and kneeling behind a fallen tree, I fired.
He staggered on receiving the shot, and we saw that one of
his forelegs was disabled.

He made off, however, so taking up the blood tracks,
we presently came on him, standing behind a bamboo
clump. As soon as he caught sight of us he rattled his
horns against the bamboos, then pawing the ground for a
moment, charged most determinedly. A shot from the
8-bore I was using struck him exactly in the centre of the
chest, and raking him from stem to stern, dropped him
dead in his tracks.

He was a splendid, old, solitary bull, the largest I had
then killed, with a very fine head, and had evidently been
engaged in many a fight, for he was very much battered
and scarred all over.

These solitary bulls are, as I have already said, invariably
savage, because, having been driven out of the herd, they
are forced to lead a lonely life, which seems to make them
most vindictive and morose, and therefore dangerous, not
only to sportsmen, but to any people residing in the neigh-
bourhood whom they may happen to encounter.

Unfortunately, too, this practice of expelling a turbulent
male member from the herd is not confined to bison, but
is also resorted to by wild elephants and buffalo, and with
worse results, for while a solitary bull elephant, or rogue
as he is called, is admittedly the most formidable animal
in existence, a solitary bull buffalo runs him very close ;
in fact, being possessed of greater cunning, is possibly
the more dangerous of the two.

A description of these animals, and of some of the
adventures I have had with them, will be found in the
next chapter.

86

CHAPTER XII

The Indian wild buffalo — Its size, appearance and "habitat — Dangers in
tracking them up — An encounter with a solitary bull — A shot with a
10-bore rifle— Hit but not disabled — At bay — Effects of a second shot
— Threatening to charge — A timely shot — Floored — A herd encoun-
tered— Selecting the bull — Badly hit, but makes off — Found lying up
— Dead or alive ? — The question unexpectedly solved — The advantage
of being prepared — A shot in the chest — The last gallop — Buffalo
shooting a dangerous pastime — Poor trophies as a rule — The Indian
bear — A terror to the native — Attack without provocation — Many
victims — Bears uncertain in temper — Effects of feeding on intoxicating
berries — Dangerous to tackle — Very tenacious of life — Size and general
appearance — Where found — The best plan for bear shooting — They
afford good sport — Two narrow escapes — An exciting adventure — No
room for two to pass — A lucky shot — The non-dangerous big game of
India — First in size and importance— The sambar — Some description
of this animal — A good head — A fine trophy — The bara-sing or swamp
deer — Its resemblance to the red deer — The chetul or spotted deer
— The handsomest of the deer tribe — The barking deer— The mouse
and hog deer described.

THE Indian wild buffalo * is found in the swampy Terai,
in the plains of Lower Bengal, in Assam, Burmah, and
Central India.

A bull buffalo often stands nineteen hands at the
shoulder and measures as much as fifteen feet from nose to
root of tail. His head is long and narrow, almost free from
hair and of a dark, black, slaty colour ; the tail is short,
and does not extend below the hocks. The horns are
enormous, and have been known to exceed twelve feet
measured round the curve from tip to tip. The females
produce one, sometimes two, young, always in the summer
season after a period of gestation of ten months.

Buffalo delight in swamps, where they can obtain rich
pasturage, and also wallow in the mud during the heat
of the day. Unlike the bison, they never ascend to
heights.

* Bdbalus Ami.

87

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

In the Central Provinces, where I have shot them, they
are found in the Sal forests and in the swampy plains,
where the long, rank grass affords them both food and cover.
Buffaloes are extremely vicious, more so than the bison,
and when wounded, invariably charge.

There is probably no animal in existence so determined,
and if followed up when wounded, have a trick of turning
off their course, and concealing themselves in some dense
bush or high grass, when they will rush unexpectedly on
the trackers ; hence are exceedingly dangerous to track up.

When shooting in the Central Provinces, I was out one
morning looking for bara-singi * accompanied by a Ghond
shikari, when we came upon the fresh tracks of a solitary
bull buffalo. After following the tracks some three miles,
the animal suddenly jumped up in front of us out of a
patch of high grass in which he had been lying.

I was carrying a 10-bore rifle by Dixon, with which
I fired immediately, aiming at the point of his shoulder.
On receiving the shot, he lurched forward and made off into
some thick bush, where he disappeared.

Following the blood trail for about a hundred yards,
we came upon him, standing behind a bush about a dozen
yards to our front. On seeing us he trotted forward a
few paces, and stood there, pawing the ground and looking
altogether exceedingly unpleasant.

I now fired at his chest, bringing him to his knees, but
he was up again in a moment, and would probably have
charged, but I ran in closer and floored him with a bullet
in the neck. He had a very fine pair of horns, and as he
lay looked enormous, the neck in particular displaying
extraordinary powers.

A few days after this, my man reported a herd of
buffaloes, said to be in an old paddy, or rice field, about
three miles off. I went out at once, and eventually
succeeded in creeping up to within twenty yards of them.

The herd consisted of one bull and six cows. Selecting
the bull, I fired at him, breaking his shoulder ; but in
spite of this, he managed to get away with the others
across an open plain ; however, following on the blood

* Swamp deer, lit. 12-horned.
88

BEARS DANGEROUS TO HUMAN LIFE

tracks we soon came up to him lying in some bushes. The
tips of the horns were all that I could see, so, not knowing
whether the beast was still alive or dead, I approached a
little nearer to find out, when up he sprang with a snort.
Fortunately, I was prepared, and as he got up I hit him
with the right barrel in the centre of the chest.

He turned on receiving the shot, when I let him have
the contents of the other barrel in the shoulder. Never-
theless, he galloped off and covered quite twenty yards
before he fell over, dead.

I could relate many another adventure I have had with
these animals, but from these two incidents alone it will
be seen that buffalo shooting is not only an exciting pas-
time, but apt to be dangerous, too, at times. The heads,
unless they happen to be out of the way in size, are not
much valued as trophies, but the skin is of great thickness
and much prized by the natives for making into shields,
thongs, etc.

While on the subject of dangerous big game in Indian
jungles — I mean animals dangerous to human life — I
must not omit to mention the Indian bear,* for, with the
exception of a man-eating tiger or leopard, both happily
very rare, there is no animal more dreaded by the natives
and with good reason.

For example, tigers and leopards, unless they happen
to be man-eaters, will seldom attack human beings un-
provokedly, on the contrary, are generally more anxious
to avoid them ; whereas the bear, without the smallest
provocation, will go for a man at sight.

Wood-cutters and others, whose business takes them
into the jungles, often fall victims to these attacks, and
there was hardly a village in the Satpudas where one or
two of the villagers did not bear on their persons the claw-
marks of these vicious brutes.

Armed with formidable claws about three inches in
length, they use them freely and with great effect, striking,
when they have the opportunity, with the forepaws and
cow-kicking with the hind ones, and cases have been known
of sportsmen being entirely scalped by one downward
blow of the paw, and even killed with one blow.

* Ursus Ldbiatus.

89

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

The temper of a bear, too, is very uncertain, and appears
to be affected by the season of the year, as well as by the
food they exist on. The Bhils declare — and I am of their
opinion — that during the " mourah " season bears are
particularly vicious, as they eat largely of these berries
and are said to be affected by its intoxicating juice, which
is quite likely, as a very strong liquor is distilled from these
berries.

They are dangerous beasts to tackle, too, for apart
from their formidable claws, they are very tenacious of
life, and unless knocked over at once, take a lot of killing.
When two or three bears are together, on one being wounded,
it will often turn on the others and attack them savagely
as if under the impression that they had inflicted the injury.

An Indian bear measures from five to six feet in length,
stands nearly three feet high, and weighs from fifteen to
twenty stone. He is a mass of coarse, shaggy, black hah*,
with a whity-brown muzzle. On his breast he bears a
crescent or V-shaped mark resembling a horse-shoe, some-
times orange in colour, but more often white. A shot in
the centre of this mark, when the animal stands erect, as
it often does in attacking, is generally fatal at once.

Bears frequent rocky hills, caves, deep ravines, and
thick bush. In Bengal they are generally found in Purundi,
or wild cardamum, jungles. Their food consists chiefly
of roots, honey — which they are particularly partial to —
and insects of all kinds, especially white ants. They are
also very fond, as I have said, of the mourah blossom.

The sight of the bear, like that of an elephant, is very
poor, but, on the other hand, his sense of smell is extra-
ordinarily acute.

The best plan of bringing bears to bag is to send men out
to mark them down in the early morning, the men taking
up their positions by early dawn on all the prominent
hill-tops and peaks, so as to command, if possible, all the
ravines and hill-sides. They will then, as soon as the sun
rises, be able to see the animals seeking shelter, after their
night's ramble and feed, in thick bamboo clumps, fragments
of rock, etc., from which they can be easily beaten out.
This method of marking down bears, however, can only be
carried out in fairly bare, mountainous country.
90

BISON (Khandesh).
Shot with -360 Express.

THE BEAR.
Shot with -360 Express.

[To face p. 90.

A lil»^

A NARROW ESCAPE

Although bears are not in the same category with the
tiger or panther in point of danger to the sportsman, still
they afford excellent sport, especially in localities where
they can be attacked on foot. They are gregarious animals,
and I have often killed two or three of a family.

When sleeping out on one occasion under one of the
mourah trees I have spoken of, I was suddenly awakened
during the night by an enormous bear, which had come in
quest of the berries, which, when ripe, drop to the ground.

Drawing my revolver from under my pillow, I fired in
the direction from which the noise seemed to be proceeding
and heard the animal moving off. WTien morning dawned,
however, we found his broad footprints within a few yards
of my bed !

On another occasion, too, I had a very narrow escape
from one of these animals at a place called Warangaon, in
Khandesh. I had wounded a very large bear, and in my
eagerness to get him, ran after him down a steep hill,
when suddenly he turned and nearly got me round the
waist.

I managed, however, to put a bullet into him just in
time, but so close was he that his hair was singed all over
the chest with the flash from my rifle. He was finished
off by my men, who fortunately came up at this moment.

Hearing of some bears once at a place called Chappani, I
moved my camp there. The men who had preceded me
the night before, had marked down one of these bears in
a mass of broken rocks on the side of a hill.

I was posted on a narrow path on the side of a steep
slope, covered with high grass and reeds, leading to the
rocks amongst which the bear was said to be lying.

Soon I heard the shouts of the beaters, and presently
saw the bear, a very large male, coming towards me. The
path, as I have said, was a very narrow one, and as there
was no room for the animal to pass me, I allowed him to
come up to within ten paces and then fired, the shot striking
him in the centre of the chest, sent him rolling down the
hill, where he was picked up, quite dead. He was a huge
animal, enormously fat, with a fine, shaggy coat.

91

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

In addition to those mentioned in this and previous
chapters, the only other wild animals of India dangerous
to human life, and therefore of greater interest from the
sporting point of view, are the rhinoceros and boar.

Of the first I have had no personal experience worth
recording, as they are only to be found in the dense jungles
of Assam and parts of Lower Bengal. The boar, however,
I know well and shall have something to say about him
later on, but in a chapter to himself ; for to include him
amongst the animals I had shot in India, would be to
proclaim myself as great a criminal as if, in a hunting
district at home, I confessed to having shot a fox !

I have, however, still many shooting adventures to
relate, for although the bear ends the list of dangerous wild
animals in India, I have not as yet exhausted the numerous
experiences I have had with the latter, some of which, I
trust, may prove at least as interesting as those already
told.

Meanwhile, I propose to give a short account of what I
may describe, in contradistinction to the others, as the
non-dangerous big game of India, many of which I have
shot from time to time during my long service in that
country.

Of these the first, both in point of size and importance,
is the sambar.* This handsome animal, called erroneously
by some the Indian elk — for he is in fact the red deer — is
the largest of all deer, with the exception of the wapili
and moose. The stag stands about fourteen hands and
weighs from 300 to 600 pounds. In colour it is dark
brown, and the throat is surrounded by a shaggy mane
which gives a striking appearance to the animal. The
horns are not palmated, but antlers, with two lines only,
four feet or more in length, and usually indented with deep
notches or grooves.

The females are lighter in colour and have no horns.
They live together in small herds of about five or six, and
frequent wooded ravines and jungles preferably in rocky
and mountainous Vountry.

In hot weather the male almost always lives up in very

* Cervus Unicolar.
92

CHETUI, OR SPOTTED DEER.
(Khandesh.)

A SAMBAR:
(Central Provinces.)

[To face p. 92.

SAMBAR AND CHETUL

high ground and his large footmarks or tracks are often
found in almost inaccessible places.

A male sambar's presence in the jungle can be easily
detected from a habit they have of rubbing themselves
against trees to get rid of the velvet that adheres to then-
horns up to the mating season. The old stags can generally
be heard bellowing at dark and early dawn. These animals
afford excellent sport, though naturally it i§ not so exciting
as the pursuit of dangerous game. A good head makes a
fine trophy, and the skin is of some value, as out of it can
be made excellent shooting boots and gaiters, being soft
and pliable yet proof against thorns.

The swamp deer or bara-sing * comes next in point
of size, and is found in Central and also other parts of India.
It is a grand animal and much resembles the red deer of
Scotland in appearance, and is about the same size. Its
horns, though not so massive, are far handsomer than
those of the sambar, and carry from ten to twelve points.
Though I have shot a good many of these animals, I was
never fortunate enough to secure a really good head.

Next comes the spotted deer, or chetul,f an animal
which, in my opinion, is, without exception, the most
beautiful and graceful of the deer tribe. The stag is a
little larger than a fallow buck ; its skin is of a rich dark-
brown colour, completely covered with white spots and
almost as handsome as that of a panther ; the belly and
inside of the thighs are pure white. Like the sambar, the
antlers have only six lines, and vary in length from thirty
to forty inches.

Chetul are usually found in thick jungles on the banks
of rivers where the country is broken, and intersected by
deep ravines and watercourses ; they go about in large herds
of fifty to sixty, and are very common in the Central
Provinces, where I have shot a great number.

Like all the deer tribe, they are extremely shy, and there-
fore difficult to approach. If alarmed, they make a peculiar
noise — a loud, harsh bark, repeated at intervals of a minute,
often denoting the presence of a tiger or panther in the
jungles.

When encamped on the banks of the river at Ghorisgaon,
* Cervus Duvancelli. f Cervus Axis.

93

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

in Khandesh, herds of these deer used often to come down
to drink close to our tents, but were seldom molested for
fear of disturbing more important game.

A much smaller member of the deer tribe is the ribbed
face or barking deer,* an extraordinary little creature of
a reddish-brown colour, the longitudinal creased ridges on
the face and hoarse bark giving to it the names it bears.
It stands about two feet high and is very low in the shoulder.
The antlers, which are supported on long, skin-covered
pedicles, divide at the top into two small trees, the tops
curving curiously backwards and are from two to five inches
long. Another peculiarity of this animal is the length of
its tongue ; its teeth, too, are extremely long.

Another curious animal is the mouse deer,f or pisdi,
about the size of a hare. It is of a dirty yellow grey colour,
white underneath, with long rows of spots running length-
ways along the side, and large brown ears. The tiny foot-
prints of these animals — V-shaped and split at the points —
are often seen along the jungle paths. They are excellent
eating and remind one of the Sakaro or Dik-Dik of Africa.

In Central India and Sind, also in parts of Lower Bengal,
are found the hog deer J or para. I have shot many in
Sind, where they are very common. They stand about
twenty-five inches at the shoulder and are of a rufous or
yellowish-brown colour. Their horns resemble those of
a sambar or chetul in shape, though naturally much smaller,
rarely exceeding sixteen inches in length ; the hide, like
that of sambar, is soft and pliant yet thorn-proof, and is
much used for making saddle covers, gaiters, etc.

This, to the best of my belief, completes the list of all
the known varieties of the deer tribe to be found in the
Indian jungles. There are some other animals closely
resembling deer, but which in fact are really antelopes,
an account of which, together with the wild goat or ibex,
will be found in the next chapter.

* Invus Aurtus, f Memimna Indica. J Axis Porcenus.

94

CHAPTER XIII

Indian antelope — Black buck the best known — Where found — Description
— Habits, etc. — Rifle recommended — The Indian gazelle — The gazelle
or chinkara — Its peculiar call — The four-horned antelope — Flesh
uneatable — The Nil Ghi — Meaning of the name — Ibex or wild goat
of Asia Minor — A stalk described — Rolling down a precipice — Ibex-
driving in Afghanistan — Posted to Sholapur — No big game — Pig-
sticking— The sport described — A comparison — A boar described —
Its formidable weapon — How used — Riding for first spear — Keen
competition — The pig-sticking spear — Spears used in Bombay and
Madras — The short spear of Bengal — Blades — Varieties in shape of
— Horses best suited for the sport — Cunning of the boar — Its courage
and determination — A formidable foe — Some runs described — The
secret of success — Full speed a necessity — A sport sui generis — I
lose a favourite terrier from hydrophobia — Two servants bitten —
Apparently none the worse — A tragic sequel — Both men die of hydro-
phobia— No clue as to how the dog was bitten — The danger of owning
pugnacious terriers — Village curs dangerous to fight with.

OF the Indian antelope, of which I have any personal
knowledge, the one best known to all Indian sportsmen is
the black buck,* to be found practically all over India,
but more frequently in dry districts, where they frequent
large open plains more or less devoid of vegetation.

An old buck stands about two feet nine inches high.
His coat is black as pitch, in strong contrast with the pure
white markings on the belly, face, and throat. The skin
darkens with age and does not attain its maximum colour
till the animal is about eight years old.

The horns are spiral, generally of equal length, and vary
in size from nineteen to twenty-seven and a half inches.
The females are smaller than the male, of a light -fawn colour,
and carry no horns.

The black buck is gregarious and generally found in
herds of twenty or thirty individuals, though on the plains
of Gujerat I have seen as many as two hundred in a herd.
Old bucks are very pugnacious and may frequently be

* Antelope Bezoartica.

95

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

seen fighting, and when so engaged can be easily approached.
Essentially a plain-loving animal, it avoids hills and heavy
jungles. They are capable of great speed, and when dis-
turbed, start off with high leaps and bounds. Like all
antelope they are extremely shy and difficult to stalk.

A "400 Express is the best weapon to use with these
animals. I have shot a large number, but was not fortunate
in securing any good heads, the longest being twenty-three
and a quarter inches.

The Indian gazelle * is another of the antelope tribe,
standing about two feet two or three inches in height, and of
a dark-red chestnut colour. Its horns run from ten to
fourteen inches in the male ; the longest pair in my collec-
tion are twelve and a half inches. They are ringed and
with very sharp points. The does also carry horns, but
they are smoother and only about six inches long.

The gazelle, or chinkara, as they are now often called,
frequent broken ground with sandy ravines bordered by
scrub jungle, and are very common in Gujerat, Khandesh,
and the Central Provinces. They are generally in small herds
of four or five, with one or two bucks amongst them, and
sometimes may be found singly.

The chinkara is a restless little creature and requires
good shooting, for they do not offer much of a mark. When
alarmed they make a peculiar hissing sound like a loud
sneeze. The venison of this animal is excellent eating.

Then comes the four-horned ant elope, f which is found
throughout India, except, I believe, in Burmah and
Ceylon. They are common in Khandesh and in parts of
the Central Provinces. The male is of a dull -brown colour
and stands about twenty-five inches at the shoulders. The
anterior horns of this animal are seldom more than two
inches in length, while the posterior do not exceed four
inches. The does are of a lighter colour and have no
horns.

These animals are extremely shy and are generally
found in small herds of five or six and sometimes singly.
When alarmed they run with necks held low which gives
them a peculiar poky appearance. Their flesh is coarse
and uneatable.

* Gazella Bennettii. f Tetraceros Qucedricorms.

96

SHOOTING IBEX IN BALUCHISTAN

Finally, there is the nilghi,* a name presumably given
it originally by the natives on account of its appearance,
"nil" being the Hindustani for "blue," and " ghi "
meaning a " cow." I know very little of this animal,
which, though classed as an antelope, more resembles a
deer without horns, though the bull has short horns of
about nine inches.

It is of a decidedly blue-grey colour and about the size
of a sambar. It is found in various parts of India, but in
Bengal is hardly considered as game, because, owing to
its docile and confiding disposition, it affords no real sport
and is consequently seldom hunted. A solitary bull will
give a good run at times.

When shooting in Baluchistan I was very fortunate in
procuring some very fine specimens of the ibex, or wild
goat,f of Asia Minor. This animal is about the size of a
small donkey and of much the same colour, being of a
brownish-grey, with an almost black line down the back.

The males have long beards and horns of the usual
ibex type, but differ from those of the various species in
that they have no distinct front surface — only notches,
these being irregular and some distance apart. In some
of the animals the horns curve inwards at the tips, whilst
in others the curve is outwards, those with the latter
formation being the most prized.

The females are lighter in colour than the male and
have small horns and no beard.

The wild goat is found singly or in herds of from ten to
twenty. They inhabit lofty mountain ranges, and as with
all the ibex tribe are extremely shy and very difficult to
approach.

I well remember once in Sind following the track of a
solitary ibex for over thirty miles along a mountain path,
which lead so persistently upwards that even my wild
Baluchi shikari showed signs of giving in.

We plodded along, however, and just as the day was
waning, sighted our quarry some fifty yards ahead of us.
There was little or no cover, and as we sank down, scarcely
daring to breathe, the ibex threw up his head and looked

* Bnselephos Tragocamelus. t Capra hircuslelythi.

H 97

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

fixedly at us. Presently he gave a stamp with his foot,
and I knew we were discovered, and that there was not a
moment to lose, so, sitting up, I covered his chest, and taking
a careful aim as if I was competing for a £1000 prize, I
fired.

The ibex gave a great leap upwards and fell over, dead.
He was a splendid beast, very old and scarred all over,
and the horns measured forty-eight and a half inches round
the curve. We were well satisfied with our prize ; but it
was many hours past sundown when we reached our camp,
at the foot of the mountains, thoroughly done up, and with
every bone in our bodies aching after our tremendous
climb.

On another occasion an ibex I had wounded crawled up
a rocky precipice, some three thousand feet high, where it
was impossible to follow him. With my powerful field-
glasses I had just made out he was badly wounded — the
bullet wound on his shoulder being distinctly visible — when
suddenly he gave a lurch forward, and, looking no larger
than an orange, came rolling down to the valley below.

On going up to him I was mortified to find, however,
that in his rapid, but probably involuntary descent, one
of his magnificent horns had been broken off at the point.
Nevertheless he was a fine specimen, the horns measuring
forty-six and a half inches round the curve.

So far as I know, ibex shooting in India is always done
in the way I have described. In Persia and Afghanistan,
however, I believe they are generally shot in drives, but
this must be poor sport.

*****

In the year my services in the Khandesh District

were interrupted for a while by my transfer, as District
Superintendent of Police, to the District of Sholapur, where,
though the work was much easier than at Khandesh, there
was no big-game shooting. However, small game was
fairly plentiful, but what I most enjoyed was the pig-
sticking, a sport for which the district was quite celebrated
in those days, and probably is still.

Although hog-hunting, or pig-sticking — to give it its
more familiar title — is not to be classed with big-game
shooting, it is considered, and justly so, the finest sport in
98

THE WILD BOAR OF INDIA

the world. The dash of danger intermingled with the
excitement of the chase gives to it a zest which, even in
fox-hunting, is wanting.

At the same time, in some respects the two resemble
each other closely, in fact, to put it briefly, pig-sticking
less the hounds, is fox-hunting, except for the difference in
size and character of the two animals respectively con-
cerned, but this difference is important, for whilst the fox
is helpless to protect itself, the pig can, and often does,
turn on its pursuers, and being a formidable beast, the
contest is infinitely more equal, sometimes even resulting in
victory for the pursued.

In this connection it is necessary to bear in mind, too,
that this — the so-called " pig " — is invariably a boar, of
all wild animals in India admittedly the most determined
and courageous, armed, moreover, with sharp tusks,
averaging from five to six inches long, though they have
been known to run to as much as nine inches in length.

For the rest, an Indian boar stands over two feet six
inches and from snout to end of tail is quite six feet in
length. In colour he is almost black with a thick row of
long, stout bristles down the back. The head is long and
narrow with coarse black flowing whiskers, which turn
grey with age. The ears are pointed and surrounded with
black bristles.

Of the tusks alluded to above, he carries four, an upper
and lower one each side of his mouth ; but it is the lower
ones he uses in attack or defence. These are white and
gleaming and symmetrically curved with the inner edges as
sharp as a razor.

His method of using these murderous weapons, is to
throw up his head with a jerk when closing with his foe,
and having great power in his neck, a blow thus delivered
makes a fearful wound. The upper tusks are much shorter
and of a dirty yellow colour. His tail is scantily covered
with short hairs, and has a flat tuft of bristles at the end.

Wild pig are found throughout India and are very
common in the Deccan, where I have speared a considerable
number. They do much damage to the crops and live in
herds or sounders — to use the technical term — of from ten
to sixty or more. Solitary boars are occasionally to be met

99

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

with in high grass, cactus bushes, or rocky caves, and afford
the best sport.

When riding in company with others, the main object
of the hunters is to obtain the " first spear," i.e. to be the
first to stick the pig, for the rider who draws first blood,
however slight the wound he inflicts, is entitled to the
tusks, hence the competition for these trophies is naturally
very keen.

In the Madras and Bombay Presidencies, where the
weapon is held lance-wise, the long spear is invariably
used, varying in length from eight to ten feet, but in Bengal
a short leaden -headed, jobbing spear is preferred. The
shafts of all pig-sticking spears are made of what is known
as the male bamboo, which for strength and rigidity cannot
be surpassed.

The spear-head, or blade, varies in shape according to
the taste and experience of the hunter, but the lance-shaped
blade is to be preferred as it is easier to draw out of the boar
after the thrust has been delivered.

The horses best suited for the sport are Arab stallions,
as they are extremely courageous and very clever on their
feet — an important qualification, for the boar usually
selects the worst line of country in his flight, in the hopes of
shaking off his pursuers.

In following a boar, the rider must be ever on the
alert, ready for any contingency that may arise, for no one
who has not been an eye-witness of the desperate courage of
the wild hog, would believe in the utter recklessness of life
which he displays, or in the fierceness of his attack.

With a spear passed through his vitals, he has been
known to bury his tusks in the body of a horse, or the leg
of its rider. He is none the less a noble foe, rarely turning
to mutilate a fallen enemy ; unless so desperately wounded
as to be unable to go on, and when conquered, dies, as only
a wild hog can die, in absolute silence.

On one occasion, I had a long and severe run after a
solitary old boar, which on the second time of being speared,
ran up the spear and fixed its tusks in the chest of my horse,
bringing him heavily to the ground. I was picked up
insensible and with a broken collar-bone !

Another time when riding for the spear, with my friend
100

PLEASURES AND PERILS OF PIG-STICKING

O of the Indian Civil Service, my horse was knocked

completely off his legs by a savage boar. As a result
of the encounter I was laid up for several days with broken
ribs, while my horse was so badly ripped that it had to be
destroyed !

The secret of riding a hog successfully is to ride as close
up to him as possible, keeping him on the right or spear side.
The horse must be kept so thoroughly in hand as to be
able to turn at once with every " jink " or turn made by
the pig.

The pace of the horse, too, should be as near as possible
at full speed, in order to blow the pig and take away his wind
in the first brunt, otherwise he will probably run for miles,
hence if either from the slowness of the horse, or the
difficulties of the ground, the pace cannot be kept up, there
is always the danger of losing the pig.

It would take pages to describe all the various incidents,
accidents, and adventures which fall to the lot of all who
have ridden after pig, for it is a sport eminently sui generis,
and one in which the sportsman, while exposed to every
danger attendant on fox-hunting, must also run the risk
of being attacked by the animal hunted. Nevertheless,
it is just this spice of danger which, as I have said already,
gives to this sport its extraordinary fascination.

While stationed at Sholapur, I had the misfortune to
lose a very favourite dog, a fox-terrier called Snap, but under
circumstances which had such an extraordinarily tragic
sequel, that I am tempted to record this otherwise,
apparently, trivial incident.

On arrival one morning, while on tour, at a new camping
ground, my butler brought me the dead body of the dog,
who, as usual, had been sent ahead with the camp kit, under
the charge of the dog-boy. I examined the body and found
some foam and saliva round the mouth.

The butler explained that the dog, who was travelling
in the cart with the servants, had suddenly become restless,
and finally had bitten the dog-boy and the dhoby,* and
becoming very violent, they had been obliged to kill him.
Neither of the two persons bitten seemed any the worse,

* Washerman.

101

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

nor were their injuries severe ; however, thinking it safer
to do so, I cauterised all the bites I could find on both
as thoroughly as I could, and gave no further thought to
the matter.

Six months later, however, after I had left the district,
a friend at Sholapur, to whom I had mentioned the incident,
wrote to tell me that both the dhoby and the dog-boy
had just died of hydrophobia ! The curious part of this
business was that I could never discover when, where, or
how the dog had contracted the dread disease himself ;
and could only conclude that he, being like most terriers,
exceedingly pugnacious, had been bitten, when fighting
with some village cur, which had the germs in him.

102

CHAPTER XIV

A lack of amusement — Fishing on the lake— Good sport — Snake charming
— A performance described — " Music hath charms " — Discordant but
fascinating — Lured out of a well — A marvellous performance — Re-
moving poisonous fangs — The hamadryad — Its rapidity of movement
— A friend's experience — Hatching the eggs — A male mother — The
nest found — A rare specimen — The insatiable collector — The biter bit
— The snake stone — Method of using it — The cure effected — An heir-
loom— Purging the stone — A narrow escape — Rough on the fishing-
rod — A snake in the hall — Prompt measures — Taking the bull by the
horns — A strange protest — Posted to Shikapur — Its evil reputation
— The hottest place in India — How we kept cool at night — Sand-flies
and mosquitoes — Sand storms — No regular rainfall — A change to
Sukkur— Cold weather, short and severe — Wild fowl in plenty — Pleasant
days at Khairpur — An old-time chieftain — A sportsman over seventy
— Wild shooting — Ali Murad and his falcons — A day's hawking — Well-
trained birds — An old reprobate — Curious way of fishing.

APART from pig-sticking and small-game shooting, there
was little in the way of amusement at Sholapur, but as
the station boasted of rather a good lake, we rigged up a
boat and for some time amused ourselves with sailing.

However, discovering after a while, that there were
fish in the lake, we used the boat for fishing ; the fish we
found, though small, were very plentiful and good eating,
and what is more to the point, gave excellent sport with
a fly.

It was while at Sholapur, too, that I witnessed some
curious feats of snake-charming, performed by a wandering
gang of professional snake-charmers. The principal per-
former was an individual of the native juggler type, who,
to the weird music of a reed instrument, which he called
a " phunghi," made several cobras, which he brought
with him, sway and keep time to, what by courtesy might
be called the tune, which, however, seemed to have an
extraordinary fascination for the snakes, for they were

103

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

evidently entranced by it and for the time being completely
under control.

Afterwards, by means of this discordant " music,"
he lured out of a disused well another cobra, which, unless
he had previously placed it there himself, which was
scarcely possible, was certainly not one of his own.

This one he also played to for a time, and with the
same effect, then, suddenly grasping it by the tail, and
running his hand up rapidly, grasped it below the neck
and forcing its jaws open, extracted its two poison fangs,
using a pair of pincers for the purpose.

It was certainly a marvellous performance and one
requiring extraordinary skill and courage, as the slightest
mistake, or fumbling, would have cost the man his life,
for the snake, as we had seen, was dangerous at the time.

With many so-called snake-charmers, who perform their
tricks with what are believed to be poisonous snakes, it
is the practice to have the poisonous fangs extracted before-
hand, and though they grow again, for the time being they
make it harmless.

Writing about snakes reminds me of an amusing

adventure experienced by W , a friend of mine at

Castle-rock, a wild, delightful spot in the Western Ghats,
one of the few remaining haunts of the common hamadryad
snakes.

The hamadryad is a very large species of poisonous
snake, most venomous, and so swift in its movements as
to have won for itself the somewhat incredible reputation
of being able to coil itself into a hoop for the purpose of
chasing its victim with greater rapidity.

W- , when out on one occasion in the jungle after

big game, was told by the beaters that a pair of hamadryads
were hatching some eggs in another jungle close by. The
male is said, like the ostrich, to take its share in this
performance.

Great precaution was necessary in order that they
might be approached unobserved, as they are supposed
to attack, if disturbed, on the slightest provocation.

However, they managed to get near, and W , catching

sight of the male, promptly shot it, then offered a reward
to any one who could show him the whereabouts of the
104

AN ENTHUSIASTIC COLLECTOR OF SNAKES

nest. A few days later a shikari found the place and

escorted him there, when W , shooting the female too,

secured the eggs.

Delighted with his find, he carefully packed up the dead
snake and her eggs, which were nearly hatched, and dis-
patched the parcel to a friend, a well-known naturalist in
Bombay, who would, no doubt, as he imagined, be most
grateful for so interesting an addition to his collection.

But, not being a naturalist himself, nor aware of the
voracity of their kind in the matter of specimens, he had,
as it appeared, over-estimated the value of his contribu-
tion, for in the course of a week or so he received a letter
from his friend reproaching him indignantly for sending
him " a few eggs and a dead snake, when he might so easily
have captured and sent him the whole family alive ! "

He evidently meant to imply that my friend should have
waited until the eggs were hatched, and then to make a
wholesale capture of the parents and their progeny, but
how two such deadly reptiles — to say nothing of the little
ones possibly as venomous — were to be caught, he did not
trouble to explain.

Strangely enough, this enthusiastic collector, who, by
the way, was much liked and respected by all, eventually
fell a victim to this mania for collecting such dangerous
specimens, for some time afterwards he was bitten, and
lost his life through handling some venomous snakes in
his collection in Bombay.

Another friend of mine, H , an Indian civilian, was

once witness to a somewhat interesting incident in which
one of his men was bitten by a cobra. I venture to relate
this because it is one of the very few authenticated cases
of a cure being effected by the snake-stone, of which many
have doubtless heard, but apparently few believe in.

The friend in question was seated in his verandah one
morning, when one of his servants came running up to him,
exclaiming that he had just been bitten by a snake and
showed two marks on his ankle, which after careful examina-
tion seemed to have undoubtedly been made by the fangs
of a snake.

Meanwhile, some peons and others had chased and
killed the snake, which proved to be a large and almost

105

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

black cobra, the most venomous of the species. Every one
was naturally much alarmed, and, including the victim
himself, prepared for the worst, for there was no cure or
antidote known of in those days.

The man soon showed symptoms of the poison, and had
already become drowsy, when some religious mendicants,
happening to pass along the road near the bungalow, saw
the dead snake, which had been thrown there, and question-
ing the servants, ascertained what had happened.

They now came into the compound, asking to be allowed
to see and cure the bitten man, and this request being
granted, one of them unswathed his turban and undoing a
knot in it, extracted a small blue green stone of a some-
what spongy appearance. Wetting this with spittle, he
rubbed it on the wounds, at the same time making passes
and uttering certain incantations. He repeated this per-
formance three times, then informed the patient, who
certainly seemed better, that he would be quite all right
now and free from all effects of the poison.

He then proceeded to tie up his treasured talisman, and
making his salaams, was going off, when my friend, who had
been much interested in this proceeding, engaged him in
conversation with a view to finding out what was the com-
position, etc., of the stone, and finally asked him whether
he would sell it.

But this he absolutely declined to do, declaring it was
an heirloom, handed down from many generations, nor
would he permit the stone to be touched by any one.
Finally, accepting a small reward, he went off with the
rest of his companions. Meanwhile, the man bitten had
been rapidly improving, and in a short time was perfectly
well!

Doubtless the virtue of these stones lies in the fact of
their being porous and strongly absorbent, thus, when
placed against a snake-fang puncture, gradually draw off
all the poison. This, at any rate, is the generally accepted
explanation of the native superstition, which attribute
to these stones a mysteriously miraculous power brought
into operation only by passes and incantations such as I
have described.

I have since heard that Faquirs and others who make a
106

TWO SNAKE ADVENTURES

practice of using these stones as snake-bite curers, sur-
reptitiously soak them in milk, after each operation, to
purge them of the poison they have absorbed so as to
be fit to use again, but how far this is true I cannot
say.

Although it is not often that Europeans are exposed to
any danger from snakes, I had once a very narrow escape
from one myself.

Coming out one morning from my bath, I sat down at
the dressing-table and stretching out my legs underneath
it, I felt something cold under my feet, both of which were
bare. Looking down, I discovered to my horror that one
foot was resting on a coiled-up snake.

Luckily, I had the presence of mind to move the foot
gently away, and seizing the nearest weapon I could find,
which unfortunately happened to be my best fishing-rod,
I struck at the beast, which was fortunately somewhat
lethargic, either from a full meal or the cold. I smashed
the rod to pieces, but seemed to make little impression on
the snake, which was finally finished off by my orderly,
who hearing the disturbance came to my assistance. The
snake proved to be a cobra. I had thus every reason to be
thankful for my escape.

The only other case I remember of Europeans being
exposed to danger from snakes was of a man who, with his
wife and children, was staying with a friend. Coming in
from shooting one day, he saw a huge snake in the hall
close to where his children were playing. Slipping a
cartridge into his gun, he promptly shot it, and only then
discovered that it was a harmless rock snake that he had
killed. However, as it is always safer to assume that all
Indian snakes are dangerous, this fact did not trouble him,
and when he met his host he told him what had happened,
but to his amazement, the latter, so far from expressing
any regret for the anxiety he had suffered, was most
indignant, and reproached him for, what he was pleased
to describe, his inhumanity in killing a harmless
snake !

Too angry at the moment to reply, he waited till he felt
calmer, then asked if he would kindly tell him how he could
have ascertained whether the snake was harmless or not,

107

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

adding that another time it would perhaps be better to
examine a snake's fangs before shooting it !

* * * # *

My next station was Shikarpur, which enjoys the evil
reputation of being, during the hot season, the hottest
place in India. In fact, by those who have experienced
its fiery climate, it has often been described as " rivalling,
in their estimation, a certain warmer spot below, and only
separated from it by a sheet of thin brown paper."

How far this comparison may be true, I am, fortunately,
not in a position to say, but judging from my knowledge of
places on the surface of the earth, it is quite the warmest
I have been in. And apparently the Government is of the
same opinion, for all officials posted there receive a com-
pensation allowance of Rs.100 a month as extra pay.

The houses, too, are all built with thick mud walls and
have flat tops which are used at night to sleep on, and even
then it is only by sprinkling the bed from time to time with
water, and having a punkah overhead, that it is possible
to obtain a few hours' sleep.

Some, indeed, go so far as to have a tub of water near
the bed to plunge into occasionally ; another drawback,
too, are the sand-flies which, numerous and persistent as
mosquitoes, are a perfect pest.

There is no regular rainfall, but the vegetation is
maintained by a system of irrigation and the occasional
overflowing of the Indus river. A sandstorm at rare
intervals somewhat cools the atmosphere, but during the
hot weather we put in as much time as we could spare
at Sukkur on the Indus, where the cooler breezes of the river
made life somewhat more tolerable.

Strangely enough, though, in spite of their hot dry
climate, the gardens, both at Shikarpur and Sukkur, are
exceptionally flourishing, full of the graceful date and palms,
and other tropical trees.

The cold weather, though short, is quite severe, and
during this season excellent small-game shooting can be
had, especially at a place called Larkhana, where, on the
numerous tanks, there are wild fowl in plenty and snipe
also near the banks. Quail and partridge, too, are
plentiful, including the black and handsome variety of
108

IBEX.

(Baluchistan.)

MY FINEST KOODOO BULL. [To face p. 109

.1 -1 .

A SPORTING OLD REPROBATE

the latter, which, together with the chakoor, are also to
be found.

There is no big game in the district except the ibex,
a wild goat of Asia Minor, which I have described in a
previous chapter.

While stationed at Shikarpur, I spent some pleasant
days with Ali Murad, the chief of Khairpur, who, though over
seventy years of age then, was an exceedingly good sports-
man and magnificent shot. He had excellent reserves
well stocked with wild hogs and hog deer.

These were driven out by a multitude of beaters past
the guns, and, by the chief and his followers, fired at indis-
criminately, no quarter being given to the pigs. However,
except the chief himself, who rarely missed a shot, the
shooting .of his entourage was exceedingly, not to say
dangerously, wild, their bullets being heard whistling in
all directions but the right one.

We also had a day out with Ali Murad's falcons, which
we followed on horseback. They were wonderfully trained
birds, and it was a very pretty sight to see their flight after
hare and partridge, and to watch the curious manner in
which they were lured back, but, on the whole, the sport
was not one that appealed to me.

The ancient chieftain was a ruler of the old-fashioned
autocratic type, and the hero of numerous interesting
adventures, which, unfortunately, it would not be diplo-
matic to repeat. He was much pleased at a photo I took
of him.

One of the most curious things I noticed while at
Shikarpur was the manner in which fishing is done on the
Indus. The fisherman lies on his stomach extended on a
large earthen " chatty," and thus drifts down the stream,
holding a conical-shaped net in front of him. Then as
the fish are secured, they are slipped into the chatty,
which when full he guides to the shore. The principal
fish is the pullah, which is very bony, but makes excellent
eating.

109

CHAPTER XV

After furlough — Posted to Bijapur — A city of the dead — Tomb as official
residence — Mosque with whispering gallery — A dome larger than St.
Paul's — My tomb-house — Its advantages and drawbacks — Plague and
famine — My next station — The sacred city of Nasik — On plague duty
— High-handedness and extortion — Discontent — Riot and murder —
Victims of the plague — Dacoities and sedition — Police measures — A
robber chief — His formidable gang — Baffles the police — A Police Post
attacked — Pursuit — A havildar and his men killed — Vengeance on a
spy — Organize a flying column — The robber stronghold stormed —
Desperate resistance — Heavy casualties on both sides — Capture of
ring-leader and his gang — Treasure recovered — A fine body of men —
A wounded robber chief in hospital — Some startling revelations — A
sporting ruffian — Sedition in Nasik — Mistaken sympathy from the
Press — Trial and conviction of the ring-leaders — Inadequate sentences
— Agitation renewed — Manufacture of bombs — Art acquired in Europe
by so-called students — Murder of officials — A judge shot in native
theatre.

AFTER furlough home and some further service in Khandesh,
I found myself posted at that dread city of the dead,
Bijapur, where most of the official residences are converted,
ancient tombs. This place boasts of a mosque with whisper-
ing gallery and dome, the latter said to be larger than St.
Paul's, also several other beautiful mosques and tombs.

My particular residence was believed to have been the
tomb of two sisters, both famous in their way, but for what,
I cannot say. However, owing to the great thickness of
the walls, the house, if I may call it so, was fairly cool
during the day if kept carefully closed.

In the evening, however, it was quite impossible to sit
anywhere near the house, the heat the walls threw off
being absolutely unbearable. Plague and famine, too,
were both rife in the district at the time, so that altogether
my lot was not a happy one.

The only compensation was that black -buck were very
110

PLAGUE, FAMINE AND EXTORTION

plentiful and the country being open they afforded good
sport.

My next station was Nasik, a most interesting, healthy
station, and the second most sacred city in India, Trimbak,
the source of the river Godavery, being eighteen miles only
from Nasik city.

There are particularly good golf links too, and now, I
believe, quite a large residential Golf Club. .Bombay being
about four hours by rail only, and Nasik having a more
temperate climate, forms a pleasant retreat for hard-
working Bombay men at most times of the year.

I came in, however, for a full share of plague and famine
troubles, and the whole district was dotted about with
segregation camps. At one time, on account of plague,
the whole city had to be evacuated, and it was a melancholy
sight to see rows upon rows of empty houses and shops
marked, as in the famous plague of London, but with a red
Government mark instead of a cross.

Notwithstanding the tremendous efforts made by the
numerous civilian and military officers on special plague
duty, there is no doubt that a great deal of high-handed-
ness and extortion was exercised by their understrappers in
their official dealings with the people.

These official parasites being mostly recruited from the
high -caste Brahmins, of whom there are many in Nasik, doubt-
less made full use of their high social position to aid, as well
as cover, their extortionate proceedings, and while acting
ostensibly as Government officials, were in fact feathering
their own nests. The harvest reaped by some of them was,
I know, enormous.

There was also great and grave dissatisfaction at many
of the orders issued by Government, some of which were
much abused. This discontent, in fact, gave rise to local
disturbances, culminating in a serious riot, in which the
camp of the plague doctor was burnt and his assistant
and several others killed.

Plague, like cholera and enteric, is now generally
accepted as one of the ills of India, but I doubt if the world
at large realizes for a moment how many millions of deaths
it is accountable for. Some are of opinion that if when the
pestilence first started the whole infected area had been

111

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

burnt down and the inhabitants completely segregated,
it might probably have been nipped in the bud and many
lives thus saved.

So far as my own police force was concerned, I lost
annually many invaluable men as well as my own servants,
my favourite shikari, Gungdia, being one of the many
victims to the fell disease.

I found the Nasik District very bad, too, in the matter of
dacoities and sedition. The first of these two evils occupied
the whole attention of myself and neighbouring super-
intendents of police throughout the year, for there were
many difficulties to contend with, not the least of them
being due to the hills which, dividing the districts from
each other, afforded shelter to the dacoits. Thus when
the police pursuit became too pressing in one district,
the individuals pursued could easily evade it by slipping
over the border into these hills where they lay concealed.

There was considerable emulation between the police
of the different districts for the capture of the absconders,
but this very keenness was often the cause of their failure,
for each being desirous of effecting the capture preferred
acting alone to seeking assistance from the other, thus
losing the benefit of co-operation, which is so essential
in police work.

Many a dacoit slipped through our fingers in this way,
and, as times became harder, were joined by other bad
characters ; eventually becoming quite a formidable
gang under the leadership of one Chimanya Bowani, a
typical robber -chief tain whose fine physique and haughty
bearing supported his claim to being of Rajput blood.
Under his able guidance the gang soon became quite strong
enough to hold up the principal roads and thoroughfares
in the district, and finally established what might be
described as a reigri of terror throughout the country-
side.

Special police were employed to hunt the gang, and
large Government rewards offered for the arrest of any
of its members, or for information which might lead to
this result. Special rewards, too, were offered for the
arrest of the leader, but so much was he feared that it was
difficult even to obtain any news of his movements, and
112

A GANG OF DACOITS

though he was seen once or twice, and fired at by the
police, he always managed to escape.

The failure of the rains for two consecutive seasons caus-
ing famine, had produced great distress which, added to the
presence and rapacity of the professional money-lenders,
was the primary cause of these dacoities ; hence there was
something to be said in favour of the robbers, many of
whom having been ruined by these men, had become
criminals by necessity rather than of their own free will.

But be this as it may, their depredations soon assumed
very serious proportions, for within a very few weeks no
less than one hundred and sixty dacoities, accompanied
with murder, had been committed by this gang, who, armed
with swords and bows, were too powerful to be resisted by
the villagers. They generally mutilated their victims,
especially if they happened to be money-lenders, by
cutting off their ears and noses or otherwise disfiguring
them , beyond recognition.

At length, not content with plundering villages,
Chimanya and his followers now attacked a police post
on the frontier, and seizing the rifles and ammunition
they found there, made off with them. Thoroughly
acquainted with all the hill paths and rocky chasms of
the border, they easily evaded subsequent pursuit by the
police, who, moreover, were considerably handicapped by
heavy rain.

I well remember the occasion and the discomforts I
experienced during this pursuit, being frequently washed
out of my tents ; also the exhilaration of my assistant on
finding our dining-table just long enough to sleep under,
and so protect him from the stream that poured through
the roof of the shanty in which we once took shelter. The
chase on this occasion ended in failure, for many of the
patels or headmen of the villages we passed, fearing
reprisals, would give no information of the movements
of the absconders, though, as we learnt later, they had
supplied them with food and drink.

Moreover, to guard against arrest, the gang kept con-
tinuously on the move, changing their encampment every
day, and were perpetually on the alert, mounting regular
sentries wherever they encamped ; so that, on the whole,

I 113

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

the police, as is the case with all disciplined forces, operating
in an unknown country and against a mobile foe, were at
a considerable disadvantage.

At length, however, we thought our chance had come
when one day a deserter from the enemy's camp came to
the police and offered his services as an informer ; but, as
it turned out, this merely added to our difficulties, for while
he was being taken to the magistrate's camp, the escort
was attacked by the gang, who, killing the havildar in
command and two constables, carried him off with
them.

We found the body of the poor wretch later, tied to a
tree, but minus the head, which had been cut off and stuck
on a pole as a warning to any villagers who might be dis-
posed to act as he had done !

Finally, things came to such a pass that, in spite of
extra men being supplied to each district force, it was found
that the police were insufficient, and it was decided to
reinforce them by a detachment of infantry from Poonah.
Before these arrived, however, I had organized a flying
column of fifty picked men under a smart, reliable inspector,
each man carrying sixty rounds of ammunition and provided
with provisions for a month, so as to be independent of the
villagers, who, since the summary execution of the informer,
were more disinclined than ever to render assistance to the
police.

The pursuit was resumed without delay, and in the course
of a few days the stronghold of the gang in these hills was
discovered and surrounded. They made a desperate re-
sistance, fighting with great courage and desperation, but
in the end many were killed, wounded, and captured,
including the chief, whom we found the next day hiding
in a field, where he lay wounded.

We also recovered a quantity of treasure, consisting of
bags of rupees, gold and silver ornaments, etc., all of which
were found lying — flung here and there about the camp —
amongst the mud and puddles, for it had been raining
heavily before and during the encounter.

Our loss was heavy too, the inspector being wounded and
several men killed. However, we had the satisfaction of
feeling that the gang was now thoroughly broken up,
114

SOME STARTLING REVELATIONS

a fact acknowledged by the Government in several gratify-
ing telegrams, and a subsequent resolution, winding up
with the bestowal of a sword of honour to the inspector in
recognition of his services.

Meanwhile the military had arrived, all as keen as they
could be, thinking they were in for a real sporting time,
and were consequently greatly disappointed to find the
" show " was over, for a dacoit hunt would have been a
pleasant break in the monotony of their life in cantonments.

Amongst the captured members of the gang were many
of very fine physique, whom I much regretted being unable
to enlist in my corps, and who would doubtless have made
excellent military policemen, if only on the principle of
" Set a thief to catch a thief."

I had many conversations with the Chief Chimanya while
he was in hospital. Among many other things, he told me
he had no enmity against Europeans, as they had never
done him any harm, which I thought was rather sporting
of him, seeing that it was to them he really owed his
wounds and final downfall !

He also informed me — much to my humiliation — that
on several occasions during the pursuit, both myself and
my assistant as well as some of my men had met and asked
his own scouts — disguised as rustics — the way to his strong-
hold ! also that on one occasion my assistant was talking
to one of their men, quite innocent of the fact that there
were several of the gang concealed close to the spot, who
could have shot him quite easily had they wished !

But the strangest thing he told me was that " one day
he and several of his men were hiding in a ravine close to
the public road, when they saw a tonga passing with a mem
sahib inside. "tHe could easily have held it up," he said,
" in fact his men wanted to do so, but he would not let
them."

Comparing dates later I was astounded to find that
the lady in the tonga was my wife on her way to join me
in camp ! True she had an escort of two sowars with her,
but against so many they could scarcely have made an
effective defence.

On another occasion they had seen a sowar ride into
camp with the pay, quite a large sum of money, on a day

115

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

when we had, as he knew well, gone off after him on some
false information given by a villager.

So that on the whole — notwithstanding all his faults—
Chimanya Bawani was certainly a sportsman in the more
general sense of the term. Thus I really felt quite sorry
when some time after he and many of his followers were
convicted of murder and hanged, for though they deserved
their fate, it was, as I have said before, the action of the
money-lenders which had driven them to crime.

******

Another movement which the police had to contend
with was, as I have already mentioned, sedition, an evil
infinitely more difficult to deal with than dacoity by reason
of its more perfect organization, and the subtlety of the
agents employed.

Nasik was always known to be seditious, as could be seen
by the insolent attitude of a certain section of the natives,
especially those of the younger generation, towards all
Europeans. The stringent but necessary Government
plague precautions caused widespread inconvenience, and
the agitators worked this as a lever to make more trouble
for the authorities.

Owing to the misplaced sympathy they evoked from
the English Press, and the threatening attitude they
assumed, some of the more stringent regulations, which
were most necessary, were unfortunately rescinded, with
a view doubtless to placate the people, but without success,
as will be seen. This was naturally most depressing and
discouraging to the officials who were fighting the plague,
night and day, European officers actually removing plague
corpses themselves as part of their daily routine and
sparing no effort to check the progress of the pestilence.

Though the populace seemed satisfied at having gained
their ends, there was ample evidence that trouble was
seething under this apparently calm surface. The insidious
movement was daily gaining power, and gradually, though
surely, being disseminated throughout India by the wire-
pullers at Nasik.

True, the heads of the movement were ultimately tried
and found guilty, but despite the warning of certain
experienced officials, who contended that unless severely
116

MURDER OF A JUDGE

dealt with and thus rendered incapable of continuing their
propaganda, the men would cause more serious trouble,
they were let off with quite inadequate sentences.

The result of this lenient treatment became apparent
in due course, for the bomb-throwing, train-wrecking and
murder of officials, etc., which occurred later were practi-
cally all traced back to these original agitators in Nasik,
some of whom, it was found, had made it their business
to acquire the art of manufacturing deadly bombs while
they were in Europe, ostensibly engaged in studying for
examinations.

Of the European officials murdered one was Mr. F ,

a judge, who, strangely enough, was remarkable for his
leniency to, and sympathy with, the natives, and was
actually shot in a native theatre where he had gone with
some other Europeans to witness a performance.

117

CHAPTER XVI

Wild animals as pets — I start a menagerie — Experiments with tiger and
panther cubs — Hunting by scent or sight and hearing ? — A much-
vexed question practically decided — Conclusive evidence — "Billy,"
my tiger cub — Pillow fights with tiger cubs — The dog-boy and his
charges — A troublesome pair — Gymkhana for the police — Bicycles
supersede horses — Revisit Khandesh — A hunting box — Old friends —
Shooting under difficulties — Blank days — A tiger at last reported —
The beat — A tiger and tigress put up — Charging the beaters — Situation
becomes dangerous — Rescuing the stops — The beat abandoned for
the night — Disappointment — Nasik antiquities — Traffic in curios —
Made in Birmingham — Transferred to Dharwar — Shooting off ladders
— An accident near ending in a tragedy — Fit only for a madhouse —
An interesting temple — The god Khundobar — Said to have been a
sportsman — Hunting with the hounds — Worshippers assume attitude
and character of dogs — Feeding the dog-devotees — On all fours — Biting
and barking — A repulsive and degrading exhibition — Backsheesh the
main object.

ALTHOUGH my time while stationed at Nasik was mostly
taken up, as I have shown, with dacoities and sedition, I
managed to find leisure for other occupations, including
the collecting of live wild animals as pets, and in time had
quite a respectable menagerie, amongst these, a chetul,
a black-buck, two small gazelle, and also panther and tiger
cubs.

Interested as I have always been in wild animals of
every kind, I have closely watched their habits, in their
own jungle, as far as possible, but more particularly when
I have had them as pets, and in the case of tigers and
leopards, have tried many experiments with the young of
both, with a view to settling the much-vexed question as
to whether these carnivora hunt by scent or primarily by
sight and hearing.

As it occurred to me that the surest way of deciding
this was to try the cubs with flesh, I used to drag pieces of
118

THE INDIAN BOAR.

APPROACHING TIGERHOOD.

" Billy " the Cub.

[To face p. 119.

A TROUBLESOME PAIR

high meat along the floor, then hide them in various corners
of the room, but in spite of all encouragement I never
succeeded in inducing the cubs to take up the scent. On
the other hand, carefully watching their demeanour, I
noticed that they rarely appeared to be scenting, but were
always keenly watching and listening.

This, to my mind, is conclusive evidence that the tiger
and panther hunt by sight and hearing rather than by smell.
In support of which theory there is, I think, circumstantial
evidence too, for I firmly believe if such destructive
beasts as these were capable of hunting by scent, there would
be no other animal left alive in any jungle they frequented.
Amongst the tiger cubs I have kept from time to time as
pets was one " Billy," shown in the accompanying photo,
who, for a tiger cub, was particularly affectionate and docile.
He died of paralysis of the spine, a very frequent cause of
death with such animals in captivity.

Two other tiger cubs I had were about the size of spaniels
and a most amusing pair they were. They used to run
loose in my tent and in the morning shared my early
breakfast. At times their play was apt to be rather too
rough, and I have frequently been obliged to drive them off
by flooring them with a pillow or bolster.

They used to sleep on each side of my dog-boy, their
chains attached to his feet, and if they disturbed or crowded
him in the night he would cuff them as one might a terrier
pup ! They came in time to follow me about, too, quite
as naturally as dogs.

When going home on furlough I left them with a friend,
who confidingly accepted the responsibility, but some six
months later, wrote to me complaining of their conduct.
It appeared that, as they increased in size, they had de-
veloped a desire to kill and consume other animals in the
station, particularly goats, of whom they had already
killed a goodly number, and had now taken to stalking
children, apparently with like intent, which, as my friend
naively observed, had made both himself and them dis-
tinctly unpopular. However, as I heard no more complaints,
I assumed he had found means to prevent these man-
eaters in embryo from carrying out their fell design.
******

119

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

With a view to instilling a sporting spirit amongst my
men, I introduced gymkhanas for the police force, in-
cluding tent-pegging, etc., in which other officials in the
station often took a part, as well as some of the officers
from the military depot nine miles off, who occasionally
came in.

As prices advanced, however, owing to the famine, and
living consequently became dearer, many Europeans put
down their horses and took to bicycles instead. Finding
these as convenient and necessarily more economical,
several retained them permanently, with the result that
bicycle, in place of horse, events became ultimately the
chief feature in these gymkhana.

No doubt some of the feats performed on these machines
were extraordinarily clever, but I often used to wonder
what our veteran sportsmen — now retired or defunct —
would have said to seeing the horse supplanted by such
inanimate steeds as these ! For performances on the latter,
however clever and complicated they might be, can
scarcely:be compared with the bare-backed mounted events,
and other daring equine feats, which, in the days of these
old sportsmen, constituted the gymkhana.

******

During the period I was stationed at Nasik, I spent all
my Christmases as usual in camp, going one year for ten
days to Pal, in my old District Khandesh, and one of my
favourite old haunts where I had heard tigers had increased
considerably since I left.

I hoped therefore to get some, and possibly bison too,
for though I had killed so many of the latter, and have
several good heads, I had never kept a mask, so was
anxious to get one to set up.

The cold at Pal is so intense that we had finally to
abandon our tents and take up our quarters in a small,
forest hut, built of mud, and consisting of three small
rooms. It had been built by a certain cheery individual,

a doctor named P , who, in a fit of generosity, presented

it to the Government.

He used to be very amusing on the subject of the Govern-
ment Resolution he had received in return, thanking him
for his munificent gift, but poor as was the building I often
120

KHANDESH REVISITED

blessed him for having built it, as it had afforded me warm
shelter on many an occasion.

My trip this time, however, proved somewhat unprofit-
able, so far as the shooting was concerned, though it was
very pleasant to be back again amongst old scenes and
faces, for many of the shikaris I had known, and friends
from native states, all came in to welcome me. They had
quite decided that being now a married man, I could no
longer be the keen shikari I had been, and I was very glad
of the opportunity of correcting this impression.

In addition to my wife a friend from the Deolali depot
accompanied me on this trip, the best and cheeriest of
comrades, who almost directly afterwards, poor fellow,
was killed in the South African campaign. We had several
blank beats, and on one occasion I was posted with my wife
on the identical tree from which many years before I had
killed a tigress, though suffering at the time from a severe
attack of ague.

I remember trembling so violently while the beast came
on, that I was afraid her attention would be attracted to
the tree. However, she came out straight toward me, and
managing, somehow, to get my shaking rifle on to her, I
rolled her over with a bullet through the forehead.

The blank beats I have mentioned continued for some
days. At last, late one morning, we got good khubbar of a
tiger having killed one of the buffaloes we had tied up as
bait.

We started off at once, but the place was a long distance
away, and by the time we arrived there, and made all
arrangements for the beat, it was already late afternoon.

As my friend H had never shot a tiger I was par-
ticularly anxious that he should have the shot, so gave him
the best place, but it was a very large piece of jungle and
difficult, not merely to beat, but to command all its natural
outlets with two guns only.

However, as it happened, at the first sound of the
beaters, a fine tiger came out about fifty yards from his

tree, but behind him, and as H could not turn round

quickly enough, the beast went on.

As soon as I realized that H was unable to fire,

and that the tiger, if not stopped, would probably get away,

121

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

I took a snap shot at him, as he was galloping through the
undergrowth, but unfortunately missed.

He was, however, turned by one of the stops and roared.

We then discovered that there was another tiger or
tigress in the jungle, for the roar was instantly replied to,
and presently the two beasts, roaring alternately, kept

charging the beaters in turn, both H and my wife

being greatly impressed by the volume of sound they
produced.

Meanwhile the sun having gone down the light was
fading rapidly, and I saw that the only thing to be done was
to stop the beat and get out of the jungle as quietly as we
could, in the hope of getting them the next day.

We found, however, that to get out of the jungle,
quietly or otherwise, was more difficult than I had imagined.
The tigers having been disturbed and hustled were now
thoroughly savage, charging out whenever the stops tried
to leave their trees, and we had finally to go round to each
and get the men down under cover of our rifles, and it was
quite dark when we reached home.

Next morning on visiting the jungle we found that both
the tigers had cleared off — probably during the night or
early morning ; we accordingly returned to camp, and
drove on to Nasik, thoroughly disappointed, and with
nothing more agreeable to remind us of this trip than a
severe attack of malaria, which each and all of us, including
all our servants, had managed to pick up !

In addition to its other attractions, some of which I
have attempted to describe, Nasik has long enjoyed a
reputation for its possession of antiquities ; the most
celebrated amongst them being its old brass idols,
chains, etc., etc., and many officials stationed there from
time to time have, in days gone by, made valuable collec-
tions of genuinely antique specimens of these articles.

Latterly, however, tourists, notably Americans, have
paid such long prices for these curiosities that there are
now few of the genuine article left. Nevertheless the wily
natives, finding the demand for them in no way diminished,
has proved himself quite equal to the occasion by importing
large quantities from England !

Made, probably in Birmingham, and admirably executed
122

SHOOTING FROM LADDERS

in imitation of the original, these are then buried or put
down an old well for a season, whence they issue as " antique"
as even an American could desire, and would trouble the
most expert of experts to detect.

These are now hawked round and sold at most profitable
rates, as I know to my cost, having purchased some myself,
till I had learned to be wiser. But the genuine article,
such as bed and swing chains, all beautifully carved, which
in former years could be obtained for the price of their
weight, as brass, now fetches as much as Rs.100 each,
and are difficult to obtain even at this price.

******

My period of service at Nasik having expired I was next
posted to Dharwar, a pretty healthy spot, situated in the
western ghats. It was considered at one time quite a good
district for big game, but the increase of cultivation, and
the clearing of the forest, has practically ruined the shooting,
and big game can now be obtained only after much trouble
and arrangement.

I found it was the practice in this part of the country,
and in Kanara, for sportsmen, when beating for tiger or
other big game, to shoot from ladders propped up against
a tree, instead of sitting on the tree itself as is generally
done elsewhere.

These ladders are specially made for the purpose,
having a kind of seat on the topmost rung, but this seemed
to me a clumsy arrangement, for besides being cumbersome
to carry about, they are liable to slip, and also likely to
attract the attention of the animal.

I had some trouble, however, in inducing the local
shikaris to use the simpler contrivance employed in
Khandesh, which consists of two poles, each about five
feet long. These are fixed parallel to each other, across
two or more projecting branches, thus forming, not only
a comfortable seat, but one from which the sportsman
can shoot in all directions.

Moreover, in a perch made in this manner the occupant
is absolutely safe, whereas a ladder, as I have said, is liable
to slip, and in a case I heard of later, actually did, causing
a serious accident.

The incident happened to Colonel P , a celebrated

123

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

Kanara sportsman, who told me of it himself, and though
there was a comic side to the story, the incident in itself
came near to ending in as terrible a tragedy as it would be
possible to imagine. It appears that on one occasion while
shooting with a young civilian, just out from home, he was
climbing to his position when the ladder slipped, the fall
breaking his thigh. The youngster ran to assist him, and

P , who was in excruciating agony, and hardly knew

what he was saying, called out, " Oh, for God's sake shoot
me!"

A few moments later, having recovered his composure,
he found, to his horror, the muzzle of a rifle pointing to
his head and the trembling young civilian evidently about
to carry out the request he had involuntarily uttered !
I refrain from describing the language he used, but it was
not complimentary to the intelligence of his friend, who
in his opinion, as he told him, was fit only for a mad-house,
or at best, an appointment in the Secretariat !

In a village of the Dharwar district, near to Ranu-
brunner, there is a very interesting temple dedicated to
the worship of the god Khundobar, a very ancient deity
to whom, however, there are now very few temples re-
maining.

The special one referred to stands on the summit of a
small hill, and is deserving of mention if only for the very
curious attitude adopted by the worshippers at this shrine,
who, when practising their devotions, assume the characters
of dogs. Tradition has it that this particular god to whom
the temple is erected, was a great shikari, and, with his
pack of hounds, hunted the hills around, but strangely
enough in the one or two other temples, to this god, still
remaining, there is no trace of the canine portion of the
legend at all.

Girls are still dedicated to the use of this temple, and the
dog-devotees are furnished from the villages round about,
certain families undertaking to supply a number, presum-
ably in each generation. They live on the villagers,
apparently do no work, and are in fact a perfect pest.

When the temple authorities are informed that any
official wishes to see the temple, they generally make as
imposing a show as possible, collecting a number of the
124

DOG-DEVOTEES

devotees, who are rough-looking specimens, wearing black,
hairy caps, red sashes, and are of a generally shaggy
appearance all over.

The presiding priest, on receipt of baksheesh, produces
some bananas, which he slices up, and placing them on small
brass troughs, calls up the " dogs." These come scrambling
along on all fours, barking and yelping, and even fighting,
growling and biting at each other over -the troughs, till
having secured a trough each, return to a corner to eat
it in solitude.

They do not use their hands, but eat too, like dogs from
the troughs, which are beautifully made in solid brass and
very old. One of my friends was lucky enough to pick
up one of these, as they are difficult to buy, and also
some of the little images of horses from the temple. The
god himself is not repulsive to look at, and his images often
have the symbolical five cobras over their heads.

After the dog-devotees have been fed, and if the baksheesh
has been generous, and the supply of bananas plentiful,
they will give a further exhibition of their dog-like antics,
growling, fighting, leaping, howling, and rolling about in
a ridiculous and most repulsive manner, and finally canter
barking down the hill by way of giving their departing
visitors a good send off.

These people also attend the larger fairs, attracting
huge crowds by their many tricks with knives and skewers,
which they pass through the muscles of their arms, thighs,
and calves, till they are streaming with blood. It is said
that by certain methods of massage and manipulation they
are able to place the knives between the muscles, and thus
avoid any serious injury resulting from the wound. Doubt-
less this strange worship with its many corruptions will
eventually die out, and the sooner the better, for though
the ridiculous antics are amusing for a time, and evidently
enjoyed by the performers themselves, their mode of life
cannot fail to be degrading.

125

CHAPTER XVII

The Western Ghats — Castle Rock and Morumgoa — Fine scenery — Spend
a hot season at Castle Rock — A kill in a ravine — The guns posted — A
tiger viewed — A doubtful hit — Bapu the optimist — A tell-tale leaf —
An advance in close order — The enemy prepares to charge — Careful
shooting necessary — Success — Following up a wounded bear — A
curious story — Second sight — An apparition in the night — Convincing
evidence — An apology to my readers — Another tiger marked down —
Caught napping — An unexpected encounter — My perilous position —
Face to face — A desperate proceeding — Seeking refuge in a bush — A
precarious shelter — Suspense relieved — A lucky shot — Curious evidence
of a recent victim — A man-eating panther — Carries off a child — The
body found — Watching over the remains — An eerie vigil — A jackal
greedy but suspicious — The panther at last — Creeping up to the
" kill " — Only five yards off — A steady shot at his chest — Hit but not
dead — Too dangerous to follow up by night — The hunt resumed —
Tracking by blood and footprints — Found dead — A well-nourished
beast — The fallacy of theories regarding man-eaters.

THE magnificent scenery of the Western Ghats is too well
known to need any description, and is too beautiful for any
one — except an expert with pen or pencil — to depict.
Castle Rock on the S. M. Railway and Morumgoa were
the two places we generally went to.

The latter used to be at one time somewhat famous
for the number of tigers and panthers to be found in the
neighbourhood, and a friend of mine, who was once stationed
there as consul and head of the railway, shot a good many.
The jungles around still contain some of these beasts, and
bison, too, I believe.

These jungles, which connect with those of the Kanara
District, contain many a hill and valley of quite extra-
ordinary beauty, and in the course of our shikar expedition
we often came on exquisite little nooks and streams bordered
with the Royal Osmunda fern.

The whole of our hot weather we spent at Castle Rock
126

BAPU TRIUMPHANT

where I was then acting as Railway — as well as District —
Superintendent of Police, and while shooting towards the

end of that hot season with two friends, W and B ,

we received news of a tiger having killed and eaten the
greater part of a buffalo we had tied up the night before.

The kill was in a deep ravine filled with high grass and
bushes and flanked on both sides by huge masses of rocky
boulders.

We had taken up our positions on trees, after sending
men round to drive towards us, when we heard loud shouts,
followed by roars from the tiger. Presently one of the
stops to my right called out that the tiger had broken back.

Scarcely had the man spoken, when there was another
uproar among the beaters, and the next moment I saw the
tiger coming along the bed of the ravine at a brisk trot
and roaring loudly all the time.

When about sixty yards from my tree, he suddenly
sprang up the bank. I had now only occasional views of
him among the boulders, but noting an open space across
which he was bound to pass, I watched it closely with my
rifle ready, and as he was crossing it, I fired.

He swerved distinctly at the shot and disappeared over
the ridge. Meanwhile the beaters having come up, we
followed on the tracks, but finding no blood my friends
and their shikaris naturally concluded I had missed. I
was very confident, however, I had hit him somewhere,

and while W and B were condoling with me on

my miss, Bapu my own shikari, who had great faith in his
master's shooting, and had followed on alone on the track
ran back to us, and with a broad grin illuminating his
rugged features, held up a leaf on which there was a few
specks of blood.

To follow the tiger up now was a task attended with
some danger, for the cover was very dense and high, being
composed mostly of thick bamboo jungle.

Keeping well together, however, with the guns in front
we proceeded cautiously, halting frequently to allow of
the men climbing into trees and examining the ground
before us, in hopes of obtaining a view of the beast.

Suddenly Bapu, who was leading, dropped on all fours,
pointing in front of him, and at the same moment I caught

127

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

sight of the tiger crouching behind a clump of bamboos.
Calling to the others that I had seen him, and warning them
that he was wounded and therefore dangerous, we con-
tinued to advance, but more cautiously than before.

When within about ten yards of her, for she proved to
be a tigress, I noticed the end of her tail twitching nervously
like that of a cat when stalking a bird, and knowing from
this that she was on the point of charging, I took careful
aim and fired.

The bullet, striking her between the neck and shoulders,
killed her on the spot, which was fortunate, for had she
made good her charge, one or more of us must assuredly
have been mauled, if not killed. She was a handsome
beast though small, being only eight feet six inches, but
with a finely marked skin.

On return to camp, the village turned out in great num-
bers and were much rejoiced, in their own apathetic way,
for it seemed she had killed a number of their cattle, the
ravine where she had made her lair being close to the
village.

My first bullet we found had struck her rather low,
but being in a good line with the shoulder, she would
no doubt have died eventually from the wound.

******

Writing of following up wounded animals, reminds me
of a very curious story connected with a sad accident that
occurred in this way some years ago, when C— - of the
I.C.S. was terribly mauled by a bear.

While shooting in Khandesh at the foot of the Satpura
Hills, it seems he had wounded a bear the day before, and
while following up the blood-tracks the next day, the
vicious brute charged him, inflicting ghastly wounds, and
though he was taken on to the nearest place, Chopda, and
attended to, he died before medical aid could reach him.

The curious part of the story is, that his wife, who

happened to be staying with Mrs. H , a friend of mine

at the time, and occupying the same bedroom, was awakened
during the night and saw her husband in the room. She
spoke to him, expressing her surprise at his returning so
unexpectedly, then waking her friend, apologized to her
for the unceremonious manner in which he had come in,
128

A CASE OF SECOND SIGHT

and getting out of bed apparently followed him into
another room.

Mrs. H , who had seen nothing herself, was naturally

at a loss to understand what she meant, but feeling some-
what alarmed, got up at once and followed Mrs. C — - into
the room where she had gone, to find her lying on the floor
in a swoon.

On coming round she told Mrs. H that she felt sure

her husband had met with some accident, as his clothes were
all torn and he was bleeding from wounds on his face and
body.

The next day Mrs. H received a telegram saying that

C— — was dead and asking her to break the news to his wife.

The story was told me by Mrs. H herself on whom

the incident had naturally made a great impression, and
as she was by no means an hysterical person, or given to
romancing, I can only suppose she was repeating what had
actually occurred.

******

In writing a narrative of adventures, extending over
so long a period as thirty years, it is difficult to remember
the sequence of events. I must therefore make this my
excuse for introducing here an account of an experience
with some tigers which should have been included in the
description of the shooting expedition I made with Colonel
Philips, part of which was described in a previous chapter.

Of the two tigers bagged on this trip, the one which
fell to my rifle was a large heavy beast with an extra-
ordinarily short tail.

The men had marked him down in a small dry sandy
ravine with barely any cover, the last place one would have
thought a tiger would lie up in, more especially as there
was a thickly wooded ravine not very far.

But, as our Bhils remarked in their quaintly worded
Hindustani, " Wo bagh burra lumba sey ay a," * and I
have no doubt that having made a heavy meal, he had
used that ravine as a temporary shelter on his way to
heavier cover, and had thus been caught napping. We
found later that he had in fact killed a bullock just before.

* " That tiger has come a long distance."

K 129

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

We tossed up for places, and Philips winning the toss,
chose the more likely post, a small teak tree standing at
the head of the ravine. After seeing him comfortably
installed, I took up my post, some fifty yards to his extreme
right on a side path leading to the covert, my idea being
to intercept the tiger should he attempt to leave the
ravine by this path, which, however, was not very likely, as
the ground, except for a few scanty thorn bushes here and
there was practically bare.

The shouts of the beaters were soon challenged by a
loud roar from the tiger on my friend's left, and I was
gazing intently in his direction, momentarily expecting to
hear the report of his rifle, when I suddenly felt there was
some one behind me. Instantly looking round, I was
horrified to find myself face to face with a huge tiger,
with scarcely a yard between us. Fortunately the beast
was so intent on slinking away from the beaters that he
had evidently not seen me ; my clothes, sunburnt arms,
face and legs being all much the same colour as the ground.
To blaze into his face, drop my rifle and dive into the
thorn bushes, was all the work of an instant, and in this
precarious shelter I remained, perfectly still, and hardly
daring to breathe. Presently, to my intense relief and
joy, I heard one of the stops calling out that the tiger
was dead.

It had been killed by the veriest accident, the bullet
merely grazing the top of the head, but providentially deep

enough to fracture the skull. P , who now joined me,

was full of congratulations at my wonderful escape, for
he had witnessed the whole incident from his tree.

He now told me how the tiger had shown himself for
a moment on his left, and as suddenly dropped into the
nullah, and passing one of the stops who failed to stop
him, had gone creeping stealthily along in my direction
with his chin almost touching the ground, and his eyes
gazing straight in front of him.

On skinning the tiger, which as I have said was an
exceptionally big one, we found the broken quill of a
porcupine deeply embedded in his jaws and paws.

******

I think I have already stated somewhere that when a
130

A MAN-EATING PANTHER

panther takes to man-killing, he becomes a far more terrible
scourge than even the more famous man-eating tiger.

One of the worst examples of a man-eating panther I
have come across was on one occasion when I was en-
camped at Wagra, a small Bhil hamlet consisting of a few
huts, in the Bharwana State. A large panther had carried
off a child, in broad daylight, who was playing with other
children within a stone's throw of the village. The same
animal had also, it appeared, killed and eaten a woman,
collecting fire-wood, a short time before, but her body
was never found.

It was late in the afternoon when I heard of the animal's
latest victim, and going at once to the spot, I took up the
tracks along a deep nullah which skirted the village, and
presently came upon the body of the child. There were
the usual fang-marks on the throat, and a portion of the
chest and abdomen had been eaten.

After much persuasion the relatives of the dead child
yielded to my request to leave the corpse where it lay in
order that I might sit up near it, in the hope that the
panther might return, when by shooting it I could, as I
pointed out to them, rid the village of the pest.

There was no suitable tree on which I could build a
machan, so I concealed myself behind a bush, adding a few
branches as a further protection, but so arranged that I
could look through them.

I decided to sit alone as my Havildar-cum-Shikari,
though very keen to watch with me, had unfortunately a
bad cough at the time, and I was afraid lest an untimely
paroxysm occurring, he should scare the beast away.

In my previous remarks on man-eaters I have pointed
out that the rapidity and uncertainty of their movements
make it most difficult to locate them, and that they are very
wary and cautious in approaching a kill. I therefore took
every precaution to prevent myself being seen or heard ;
and in addition to my Rigby rifle had also a D.B. 10-bore
loaded with slugs.

It was a bright moonlight night, and the intense still-
ness of the jungle, plus the ghastly object over which I was
watching, had a none too pleasing effect on my nerves,
and as the night drew on I felt distinctly " creepy."

131

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

Presently a single jackal appeared and giving a quick
pull at the corpse as quickly slunk away, looking continu-
ally behind him. Just then I saw a huge panther coming
stealthily along among the bushes, fringing the nullah
banks, and halting about fifteen yards off, stood gazing
intently in my direction. I thought at first it was a tiger,
so enormous did the beast appear in the moonlight, and
I was meditating whether to fire or let him come closer,
when he again crept forward, and then stood facing me
about five yards off. Now was my chance, and aiming
very deliberately at his chest I pulled the trigger slowly.
Acknowledging the shot with a loud roar he plunged into
the thicket where he now remained though hidden from
my sight.

That he was hit I had no doubt, for presently there
issued from the covert a succession of low groans with an
occasional deep coughing sigh, and although I could not
see him, I guessed from the sound that my bullet had done
its work. My men on hearing the report of the rifle now
came up with lighted torches, all keen to advance into the
jungle, but I would not allow them to embark on such a
dangerous task by night, for though almost convinced the
beast was dead, the risk seemed too great.

By the first streak of dawn we were up and on our way
to the jungle, where, on arrival, I was startled to find the
corpse, or what remained of it, had disappeared. Could
it be that I had missed the beast after all, or that he had
again returned to his kill and completed his dreadful
feast ? I hardly thought it possible, and yet it seemed
unpleasantly like it. Happily a closer examination proved
to us that it was the hyenas and jackals who had been
feasting on the remains, for the footprints of these animals
were plainly visible all round.

But the tracks of the panther too were there, which
we now took up, and, aided by the blood, of which there
was a quantity on the trail, we soon came up to him, lying
stone dead in a bush.

On examining the body I found my express bullet had
struck him exactly in the centre of the chest, smashing
the heart and lungs to pieces.

He measured just seven feet eight inches from tip of
132

AN EXPLODED THEORY RE MAN-EATERS

nose to end of tail, and was a stout heavy beast, very
different to the mangy toothless creature which, according
to the now exploded theory, all man-eaters were believed
to be. This one, in fact, was exceptionally well nourished,
thus proving that, odious as was the habit he had acquired,
the diet he had taken to evidently agreed with him.

133

CHAPTER XVIII

A bait taken — Living animate as bait — A seemingly cruel practice —
Reasons for adopting it — A tigress put up — Missed — Charging through
the beaters — Cubs discovered — An all-night vigil — The tigress returns —
Finding her cubs — Process described — An opportunity lost — The cubs
disappear — Tigress or ghost — How the cubs were removed — Morning
at last — Tracking up — Death of the tigress — The cubs found — Dharwar
again — A shooting camp — News of game — Daily disappointments — Two
tigers reported at last — The beat — Turned by a stop — A roar and a rush
— A hurried shot — Instantaneous effects — The tiger's mate — Beaters
charged again— Marked down — Drawing lots for places — A tempting
offer — Why I rejected it — Premature congratulation — The tigress
let off again — Questions and answers — Extraordinary performance —
Subsequent explanations — What might have been accomplished —
The shikaris' disgust — A panther in my tent — My dogs wake me up — A
desperate struggle in the dark — Firing haphazard — A sudden crash —
Ominous silence — The servants aroused — They arrive with a lantern
— What the light revealed — One dog missing — Carried off by a panther
— A fruitless pursuit in the dark — Resumed at daybreak — Remains of
Rover found — An unsuccessful vigil — The spot re- visited months later
— A panther shot — Was it the same ?

I HAVE, I think, in a previous chapter describing the tiger
and its ways, made mention of the curious manner in
which the tigress feeds her cubs. I was once fortunate
enough to witness this strange meal.

I had received news of this particular tigress late one
afternoon. She was said to have killed one of my tied-
up buffaloes, and was reported to be lying up in a ravine
some eight miles from my camp.

I have already stated elsewhere that one of the methods
employed to locate a tiger or panther is to bait the jungles
in the neighbourhood he frequents, that is to say, to tie
up buffaloes or goats, as the case may be, in all places
which he is likely to pass in order that he may kill one,
and thus give the sportsman a chance of locating him.

This tying up of live animals for the tiger or panther
134

THE TIGRESS AND HER CUBS

to devour, may appear, at first sight, to be a somewhat
cruel proceeding, but it must be remembered that neither
of these animals will touch a dead bait, therefore the only
chance of locating them is to place some live animal in
their way, and thus by sacrificing the life of one buffalo
or goat, accomplish the destruction of a beast that has
already killed many of both, and if not destroyed himself,
will kill many more, and possibly some human beings as
well.

But to go on with my story.

My men had as usual arranged the beat admirably,
and I had not been long posted when the tigress came
out about fifty yards to my left front. I had a very fair
shot at her, but though I emptied both my barrels, she was
evidently untouched, and charging through the beaters
with a succession of loud roars, disappeared into some
thick jungle beyond.

Feeling very much ashamed of myself, I went back
with the men to the spot from which she had started, where
we found three cubs lying asleep at the bottom of a nullah ;
they were handsome little beasts, and about the size of a
domestic cat.

The beat had been a long one, and darkness was coming
on apace. Nevertheless, I decided to sit up for the tigress
over her cubs, for that she would return to them there was
not the slightest doubt.

Selecting a convenient tree, we hastily constructed a
machan on which Eloo and myself, with the aid of some
native blankets, were soon as comfortably installed as
circumstances would admit of. The rest of the men
returned to camp, their services being no longer required.

The moon was at its full ; the night therefore was
almost as bright as day, which was fortunate, for otherwise
we might possibly have both gone off to sleep. It must have
been somewhere between twelve and one when I heard
the cubs making a peculiar gruntling kind of noise which
was immediately followed by the appearance of the tigress
on the scene.

So quietly had she approached that neither of us was
aware that she was coming. She stood over the cubs for a
while, then, to our astonishment, we heard her unmistakably

135

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

going through the process of disgorging, followed by the
equally distinct sound of the cubs greedily lapping up what
their mother had disgorged.

So interested was I in these proceedings, that I never
thought of firing at her, and after a few seconds, she
disappeared, or rather glided away as stealthily as she had
come, and it was only then I realized how foolish I had
been, to have lost so good a chance ; however, this made
me all the more determined to have a shot at her, should
she come again, as I hoped she would.

Hours went by and I think I must have been asleep,
for the next thing I remember was Eloo, clutching me by
the arm, and saying, " Sahib, she has been again and has
taken away the cubs." Being naturally much annoyed,
I asked him angrily why he had not awakened me. " I
was too frightened, Sahib," he answered. " She is not
a tiger at all, but a Shaitan,* we had better leave her alone."

I could hardly believe the man's story, but looking
down at the spot where the cubs had been I could see that
they were certainly not there. He then described to me
how the tigress had again come in the same ghostly fashion,
her approach being heralded as before by the gruntling
noises uttered by the cubs, and how she had taken one up
in her mouth and carried it away, evidently repeating the
process with the other two, for there had been three cubs
in all.

Morning broke at last, and when the men returned we
took up the tracks of the tigress, finally marking her down
in a ravine about three-quarters of a mile away. Here,
having taken up my position, I had eventually the satis-
faction of bowling her over as she passed underneath my
tree.

We then looked for the cubs and found them secreted
in some high grass at the edge of the ravine, where she had
evidently carried them. We brought all three of them
home. One died after a time, but the other two throve
well, and eventually grew up to be the two troublesome
pets, of which mention has been made in a previous chapter.
* * * * * *

* Devil, meaning here, probably, " ghost."
136

A SERIES OF DISAPPOINTMENTS

Once more I find myself wandering back, this time to
Dharwar, and again to tell a tale of my adventures with
some tigers which should have been chronicled before ;
but for reasons already stated, I have abandoned all
attempt at chronological narrative, and will now relate
each incident as it comes back to my mind.

The one I am now about to tell of occurred at Tadas,
a village some eighteen miles from Dharwar, and it was
during one Christmas vacation I had arranged to meet two
friends, who, for the purpose of this story, may be
designated respectively as W and M .

From the shikaris, who had preceded us, we heard on
our arrival that two tigers and a panther were believed to
be in some outlying jungle, we had accordingly reasonable
expectation of good sport.

Luck, however, was against us, for though we were
out almost daily on information seemingly reliable, search-
ing the jungle for several miles around, the beasts we
were in quest of always managed somehow to evade us,
till at last in desperation we decided to devote our attention
to smaller game.

Duck and snipe were fortunately plentiful, on and
around the several tanks contiguous to the camp, and as
we had a Berthon boat with us, it helped us in this sport,
as well as affording us much amusement, for the boat was
small and frail, and our eccentric handling of it, especially
under sail, added much to our enjoyment of the sport.

We had, in fact, become almost resigned to our dis-
appointment as regards the larger game we had hoped to
meet with, when one morning a man came running into
the camp to report that two tigers had just been marked
down by our shikari, who had been all this time, we knew,
on the look out. On cross-examination, however, this
Khubbar did not seem very convincing, and having been
so often disappointed, we had become somewhat sceptical
in the matter of such news. The tigers — in this instance,
however — were said to be lying up in a likely covert, viz.
a small rocky ravine with dense masses of creepers and
brushwood.

In these circumstances we decided to try our luck once
more, and accordingly lost no time in starting for the spot.

137

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

Here, after drawing lots for places, we took up our position,
climbing stealthily into our respective trees, and taking
all precautions to avoid making any noise for fear of dis-
turbing the beasts.

As the beaters advanced I saw one of the tigers coming,
creeping along directly for my position, but owing to the
density of the covert, I could only catch occasional glimpses
of him, for the striped skin of a tiger harmonizes so extra-
ordinarily with the surrounding foliage as a rule, that it is
often very difficult to detect him.

Just in front of my tree, however, was a clear space
about five yards in width, so I determined not to fire till
the beast could reach this opening, and thus give me a more
certain shot ; but while waiting for this I heard one of
the stops suddenly snap a twig and guessed at once that
the tiger was trying to sneak up one of the side paths.

It was a moment of intense excitement, for everything
now depended as to whether the stop had succeeded in
preventing the beast from turning into the side path or
not. Presently, however, there was a roar and a rush
and the next moment the tiger appeared, immediately
below me, going at a fast gallop, and in another instant
would have disappeared into the dense covert beyond, but
realizing the necessity for immediate action, I fired at once,
and the heavy bullet from my Rigby Express striking the
base of the neck divided the spine.

Death was instantaneous, and much to my delight the
mighty beast sank down on his tracks. As the report from
my rifle went echoing through the jungle, the other tiger,
or rather tigress, for such she proved to be, broke back
through the beaters, fortunately without doing them any
harm.

We took up her tracks, finally marking her down in an
open ravine, the sloping banks of which were studded with
thick trees and curra — a coarse kind of reed.

We drew lots again for places, and took up our position,
mine being the upper end of the covert, while W- - and

M were on the banks to the left and right of me

respectively, the best post having fallen to M .

On hearing the beaters advance the tigress came
trotting down the nullah, and when she was almost opposite
138

LETTING OFF A TIGRESS

my post I gave a low whistle. She halted at once at the
sound, offering me a splendid shot, and at a distance of
not more than thirty yards. I would not fire, however, as

I was anxious for my friend M to get the shot, for he

had seemed very keen, and I knew had never seen a tiger
in the wild state before. My whistling had the effect de-
sired, for presently the beast turned to the right, and going
leisurely up the bank, passed immediately under the tree

occupied by M . I was congratulating myself on

having, as I thought, procured him his first tiger, when to
my amazement, I saw the beast pass on unmolested, and
disappear into some thick jungle beyond. Totally at a
loss to understand his object in thus deliberately allowing
the tiger to escape, I shouted to him asking what had
happened, and " Why he had not fired at the beast." The
last query being somewhat more peremptory in tone, and
less politely worded, as was only natural after what he had
— or rather hadn't — done !

His answer to my question was, if possible, more
aggravating still, for his reply was, " I don't know," to
which he added, " the tiger has gone away," seemingly
quite surprised that the beast should have taken advan-
tage of the opportunity he had given him to escape !

However, he explained to us later that he was so
taken aback at the sudden appearance of the tigress, that
he had never thought of firing at her, but that he was
quite satisfied as he could now say he had actually seen a
tiger ! Though this was little consolation to me, who

could so easily have shot her, or for our friend W ,

who would have given a great deal for such a chance, and
was, moreover, a good shot. It was a great disappoint-
ment, for the feat of having bagged two tigers in a district like
Dharwar, where they were now so scarce and sought after,
would have been an event long to be remembered. How-
ever, M being such a good fellow, we spared him the

rating he so richly deserved, being quite certain, moreover,
that when he realized what a chance he had lost his remorse
would be in itself sufficient punishment.

Our beaters and shikaris too, were greatly disappointed,
and, not unnaturally, felt somewhat aggrieved, for as they
said, " We take all the risk and trouble to beat up a tiger

139

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

to the Sahib and when we drive it past his post he will
not shoot it."

We never got this tigress, for after the fiasco I have

described, it was too late to track her further that evening,

and though our men, despite their disappointment, worked

loyally for some days, they failed to mark her down again.

* * * * * *

In my remark about panthers, made in a previous chap-
ter, I mentioned that they sometimes come into a camp
at night, and have since quoted an adventure of this kind
experienced by a friend. I now remember one which
happened to myself when encamped at Chap-Pani, a
desolate village situated in the heart of the Satpudas.

It was a wild lonely spot, and being just the kind of
place where a wild animal might be likely to visit the
camp, I always slept with my gun under the mattress, and
my two dogs, Snap and a Persian greyhound named Rover,
chained to the foot of my bed.

One night, a particularly dark one, I remember, I was
sleeping in my tent, near which were the servants, all also
asleep, round their smouldering fire, when I was awakened
by the loud barking of the dogs, which were plunging and
tugging at their chains, in their frantic struggles to get
free. At least, so I suppose, for I could see nothing, the
tent being dark as pitch.

I guessed at once — or as soon as I had had time to
collect my thoughts — that one of them had been seized
by a panther, and springing out of bed, I shouted loudly
for help, at the same time firing my gun in the direction
whence the sounds proceeded, risking the chance of killing
the dogs.

The scuffle ceased at once, there was a sudden crash,
then an ominous silence, and I knew, or rather felt instinc-
tively, that one at least of the two dogs had gone. By
this time the servants were aroused and came in with a
lantern, when we found that, as I had guessed, one of the
dogs was missing. It was the greyhound Rover, which
had been dragged or carried off, and, undoubtedly, by a
panther.

There was a deep ravine just below the camp along
which the beast had gone. We followed this up rapidly,
140

THE PANTHER'S VICTIM

shouting and firing the gun at intervals as we advanced,
on the chance that the panther might be scared and drop
the dog. The latter was apparently still alive, as we heard
it give one cry, and encouraged by this we quickened our
pace, but the panther was evidently travelling faster, for
though we held on for some time we seemed to get no
nearer, and were finally obliged to abandon the pursuit.

The next morning at daybreak we took up the panther's
tracks, and eventually came upon the remains of my poor
old Rover, of which the greater portion had been devoured.
We beat the jungle several times, and that night I sat up
over what was left of the old dog, but the panther, possibly
scared by our pursuit, did not come back to his kill.

Some months afterwards I happened to re-visit that
very spot and had the luck to shoot a huge panther, but
whether this was the same brute which had deprived me
of my dog it was naturally impossible to say, but I consoled
myself with the thought that in all probability it was.

141

CHAPTER XIX

The destruction of panthers — Trapping often necessary — A trap described
— A trapping incident — Screams in the dead of night — Turning out
the guard — Bush to the rescue — What was found in the trap — The
biter bit — " A fine bait for the panther " — Drugged and disorderly —
Bhil police and prisoners — How the position was reversed — A par-
tridge shooting record — The Dangchia Bhils — An extraordinary race
— Monkeys and rats as food — Belief in witchcraft — Veneration for
tigers — Habits and customs — Another quaint people — Professional
bird-snarers — Their snares described — A terror to legitimate sports-
men— Why panthers are BO destructive — Less dangerous to human
life than tigers — An example — Sportsmen charged by a wounded
tiger — Attempt to escape — A fatal slip — Severely mauled — Succumbs
to injuries — Another fatal accident — Wounded tiger in high grass
jungle — A sudden charge — Savage attack — Shaken like a rat — Ex-
traordinary courage shown by a Goanese butler — Grappling with a
tiger unarmed — A double tragedy — Twelve-foot tigers — A myth —
How to cure and preserve skin and heads — Hot-blooded animals should
be skinned promptly — Instructions for skinning — Pegging down —
How to retain proportions — Burnt alum or wood ashes — Trophies to
be carefully looked after — A curious result of neglect.

THERE is probably no wild animal in India so destructive
and troublesome, especially to the villagers living near the
jungle it frequents, as the panther. In some districts these
animals are so numerous that in spite of the numbers shot
by sporting officials and the local shikaris, it is often found
necessary to reduce their numbers by catching them in
traps.

When I was in Khandesh there were two of these
panther-traps, belonging to the Bhil Agency, huge iron
machines, weighing about fifty pounds a-piece, and made
on the principal of an ordinary gin rat-trap, but with long
spikes instead of teeth and powerful springs at both
ends.

Many were the hyenas I caught with these traps, and
once a small panther ; but on one memorable occasion,
142

THE BITER BIT

when encamped with my chief, Probyn, at Pansumbal
(Native States), we captured something larger, though not
quite the sort of creature we wanted to entrap.

We had baited the trap one evening with a goat, and
had set it near a path leading to the village where on the
previous day we had seen the tracks of a large panther.
The chances of our capturing him were .therefore fairly
good, but as we knew the beast was not likely to take the
bait till late at night we retired to bed at our usual time.

We had been asleep some hours when about midnight
we were awakened by the most unearthly screams, and
thinking some one had been seized by the panther, we
jumped out of bed, turned out our police guard, and
arming ourselves with guns and spears, we ran to the
spot whence the sounds proceeded.

What was our amazement on arrival to find a wretched
Bhil firmly fixed between the jaws of the trap. He turned
out to be one of the villagers, who, on hearing the bleating
of the goat, thought he might as well appropriate it, and
had thus been actually caught in the very act.

It was truly a case of " the biter bit ; " fortunately he
was not severely hurt, though one of the long spikes had
pierced the calf of his leg. He was fortunate, too, in
being rescued at once, for had the panther come up when
he was in this plight, he might easily have fallen a victim
to the beast.

On relating the incident next morning to a petty chief
who happened to be visiting our camp, he quite seriously
remarked, " What a pity, Sahib, you released the man,
for he would have made a fine bait for the panther." How-
ever, as our visitor was under the influence of opium at
the time, it is only fair to assume that this somewhat
bloodthirsty suggestion was the outcome of a mind
disordered for the moment.

On another occasion this same individual while again
enjoying a period of temporary mental aberration, due
to the same cause, suddenly developed an apparently
irresistible desire to hack a dead bear to pieces with his
sword. His intention was fortunately discovered, but
only just in time to prevent an unusually fine trophy being
ruined.

143

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

This incident reminds me of an amusing story, once
told me by a friend, in connection with this drug and drink
habit to which, as I have already mentioned in my de-
scription of these people, the Bhils are unfortunately
addicted. On the occasion to which this story refers, a
party of the Bhil Corps Sepoys, while escorting some
prisoners to the magistrates' camp, came upon a liquor
shop en route. Unable to resist the temptation, they stopped
to have a drink, with the result that the Sepoy escort
ultimately arrived at the camp in a bullock cart, all more
or less hors de combat, while the prisoners they were supposed
to be escorting, were acting as their guard !

However, this is their only little failing, for taking
them as a whole, the Bhils are singularly free from the vice
common to most other Indian natives, and, as sportsmen,
are, as I have also said before, difficult to beat. They are
exceptionally expert with the bow, used either with arrows
or pellets, and in throwing any heavy implement such as
an axe or hatchet.

Once when out shooting small game, one of our party
missed a partridge which rose almost under his feet ; a
Bhil beater, seeing the miss, threw his hatchet at the bird,
and, much to the humiliation of the sportsman, and to
the amazement of us all, knocked it over.

In my description of the Bhils I find I have omitted
mention of one section of the tribe, viz. the Dangchias, or
Dang Bhils, who are probably the most uncivilized of any
of the wild tribes of India. They live in cone-shaped huts
made of tree boughs, and feed on vermin, garbage of all
kinds, monkeys and rats being also a portion of their diet,
and Mouha spirit their favourite beverage.

Of clothing they have practically none, the " langote,"
a narrow strip or loin-cloth, and a wisp of cloth round their
heads being all they use in the way of dress. Like their
brethren they are strong believers in omens, and greatly
dread the powers of witches and of the Evil Eye. Their
most frequent crime is the torturing of the former, gene-
rally selecting an old woman as their victim.

Their chief object of worship is the " Vagh Deo," or
Tiger God, in whom they believe the souls of their ancestors
to have become incarnate. Hence they hold the tiger as
144

DANG BHILS AND PHAS PARDHIES

sacred and will never assist in the destruction of this
animal.

Thoroughly disliking work of any kind, they do very
little cultivation. They are ruled by their separate chiefs,
or Naiks, who have very high ideas of their dignity as
Rajahs, claiming to be descended from the Rajpoots,
consequently never descend to labour or work of any sort,
thinking this fit only for their subjects. They, when not
resting or idling otherwise, roam about the jungles with
bows and arrows in search of hare or peacocks.

The country which these Dang Bhils inhabit is most
unhealthy and difficult of access, consisting as it does of
a mass of steep, wooded, flat-topped hills, lying to the
north-west of the District of Khandesh.

While on the subject of Bhils and the sporting pro-
clivities of these people, I am reminded of another class or
clan, for they can scarcely be termed a tribe, who, though
quite distinct from the Bhils, are also sportsmen, but of a
somewhat lower order, for to describe them accurately,
they are professional hunters or snarers of game.

These Phas Pardhies, as they are called — the word Phas
meaning a " snare " — are extraordinarily clever in catch-
ing partridges and quails whose calls they have learned
to imitate with an accuracy quite remarkable for any
human voice to have acquired. In their methods too they
are equally proficient and the snares they employ are most
ingeniously contrived. They consist of a rack or light
bamboo rail about four and a half inches high; this rail
or frame has upright poles of bamboo fastened to it about
six inches apart, between these pieces is a running noose
of horse-hair. This apparatus being concealed in the grass,
the birds are slowly driven towards the trap, and in trying
to pass between the poles are caught by the head, neck,
or feet as the case may be.

I was fortunate in being able to secure one of these
traps, the men being very loath to part with them, and was
much struck with the ingenuity of the contrivance and
exquisite delicacy of the workmanship which, as they said
truly, cannot be attained nowadays.

Their traps for catching deer and pigs are made much on
the same plan, though naturally on a much larger scale —

L 145

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

the horse-hair loop is replaced by looped ropes, to which
are fastened running nooses of gut.

These Phas Pardhies wander from place to place,
snaring game, and are a perfect pest to the more legitimate
sportsman, frightening off the antelope, etc., for miles
around. However, as they are much addicted to crime,
too, they are usually under close supervision of the police,
and therefore their movements can be controlled to some
extent.

But to come back to the subject with which this chapter
opened, I have said there is no animal in India so destruc-
tive as the panther, and though this is true it would be
perhaps more correct to say that its notoriety in this
respect is due, less to the rapacity evinced by individuals
of the species, than to the fact that, being so much more
numerous than any other dangerous beasts of prey, their
depredations are naturally of more frequent occurrence,
especially as regards cattle, goats, etc.

As a menace to human life, the panther, even if a con-
firmed man-eater, is less dangerous than a tiger, for, in
the first place, being less powerful, its attack can often be
successfully resisted, and because for the same reason,
the injuries it is capable of inflicting are necessarily less
severe. Whereas in the case of tigers their greater weight
and strength renders their attack practically irresistible,
while their fangs and claws are so enormous that wounds
inflicted by either are naturally more serious, and there-
fore more likely to prove fatal than those made by a panther,
an animal so much smaller in every repect.

A very sad example of this was the case of H ,

of the I.C.S., a great friend of mine, who was killed by a
tiger at Wargaon in the District of Khandesh, while I was
stationed there. He had wounded a tiger the previous
day, and while tracking it up was suddenly charged by
the beast, which had been lying up concealed in the shade
of an overhanging rock.

As the tiger charged H fired both barrels into its

face, but, failing to stop the beast, he turned, and was
trying to get away, when he slipped and fell forward.
The tiger was on to him at once, and seizing him by the
back carried him off some twenty paces.
146

TWO SPORTSMEN KILLED BY TIGERS

A Havildar of the Bhil corps, who was with him at the
time, ran to his assistance at once, and, very pluckily
placing the muzzle of his carbine against the tiger's side,

shot him dead, but H had been terribly mauled, his

back and shoulder-blades being fearfully lacerated — the
number of teeth and claw wounds amounting, I am told,
to no less than forty-two !

He was carried into camp, but died the next day.
Though suffering tortures from the pain in his wounds
he bore up wonderfully, conversing freely with the apothe-
cary who attended him, to whom he gave a full account of
the incident.

I was in camp some sixty miles distant at the time,
and hearing of the occurrence from one of my troopers,
I rode over at once, but unfortunately arrived too late to
see him as he had already succumbed to his injuries, which,
as I have said, were terribly severe.

This was his first tiger, and as he had been always very
keen, and, I thought, somewhat inclined to be impetuous,
I had only a short while before warned him to be careful,
especially in the matter of following up wounded tigers ;
but being young and inexperienced, he had probably failed
to realize the danger he was incurring. He was very popular
with all who knew him, and consequently greatly missed.

But it is not always the inexperienced who fall victims
to a tiger's merciless attack, for under circumstances even
more tragic, was the death of another friend of mine, poor

B of the Police, who was killed also by a tiger. He

was by no means a novice in sport, for many a tiger and
panther had already fallen to his rifle.

On the occasion under reference he had, it appears,
wounded an enormous tiger, and taking up his tracks,
was following them through high grass jungle when the

beast suddenly charged him. Before B could put

up his rifle the beast had seized him by the shoulder, and
knocking him down, attacked him savagely with his
teeth, driving his fangs deep into his body, and shaking
him as a dog might a rat.

The extraordinary part of the story is that B 's

servant, a Goanese, who, though excellent servants, are
not particularly courageous, seeing his master in the tiger's

147

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

grip, promptly ran to his assistance, and though unarmed,
a tiffin basket he was carrying being his only weapon,
actually grappled with the tiger, trying to drag him off
his master's prostrate body.

The tiger, resenting his interference, instantly turned
on him, and, seizing the brave fellow by the throat, killed
him on the spot. What happened immediately after this
I never heard, but the beast must have made off into the
jungle, for B — - was still alive when found, and carried
to the nearest station, where his wounds were dressed, but
he sank rapidly and died the next morning.

I was not in Khandesh at the time but was told of the
sad incident immediately on my return. The devotion
of the Goanese to his master was well known, but we were
all amazed at the extraordinary courage he had shown,
for he must have known he was throwing away his life
when embarking on this hopeless struggle with a wounded
and infuriated tiger.

This tiger, I believe, measured nine feet six inches,
rather above the average size, for though I have often
heard men talk of tigers twelve feet long, I have never
come across any such monsters myself, the largest I ever
shot being, as I have said before, only ten feet two
inches.

I have, however, seen tigers nine feet long, whose skins,
when fresh, could easily have been stretched to eleven feet or
even more, but not without unduly narrowing their breadth
and thus impairing the beauty and value of the skin from
the trophy point of view. So much, in fact, depends on
how a skin is stretched and cured, and all trophies generally
dealt with, that, even at the risk of boring non-sporting
readers, I venture to give a short treatise on the subject.

To begin with, then, all hot-blooded animals, such as
lions, tigers, and panthers, should be skinned before the
flesh has had time to decompose, to prevent the skin
being tainted. When the operator is a native, the process
should be personally superintended by the sportsman.
The skinning should be done as follows : place the beast
on his back, and cut the skin from the lower lip in a direct
line to the point of the tail. Then cut from inside of the
ball of the hind feet, inside the hocks and up the middle
148

HOW TO CURE SKINS AND

of the inside of the thighs, meeting the main cut first made
about six inches from the root of the tail. The skin round
the eyes and ears should be carefully separated from the
skull, and as close to the bone as possible, the lips being
pared as thin as they can be done without destroying the
roots of the moustache. Now remove every particle of
flesh and fat from the skin, especially about the lips and
ears. Then, a suitable spot having been selected in the
shade, and thoroughly cleaned, cover it over with a thin
layer of clean straw, and peg the skin down on it, fur
downwards and as symmetrically as possible, great care
being taken to preserve its original proportions, which
can best be accomplished by a liberal use of pegs.* A
good width should be obtained across the shoulders so
that the yellow fur may be entirely surrounded by its
margin of white, and thus add greatly to the beauty of
the skin. The ears, lips, and feet must be well painted
over with a strong solution of arsenical soap, the rest of
the skin being rubbed with finely powdered burnt alum,
or if alum is not procurable, wood ashes, which will answer
the purpose for awhile, and till properly cured.

The skin will take about three days to dry, and should
then be sprinkled freely with turpentine on the fur side
to keep insects off. After this it should be rolled up, with
sheets of paper inside to prevent the fur being rubbed off,
and sent home in this condition to be tanned, for natives
are not good hands at tanning, and are apt to use salt,
which rots the skin, especially in hot damp weather, and
many a good skin has been spoilt by being treated in this
way.

The skulls of tigers, panthers, etc., can be cleaned after
the fleshy parts have been thoroughly removed with a knife.
The four large canine fangs or teeth should be covered
with a thick coating of bees' wax to exclude the air, or
are liable to splinter. It is a curious fact that while many
of the fangs are hollow, others are solid, heavy ivory.

In preserving the masks of deer or antelope for setting
up, care should be taken to remove the skin of the whole

* It is a good plan to peg the skin down at the nose and end of tail,
eighteen inches longer than the animal actually measures, for no amount
of transverse stretching then can pull the skin out of proportion. — AUTHOR.

149

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

neck. Make the incision up the back of the neck and over
the head between the ears, till the horns are reached — if
these are wide apart, cut between them — right and left,
carrying the incision right round the base of each horn.
In separating the skin from the " bur " or base, be careful
that the knife does not slip, especially in the region of the
eyelids, nostrils, and ears. After the mask has been
removed, cleanse it thoroughly of all fat and flesh, and rub
in alum or wood-ash, the eyes, etc., being treated with
arsenical soap, and then leave the mask to dry in the shade.

Bison and buffalo, as well as the larger Indian and
African antelope, are very difficult to preserve owing to
the remarkable thickness of their skins, but by making
several incisions from the inside, to enable the preservative
to penetrate the skin thoroughly, this difficulty can be
overcome.

Even when set up it is a great mistake to expose head
or skins to strong sunlight as they soon fade and so lose
their striking appearance. This particularly applies to
lion and tiger skins, these being more susceptible than
those of other animals.

All trophies such as heads and skins should be carefully
brushed at least once a week, and during the moth season,
constantly sprinkled with turpentine; a neglect of these
precautions may result in a valuable skin being ruined.

As an example of what may happen if trophies are
neglected, I may mention that being busy for some days
I had paid no attention to my trophy-room — a photograph
of which is given — and found that during this time, a robin,
entering through a broken window, had built its nest in
my lion's mane !

150

TROPHY ROOM.
Ivooking Bast.

TROPHY ROOM;
Ivooking West.

[To face p. 150

CHAPTER XX

An apology and explanation — Big-game shooting and the camera — Some
advice on the subject — How a fine picture was saved-^— Morumgoa and
Goa — Poisonous water snakes and jelly fish — Phenomenal rainfalls
— Ancient rights and dignity — Convicted criminals at large — Method
of dispensing justice — A lengthy trial — Distortion of evidence — Paid
by the page — Judges fees — How regulated — More prisoners out of
gaol than in it — A Gilbertian system — Result of the trial — An
interesting but depressing relic — A city of palaces that was — The
cathedral and shrines — Site of " Auto da fe " — St. Saviour, the Patron
Saint — Curious discrepancies — The convent by the sea — An old story
retold — Abduction of a nun — A modern Paladin — An unpleasant
surprise — The great Festival of the Church — Mummified body of the
Saint — A sacrilegious souvenir hunter — The glass coffin — Transfer to
Poonah — A bed of sedition — Absence of sport — Effect of the war on
India — Surat my next station — The " Cradle of India " — Battered
forts and ruins — The Nawabs and their descendants — An ancient
Begum — Opposing factions — Pearl trade — Origin and present position
— German intrigues and aspirations — The pearl merchant — The sorting
and polishing processes — A magnificent specimen.

I MUST apologize for the length of my lecture on the curing
and preservation of trophies, which has proved much
longer than I intended, and will, I fear, make dull reading
to the ordinary reader. Still, as this subject is one of such
importance to sportsmen, for whom this work is primarily
intended, I felt that for the instructions to be of any value,
it was necessary to give them in sufficient detail to be
clearly understood ; for, after all, even from the sportsman's
point of view, there would be no object in shooting big game
if their heads and skins could not be preserved as mementos
of his prowess.

While on this subject I take the opportunity also of
advising strongly all who intend indulging in big-game
shooting to invest in a good camera, and to acquire a
thorough knowledge of photography in all its details.

151

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

During one furlough at home, I went through a regular
course of developing, printing, etc., etc.

The process, I admit, was not altogether a pleasant
one, and many were the blunders I made and the plates
that I destroyed, but I was amply rewarded in the end
by the numerous good and interesting pictures I obtained,
many of which are reproduced in this work.

The modern method of having plates or films developed
by professionals is no doubt convenient and saves much
trouble, but I am convinced that many a good picture is
lost in this way. The plates and films being developed
wholesale, some are often rejected when a modification
of the solution to meet the peculiar defect in the taking
of the photo might often have redeemed them.

I remember once nearly losing my best picture in this
way merely through being impatient. It was on a swelter-
ing day in Khandesh and the atmosphere in my little dark
tent was not conducive to serenity of temper, one photo,
appearing to be over-exposed, I threw away as useless.
It was a half plate, and fortunately did not break. Young

H , of the I.C.S.,* who was watching me, picked it up,

saying he would like to try his hand on it, and he did,
the result being the plate from which the picture opposite
has since been reproduced.

And now, having, I much fear, exceeded the limits of
legitimate digression, I will go on with my story. I have
in a previous chapter made casual mention of a place
named Mormugoa, but have since come across some notes
I made regarding it, ami from which I find it merits more
elaborate description.

Mormugoa is Portuguese, and consists of a peninsula
which terminates the W. I. P. & S. M. Railway. It has
a wide stretch of sands, with good sea-bathing, except for
the poisonous water snakes, peculiar to these seas, and a
venomous kind of jelly fish, also the possibility of sharks a
little further out. The natives are believed to possess an
antidote for the bites of the snakes and jelly fish, but this
is probably mere tradition.

Except in the cold weather months the heat is intense,
necessitating, for the European, the lightest of light

* Afterwards killed by a tiger as described on page 147.
152

JUDICIAL PROCEDURE IN GOA

clothing. The monsoon is very strongly felt here, the rain-
fall being 150 inches, while at Castle Rock, halfway between
Dharwar and Mormugoa, it is as much as 300 inches !

Mormugoa, Old Goa, with Panjmi, its modern head-
quarters, as well as the whole district under Portuguese
jurisdiction, are all extraordinarily out of date, more
especially in the matter of legislation, and judicial pro-
cedure, the Goanese (pure Portuguese * are very rare),
though very courteous and pleasant people, being tenacious
to an extreme of their ancient rights and dignities.

The prisons are usually so full that many convicted
criminals who should be undergoing imprisonment, are
allowed to roam at large and live where they please, their
only obligation being to report themselves at stated
intervals to the officials. As an example of this quaint
method of dispensing justice, I quote the following incident: —

An employee of the S. M. Railway, who lived by the
seashore at Mormugoa, found a heap of putrid fish being
piled up by some natives close to his bungalow. He
asked them to remove it, but they refused, and continued
adding to it daily, till at length the odour became so
intolerable that he had it removed himself and thrown
into the sea.

The owner resenting his action had him summoned,
and because he did not appear at once, caused him to be
arrested, then, instead of allowing him to settle the matter
out of court by paying compensation, he was forced to
undergo a lengthy, expensive, and irksome trial lasting
many days.

One of my friends, a railway official, who was called
on as witness and was also representing the Railway
Company, was put to the greatest inconvenience, being
cooped up all the time more like a prisoner than a witness
and obliged to take all his meals in the tiny Court-house,
the atmosphere of which in the damp climate was perfectly
intolerable.

Though when questioned his replies were mostly
monosyllabic, he was amused to find his answers all being
rendered by the interpreter into long flowing sentences,
without protest or remark from either the judge or advocate,
but subsequently discovered that the latter, who took

153

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

down the evidence are paid by the page ! Also that the
judge's fees fluctuate according to the number of persons
he convicted !

This quaint method of paying judges quite explains
the want of accommodation in the jails, and therefore
why, as just stated, there are more prisoners out of prison
than within it. However, be this as it may, in this par-
ticular case, the accused got off with a fine, heavy legal
expenses, and six months' imprisonment. He was, how-
ever, allowed as usual, but, as the Court put it, " as a great
act of grace," to continue in his employment as railway
guard, merely reporting himself once a month to the prison
authorities. The whole system in fact is quite Gilbertian
in theory ; but to the truculent Englishman it was all
very annoying ; in particular, the fact of being convicted
at all, vehemently declaring " that he could not be ex-
pected to live with evil-smelling fish outside his front door,
and was not going to do so for all the niggers hi Goa."
However, he was eventually persuaded to submit to
authority, in fact had no option in the matter, for his own
people could not well support him, since the Bombay
Government particularly emphasized the need of keeping
on good terms with their Portuguese neighbours.

An interesting but depressing relic of past glories is
Old Goa, formerly the chief town of the Portuguese settle-
ment, on the Malabar or Western Coast of India. It is
situated some distance up the river Mundair, Panjmi or
New Goa, at the mouth of this river, being now the capital
and port.

Of Old Goa it is difficult to imagine, now that so little
trace of its former grandeur is to be seen, that about 1 600,
when it was said to be at its zenith of its prosperity, it
was called the City of Palaces, with the fame of its splendour,
trade and commerce ringing throughout the world.

That it must have been so, however, is supported by
the fact that its wealth and magnificence proved a source
of great temptation to the then kings of Bapur who often
looted it. Since those days its government has changed
more than once, and until it was finally conquered, I
believe, by the Portuguese.

There are no palaces now visible, except those attached
154

THE STORY OF AN ABDUCTION

to the cathedrals, of which there are three still standing,
though shorn of their former splendour, the shrines and
vestments which were once studded with exquisite gems
of priceless value, being now decorated crudely with
coloured glass imitation. Still, in the architecture of the
cathedral there is much to admire, and then also the sight
of the " Auto da Fe," where heretics were burnt in the time
of the Inquisition.

St. Francis Zavier, as is well known, converted most
of the inhabitants to Christianity, and has since been their
patron Saint and is much revered by them.

Amongst other miraculous powers attributed to him
is the gift of tongues. This is rather curious, as from some
letters of his still extant it would appear that his ignorance
in this particular respect, and I believe, a slight defect in
speech, were the source of great grief and disappointment
to him ! It would be interesting therefore to discover the
origin of the apparently erroneous belief.

A fair number of tourists visit Old Goa and Panjmi.
They come by steamer, and their time ashore being limited,
they can necessarily see but little of the beauties of the place.
Going there, however, as I did with officials, we were shown
many interesting details, as, for example, the convent near
the seashore, whence a famous traveller once attempted
to remove a discontented nun.

It is an old story, but, like many of its kind, will possibly
bear repeating. It appears that this modern Paladin,
whose name for obvious reasons it is inadvisable to divulge,
was on a yachting trip, and finding Goa an interesting
spot, had anchored in the river, where his yacht had been
lying for some months.

In addition to his fame as a great traveller, he had also
a world-wide reputation as a linguist, and as it happened
that in the convent library there were some ancient and
very valuable books of Arabic and Sanscrit origin, the
authorities gave him free access to this library.

Hence it came about, though how nobody knew, that
in due course of time he became acquainted with one of
the nuns, whom he subsequently described as " cherry-
lipped," and who apparently tired of a conventual life was
anxious to abandon it.

155

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

In the course of these stolen interviews this subject
was probably discussed, for it ended in the Englishman
assisting her to escape. By some method of signalling
he discovered which was the window of her particular cell,
and on the night fixed for the venture, he climbed up and
proceeded to carry her off.

To save her good name, it was arranged that a cloth
should be thrown over her, and that she was to pretend
to resist him so as to give the appearance of being carried
off against her will, but as he lifted her down he was dis-
agreeably surprised to find her heavier than he had imagined
and more bulky than he had any reason to expect, also
that in the matter of resistance her struggle seemed to
be somewhat unnecessarily violent.

However, thinking she was merely over-acting her part,
he ignored these unpleasantly realistic efforts till they
ended in her biting him. Taken completely by surprise,
as well he might be, he dropped her at once, when to his
horror he discovered that it was the portly Lady Abbess
he had been so painfully abducting instead of his sylph-
like, cherry-lipped nun !

Leaving the stout dame where she had fallen, he made
good his escape, and though the plot was eventually
discovered, no further steps were taken by the Portuguese
authorities, nor was it even known what became of the
unfortunate nun, but common report had it that she had
been walled up alive.

To give anything like a complete description of Old
Goa would fill too many pages of a work purporting to be
a book on sport, and adventure only. I will, therefore,
conclude my notes on the subject with a brief account of
a curious and interesting ceremony performed annually
in honour of the Patron Saint.

This great holiday of the year and festival of the Church
in Goa, more important even than Easter, is the feast of
Saint Zavier, when the Saint's mummified body is exposed
in the cathedral. Goanese from all parts of India come to
attend this solemn ceremony and join in the subsequent
merry-making. The body is now confined in a glass
coffin, and the congregation, as they file past it, stop to
botf and cross themselves. It used formerly to be exposed
156

SEDITION IN POONAH

out of its coffin, but an enthusiastic souvenir-hunting white
man having sacrilegiously purloined one of its big toes,
the authorities no longer permit the body to be shown
outside its case. I am writing of Goa and Mormugoa as
I saw them some ten or more years ago, and they are
probably unchanged to this day, though I fear my de-
scription falls far short of what it should be. But these
places are so quaint, and full of interest from so many
points of view, that it would require the skill of an expert

guide-book writer to describe them.

******

After my term of service at Dharwar, I was posted to
the district of Poonah, one of the nicest in the Presidency,
but from a police point of view, a most troublesome and
responsible charge, for Poonah at that time was a hot-bed
of sedition, the result, in a great measure, of the lenient
treatment accorded to the promoters and instigators of
the movement, years before, in Nasik, Benares and
Calcutta.

But I have already referred to this subject in a previous
chapter, and the least said now about those troublous
days the better, for in the realization of her great oppor-
tunity for showing her true sentiments to the Empire,
India has furnished evidence so complete and incontestable
of her loyalty and devotion, that it is now difficult to
realize that unrest and agitation ever had any existence in
that country. War, as our enemies have discovered to
their cost, so far from alienating India from the Empire,
as they had hoped, has welded them so closely together
that, for the first time in her history, the soldiers of the
Empire, white and black alike, are fighting side by side
against their common European foes. In fact, what war
has effected in a moment, so to speak, a century of peace
might have failed to bring about.

As Police Officer of Poonah during a period when unrest
and sedition were so ripe in this city and district, my time
was so fully occupied with my duties, that I had no leisure
for sport, not that there was much to be had, a few black-
buck and small game being all that was obtainable in this
district.

From Poonah I was transferred to Surat, an interesting

157

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

station, which was described by Lord Curzon as " the
cradle of the Indian Empire." The interest of the place
lies in the battered forts, walls and gates of the city, re-
mains of old Portuguese buildings, Dutch factories, and the
curious medley of tombs in the old cemetery. Surat,
originally owned and ruled by Nawabs, was finally ceded
to the English Government in return for a heavy pecuniary
consideration, or in other words, purchased by " John
Company," probably at a bargain !

The family originally owning it had been for years
divided into minor factions, each claiming seniority.
One side of the house was represented, in my time, by an
interesting, intelligent old lady of over eighty, known as
the Begum.

In paying ceremonial visits to either side of the house,
it was necessary to take great precautions in order to
avoid giving offence to the other, and as the palace was
common to both families, with the court-yards only
separate, the paying of these visits was a somewhat delicate
operation.

This division into two or more factions, is not at all
unusual amongst families comprising the Indian nobility.
Neither is it rare to find great jealousy existing between
them. In the present instance the two families were
extremely jealous of each other, and this feeling was no
doubt greatly fostered by the underlings and hangers-on
of each, for the Nawab, the head of the other faction,
unlike the Begum, was a sensible, broad-minded individual
who was sending his sons to England for a 'Varsity edu-
cation !

The headquarters of the pearl trade is in Surat, the
valuable rights of the fisheries in the Persian Gulf, once
owned by a few merchants of native descent, being now
vested in a syndicate run with European capital. The
fisheries commence at the Island of Babreya, which lies
off the Arab shore near the centre of the Persian Gulf, and
continue for a distance of nearly a hundred miles.

The most productive shoals are between the Island of
Atabool and the coast of Katar. Some of the pearls
found are of great size and corresponding value. It is
estimated that three-quarters of the world's supply of
158

A PEARL MERCHANT OF SURAT

pearls come from here. Hence the rights in these fisheries
are necessarily of great value.

It is particularly interesting at the present time, to
learn that the Germans have had their eye on these rights
for many years. Their activities in this direction, in
combination with their struggles for the railway facilities
on the shores of the Persian Gulf, are graphically described
in the " Times History of the Present War.""

We paid a visit to the great pearl merchant in Surat,
who is allowed a special guard and police protection from
the Government, and occupies a fine mansion, of a semi-
Italian and oriental style of architecture, in the suburbs
at some distance from the town of Surat.

As he conducted us upstairs, we passed on the different
landings several groups of men engaged in piercing holes
in the pearls ; they were each squatted in front of a machine
and it was quite interesting to watch the skill and steadi-
ness with which they conducted their operations.

In the first room we visited were some old men seated
on the floor, each having what appeared to be a heap of
sago in front of him which he was employed in sorting.
These proved to be pearls in the rough which were being
sorted out according to their condition as damaged or
inferior in quality. As they seemed to be testing their
quality almost entirely by touch, I asked the merchant
how they could tell a good pearl from a bad one like that.
" In the same way as the sahib finds out a thief," he
replied, laughing, apparently much amused, either at my
question or at his own conceit.

After this we went on to the polishing rooms, where
again were men squatted with heaps of pearls before them,
but this time they had on chamois leather gloves with which
they were polishing the pearls. This process certainly
improved their appearance, and the more they were
rubbed the better they looked. Still, perhaps because
of being in such large quantities, they did not give the
impression of possessing any value.

However, when we finally came to the office, a kind of
strong room where the finished specimens and threaded
rows are kept, we could not fail to realize the real beauty
of the gems. We handled one magnificent pear-shaped

159

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

specimen valued, we were told, at £4,000. Its size, in
comparison to its value, seemed so insignificant that, feeling
it might so easily be lost or stolen, I was much relieved to
see it safely locked up again, and must have shown this in
my face, for the merchant and his employee evidently
noticed it, and, probably accustomed to handling pearls
of even greater value daily, were seemingly much amused
at my solicitude.

160

CHAPTER XXI

Decide on a shooting trip to Somaliland — Popular belief about its inhabi-
tants— Erroneous ideas — Diminishing game — Collecting information —
Preparations for the Expedition — Initial difficulties finally overcome
— Calling for volunteers — Gungdya and Sabha come forward — A
study in contrasts — Stores and equipment — My battery — Embark for
Aden — The voyage — Its effect on the two Bhils — Explaining the com-
pass— Arrive at Aden — Take passage to Berbera — Black beetles and
noisy natives — Collecting a " Kafila " — Purchase baggage camels —
Engaging an escort — Supplies and provisions — A desolate land —
Drilling the escort — Abdi, the headman — His multifarious duties —
The construction of zarebas — A camp in Somaliland described —
Engage two shikaris — Khaliffa and Nur — Projects and plans — Un-
friendly natives likely to be encountered — Confidence in Abdi —
Troubles with camel men — Marching across a waterless plain —
Somalis armed to the teeth — Wild appearance of these men — Decorated
murderers — Weapons used in warfare — Somali women — Their dress
and appearance — Not held in much account — Often abandoned on
the march.

IN the year 1893 I decided on making a private hunting
expedition to Somaliland, a country which has always borne
the reputation of being the home of a bigoted, ferocious,
savage race whose hand is against every man.

Somaliland was, at the time I purposed visiting it, more
or less a terra incognita to sportsmen, but it has since
been opened out, with the result that the terrifying accounts
of the dangers and difficulties of entering the country have
proved to have been somewhat exaggerated.

As with all fresh hunting grounds, the advent of the
sportsman has had the usual effect, and the number of
wild animals formerly to be found there, has considerably
diminished, though in the unexplored portions of the Haud
and Ogadin game is still plentiful, especially lions.

Having collected all the information I could obtain re-
garding the country and completed preparations for my
expedition, I applied to the Bombay Government through

M 161

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

the I.-G. Police for sanction to enter Somaliland through
Aden, which is under the jurisdiction of the Government of
Bombay.

I also applied to the Inspector-General of Police for
sanction to take forty Sniders from the Police Headquarters
Reserve with which to arm my escort, for owing to the
reputed lawlessness of the country I purposed visiting, an
armed escort was essentially necessary.

After some weeks' delay I received a curt demi-official
reply from the I.-G. Police regretting that he was unable to
accede to my wishes, but that he had forwarded my appli-
cation to the Government for disposal.

This was not encouraging — especially as I had obtained
the requisite leave of absence and had already made all my
preparations for the expedition, assuming that permission
would be granted and I should be able to start at once.

However, Lord H , the then Governor of Bombay,

a sportsman himself, and always anxious to encourage this
spirit among his officers, came to my rescue, and not only
sanctioned my expedition — subject to the approval of the
Aden authorities — but issued a special resolution giving
me the loan of forty Sniders and ammunition from the Aden
arsenal.

As I was making the expedition alone — for I had no
white companion — I was particularly anxious to take some
of my own men with me. At the same time I felt it was
expecting too much, and hardly reasonable to ask a Bhil
to leave his home and family and to undertake a sea voyage
to a country he had never seen or even heard of.

However, on my calling for volunteers Gungdya and
Sabha, two of my best shikaris — of whom mention has
already been made in previous chapters — both came forward
at once and expressed their willingness to accompany me.

These men, as I have said elsewhere, were very different
both in appearance and character, one being tall, thin, and
dignified, and the other short, squat, and of a wild and
reckless disposition, but a pluckier couple it would have
been difficult to find, and though so different in character
yet the best of friends and comrades.

I laid in a quantity of stores — far too much as I dis-
covered later — consisting of tea, coffee, tinned butter, soups,
162

EN ROUTE FOR SOMALILAND : BHILS AT SEA

fish, etc., all packed in strong teak- wood boxes. Knowing
the importance of carrying a supply of water, I had special
water-casks constructed each to contain twelve gallons —
two twelve-gallon casks being, as I knew, the full load of a
camel. In the way of tents and camp equipment, I took
a small double fly Cabul tent weighing 80 Ibs., and an iron
folding chair ; a bed I had no need of as I usually slept on
the ground, or on store boxes covered with camel mats,
which also served the purpose of a table.

My sporting battery, the most important part of the
outfit, consisted of —

1 Double 8-bore Paradox gun by Holland.

1 Double 12-bore Paradox gun by Holland.

1 Double 10-bore rifle by Dixon.

1 Double *500 Express rifle by Rigby.

1 Double -450 Express rifle by Cogswell and Harrison.

1 Lee Metford -303.

The last I found quite useless against the larger antelope
— such as the oryx, hartebeest, etc.-— for it has little knock-
ing down power unless the bullet happens to strike a vital
spot.

A brace of revolvers, a hand camera and compass com-
pleted my outfit.

We took our passages for Aden on 15th March in the P.
and O. s.s. Macedonia. The two Bhils, who had never seen
the sea before, were greatly struck with, and also much
impressed by, some battleships which happened to be lying
in the harbour at the time.

We had a rough passage — very unusual at this time of
the year — and finally reached Aden on the fifth day of the
voyage. I was greatly amused at the numerous questions
my men asked me ; as to the navigation and mechanism
of the ship — once they had recovered their equilibrium, for
they had both been horribly sea-sick.

I tried to explain to them the uses of the compass,
chart, etc., though my knowledge of such matters was not
much greater than their own. However, they accepted all
I said, but I fancy, from the hints they threw out, they quite
believed that the wake of the steamer was the pathway to
their destination.

On arrival at Aden I was met by my friend P , of

163

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

the regiment I had been attached to before joining the
police, and who was now on the staff. I stayed with him
three days, which I took advantage of to replenish my
stores.

We then took passage in a wretched little steamer to
Berbera, which we reached on the third day, heartily glad
to escape from that awful ship, with its vile food, black
beetles, and noisy natives. The town of Berbera — if I may
so term it — was composed of a few Arab rubble buildings,
a fort and a large number of permanent Somali huts made
of matting and poles.

Some three-quarters of a mile to the west is the new,
official town — originally built by the Egyptians — the
houses being of rubble and masonry, one storied, with flat
roofs, not unlike those found in Sind. There is a good pier
as well as a good lighthouse, also built by the Egyptians
before we took over the north Somali coast from them, and
an excellent harbour, affording adequate protection for
large steamers. At a distance of about twenty-four miles
east and west of Berbera the Maritime Range comes down
to within a mile or two of the sea.

I remained in Berbera a week, getting together a
caravan or " Kafila," with the assistance of the Political
Agent, a very kind individual, whose temper I fear I much
tried, but who very kindly put me up. I was also much
assisted by an Arab merchant of the place by name
Mahomed Hindi, a very decent fellow.

I purchased thirty baggage camels and engaged the
same number of natives — drawn from the different tribes —
as an escort, whom I armed with the Snider rifles so gener-
ously lent me by the Bombay Government.

I also purchased supplies of provisions — such as rice,
dates, Ghee,* also cooking utensils, saddle equipment for
the camels, cloth and beads as presents to the chiefs of the
countries we were to pass through, axes for making zarebas,
rope, etc., etc.

Besides these essentials, there were a number of other
things to be thought of, for in the interior of Somaliland
there were no permanent villages, the Karias being usually

* Clarified butter.
164

"A HEADMAN"— AND HIS DUTIES

small, temporary kraals, and nothing is obtainable in the
way of food excepting exceptionally rancid milk. Hence,
rations for the men, personal luggage and stores, must all be
carried on camels, and this constitutes a large caravan.

The newly -recruited escort, too, had to be put through
a course of musketry and rough drill, such as advancing and
retiring in skirmishing order, etc., etc. However, the
Somali are brought up from childhood midst an atmosphere
of raids and skirmishes. They soon grasped some idea of
military movements.

Finally, the purchase of two horses for elephant and lion
hunting completed my preparations. I was very fortunate
in obtaining the services of one — Abdi — as headman or
leader of the caravan, a most important and responsible
position, for on his efficiency, or otherwise, depended in a
great measure the success or failure of the expedition.

He must know Arabic or Hindustani, and his business
is to superintend the loading of the camels, giving out the
daily rations, interviewing chiefs and natives, who visit the
camp, acting interpreter, etc., etc. He is also required to
take military command of the caravan on the absence of
his master, and in this capacity must arrange for the relief
of the sentries at night and select the places where the
zarebas are to be put up, etc.

The construction of zarebas, by the way, is by no means
an easy matter, especially after a long march, for trees have
to be felled and brushwood collected and placed round the
camp in a circular formation, low enough to fire over, yet
sufficiently deep to prevent a sudden rush being made on the
encampment.

Towards evening the camels and horses are all collected
and driven into this enclosure, the hunter's tent being
erected in the centre, midst a seeming chaos of multi-
farious packages — bubbling of camels, neighing of horses,
and the cheery groups of Somalis enjoying their frugal
evening meal of rice and dates. Add to this the white-clad
figure of the sentry, as he stands, rifle in hand, crooning
to himself some wild and invariably mournful song ; and
we have as animated and picturesque a scene as it would
be possible to imagine.

Then, as daylight wanes, comes the stillness of the

165

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

jungle, to be broken only by the melancholy cry of the
jackal, the weird howl of the hyena, or, maybe, the grand
roar of a lion on the prowl, borne along the still night air —
a situation like this is difficult to describe, but to the true
sportsman the fascination of it will doubtless be apparent.

In addition to my camel men, amongst whom were some
good shikaris, I engaged two elephant hunters — Khaliffa
and Nur — the former of whom was destined to give con-
siderable trouble later on. These, together with a cook
and butler, completed my staff.

As I was anxious to penetrate as far as possible into the
interior in search of elephants, I decided, in consultation
with my headman, to visit the Gadabursi and Esai country,
where elephants were reported to be very numerous. I also
intended, if time permitted, to make a trip to Abyssinia
whence reports of the abundance and variety of game had
excited my imagination.

On mentioning my project to Captain A , he did

his best to dissuade me from entering that part of the
country as the unfriendliness of the natives was causing
much anxiety at the time, and suggested instead a mild
little tour round Berbera.

But as my outlay on the expedition was already con-
siderable, I determined, notwithstanding A 's friendly

advice, to stick to my original plan, explaining to that
exasperated official that if I should happen to be attacked
by the natives I could but run away.

Nevertheless, I quite realized that a certain amount of
risk must be incurred from the possible hostility of the Esa
and other savage tribes, but hoped that a long experience
of natives, the strong and reliable following under Abdi,
who had proved his eminent fitness as a caravan leader
in similar expeditions, would reduce the dangers to a
minimum.

The last few hours at Berbera were, I remember, spent
in losing and finding my camel men, and I am afraid we

gave Captain A a very worrying time. However,

everything being fixed up at last, we started off one morning
at daybreak, for the first long march of sixteen miles across
the waterless Maritime plain.

On our way we occasionally met with small parties of
166

THE SOMALI OF THE INTERIOR

Somalis, armed to the teeth with spear and shield, etc.,
making their way to the coast, their strings of camels laden
with skins of camels, goats, etc., for which they find a ready
market in Berbera.

The Somali of the interior is a wild enough looking
creature, with a piece of cotton sheeting wrapped about
the body, his hair — short and curly — bleached a light
red, or plastered with white clay. Many of the men wear
a leather charm containing a verse from the Koran round
their necks — for the Somalis are all Mussulmans and of the
Shafai sect.

Among certain tribes, any man who has killed another
— presumably in battle ? — wears an ostrich feather in his
hair. The spears they use are most deadly-looking weapons,
horribly barbed. A heavy spear with laurel-leaf shaped
blade is used for close quarters, for the Somalis usually
fight on foot, and when charging their foe, use this spear
to stab with as they close. The women wear a dark blue,
nondescript sort of garment, displaying a good deal of
the bosom. The married woman ties up her hair in a piece
of blue cloth, while the young girls, " Gubats " or maidens,
wear theirs in oily looking plaits.

Women generally, and more especially when old and
decrepit, are of very little account among the Somali. If
unable to keep up with the Kafila on the march, they are
often abandoned and left lying exhausted on the side of the
road, either to follow as best they can or to be devoured by
a hungry lion, should one happen to pass that way.

167

CHAPTER XXII

An uninviting country — Gazelles occasionally met with — Early morning
marches — The dik-dik antelope — Large herds seen — The klipspringer
— Terrific heat — The Nasiya or Shelter tree — Reach the first water —
Lion-hand mountain — The lesser koodoo — Their appearance and habits
— Extraordinary leaping powers — Shoot a fine buck — Ascending the
Golis Range — Haunt of the greater koodoo — News of an old bull — A
fruitless search — Returning to camp — A pleasant surprise — Sudden
appearance of the bull — A long shot — Bagged — A splendid trophy —
The greater koodoo described — We march en route to Hargesa — Wild
wooded country — Oryx and hartebeest encountered — Shooting for the
pot — Many mouths to feed — The oryx, appearance and habits — A
herd of four hundred seen — Wounded oryx dangerous — Bushmen's
method of killing these animals — Poisoned arrows and dogs — Uses
made of the skins — The hartebeest — Several species — Fine texture of
coats — Peculiarity of the skull — Vast herds often met with — The
inquisitiveness of these animals — Indifference to thirst — The som-
mering gazelle — Very common in Somaliland — A herd of one thousand
— Peculiar characteristic — Variety in shape of horns — Subject to
parasitical maggots — Flesh uneatable.

THE country over which we travelled was not inviting,
consisting as it did of bare hills and sandy plains covered
with stunted mimosa bushes, affording shelter to an
occasional gazelle, a number of which I shot on the way.

This peculiar gazelle is readily distinguished by the
well-developed ridge of loose skin over the nose. The
general colour is a brownish fawn, with a dark lateral band.
The coat is also longer and the horns thicker and more
curved than those of the lowland gazelle. The height at
the shoulder is twenty-four inches. The females have no
horns.

They go about in small herds of three to five, and are
found in scrub, jungle and rocky ground. In their habits
they are very much like the Indian gazelle or chinkara, and
offer excellent practice for the rule.
168

AFRICAN ANTELOPE

In the cool of the early mornings, when on the march,
I usually walked through the jungle — ahead of the string
of camels, with my gun — often disturbing the little sand
antelope, which would spring away through the bushes at
my approach.

The sakaro, or dik-dik, as they are called by the
Somalis, is, I believe, the smallest of the African antelope
tribes, and stands about the size of a hare. The general
colour is a rufus-fawn with a tuft of hair on the crown of
the head. The eyes are large and the horns corrugated at
the base, strongly pointed and from one to three inches in
length. The females are even smaller and carry no horns.

These pretty little antelopes are very common in
Somaliland, and I have seen as many as a hundred in the
course of a long march. They frequent scrub and aloe
jungle, and when disturbed give a shrill whistle of alarm.
Sakaro antelopes can be easily knocked over with No. 5
shot, and make pretty shooting with a rook rifle.

The klipspringer would also be seen along the rocky
paths and are very common in the Golis Range. Its height
at the shoulder is about twenty inches, and it is in colour
an olive-grey. The hair on coat is long and brittle, not
unlike that of the musk deer. The hoofs are cylindrical
and cup-shaped underneath ; the horns rise vertically
from the head, with a slightly forward curvature and are
ringed from the basal thud ; average length being about
two and a half inches. The females have no horns. These
antelope go about in twos and threes. They are excellent
eating. As we marched on the heat became terrific, and
we were glad when, at last, we reached a small tree called
" Nasiya," the word meaning " resting-place," whence,
after taking a short rest we pushed on again reaching the
next water, Deregodab, twenty-three miles from Berbera ;
and continuing our journey went on to Mandera, a valley
three miles wide under the Gadabarsi * mountain, a bluff
of the great Golis Range.

At Mandera, and all along the foot of the Golis Range,
is dense forest of the large Guda thorn tree, with thick
undergrowth of aloes and thorny bushes, a favourite resort
of the lesser koodoo.

* Literally, "Lion-hand mountain."

169

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

This animal is, to my mind, the most beautiful in
Somaliland. It stands about three feet five inches at the
shoulder, and is of a slate-blue colour, turning to almost
black in the older animals. From the back descend snow-
white stripes upon either flank and hindquarters. Inside
the thighs and arms the hair is of a reddish tinge. The
legs are slender and beautifully shaped, hoofs long, narrow
and pointed. The tail is broad, white and bushy. The head
is small with a bar of white below each of the eyes, which
are large and beautiful, and a few white spots on either
cheek. The ears are large, round and wonderfully sensitive.
The neck is slightly maned and well-developed, with a
splash of white on the throat ; in fact, taken altogether,
the colouring of this antelope is remarkably effective. The
horns are like those of the greater koodoo — spiral, but do
not attain the enormous length of the latter, the average
measurement of a lesser koodoo horn being about twenty-
eight inches round the curve, though I have shot one with
twenty-nine and a half round the curve, but this was the
longest I obtained. The does are of a lighter colour and
devoid of horns.

The lesser koodoo are found in dense bush and aloe
clumps. They go about in herds of about five and six.
Their power of leaping is extraordinary, and it is a very
pretty sight to see them take the bushes at great bounds.
I had great luck with these antelope at Mandera, where I
shot some very fine buck.

But to resume. We now ascended the Golis Range,
walking half-way up the mountain, where there was a
spring of clear water, to hunt for greater koodoo. Hearing
there was a very old koodoo bull on this hill, I determined
to devote the whole day in search of him. I had, on the
previous day, shot a couple of good buck out of a herd ;
but as this particular animal was reported to carry an
exceptionally fine head, I was very keen on getting him.

Accompanied by two of my trackers — Nur and Khaliffa,
with one Easa Musa as guide — we searched along the
lower slopes and higher ridges of the mountain, from early
morning until late in the afternoon, but saw no sign of him.

I had numerous opportunities during the day of shooting
other animals — one fine old wart-hog in particular — but
170

Ill

LESSER KOODOO BUI,!,.
(Africa.)

WAITER'S

(Africa.)

[To face p. 170.

THE GREATER KOODOO

would not fire for fear of disturbing the beast xve were
after. Luck, however, was against me, I was tired and
disappointed. Early in the day I had run an aloe spike
into my leg — I always shoot with legs and arms bare —
and was suffering much pain.

Finally, it became time to turn homewards, when, as
we were walking along a ridge of the hill overlooking our
camp, on mounting a spur we suddenly saw the beast
below us, feeding on some mimosa bushes, hardly two
yards off I He saw us too, for he raised his splendid head,
crowned with a magnificent set of horns, the wide spirals
showing to advantage by the light of the evening sun.

Before I could raise my rifle, however, the koodoo
swung round and, giving a great bound forward, dashed
down the slope of the ravine. He paused, however, half-
way down, and suddenly turning to the left, galloped at
full speed past, and parallel to, the ridge on which we
stood.

The distance was about one hundred and fifty yards —
so, taking a full sight and aiming well in front, I pressed
the trigger. The mighty beast ran on some twenty yards,
then stood under a small tree, swaying from side to side,
and I knew now that my bullet had found a vital spot.

He was still breathing when we went up to him, poor
beast, so to end his sufferings I put another bullet into him.
He was a splendid old bull, scarred all over with many a
scar received in fights with his own species.

The head of this animal carefully prepared by Rowland
Ward, the well-known Piccadilly naturalist, is a gem
amongst my large collection of Indian and African trophies.
Excepting the eland, the greater koodoo is the largest of
African antelopes. The average height of a full-grown
bull is about thirteen and a half hands at the shoulders.

The colouring is mouse-grey, darkening to slate-blue
in older animals. Along the spine runs a white list, and
from this thin white stripes — seven or ten in number —
extending transversely across the body. Under each eye
is a white band, meeting in front of the jaw, and on the
cheeks two or three irregular white spots.

The head is small and game-like, eyes large and brilliant,
and the ears full, round and very sensitive. From the

171

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

throat extends a long beard, or fringe, of silvery grey hair,
giving the animal a most imposing appearance. The neck
is also slightly maned. The legs are slender, but strong and
well-shaped.

The horns are massive and spiral, and of a corkscrew-like
formation, terminating in sharp points. They have been
known to exceed sixty inches round the curve. The
largest pair secured by me measured fifty inches outside
the curve — thirty-eight and a half in a straight line — ten
inches circumference, and thirty-six and a half inches
between the tips. The females have no horns.

Koodoos frequent the mountains and rocky, bush-
covered hills. They keep together in small herds of six
to eight. Solitary old bulls may occasionally be met, as
was the case in the instance just quoted.

Although a heavy animal, the koodoo is a good climber,
and his sense of hearing being, as I have said, so acute
he is very difficult to approach. As far as I am aware no
live specimen of this animal has yet reached the Zoological
Gardens.

After a few days' rest we marched to Hargesa, my
intention being to push on as fast as possible to the Harawa
Valley, some two hundred miles distant, where I intended
to form a permanent camp for the purpose of hunting
elephants. Hargesa is situated on two important caravan
routes, one from Ogadin and the other from Berbera. It
is full of blind and lame people under the protection of one
Sheik Muttar and his Mullahs.

We now found ourselves in a well-wooded country
amongst rocky hills and mimosa bush, interposed with
extensive grassy plains where large herds of oryx, harte-
beest and sommering gazelles were constantly to be seen,
and would often stand gazing with extraordinary inquisi-
tiveness at our long string of camels.

I shot a large number of these animals as, my caravan
being a large one, I had many mouths to feed. As a
description of these antelopes may be of interest to the
reader, I will describe them briefly in the order named.

The oryx, to take the first, is widely distributed over
Somaliland. The clown-like markings of this animal are
too well known to need description. The height of the
172

ORYX— A HERD OF 400 SEEN

bull at the shoulder is about four feet, and its weight about
500 Ibs.

The average length of the horns, which are straight,
tapering and well-annulated, is about thirty-two inches in
a bull, and thirty-four in a cow, the horns of the bull being
shorter but more massive, especially close to the base.

Bulls and cows are so very alike in appearance that it
is very difficult to distinguish one from the other in a herd —
the bull is, perhaps, a little stouter and heavier about the
neck and withers. The oryx inhabits stony ground and
grass plains, and is often found far from water. They go
about in herds of from five to fifty, but single bulls are
occasionally met with.

On one occasion whilst crossing an open base, or prairie,
my caravan started a herd of some four hundred oryx,
which galloped past us, having all the appearance of a
squadron of cavalry. Firing at the galloping line, I
rolled over a fine buck. Being very keen of sight, and
living mostly in the open, oryx are difficult to stalk. When
wounded and brought to bay they not infrequently charge.

I once saw a wounded oryx make a most determined
charge at one of my men who was trying to spear him as he
stood at bay in some thick bushes.

On another occasion I was galloping after an oryx cow,
which I had slightly wounded, when she turned suddenly
and charged with her head down, upsetting my horse and
giving me a nasty fall. The Bushmen, or Midgaons, who
are armed with bows and poisoned arrows, hunt the oryx
with dogs. The skin of these animals is very thick,
especially about the neck and withers, and is much sought
after by the Somalis for making shields, etc.

The hartebeest. There are several species of this
animal, chiefly distinguishable from each other by their
horns, which vary greatly in shape and size. The horns of
the Abyssinian and Somali hartebeest have a wider spread
than those of the South African varieties, which are closer
together and more upright and massive at the base.

The height of the Somali beast is about forty-seven
inches at the shoulder, and weight about 400 Ibs.
In colour it is chestnut, deepening to black about the
shoulders and upper part of the forelegs ; also the face,

173

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

which is long and narrow. The nostrils are large and
valvular, eyes large, ears narrow with their inner surface
white. The shoulder is heavy and powerful, but the
forequarters are poor and droop away. The tail is long and
tufted black. The texture of the coat is exceedingly fine,
and in the sunlight glistens like that of a well-groomed
horse.

The chief peculiarity of this animal is in its skull, which
rises about four inches above the brain cavity, and is quite
separate from the cranium.

Hartebeest are found on open grass plains and thorn
jungles. They feed principally on grass. I have met vast
herds of these animals south of the Golis Range. They
are extremely inquisitive beasts and have frequently
followed my caravan, halting occasionally within two
hundred yards to gaze at it. Like the majority of African
antelopes, they can exist for several days without water.

The sommering gazelle is very common in Somaliland,
and I have seen vast herds of over one thousand on the
plains of the Haud. He stands about thirty to thirty-six
inches. The general colour is fawn, the face markings
being well-defined and nearly black. The peculiar cha-
racteristic of this animal is the white rump, which can be
seen at a long distance. The horns vary in shape, and are
often wanting in symmetry, being generally lyrate, the
point turning inwards and forwards. The average length
is about fourteen inches ; the largest pair I secured was
fourteen and a half.

Like most of the African antelopes, they are subject to a
peculiar parasitical worm or maggot, which bores through
the flesh and is found below the skin, setting up a local
inflammation and making the meat uneatable. This
gazelle is quite as inquisitive as the hartebeest.

174

ORYX BUI,!,.

(Africa.)

HARTEBEEST.
(Africa.)

[To face p. 174.

CHAPTER XXIII

The Girnook or Waller gazelle — Where found — A giraffe-like antelope —
Extraordinary length of neck — Small herds — Difficult to approach —
Advantages of a long neck — Halt at Hargesa — March continued —
Arrive at Arabsea — Our zareba at night — A lion prowling around —
We hear but cannot see him — The lion's call — Next morning search —
Marked down — Beating through the grass — My first lion — A splendid
specimen — Lions and tigers compared — Difference in skulls — Game
plentiful — Two more lions sighted — Gallop in pursuit — A savage
charge — Chased for one hundred yards — I shoot the lion — In pursuit
of the other — Crouched in a patch of grass — A snap-shot — My third
lion ! — Raiding Somalis met with — A lioness and cubs — I shoot the
mother — Escape of the cubs — Man-eating lions common — A woman
carried off — Tracking up the man-eater — I fail to locate him — Shoot
a cock ostrich — Bushmen wonderful trackers — A hunter killed by a
wild elephant — Torn limb from limb — Too light a rifle — Difference
between Asiatic and African elephants — Latter superior in size — A
herd of a hundred — Most dangerous of African game — Tenacity of life
extraordinary — Skull curiously protected — The temple shot preferable
— Not always successful — A male and female wounded — Curious
results of shots from 8-bore Paradox.

I WAS also lucky enough, on this march, to secure some good
specimens of the Girnook or Waller gazelle. This curious,
giraffe-like antelope is found throughout East Africa.
The colour is a rufus-fawn, with a broad dark band running
down the middle of the back. Height at the shoulder
about forty-two inches, and weight 116 Ibs.

Horns are ridged and curved forward at the tips, where
the ridges end. The females have no horns. The skull
is massive and extends far back behind the ears. The neck,
the distinguishing feature of this animal, is long, and eyes
large like those of the giraffe.

The Girnook feeds on bushes, and, like the Indian goat,
may be seen browsing, standing on its hind legs to reach
the more tender shoots. They are found in small herds
in scattered bush and ravines. The average length of their

175

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

horns is thirteen inches, and the largest I obtained was
fourteen and a half round the curve.

Girnook are the most difficult antelopes to approach
that I know of, their enormously long neck enabling them
to see over bushes to a considerable distance. When
disturbed they run through the bush with head down and
long neck stretched straight out.

This completes the list of the three varieties of antelope
which I shot on our march to Hargesa, where we halted
for the night. The next morning, after much hand-shaking
with, and presents of cloth, etc., to the Sheik Muttar and
his Mullahs, we continued our journey, halting at Arabsea,
which we reached without meeting with many adventures
worth recording.

Our stay here, however, was marked by an event of some
importance, for it was while encamped at this place that I
had the good luck to bag my first lion which, as in the case
of my first tiger, recorded in Chapter III., I was fortunate
enough to secure with one shot.

Our zareba at this camp had been very carefully con-
structed of felled trees and thorny bushes, both as a pro-
tection against wild beasts and possible raid from hostile
tribes. It was at night — which I remember was a very
dark and stormy one — that the lion came prowling round
the zareba, and continued for some time to patrol the
circuit of the camp, occasionally betraying his presence by
low, rumbling growls or deep, guttural sighs. It is difficult
to define, accurately, the noise a lion makes on such
occasions.

We could not see to shoot owing to the intense darkness
outside the fence, and the bright light of our fires within the
camp. Whether the lion had meditated attacking the
zareba and was put off by the brightness of our fires, I
cannot say. At any rate, after a time he took himself off.

The next morning early we took up his tracks — which
were plainly visible in the soft sand all round us — and
following through dense bushes, interspersed with sandy
glades, finally marked the beast down in a patch of long
grass.

Telling the men to form line and walk through this
grass, I took up my position by the side of an ant-hill, which,
176

A SOMMKRING GAZEl<IvE.

(Africa.)

NASO.
(Africa.)

[To face p. 176.

A FINE LION BAGGED

in Africa, are often of great height. The men could not
have advanced very far through the grass when out walked
the lion, at about twelve paces to my right. I fired at
once, rolling him over with a bullet through the shoulder.

He was a very large beast with a remarkably fine mane,
a rich black on the shoulder, and deep yellow on the breast
and head, giving to the animal a truly noble appearance.
When emerging from the cover he had stood for a moment,
with his massive, mane- encircled head well raised. I thought,
as I caught sight of him, how majestic and dignified he
looked. There was an absence of that peculiar feline
ferocity which, though it adds to the formidable appearance
of the tiger, detracts so much from its nobility. Neverthe-
less, the lion, if followed up when wounded, is a formidable
enough antagonist, though not, in my opinion, so cunning,
ferocious, or dangerous as a tiger. Although as fond of
dense retreats as the latter, he exposes himself more care-
lessly, thus rendering his destruction comparatively more
easy.

But the habits and peculiarities of the lion have all
been so well-described by Mr. Selous in his most interesting
book, " African Nature Notes and Reminiscences," that
I will not attempt to enlarge on them. One point I may
mention, however, for it may not perhaps be generally
known, viz., that the skull of the lion, though quite equal
in size, is considerably flatter at the base than that of the
tiger.

To give a detailed account of each of the eight lions
and thirty odd elephants I shot during my trip to Somaliland,
would not only fill more space than I can spare, but might
also prove tedious to the ordinary reader. I propose,
therefore, to relate only the most interesting and exciting
of my adventures with these animals.

Game was very plentiful at Arabsea, the whole country
being covered with green grass a foot or more in height.
And here — as elsewhere in Somaliland — I have come across
lions in the open when out looking for other game. Indeed,
their boldness in this respect is quite remarkable when
compared with the stealthy, skulking methods adopted by
tigers, as the following incident — only one of many I could
quote — will show.

N 177

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

Some days after bagging my first lion, I was riding
about the country accompanied by Nur, looking for game,
when I saw in the distance two animals which, at first
sight, I took to be hartebeest, but soon discovered they
were lions. They were walking slowly, one behind the
other, over an open grassy plain.

As we galloped towards the pair, one of them, a dark-
skinned beast, suddenly whipped round and, with an
angry roar, charged most savagely, chasing me for about a
hundred yards, when he pulled up. Wheeling round
quickly, I jumped off and fired into his chest, rolling him
over growling.

The next instant I was in the saddle again, going hard
in the direction the other lion had taken when, suddenly,
Nur, who had been following me closely, drew my attention
to the beast crouching in a patch of high grass some five
yards to my left.

I had almost ridden past him. Pulling up with a jerk,
I took a snap-shot at his great shock head, for he was
flicking his tail, from which I knew he was on the point of
charging. Luckily my bullet, striking fairly between his
eyes, killed him on the spot. Yet, so life-like did he appear
— for he still lay crouching as he had been, with his head
between his paws — that I fired again. But he had been
killed with the first shot, the bullet of pure lead from my
Rigby having crashed through his brain and penetrated the
chest, raking him along the flank.

On going back to the first lion, we found him still alive.
He had dragged himself into a small bush, and on our
approaching him, greeted us with a savage roar. However,
a bullet in the neck soon put an end to him. Both the
lions were fine, handsome animals, with very fair manes.

On returning to camp that evening through a wild
piece of country, we fell in with a party of raiders who,
with loud shouts and a great flourish of spears, came
galloping up to us, but seeing we were armed, quickly
made off again. They were all well mounted and fairly
bristling with spears.

One afternoon while stalking oryx in some bushes, we
suddenly came on a lioness and her three-quarter grown
cubs. Unfortunately we had left our horses in camp that
178

BI,ACK-MANED

(Africa.)

MY FIRST UON.

(Africa.)

[To face p. 178.

MAN-EATING LIONS-A WOMAN CARRIED OFF

day, or might have scored a big success. As soon as the
lions saw us they trotted on a few yards ahead and lay
down in a patch of high grass.

Accompanied by my two men, Nur and Sabha, I
walked up to them, and when within a dozen paces or so, the
lioness put up her head with a growl. I fired immediately,
knocking her over dead, with a bullet through the neck.

At this shot the cubs bounded away, and though I ran
my best after them they managed to reach a strip of thorny
jungle and we never saw them again. Had we been
mounted we should probably have bagged the whole
family.

Man-eating lions are common in parts of Somaliland.
Like the tiger, he is extremely cunning and rapid in his
movements, consequently quite as difficult to locate and
destroy as the man-eating monster found in the jungles of
India. In this connection it is interesting to note that
lions generally, when attacking their prey, seize their
victim in much the same manner as a tiger, but instead of
taking the first mouthful from the buttock like the tiger,
he invariably tears the belly open, commencing his meal
on the liver, kidneys and other choice parts.

While I was journeying through the Gadabarsi country,
a lioness carried off a woman from a Karia * close to my
encampment. The body of the woman was discovered
next morning about a hundred yards from the scene of the
tragedy.

The attack had been a very bold one, the brute having
deliberately forced his way into the zareba and dragged the
woman out, in spite of a shower of spears, hurled at him by
the would-be rescuers of his victim. The body, when
found, exhibited amongst other injuries, several deep fang-
wounds in the throat, and the right leg had been bitten off
at the hip.

Taking two of my best trackers with me, we followed
up the tracks of the lioness for several miles over most
difficult ground covered with dense bush and grass, but
were finally obliged to abandon the pursuit, returning to
camp, which we reached some hours after darkness had
set in.

* Small temporary kraal.

179

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

The next morning, being joined by some of the Gada-
barsi elephant hunters, well mounted on excellent ponies,
we scoured the country for miles in search of the man-eater,
but failed to locate her. From her footprints, which at
first I mistook for a leopard's, she must have been quite a
small beast.

I spent several days in these pleasant wilds, during
which time I bagged many oryx and hartebeest, also a
very fine cock ostrich. It was here, too, that I first met
with the Midgaons, or Bushmen, two of whom joined my
camp. They are an extremely hardy and primitive race
still using bows and poisoned arrows, and are wonderful
trackers.

When hunting all day over extensive bushy plains, it
was extraordinary how these men, who acted as my guides,
would find their way through the labyrinth when there
was neither path, track nor landmark of any kind
apparent.

One of the men I had engaged was with the late Mr.
Ingram, when the latter met his death from an elephant.
It appears that he was encamped at a spot not far from my
camp, and being at the time laid up with a sore heel, was
confined to his tent.

The rest of the party had gone out, when some Somalis,
who had been grazing the baggage camels, came running
up to tell him that there was an elephant close to the camp.
To a true sportsman like Ingram this was an opportunity
not to be neglected.

Quickly saddling his horse he rode off, armed with a
•450 Express — the only weapon left in camp. He fired at
the elephant, whereupon the beast immediately charged.
Ingram wheeled his horse round and would no doubt have
got away, but the animal refused to face the spiky line
of aloes in front of him. The next instant the enraged
brute was upon Ingram, and sweeping him off the saddle
with his trunk tore him limb from limb.

The rifle he had used was, as I have said, a -450 Express
which, with its light hollow bullet, is obviously unsuited for
such a thick-skinned animal as an elephant. In fact,
accidents of this kind which, unfortunately, so often happen
even to experienced hunters of dangerous game, may
180

ELEPHANTS-AFRICAN AND ASIATIC COMPARED

generally be traced to the sportsman having used a light
rifle when a heavier weapon should have been employed.

And now to relate some of my own experiences with
elephants in Somaliland. Before doing so, however, it is
necessary to give a description of this animal, since he
differs so materially from what may be called the ordinary
type of elephant, viz., those that inhabit India or
Ceylon.

The African elephant is distinguishable from the Asiatic
species, firstly, by the remarkable size and expanse of the
ears which, when thrown back, completely cover the
shoulders ; secondly, the presence of well-developed tusks
in both male and female alike ; thirdly, the formation of
the head — the forehead being convex instead of concave ;
fourthly, the hollow back — the back of the Indian elephant
being convex and the shoulder considerably lower.

The African elephant is also vastly superior in size and
possesses greater speed than the Asiatic variety, the tusks
vary in size and weight according to the locality in which
the animal is found.

In Abyssinia and Somaliland, for example, the tusks
are much smaller than those found in the centre of the
continent. It is seldom that a pair of tusks are alike, for
as a man uses the right hand in preference to the left, so
the elephant, by using one tusk more than the other, it
becomes naturally more worn. The tusks are solid only
for a portion of their length — being hollow throughout
the imbedded portion.

The elephant feeds on creepers, aloes, and the succulent
roots of the mimosa and other trees. He is a wasteful
feeder, tearing down branches, half of which he leaves
untouched.

A herd usually consists of from thirty to fifty individuals,
though once, in the Harawa Valley, I saw one of over
one hundred.

Although possessing very bad sight, the elephant has an
exquisite sense of smell. He can wind an enemy at a
considerable distance, provided the breeze is favourable.

I have encountered elephants, both from horseback and
on foot, and consider them the most dangerous of all
African game. They are exceedingly savage when wounded

181

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

and possess an extraordinary tenacity of life. The peculiar
formation of the skull protects the brain, thus rendering
the forehead shot very uncertain ; whereas in the Asiatic
variety such a shot is instantly fatal.

On the other hand, if a side or temple shot is offered by
an elephant standing quite still, the brain may be easily
reached if the bullet is well placed — i.e., on the outer edge
of the central portion of the ear. The shoulder shot is
also very effective, provided a heavy rifle is used, for
should the heart be missed the lungs would be pierced, and
the animal rendered helpless at once.

I remember on one occasion I had severely wounded a
bull elephant ; the ball catching him high up on the shoulder-
blade had rendered him instantly dead lame. Anxious to
try the effect of a forehead shot, I ran up to within ten
yards of him, and aiming for the forehead, fired a right
and left, both bullets striking him within an inch of each
other directly below the eyes.

However, beyond recoiling at the shots, he did not
appear much the worse for the stunning effects of the metal.
I was using an 8-bore Paradox, and I had eventually to
kill him with the temple shot !

On another occasion, a female elephant I had wounded
suddenly wheeled round and charged. I fired when she
was about nine paces distant, aiming below the boss or
projection above the trunk, killing her instantly ; and this
with the same gun, 8-bore Paradox, which had failed to
floor the bull elephant !

It would have been interesting had I preserved them to
have examined the skulls of the two animals, which I regret
I did not think of doing. Possibly, in the case of the bull
elephant, I may not have made sufficient allowance for
the position of the brain and have gone a trifle high.

The brain of an African elephant rests upon a plate of
bone exactly above the roots of the upper grinders. It
is thus wonderfully protected from the front shot as it is so
low that the ball invariably passes over it.

182

BUI,!, ELEPHANT.

(Africa.)

THE SLEEP OF DEATH.
(African Bull Elephant.)

. :•;.**>>• '• • ',- ;
To face p. 182.

CHAPTER XXIV

We strike camp — Arrive in elephant country — An attempted mutiny in
camp — One black sheep in the flock — Armed, literally to the teeth —
Alarming situation — Drastic measures necessary — I threaten to shoot
the ring- leader — A critical moment — Cocking rny rifle turns the scale
— Order restored — Jungles teeming with game — Herd of elephants
reported — Preparation for the attack — In the midst of the herd —
Shoot one of them — Habe-Awal and Gadabarsi horsemen surround
the herd — -Jungle alive with elephants — I kill five bulls and one cow
— Fine haul of tusks — Continue hunt next morning — At unpleasantly
close quarters — Under the elephant's trunk — Saved by standing still
— The elephant moves off — A parting shot in the ribs — Follow up and
finish her— Shoot another bull — Bivouac for the night — Lion heard
calling — News of a large bull — Found and wounded — A determined
charge — Retires into a jungle — At bay — I hit him again — Another
charge — I am chased and nearly caught — I give him the slip — Re-
turn to camp — Take up tracks next day — Found dead — Move camp —
Six elephants bagged one day — Charged by a cow elephant — A Somali
attracts her attention — She chases him — He is caught and killed
instantly — Pounded beyond recognition — I kill the elephant — We
try but fail to capture the calf.

WE now struck camp, and marching through an unexplored
portion of the Gadabarsi country towards the Harawa
Valley, camped at Leakat, whence I sent mounted men in
all directions in search of khubbar of elephants. But
before going on to relate my adventures, I must tell of an
incident which had come perilously near to ending my
expedition.

I had been noticing for some time that Khaliffa — one
of my principal hunters — thoroughly aware of his own
importance as an unequalled tracker — seemed to be dis-
satisfied, and though he had not done anything sufficiently
pronounced to call for comment on my part, his manner
was sulky and not a good or cheering example to the rest of
the men.

Now, on an expedition of this kind, it goes without

183

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

saying that it is essential there should be general good-
fellowship between master and men, and throughout the
camp. This I had endeavoured to establish, with the
result that often on my return to the camp after a lucky
day's sport my smiling Somalis would clap me on the back
saying, " Good chap ! Good chap ! " —being all the English
they possessed — then dance round me clapping their hands
in the exuberance of their glee.

On the other hand, if we had failed to secure some
wounded animal, or had had a poor day's sport, their
disappointment seemed to be as keen as my own, and they
would show their sympathy by many attentive little
actions.

There was destined to be, however, an unpleasant, and
what might have proved tragic break in these harmonious
relations ; for, returning one evening from a long day's
chase after oryx, I was met by my head man Abdi, who,
evidently in a great state of excitement and apprehension,
reported that Khaliffa had mutinied and was deserting the
camp with some of his tribesmen. Telling Abdi to keep
quiet and not cause any further excitement among the men,
I walked into the zareba. Here I found Khaliffa, armed
with a rifle and a bundle of cartridges, held between his
teeth, leading one of my camels laden with provisions. On
asking him what he intended doing, he spat on the ground,
and, looking sullenly around, beckoned to some of his
tribesmen, who, all armed too, were standing near, to follow
him.

There being no doubt as to his intentions, I determined
to squash the mutiny, for such it seemed to be, by taking
prompt and drastic measures — knowing that any delay, or
weakness on my part, would be fatal, and had quite made
up my mind that if this was to be the end of the expedition,
it should also be the ending of Khaliffa's career.

Acting on this resolution, I picked up a twig from the
ground, and throwing it some distance from me towards the
entrance to the zareba, I told him that if he dared to pass
this twig I would shoot him on the spot — which I certainly
would have done. Hearing the click of my rifle as I put
it to full cock, he fell back, whereupon we promptly dis-
armed him.
184

A LARGE HERD OF ELEPHANTS ENCOUNTERED

The question was now : What to do with him ? We
were a long way from the coast, and to send him back to
Berbera under escort, would mean weakening my caravan.
It was a difficult problem to solve; however, after expending
on him my choicest vocabulary of abuse, I made a great
show of magnanimity and forgave him ! As he gave no
further trouble throughout the expedition, I could only
conclude that he had been duly impressed by the action I
had taken.

But to return to my camp at Leakat ; we found the
jungles here teeming with game, and saw large herds of
oryx, hartebeest and sommering gazelles almost daily,
but being after nobler game we left all these animals
severely alone.

One morning about eight o'clock one of my tracker scouts
rode in to say that his party had struck the spoor of a large
herd of elephants, some six miles off. We saddled up at
once and, following our guide, came on the herd, consisting
of some sixty individuals, in a thick forest of the largest
kind of thorn trees, with gnarled stems and branches, in
an undergrowth of grass and aloes.

We were a large party of ten horsemen of the Habe
Awal and Gadabarsi tribe, beside my own two men, Gung-
dya and Sabha. As we reined in at the edge of the forest,
we heard the snapping of branches, and the peculiar low,
rumbling noise elephants make when feeding, in the dense
covert in front of us.

Taking Khaliffa, the reformed, and Sabha with me, I
cautiously crept forward and suddenly found myself in the
midst of the herd. Firing at the largest elephant — which
unfortunately turned out to be a cow — I brought her down
with a shot in the temple.

The horsemen now surrounded the herd and formed a
cordon round them. It was very exciting work as these
wild-looking riders, brandishing their spears dashed forward
at headlong speed regardless of thorn trees and bushes, and
circling round the now infuriated animals prevented them
from breaking out of the ring.

The jungle seemed alive with elephants, rushing singly
or in groups of five or six in all directions, intent only on
escaping. I had killed five bulls with shoulder and temple

185

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

shots, and was thinking of calling off the horsemen as there
did not seem to be any more large animals left, when there
was a sudden crash, accompanied by shrill trumpeting,
and a small herd of elephants, headed by a monster bull,
came charging down an avenue composed of thorn trees and
aloes, directly on our position.

So intent were they on getting away that they had
apparently not seen us. Khaliffa, who had my second gun,
promptly dived into a bush, but Sabha, notwithstanding
that he had never seen a wild elephant before, stood firm
and, firing into the leading animals, we fortunately turned
them.

There is always danger attending this kind of sport,
for in the general stampede that takes place there is a great
risk of being trampled underfoot. The horsemen now
coming up, the cordon was broken and the big tusker with
the remaining elephants made off. I was greatly dis-
appointed in not securing the big fellow, for he had a
splendid pair of ivories.

However, we had done very well, five bull elephants,
and a cow shot by mistake. It took us two full days to
cut out all the tusks, the largest pair weighing over 90 Ibs.

The following morning found us in the saddle again on
the spoor of another herd, which we followed for some
fourteen miles and finally came upon the elephants, standing
about and feeding in a broad valley covered with thorn
trees and aloes*

This herd was a small one, consisting of one bull and
six cows. Throwing up some sand to find the direction
of the wind, I took Khaliffa with me, and creeping cautiously
up towards the bull, who was standing a little apart from
the others, was about to take the temple shot when I was
startled by a report of a rifle close to my ear.

Turning sharply round, I found myself close to
a cow elephant, who, with trunk curled up, ears
thrown forward, and trumpeting furiously, was not five
yards away. Instantly it struck me that our only safety
lay in showing a bold front, for a shot at such close quarters
unless instantly fatal, or any movement on our part would,
I knew, only provoke a charge.

So whispering to Khaliffa to stand firm, we stood
186

A COW AND BULL ELEPHANT BAGGED

perfectly still, facing the brute, who kept up a succession
of shrill screams, with which the whole jungle seemed to
vibrate, for a minute that appeared the longest I had ever
passed. Suddenly she swung round and made off in the
direction taken by the other elephants, but not before I had
lodged a bullet from the 8-bore in her ribs.

It now appeared that, while I was stalking the bull,
this vicious old cow had got our wind, and had quietly
come up from behind — apparently to inspect us more
closely — when Khaliffa, happening to look round at that
moment, fortunately saw her and blazed into her face with
my 10-bore. The shot had evidently done her no harm,
but so close was she that I have not the slightest doubt
that, but for Khaliffa's fortunate intervention one, or perhaps
both, of us might have been killed.

We now took up the tracks of the wounded cow by the
blood, of which there was plenty, and soon came on her
standing within twenty yards of a bush, looking very savage.
Stalking up to this bush, which was to leeward of her, I
killed her with a shot in the temple. Though a large
elephant, her tusks were merely stumps and not worth
taking.

Quickly mounting our horses, which we had left some
distance off, we now took up the spoor of the rest of the herd,
and eventually came upon them late in the evening in an
open plain covered with grass and scrub. They were
walking slowly on, swinging their trunks from side to side
and quite unconscious of our approach.

Galloping ahead, with Khaliffa following, I was soon on
a level with the bull, who was amongst the rearmost
animals, and about thirty yards to his left. Jumping off,
I fired a right and left at his shoulder with the 8-bore
Paradox. On receiving the shots he ran on a few yards,
then fell over, dead.

It was nearly dark by the time we had removed the tusks
which were quite a nice pair. Then collecting some dry
wood, we made a fire and lay down beside the dead elephant.
During the night I heard a lion roar not far from our
bivouac.

In the morning, on our way back to camp, I shot a fine
lesser koodoo, and wounded an oryx bull which my men

187

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

retrieved next morning, being drawn to the spot by the
vultures.

It was late in the afternoon, a few days after this
incident, that a Somali from an adjoining Karia rode in to
say that he had seen a very large bull elephant about a mile
from the camp.

We lost no time in saddling our horses and, guided by
our informant, soon came in full view of the elephant,
crossing an open, grassy plain at a brisk trot, for he had
evidently seen or winded us, and was making for a thick
belt of jungle skirting the valley on the further side.

Galloping hard, closely followed by Nur, I was soon
alongside of the bull, and firing from the saddle, gave him
a good shot between the shoulders, but before I had time
to mark the effect of the shot he wheeled suddenly round
and giving a shrill scream charged most determinedly,
chasing me for about a hundred yards, then, pulling up,
made for the same strip of jungle again.

Shouting to Nur to follow me, I galloped hard to inter-
cept him, and after an exciting chase headed him off,
bringing him to a standstill facing me, about thirty yards
distant, looking the picture of annoyance.

I now heard shouting to my left, and the elephant,
seeing Nur galloping up, turned in that direction, exposing
his shoulder. I fired a right and left at once, hitting him
fairly in the ribs, when on he came again, screaming like
a steam engine.

Following every turn of my horse, I thought he would
have caught me, when, on reaching the strip of jungle, I
turned suddenly to the left and, the wind being favourable,
succeeded in giving him the slip.

By this time the sun was nearly down and being utterly
fagged out, we made the best of our way to camp, which,
however, we did not reach till some hours after dark.

The next morning we took up the tracks of the bull and
found him eventually, lying on his side quite dead. He
was a splendid old fellow, with a remarkable fine pah* of
tusks. I photographed him as he lay in the strong defensive
position to which he had finally retreated.

We remained several days at this camp, overhauling our
stores, preserving our specimens, photographing the dead
188

SOMALI KILLED BY AN ELEPHANT

elephant, etc., and then moved on to the Harawa Valley,
when I was fortunate enough in securing more elephants
and lions.

One day, having bagged six elephants, we had dis-
mounted and were standing round their bodies, admiring
our prizes, when suddenly we saw a little calf, about four
feet high, coming in our direction followed by a cow elephant.
The latter, on seeing us spread her ears at once and trumpet-
ing shrilly charged down on us.

Knowing I had only one cartridge in my gun and there
was no time to reload, I reserved my fire. Just then a
Somali from an adjoining Karia, who had joined the hunt
and was standing a little way off, ran towards us for pro-
tection.

The elephant, catching sight of him, gave chase at once
and before he had run a dozen yards picked him up and
killed him instantly, rolling him between her feet and
driving her tusks through his body. On our running up
and shouting at her, she left the man and made for us, charg-
ing most determinedly, when, with a lucky shot, I dropped
her dead, the bullet, striking her between the eyes, having
penetrated the brain.

Our first thought now was for the injured man, but on
going up to him we found he was quite dead — pummelled
absolutely, beyond all recognition.

Meanwhile, the little calf, which had never left his
mother's side was trumpeting and squealing and charging
anyone who attempted to approach him. We tried to
secure him with ropes, but without success, and eventually,
though much to my regret, were obliged to abandon the
attempt.

Often, in after years, when telling the tale of this
adventure, I have been blamed for failing to capture a
prize so rare as a young elephant, and no doubt by making
a greater effort, I might possibly have succeeded in securing
it. But, what with looking after my caravan, protecting
myself from unfriendly natives, etc., etc., I was not par-
ticularly anxious to increase my troubles and responsibilities
by adding an irascible little elephant to my establishment,
which was already as large as I could manage.

189

CHAPTER XXV

Move my camp — En route to Abyssinian border — Halt at a Karia — Gung-
dya bitten by a snake — Bough and ready remedies — The patient
recovers — A deadly adder — I am regarded as a curiosity — An in-
voluntary exhibition — Bad water — The water difficulty — March
resumed — Shoot a wart-hog — The animal described — A permanent
camp — Good sport — Native elephant hunters — Their methods des-
cribed— Quotation from Sir Samuel Baker — Hamstringing elephants
— A renowned Arab hunter — Advancing on his quarry — The bay
mare — Face to face — A tense moment — The hunter hunted — Clever
manoeuvring — The blow delivered — A handful of dust — The second
blow — Bleeding to death — A herd of giraffe — The Somali species
different from South African — I secure a fine old bull — The hunt
described — Another bull shot — The wild ass — Secure two as specimens
— A woman and child abandoned by Somalis — I act the good Samaritan
— Death of the mother — The infant on my hands — How to rear it ? —
The problem solved — Condensed milk and sago — Wonderful results
— The pet of the camp — Infant physical culture — The Somali method
— My leave draws to a close — Forced marches to the coast — Mal-
odorous trophies — Back to Bombay — I meet Sir Samuel Baker —
Interesting conversation — An enthusiastic sportsman.

THE horrible tragedy just related cast such a gloom over
my men that I determined to move my camp next morning
to a well on the border of Abyssinia. Marching the whole
day along the old caravan route we arrived at a Karia —
the name of which I forget — and halted for the night.

While the men were cutting down trees, etc., to form the
usual zareba, I strolled out with my gun, accompanied
by my Bhil orderly, Gungdya, to shoot some guinea-fowl
for the pot, a number of these birds being in the vicinity
of the camp.

We were strolling along leisurely, when Gungdya
suddenly gave a scream, and said he had been bitten by a
snake. Looking on the ground I saw the snake — which
was about a foot long — gliding away into some bushes,
190

SCARCITY OF WATER

but we followed and promptly killed it, then, taking
Gungdya by the arm, I ran him back to camp.

Here, cutting open the wound, which was on the ankle,
I rubbed in a quantity of salt, the only remedy I could
think of besides brandy, of which I gave him a good dose,
then ran him up and down to keep up the circulation, for
he was becoming very drowsy. However, by the next
morning he had quite recovered, though there was no doubt
that the snake was a poisonous one, for the Somali declared
it to be the Abeso, a kind of adder, the bite of which is said
to be very deadly.

Most of the natives at this Karia had never seen a
European before. They consequently regarded me much
in the same way as one might a new animal at the Zoo, and
flocked in such numbers to inspect me, that my camp soon
resembled that of some travelling circus or menagerie.
Unfortunately there was no gate-money for entrance, or
the exhibition would have been quite a profitable
business !

The water at the camp was very brackish, and black
almost as pitch, with a thick blue scum on it, and an odour
altogether indescribable. Even when boiled, and mixed
with alum, it was quite unfit to drink, while any food cooked
in it was practically uneatable.

The water supply is always a difficulty in an African
expedition, and when crossing the Maritime plains, we
had to be exceedingly careful. My specially constructed
casks were always kept under lock and key, and the water
doled out in rations by Abdi, the headman.

A bath was quite out of the question all this time, and
until we reached water — at the other end of the desert —
when I managed to procure one in my little indiarubber
tub, but my ablutions even then could hardly be described
as a bath. Nevertheless, the operation was a Godsend
to my two milch goats, for no sooner had I finished, than
they lapped down the soapy water with an avidity that
proved how thirsty they must have been. However, at
this particular Karia, where we were encamped, the water
was so exceptionally bad, that we decided to move further
north to the extreme edge of the Harawa Valley, and to
form a permanent camp on the Abyssinian border.

191

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

On this march I shot a very fine specimen of the wart-
hog. They are very formidable looking beasts, armed with
enormous white tusks, but as compared with the valiant
Indian boar are really cowards at heart. The large,
fleshy protuberances beneath the eyes and near the snout
give this animal its appropriate name of wart-hog.

It is very difficult to find them in rideable country,
hence they are not hunted after the Indian manner with a
spear but are generally shot. I speared one once, however,
near Berbera, but this beast had been previously wounded
by a bullet.

We remained in this beautiful country where we formed
our permanent camp for several weeks, during which time
I was seldom, from sunrise to sunset, more than an hour
at the camp, being always out hunting either in the saddle
or on foot.

The country simply abounded with game to an extent
I never yet had seen, and I had most glorious sport with
elephants, lions and a variety of antelopes. The natives,
too, were very friendly, flocking to my camp for meat, of
which I had always plenty.

This was my last shooting camp of any importance in
Somaliland, but before concluding the narrative of my
adventures in that country, I must not omit to mention
a strange and cruel method of hunting elephants resorted
to by some of the Gadabarsi elephant hunters. While a
band of these were with me at one of my camps, they
described their method to me. It appears that like the
Hamran Arabs, they ride after an elephant and hamstring
him with a sword, one man riding in front, usually on a
white horse to attract the elephant's attention. The
swords used are single-handed ones, with blades as sharp
as razors, strapped to a bone handle with raw hide.

In describing their manner of attacking an elephant
I cannot do better than quote the following passage from
Sir Samuel Baker's most interesting work, " Nile Tributaries
of Abyssinia " : —

" The elephant stood facing us like a statue ; it

did not move a single muscle beyond a quick and

restless action of the eyes, that were watching all
192

A QUOTATION FROM SIR SAMUEL BAKER

sides. Tahir Sherriff and his youngest brother
Ibrahim now separated, and each took opposite sides
of the elephant, and then joined each other about
twenty paces behind it, I accompanied them until
Tahir advised me to keep about the same distance
upon the left flank. In front of the .elephant were
two Aggageers — one of whom was the renowned
Rodder Sherriff — with the withered arm. All being
ready for action, Rodder now rode slowly towards
the head of the cunning old bull, who was quietly
awaiting an opportunity to make certain of some one
who might give him a good chance. Rodder rode a
bay mare. . . . Slowly and coolly she advanced
towards her wary antagonist, until within about eight
or nine yards of the elephant's head, the creature
never moved, and the mise en scene was beautiful ;
not a word was spoken, and we kept our places amidst
utter silence, which was at length broken by a snort
from the mare who gazed intently at the elephant,
as though watching for the moment of attack ; one
more pace forward and Rodder sat coolly upon his mare,
with his eyes fixed upon those of the elephant. For
an instant I saw the white of his eye nearest to me.
c Look out, Rodder, he's coming ! ' I exclaimed. With
a shrill scream the elephant dashed upon him like an
avalanche ! Round went the mare as though upon a
pivot, and away over rocks and stones, flying like a
gazelle, with the monkey-like form of little Rodder
Sherriff leaning forward and looking over his left
shoulder as the elephant rushed after him. For a
moment I thought he would be caught. Had his
mare stumbled all was lost, but she gained in the race —
after a few quick bounding strides, and Rodder still
looking behind him, kept his distance so close to the
elephant that its outstretched trunk was within a
few paces of the mare's tail.

" Tahir Sherriff and his brother Ibrahim swept
down like falcons in his rear. In full speed they
dexterously avoided the trees until they arrived upon
open ground, when they dashed up close to the hind-
quarters of the furious elephant, who maddened with

o 193

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

the excitement, heeded nothing but Rodder and his
mare, that was almost in his grasp. When close to
the tail of the elephant, Tahir SherrhT s sword flashed
from its sheath, as grasping his trusty blade he leapt
nimbly to the ground, while Ibrahim caught the reins
of his horse ; two or three bounds on foot, with his
sword clutched in both hands, and he was close behind
the elephant ; a bright gleam shone like lightning as
the sun struck upon his descending steel ; this was
followed by a dull crack, as the sword cut through skin
and sinews and settled deep in the bone, about twelve
inches above the foot. At the next stride the elephant
halted dead short in the midst of its tremendous
charge. Tahir had jumped quickly on one side and
had vaulted into his saddle with his naked sword in
hand. At the same moment Rodder, who had led
the chase, turned sharp round, and again faced the
elephant as before. Stooping quickly from his saddle
he picked up from the ground a handful of dust which
he threw into the face of the vicious -looking animal
that once more attempted to rush upon him. It was
impossible — his foot was dislocated and turned up in
front like an old shoe. In an instant Tahir was once
more on foot, and again his sharp sword slashed the
remaining leg. The great brute could not move !
The first cut with the sword had utterly disabled it ;
the second was its death-blow, the arteries of the leg
were divided, and the blood spurted in jets from his
wounds. The elephant now quickly bled to death."

I have quoted the passage in its entirety because it
would have been difficult to abstract it ; nor could I venture
to take such a liberty with the writings of a sportsman so
renowned. From the graphic description of the attack it
would appear that the methods employed by the Hamran
Arab were much the same as those described by the Gada-
barsi hunters, except that the latter use their swords
single-handed, and do not dismount, but deal their blow
from horseback and when going at full gallop.

******

While encamped on the border of Abyssinia — in the
194

MY FIRST GIRAFFES

permanent camp I have mentioned — I was very lucky in
coming across a herd of giraffes, for, as a rule, these animals
are only to be met with much further north on the Webbe.

The Somali giraffe, however, differs from the South
African species, the markings being much lighter and the
patches of colour divided into more hexagonal and sex-
agonal shapes. They are very difficult to approach, their
thin, long necks and extraordinary power of vision enabling
them to detect their enemies a long way off.

Of the two I killed, one was a remarkably fine old bull,
which we secured after a most exciting stalk. The herd to
which he belonged was standing upon an elevated position
from whence they could keep a good look out. The wind
being favourable, however, I crept up, inch by inch,
marking a thick bush as my point of cover.

I had my -500 Express loaded with five and a half drams
of powder and solid bullets, and when within about eighty
yards, I took a steady aim at the bull ; the satisfactory
sound of the ball striking upon his mottled hide was
followed by his blundering forward and falling heavily on
his side, stone dead.

Quickly reloading, I followed the herd — now shambling
along at a tremendous pace — and by a lucky shot managed
to break the leg of another bull which was soon caught up
and despatched by my eager Somalis, ever on the look out
for meat.

These were my first giraffes ; unfortunately, I had not
my camera with me that day, or would have photographed
them, for they are splendid-looking animals, though,
despite their great size, probably the most helpless of all the
brute creation. They stand from fifteen to eighteen feet
in height, but for protective purposes this gives them no
advantage, and it is entirely to the swiftness of their pace
and extraordinary length of vision that they trust to for
protection from their enemies.

The only other animal of any size that I met with in
Somaliland was the wild ass, which is common in sterile
parts of the Cuban. It is a fine-looking beast with striped
legs like a zebra, but can hardly be considered as game
from the sportsman's point of view. I shot a couple in the
course of the expedition to preserve as specimens.

195

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

Talking of specimens reminds me of another live product
of the country which I acquired in a somewhat curious
fashion on my way to the interior. I had passed various
caravans of armed Somalis, journeying to the coast with
strings of camels laden with skins, etc., when, one day, I
came across a wretched woman, who had lately given
birth to a child, and being too feeble to keep up with the
caravan, had been left, together with the infant, on the
road. I picked them up and, much to the disgust of my
men, had them carefully placed on a camel and taken to my
zareba, where the woman, who was in the last stage of
exhaustion, subsequently died. The difficulty now arose
as to how to rear the child, but we finally overcame this
by feeding him on condensed milk and sago — a diet which
evidently suited him, for he throve wonderfully well on it,
soon becoming strong and fat.

He came in time to be a great pet with the men, who,
whether as an experiment or in accordance with recognized
Somali methods for the physical improvement of their
young, used to oil and grease him all over, then put him
out in the sun to dry !

He had been with us for several months, when one day,
happening to fall in with another caravan of his tribesmen,
I handed him over to them. This incident not only
confirms what I have said as to the callousness of the
Somalis with reference to their woman-kind, but would
serve to prove the fallacy of ultra-civilization ; for I am
convinced no newly -born European infant in like circum-
stances would have survived the ordeal. But to go on
with my story, my time was now drawing to a close, and I
had to make all haste I could to reach the coast. However,
by a succession of forced marches I accomplished the
journey in an extraordinarily short time. On arrival at
Aden, I found the garrison all down with danki — a kind
of rheumatic fever which had broken out in epidemic form.
I fared no better than the rest, but, fortunately, before my
steamer sailed, I had sufficiently recovered to be able to go
on board.

All my skins, which had been carefully packed up in
bales, were relegated to the hold, but some of my best
heads I insisted on keeping in my cabin much to the
196

RETURN TO INDIA AND KANDESH

exasperation of the captain, for they were fairly odoriferous,
as I was later to discover.

Luckily the voyage, so far as I was concerned, was a
short one, otherwise my fellow passengers in adjacent
cabins might have been driven to protest. During the
first days of the voyage I was much troubled with fever,
but had managed to shake off the worst of it by the time
we reached Bombay.

I had a great welcome given me on my return to
Khandesh, my friends being all much interested in the
result of my expedition, and in the photos and trophies I
had secured. But my reception was as nothing compared
to that afforded by their friends to Sabha and Gungdya,
who were quite heroes for a time !

I stayed a week-end at Government House before
leaving Bombay, and gave an account of my experiences

to Lord H , who, it will be remembered, had helped and

encouraged me in carrying out the expedition.

It was during this visit I first met Sir Samuel Baker,
the great hunter and explorer, also Lady Baker, and was
much interested in his conversation, though I found him
somewhat reticent as regards his own exploits. He told
me he had made five trips to India without having suc-
ceeded in bagging a bison — an animal he was particularly
keen to secure.

I do not know whether he ever accomplished this
desire, but considering his years, and that he had shot
almost every kind of dangerous animal in the world, I
could not but admire the enthusiasm and determination
he showed to obtain this one particular specimen !

197

CHAPTER XXVI

At Dharwar again — Hear of wild elephants in Kanara jungle — Damage done
to crops — Native District Officer puzzled — His petition to Govern-
ment— Forest officer and myself consulted — Suggestion and inaction
— I act on my own — Special shooting camp — An unlucky guest — Some
erratic shooting — " Nearly a record bag " — Commendable persever-
ance— The elephants at last — A moonlight hunt — Watching the herd
— Close quarters — I fire at a bull — A forehead shot — Effect instantane-
ous— Another bull floored — Let off a small one — The herd makes off
— Congratulations — Dangerous " vermin " — Natives' misuse of Eng-
lish words and phrases — Slave to rules and regulations — The lonely
railway station — Young Bengal — A sudden invasion — Flight of the
staff — Besieged in his office — Only one thing to be done — A wire to
headquarters — " Tiger in charge " — Realizing the situation — A night
of mental torture — Morning brings relief — Wild dogs — The damage
they do — A nuisance to sportsmen — Hunting in packs — Tigers occa-
sionally attacked — Description of the animal — Difference between the
wild and the domestic dog — Crocodile, method of attacking their victims
—The final rush.

SOME years after my return from Somaliland — as far as
I can remember some time in the year 1906 — while stationed
at Dharwar, I heard of a herd of elephants having crossed
over from Mysore, where they are strictly preserved, into
the Kanara jungles which borders on Dharwar.

The advent of these elephants caused such consterna-
tion in Kanara, as they were roaming about the country
and doing considerable damage to the crops. The collector
at the time happening to be a native, and, unfortunately,
a Perbu, a caste not remarkable for courage, was much
exercised in his mind at the ravages committed by these
animals.

At his wits' end to know what he was to do, he finally
solved the difficulty, as he thought, by submitting an
urgent appeal to Government in the following language :
" That drastic measures should be taken to rid the country
of these vermin, as the lives of Her Majesty's subjects,
198

RUMOURS OF WILD ELEPHANTS

especially those of himself, wife and children, were in
imminent peril." The Government of Bombay, despite
the quaint wording of this application, recognized the
seriousness of the situation and took up the matter, and,
shortly afterwards, consulted the Forest Officer and myself
as to the best means to be adopted for circumventing these
brutes, as they were really causing havoc to-the crops of the
villages within a considerable area.

I remember suggesting that one of the two following
plans should be adopted : the first that some men might
be sent from the Mysore Kheddah, which had been estab-
lished on the lines of Sanderson's Kheddah, to capture the
elephants by the creation of a temporary blockade, etc.,
or, failing this, that I might be authorized to shoot them,
and be given the necessary leave and permission to enter the
Kanara district and organize my campaign.

Dharwar, as I have said, being on the borders of the
Kanara district, there was a likelihood of these animals
crossing over to my side. Accordingly, pending a reply
to my suggestion, I arranged, whenever possible, to have
my camp as near this border as I could.

However, as neither the Forest Officer nor myself received
any reply from the Government to the suggestions we had
made, we naturally concluded that they had given up all
idea of disturbing the elephants, trusting probably they
would return to Mysore on their own account. It trans-
pired afterwards, however, and much to my amusement,
that the elephants were being preserved for some high
personages, who were contemplating a shooting trip to
Kanara themselves !

Finally, about Christmas time, hearing rumours of the
elephants having been seen close to the southern borders of
Dharwar, I arranged to have my usual Christmas camp in
that locality, where I was eventually joined by one or two
others, for, as I said before, a camp at this festive season
is generally a larger one than usual.

Amongst those who were there on this occasion was a
young civilian, who had recently purchased a very valuable
horse which had cost him several hundred rupees. On the
day before he rode out to the camp, he had sent his animal
on to change to halfway. The next morning on arriving

199

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

at this stage he found the horse standing unprotected,
exposed to a cold easterly wind, while the syce was sleeping
soundly, wrapped up in the blankets belonging to the animal.
The result of this was that next morning — in spite of every
effort made to ward off the effects of the chill — the horse
showed unmistakable symptoms of kumri — paralysis of the
loins ; and although a vet was sent for, and did what he
could for the animal, it died the next evening. To begin
our camp with a disaster was clearly a bad omen ; and
such unfortunately it proved, for we saw nothing of the
elephants, while of other animals, all we bagged were two
panthers and, incidentally, an ordinary village cow ! The
last falling to the rifle of an absent-minded sportsman,
and a somewhat dangerous neighbour when out shooting ;
for, notwithstanding his exploit, for which he had to pay
a large sum as compensation, his next performance was to
pepper me with a charge of No. 6, which, but for my leather
gaiters, might have damaged me considerably.

The incident reminded me of rather an amusing story
told of an Indian civilian, who, though not a sportsman
himself, happened to be appointed as District Officer to one
of the most sporting districts in Bengal, where he gradually
acquired a taste for sport and sedulously set to work to make
himself efficient in the use of guns and rifles, and in the art
of shooting generally.

Unfortunately, while still in the rudimentary stage of
his education, he was induced one day to take part in a
big driye with elephants through some jungle near the
station, a kind of annual wind-up of the shooting season,
when anything put up may be fired at from a tiger to a
partridge. Next morning the police officer, whose duties
had prevented him from joining the shooting party, having
occasion to consult the District Officer on some business,
found him seated at the table in his office, with his head
resting between his hands, apparently in a most dejected
form of mind. He looked up as his visitor approached,
and to his question as to whether he had made a big bag
at the shoot, replied in a doleful tone of voice, that he was
much afraid he had made a very big one, for he had shot
one of the beating elephants as well as its mahout ! He
then went on to explain how the accident had occurred.
200

SHOOTING ELEPHANTS BY MOONLIGHT

It appeared that at the end of the last beat a partridge
rising in front of him, had flown down the line, he had fired
at it, but too late, and missing the bird, hit an elephant
and mahout who were in the line of fire.

Fortunately, being at the end of the line they were
some distance off, hence neither were seriously injured;
nevertheless, the author of this exploit ha'd a bad time of
it for some months. However, by sticking doggedly to the
business, he triumphed in the end, eventually becoming
one of the best sportsmen in the district.

******

Some months after the Christmas meeting, when the
rainy season had set in, I had occasion to visit this part
of the district again to investigate a dacoity case, and was
encamped about sixteen miles from a place called Karjot,
on the Kanara borders, where I had established a system
of mounted patrols for the suppression of dacoities.

One afternoon about three o'clock, a sowar * belonging
to these patrols rode into camp, evidently much excited,
and reported that the elephants we had been in quest of
were at the moment close to Karjot, where they had already
done, and were doing, a considerable amount of damage
to the villages. I started at once, but as my men were all on
foot, we did not reach the village until late in the evening,
when I found a deputation of some two hundred villagers
awaiting my arrival, all in a great state of excitement,
as they declared that the elephants were quite near, and
only waiting for nightfall to revisit their crops.

They showed me their wheat and paddy fields, acres of
which, I saw, had been trodden down and destroyed by
these destructive brutes. As there was a good moon and
the night therefore almost as light as day, we took up their
tracks at once, and soon came on the elephants in a network
of ravines some three-quarters of a mile from the village.

The herd consisted of three bulls and some fourteen
cows, and very imposing they looked in the moonlight ;
though not to be compared, in my opinion, to their African
brethren, either in stature or general appearance. The
wind being favourable, I carried out my old plan of creeping
close up to them, and it was greatly to the credit of my two

* Trooper,

201

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

police orderlies to have stuck to me as closely as they did,
for neither of them had seen a wild elephant before.

We now stood beside a small tree watching the herd,
when suddenly one of the bulls turned his head in our
direction, being hardly two spears' length from us. I fired
at once, and the bullet striking him in the centre of the
forehead, he fell dead with hardly a struggle.

Losing no time I now ran in and floored another elephant
— also a bull — with a shot in the shoulder, using the second
barrel of my 8-bore Paradox ; and as the remaining bull
was quite a young animal, not worth shooting, I did not
attempt to follow up the herd, which rapidly moved off.

Though greatly disappointed with the size of these
elephants, as compared with the African variety, I was
glad of the opportunity of testing the effects of the forehead
and shoulder shots, and also to have freed the village of
these dangerous pests. On my return to headquarters, I
received many congratulations on my success ; though I
fear the odium of having spoilt the sport of the high
personages for whom these animals were being preserved,
clung to me for many a month afterwards.

The native collector doubtless rejoiced greatly at the
destruction of these two " dangerous " vermin ! and
probably congratulated himself at the success which had
attended his wonderfully worded representation to the
Government on the subject !

Apropos of this I much regret that space does not admit
of my quoting more instances of the quaint phraseology
made use of by native officers in their official communica-
tions, but I am tempted to repeat one story in particular,
which, though probably well known to Anglo-Indians,
may possibly be fresh to ordinary English readers.

The incident took place at a lonely railway flag-station
surrounded by dense jungle, and some two hundred miles
or more from the headquarters of the Traffic Department
of that particular line. The station was in charge of a
young Bengali sub-stationmaster, who, like many of his
kind, was virtually an automaton, and having no initiative,
being quite incapable of any action not provided for in the
rules and regulations of the company.

One evening, about an hour after the last train had
202

"TIGER IN CHARGE OF PLATFORM"

passed his station, he was seated writing in his office, when
he heard a great commotion on the platform, and looking
through the door, saw his pointsman, and one or two other
members of his staff, apparently flying for their lives in the
direction of the village near the station ; while, further
down the platform, was a huge tiger galloping towards his
office. The situation was decidedly an unpleasant one for
the unfortunate official, alone as he was in his office, and
with no protective weapon more lethal than the office ruler.
Fortunately there was but one door to the office, the key
of which was providentially on the inner side.

He had the presence of mind to draw the door quickly
to and lock it, and could then have mounted to the room
above, where with perfect safety he might have shouted at
the tiger, and thus possibly driven it away ; but this did
not occur to him, nor were there in the regulations, which
he knew by heart, any instructions on the subject of
encounters between stationmasters and tigers.

In these circumstances it seemed to his official mind
that there was but one thing to be done, and that was to
report the matter to headquarters and ask for assistance.
How this was to be furnished in time to be of any use he
did not trouble to conjecture, it was the proper procedure
and, therefore, must be observed.

Having arrived at this decision, he lost no time in
carrying it out, with the result that about half an hour
later, the traffic manager at headquarters, two hundred
miles distant from the station, received the following
quaintly worded message : " Tiger in charge of platform.
Please arrange."

The wording of the wire, though ridiculous as to the
request it contained, was otherwise quite to the point ; for
the tiger, at the moment, was certainly master of the
situation, and maintained its position for some time, prowl-
ing round the station buildings till far into the night, and
occasionally sniffing at the door of the office as if meditating
an attempt to force its way in.

Meanwhile the terror-stricken occupant, who, in spite
of his blind confidence in routine, had realized that it was
quite impossible for headquarters " to arrange," as he had
so confidingly requested, in time to save him, should the

203

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

tiger succeed in breaking in during the night, which seemed
more than likely.

However, as it happened, he suffered nothing worse
than a night of mental anguish, for it was not until the
sun was well above the horizon, that he ventured to emerge
from his shelter, when he dispatched another message
reporting that " he had resumed charge of the station ! "
•*•*•*-*•**

With the shooting of the two elephants, as described
in the earlier portion of this chapter, my list of wild animals
shot in India was practically complete ; though there
were two other beasts, or to be accurate, a beast and a
reptile, which I find I have omitted to mention, viz., the
wild dog and the crocodile, both of which I have often
encountered in my wanderings after other game.

The first, apart from the damage they do in the jungles,
are a perfect nuisance to the sportsman, for they wander
from one locality to another, and should they happen to be
in the vicinity of his camp will scare the game for many
miles. It is seldom that a tiger or panther is to be found
in any jungle they frequent. They hunt singly, or more
often in packs of about twenty, and have been even known
to attack tigers, causing them to seek safety by climbing
trees, a most unusual proceeding for a tiger, and one that
proves how greatly they must fear these formidable foes.

The wild dog is vulpine in appearance, and of a reddish-
brown colour with full bushy tail, tipped with black. It has
one peculiarity not generally known, I believe, but never-
theless a fact, viz., that, unlike the domesticated species, it
either cannot, or at any rate does not, bark.

The crocodile, or rather alligator, though hardly coming
under the category of game, is a formidable brute, and in
certain localities quite as destructive to human life as a
man-eating leopard or tiger. In attacking its victim, its
tactics much resemble those of a German submarine.
Reconnoitring long and warily from a distance, it ap-
proaches with great caution, and, if suspicious, sinks at
once below the surface ; often repeating the manoeuvre
several times during its approach. If, on the other hand,
the coast is clear, it will descend after the first look round,
and, swimming under water, the next thing to be seen of
204

THE ALLIGATOR'S METHOD OF ATTACK

it will be its rugged head and fishy eyes, slowly revolving
in a last survey of its victim ; then comes the final attack,
delivered rapidly as lightning, as with a rush and mighty
swish of the tail, it pounces on the unsuspecting prey and
drags it under water. The best place to shoot these
vicious reptiles is in the centre of the neck at its junction
with the head, where, if a bull's eye is made, death will be
practically instantaneous.

205

CHAPTER XXVII

Wild-fowl and small game plentiful — Coolin and Sarus — Venerated by
natives — Many alligators — I shoot one — Internal evidence of human
victims — Muggurs — The snub-nosed variety — Good fishing — Wild
figs and frogs as bait — Shooting fish — Thieves in camp — Some descrip-
tion of their methods — A victim's experience — Choice between being
robbed or murdered — A clever thief — Carelessness of native syces —
An example — Pony trap adventure — Both reins unbuckled — Pony
bolts with cart — Two helpless women — A railway level crossing —
Charging the gates — A smash — Advantages of being a heavy weight
— Lying insensible on the line — A train approaching — Agonizing sus-
pense— A miraculous escape — The distracted husband — Well-merited
castigation — Driving accidents not uncommon in India — Partially-
trained horses — Amateur horse-breaking — Implements used — Home-
made but useful — The break — Ramshackle contrivance — A haphazard
system — Dangerous vices engendered — Bolting and shying — I fall a
victim to the latter — More native carelessness — A coronation cele-
bration— Arranging for a royal salute — An ancient weapon found —
Volunteer gunners — Loading the weapon — The supreme moment
arrives — The salute fired — Direful results — A tragic ending.

WHILE encamped on one occasion on the banks of the
Tapti — the river mentioned in another chapter — I was
much struck by the number of wild-fowl and small game of
all kinds which seemed so plentiful. Every field was
swarming with quail and in every patch of rushes we found
snipe, while in the pools were duck of many kinds.

There were also a number of coolin, or large blue
crane, which come in huge flocks in the cold weather.
I had shot these beautiful birds in both Nasik and Dharwar
but had never met with them in such large numbers as
they were here.

I also fell in with the Sarus here, for the first time ; it
is a huge bird belonging to the crane family of a light-
blue colour with some white about the tail. The head and
some eight inches of the neck are bright red, but devoid of
206

A HUGE ALLIGATOR BAGGED

feathers, which detracts much from an otherwise very
handsome bird.

The natives regard these birds with some degree of
veneration as they do also the peacock, hence, like the latter,
they are seldom shot by Europeans, or at any rate by
such who know the custom of the country, for it is bad
policy to ignore the feelings of the people in such matters,
especially from a sporting point of view.

On the opposite side of the Tapti river, all along the
edge of the bank, there were many huge alligators lying
basking in the sun. One day, while walking along the bank
near our tent, I saw one of these monsters, which had
crawled out of the water, and lay in such a position that I
was able to approach him.

On reaching a sheltering bush, about fifteen yards from
this brute, I fired two barrels into him before he could reach
the water, which he managed to get to, however, and
throwing himself into it, lashed about furiously with his
tail for some time, but finally sank.

Next morning we found him close to the bank, but quite
dead, and the villagers, fastening a rope to the carcase,
pulled him out. He was a huge brute, over ten feet in
length, with a most formidable pair of jaws. On cutting
him open, we found a large quantity of pebbles, also re-
mains of glass bracelet and cloth, proving that he had de-
voured some wretched woman, whom he had evidently
caught when she had been fetching water from the river.

Alligators — or muggurs, as the natives call the snub-
nosed variety of the crocodile — are very bold in their attack.
I have known of a pet dog been carried off while drinking
at the river, within a few yards of where its master was
standing. Goats, deer, and bullocks too occasionally, are
also seized most cunningly by these brutes.

In shooting them I have found that unless shot dead
by a bullet in the head or neck, as already stated, they will
invariably struggle into the water eventually returning to
the bank, if not disturbed, to die.

When shooting wild-fowl, if a dog is used to retrieve
birds, it is certain, sooner or later, to be seized by one of
these saurians, and if a duck — wounded or dead — falls into
the water anywhere in the vicinity of one of these reptiles,

207

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

it is almost certain to be taken. Many a shot bird thus
disappears as if by magic, before the gunner's eyes. There
is also some good fishing to be had at this camp, and I
caught quite a number of bright, silvery little fish, some-
what resembling trout which took the fly and minnow very
readily. We also got some murrel in a large tank close by —
the hook baited with, of all extraordinary things, wild
figs or frogs.

A number of these murrel were also shot by some of the
men in camp, who fired at them from trees, as they lay
basking near the surface of the water. These fish are
excellent eating, the flesh being white and firm, with very
few bones.

We were greatly annoyed at this camp by thieves at
night ; their dexterity was quite wonderful, and then- bold-
ness no less surprising, for they did not even hesitate to
steal from my tent. With their bodies almost naked and
well greased, they wriggled along the ground, between the
sentries, and made off with everything they could lay
their hands on.

A connexion of mine, who once encamped near the hills,
in a district where thieves as expert abounded, woke up
one night to find a man attempting to remove the bangle
from her arm. Having been previously warned of the
dangerous character of these men, and their unscrupulous
disregard of life, she had the presence of mind to feign
sleep, while the man by first massaging her hands and
using his oily fingers, eventually succeeded in slipping the
bangle over them. It was, doubtless, most annoying to
feel her bangle being abstracted, yet had she resisted, or
even called for help, she would, in all probability, have
been murdered.

This same relative was the heroine in another, and
equally perilous adventure, when once staying with some
friends. Her hostess had driven her one evening to the
club, and while the former was talking to her husband
from the trap, the syce, unperceived by any of them, took
the opportunity of readjusting the pony's bit ! The driver,
having finished her conversation, but with her head still
turned to her husband, flicked the pony with the whip,
preparatory to starting, on which the animal, rather an
208

A MIRACULOUS ESCAPE

impetuous beast, dashed forward, knocking down the
syce.

Pulling at the reins, the lady now discovered to her
horror that both ends had been detached from the bit, and
as she pulled at them, came into her hands. Meanwhile
the pony, finding its head free, broke from, a canter into a
gallop, and finally bolted, with the two helpless women in
the trap. Desperate as was their position, the knowledge
that no one could help them made it worse. The pony,
maddened by the rumbling of the trap behind him, galloped
on at racing speed, till coming to the railway at a level
crossing, about half a mile down the road, he attempted
to jump the gates.

My relative, being very light, was pitched over the gate,
and lay stunned close to the line, with a handkerchief she
was holding still in her outstretched hand, which seemed to
be actually on the line. Her friend, who was of a less sylph-
like build — in fact, of such solid proportions that not even the
jar of the collision with the gate had succeeded in dis-
lodging her — found herself still seated in the trap.

But before she had time to wonder how this feat had
been accomplished, her attention was attracted to a sound
in the distance, which, growing louder every moment, soon
revealed itself as the rumble of a train, which a moment
later was seen rapidly approaching the spot where her friend
lay senseless !

A second or two of agonizing suspense, and the engine
with its long line of massive waggons had swept past the
prostrate figure, and right over the fluttering handkerchief
it held. Providentially, the hand itself was not — as it had
appeared to be — actually on the line ; yet so perilously near
to it that as the train approached it had seemed to the
anxious watcher as though nothing short of a miracle could
avert the terrible calamity impending.

But the passing train was hardly out of sight when,
to her inexpressible relief, her friend, recovering from her
swoon, stood up, apparently unhurt and unconscious of
the danger she had been in, and it was not till some moments
later, when she was looking for her lost handkerchief, that
she learnt all that had happened after the pony's attempt
to jump the gates.

P 209

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

In the end, the only individual who suffered from the
misadventure — and deservedly so — was the author of it,
to wit, the syce ; for his master, seeing his wife and her
friend being whirled away to what seemed certain destruc-
tion, and helpless to assist them, vented his feelings on him,
and in a manner best calculated to impress upon him—
mentally and physically — the folly of meddling with the
harness when there are people in the trap.

Driving accidents are probably more frequent in India
than at home — partly because of the proverbial careless-
ness of syces as in the case above ; but mainly due to the
fact that horses and ponies are often used in harness before
they have been thoroughly broken in, and especially is
this so in the case of animals owned by officials and others
quartered or residing in the country, or Mofussil. Take,
for instance, horses or ponies belonging to a young civilian,
subaltern, or policeman. These have probably been
purchased at some livery stable in Bombay, Madras, or
Calcutta, as the case may be, and warranted broken to
saddle, which may often mean that they have had a saddle
on, and perhaps been ridden once or twice by a native riding
boy belonging to the stable, but, unless particularly re-
quested, certainly not broken into harness. A month or
two after the purchase, and when the owner has himself
completed the animal's education as a riding horse, at the
expense, possibly, of a fall or two, he will probably decide
to put it into harness, and under the guidance of, or aided
by his own, or some one else's syce, supposed to be an expert
in the business, they proceed to carry out the process to
the best of their combined abilities.

The implements used, though somewhat primitive, are
effective enough, up to a certain point. They consist
firstly of a huge slab of wood, about five feet long by two
broad, and some eight inches thick, to the front end of
which is fixed an upright pole, and on each side an iron
ring — a pair of long traces improvised out of rope, and
reins of the same useful material, complete the para-
phernalia.

The horse, or pony, which for two or three days pre-
viously has been led about morning and evening with the
harness on to get accustomed to its weight and feel, is now
210

AMATEUR HORSE-BREAKING IN INDIA

harnessed to the log, with a man on each side of its head,
and led along some smooth — or preferably grassy — road,
on which the log will travel with the least friction and
noise.

This process is repeated for two or three days, or more,
according to the temperament of the animal, and continued
on an ordinary road, till the beast is believed to have
become accustomed to the noise and friction of the drag,
when the instructor gradually puts his weight on the log,
and finally getting on to it, holds on by the pole, and with
the reins in his other hand, drives the horse as if it is har-
nessed to a trap.

After a day or two of this, its preliminary education
being supposed to be completed, the animal is harnessed
to a trap, the vehicle usually selected for this purpose
being an old, ramshackle conveyance, tied up with rope ;
apparently belonging to no one in particular but generally
forthcoming when required.

For the first day or two the horse devotes most of its
energies to the demolition of this archaic structure, and
often succeeds, but this matters little, for the fragments
are soon reunited with rope, and the breaking in process
continues, until the animal, though often merely tamed
for the time, is supposed to be broken in completely.

It is not surprising, therefore, that under such a hap-
hazard system of training, animals so sensitive as horses
should develop such vices as bolting and shying, to which
most driving accidents are due. Of these two equally
dangerous vices, the last is most common with Indian
horses, trained in the perfunctory manner described, and
of which I was once the unfortunate exponent.

On this occasion I performed an acrobatic feat which
few amateurs have equalled, and none, I am sure, have
ever surpassed. I was driving with my wife rather fast
down a hill, and we were passing the station cemetery,
when some irresponsible idiot of a coolie working there
threw a huge cactus root he had just dug up close to my
pony.

The animal, naturally enough, stopped dead. The
next moment I was flying through space, and turning
one complete somersault at least en route, landed on the

211

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

hard ground. The pony fortunately stood still, and,
except for a few bruises and torn clothing, I was none the
worse for my flight.

Curiously enough in this instance the person weighing
lightest came off best ; for my wife, who is very light,
remained in the trap, in fact, so little did she feel the jar,
that she was quite at a loss to understand my sudden exit.

The carelessness of syces is, as I have said, proverbial ;
but though perhaps more pronounced in this particular
class, is a failing common to most natives, and is often the
cause of serious troubles, as in the case I quote below.

A friend of mine, named G , who was at the time an

Assistant Deputy Collector, happening to be out on tour in
his district on the day of the King's Coronation, thought
it only right to celebrate the occasion by having what is
termed in India a Tamasha, i.e., a function. He therefore
decided to get up some sports, etc., in the village where he
was encamped, and as a grand finale — to give a Royal
Salute with an ancient muzzle-loading cannon which,
unfortunately — as it turned out — happened to be in the
village, and had hitherto been regarded merely as a
curiosity.

There was some difficulty in procuring a sufficient
quantity of gunpowder, also as to who should charge the
piece, and fire it off, etc., but all was finally overcome by the
chief borar* who volunteered to see to all arrangements
assisted by his son, and all for the modest sum of eight
annas — or, in English money, about tenpence !

G accordingly issued invitations to all the local

magnates, and about sunset, after the sports were over,
an expectant crowd gathered round, awaiting the firing of
the salute.

All being reported ready, G , assuming a martial

air, took off his hat and stood at attention, the crowd
following his example, except in the matter of removing
their head cover, which as most of the men wore pugris was
not possible.

The elder borar being still busily employed in ramming
in the powder at the muzzle, had not noticed that his son,
to whom he had entrusted the important duty of firing off

* Merchant.
212

AN OVER-ZEALOUS GUNNER

the gun, was perilously near the touch hole, with the fuse
in his hand. Presently the latter, quite oblivious of the
fact that his parent was at that moment covering the
muzzle of the weapon, applied the fuse, and as the old man
had by this time unhappily succeeded in ramming the
powder home, the charge exploded, ejecting the rammer,
which, with the old borar, were carried to some distance,
whence the latter, dancing and shrieking in agony and terror,
was carried off at once to the infirmary, where he died from
his injuries.

It was a sad ending to a function, which up to this un-
lucky moment had gone off with great eclat, and for the
inauguration of which my friend would probably have
gained credit, but instead, on reporting the disaster, which
he was bound to do, he was, if not actually reprimanded,
given to understand that his conduct had been foolish.

213

CHAPTER XXVIII

A veteran police inspector — Some of his. exploits — Tulia Naik — A famous
dacoit leader — Small beginnings — First arrest — Escapes from his
escort — Forms a gang — A terror to the neighbourhood — Baffles the
police — Inspector on his track — The tables turned — Captures the
inspector — A drinking bout — The inspector's opportunity — A clever
re-arrest — Convicted — An apparent reformation — Return to crime

— Final surrender — Transported for life — Sir F S r — A

notable police officer — Rising of the Bhils — Babajee their leader — His

arrest attempted — Refusal to surrender — Captain H of the police

shot dead — Escape of the gang — Subsequent pursuit — Sir F S r

in command — The gang marked down — Disguised as a native — Babajee
found bathing— Captured in the water by Sir F S r— A re-
markable achievement — Many of the gang secured — Importance of
the capture — Compliment paid by the police — Relation between the
military and police — Commissioner of Police, Bombay — A lakh of
rupees offered as a bribe — The offer indignantly refused — Strange
action of the Government — Sir F S r and an American globe-
trotter— His anxiety to see the man who had refused so large a bribe
— Enquires if true ! — His astonishment when convinced — " Guess you
Britishers will keep India ! "

I HAVE in a previous chapter given an account of my
experiences with a famous leader of dacoits whose exploits
and arrest had given me so much trouble, that I had
imagined at the time, that as a criminal career, his must
have surpassed any ever heard of before.

But I found I was mistaken, for while stationed at
Poonah, I came across an old inspector of mine, Hafizullah,
a splendid specimen of his class, being over six feet three
inches and broad in proportion. During his long service
in the force, he had had many strange experiences with
criminals of every kind ; amongst them one, Tulia Naik,
a notorious dacoit, whose arrest he had finally accom-
plished and in a most sensational manner.

It seems that this individual had started his criminal
career in quite a mild sort of way, but wine and women
214

A RAKE'S PROGRESS

being his peculiar weakness, he found that in order to satisfy
these fancies, he must extend his sphere of action and
thieve on a larger scale. He accordingly took more seriously
to the business, and gradually improving in efficiency,
arrived in due time at the head of his profession. At the
time of his arrest he had acquired the reputation of being
one of the most dangerous criminals in the Province.

In justice to him, however, it must be admitted that,
apart from his own predilections he had to some extent been
forced to adopt a criminal career at an early period of his
life and while as yet innocent of crime.

It seems that at this early stage of his existence he had
the luck to kill a large panther, and taking the skin to the
local Government Treasury, had been awarded the usual
award of Rs.12. No sooner had the money been paid,
however, than he was beset by the Treasury guard and
others, all demanding a share.

He complied with their demands — up to a certain point
— but naturally wishing to keep something for himself,
refused others who came later. Amongst them was a police
constable, who, conscious of his powers to do so, swore to
be revenged. Meanwhile Tulia went on, and gathering
his friends together, gave them a feast with plenty of liquor,
music, singing and dancing, in fact making a regular night
of it. Then about midnight a message came from the police
ordering the music to be stopped and the party to break up.

Tulia, who had been drinking freely, and was conse-
quently somewhat pot valiant, paid no attention to this
order, and when the police came to enforce it, he resisted
them. He was accordingly arrested and taken off by two
constables in the direction of a village where their chief
constable was putting up. One of his escort being the very
man he had refused to " tip," now gibed at him saying,
" You would not give me a rupee ! very well, wait — now
you will be sent across the sea." * The prisoner quite
believing this — for like most natives he had exaggerated
notions as to the powers of the law — determined to escape,
and watching his opportunity succeeded in doing so before
they reached the village.

Being now an escaped offender, and therefore an outlaw
* Meaning " transported."

215

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

so to speak, he made up his mind to adopt a criminal
career, and soon forming a gang, took to raiding villages,
where, by looting and threatening the big traders, amassed
a considerable amount of loot — successfully evading all
attempts made by the police to arrest him. This went
on for some time until at length, under a promise, made by
the Superintendent of Police, my friend Probyn, that he
would not be arrested, he agreed to meet him at a place
called Selbari, where he came on the day appointed.
Throwing himself at Probyn's feet he said he was ready to
give himself up at once if the sahib would only try him
himself. This Probyn told him was impossible, but
offered to go with him himself to the district magistrate and
do his best to get him off with as light a sentence as possible.

But to this Tulia would not agree. " No," he reiterated.
" Let the sahib send for witnesses and try me himself,
and if guilty, hang me on the tree we are sitting under —
or send me to Dhulia jail. I am ready to be handcuffed now !
But I will not be tried by any other sahib ! " Being told
again that what he suggested was impossible he said, " Very
well, let me think the matter over till to-morrow." Then
he asked to be allowed to go to see his people at Pimpulneer,
and being granted a permit from Probyn, he went off. But
on arriving there it appears that he went in for a drinking
bout and becoming extremely drunk, walked into a cloth
merchant's shop and turning the contents into the street,
told his followers to scramble for them. Next morning
he sent a message saying, " He had changed his mind and
would not give himself up, but was returning to the jungle ! "

It was now that Hafizullah came upon the scene, being
deputed with a party of police to arrest this troublesome
absconder, but they found it very difficult to hunt him down,
for though he was occasionally seen, he always managed
to elude them. He was even fired at but without any
visible effect — thus giving currency to the belief that he
wore some charm which made him bullet-proof !

At length one day, the inspector, happening to go alone
to the house of a Patel or headman of a certain village, to
make enquiries regarding some information he had re-
ceived, Tulia turned the tables on him most effectually.
Being in hiding near this village, he heard of the inspector's
216

TURNING THE TABLES

visit, and while the latter was inside, formulating a plan
for his arrest, surrounded this house and captured him
instead !

Having him now completely at his mercy, he told the
inspector that he was going to kill him but that he must
first provide his own funeral feast, and placing him in a
cart guarded by himself and one or two followers with drawn
swords, they proceeded to a liquor shop in the village of
Pimpulneer.

Here the inspector was forced to alight, and accompanied
by his captors, who had now been joined by others of the
gang, taken into the shop, where liquor being ordered, the
party sat down to drink. They had been drinking for
some time when Tulia, to have both hands free to take hold
of the liquor jar, unthinkingly laid his sword aside.

Now was the inspector's chance, and promptly and
pluckily he took it. Leaping up suddenly, he sprang at Tulia,
and seizing him with both hands by the hair, pressed his
head to the ground and shouted loudly for help.

Two or three constables, who on hearing the capture of
their officer had come up, and were hovering about
outside on the chance of being able to rescue him, now
rushed to his assistance and soon secured the prisoner, for
his friends so far from assisting him, had fled at the first
alarm. He was eventually convicted and sentenced to
seven years' imprisonment.

Soon after the completion of his sentence, he was
appointed as a watchman on a West Khandesh road, where
he did very well for a time, until a charge of rape was
brought against him, when he absconded again.

He had been absconding for some months, all attempts
to recapture him having failed, when one day as Probyn was
driving along the Selbari road, he suddenly came out from
behind a babul tree and gave himself up ! He climbed
quietly into the dogcart and was driven at once to the
District Magistrate's camp, where he was tried again, and
being committed to the sessions, was finally convicted and
sentenced, this time to transportation for life. Thus ended
the career of as remarkable a criminal as the Presidency
had produced up to that time, about the year 1875. But
though so noted a criminal he owed his notoriety rather

217

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

to the boldness and originality of his methods, for the
crimes he had committed were mostly robbing and offences
against women, and, so far as I remember, he had never
been accused or suspected of murder.

******

Inspector Hafizullah's plucky capture of this celebrated
criminal brings back to my mind a similar but much finer

feat performed by that famous police officer, Sir F

S r, when an Assistant-Superintendent of Police of the

District of Nagar. The story of this notable achievement,
which has been the admiration of all his brother officers
for so many years, was told me by his son — then himself a
Deputy Inspector-General of Police stationed at Ahmedabad.

He was proceeding on leave at the time, and I had been
appointed to relieve him. While engaged in taking over
charge of the office, I was interrupted by a visit from the
landlord of the bungalow, which I had also taken over.
He was a very courteous native gentleman, and in the course
of conversation informed me that the house had been
occupied by my father, who thirty years ago had com-
manded a brigade in Ahmedabad.

I mentioned this later to S , and we then discovered

that our respective fathers had been friends. It was then
that he told me of some interesting episodes in the life of

Sir F S r, amongst them the following remarkable

exploit which I have already referred to.

It appears that soon after the Indian Mutiny the Bhils
in the Nagar and Khandesh districts started a rising of their
own, giving considerable trouble and anxiety to the autho-
rities by attacking and looting villages, etc., thus keeping
the police and the military very busy in their efforts to
quell these disturbances.

Amongst the Naiks or leaders of these Bhils was one
called Babaji, who, having collected a gang of dangerous
bad characters round him, had become a terror to the
neighbourhood he frequented and evaded all attempts of
the police to capture him. However, after considerable

trouble, Captain H , the Superintendent of Police in

Nagar, managed to corner him by surrounding a hut in
which he and his men were concealed. But notwithstand-
ing his desperate position he refused to surrender when
218

A CLEVER CAPTURE

called on to do so, replying to Captain H , "If you

wish to take me prisoner, come yourself. I will not be
taken by anyone except a sahib."

Exasperated by the insolence of this challenge, which
was probably the effect it was intended to have, Captain

H entered boldly into the hut, when Babaji, who was

armed with an ancient match-lock, "fired and shot him
dead — then, with the greater number of his followers,
broke out of the hut and escaped.

The direction of the operations now developed on Sir

F S r, who was Captain H 's assistant at the

time. The murder of his superior officer — so far from
deterring him, made him all the more determined to arrest
the murderer, and continuing the pursuit, he finally got on
his tracks, eventually succeeding in arresting him in a most
plucky and ingenious manner.

Having marked him down at length in the valley, in
the vicinity of which there was a large, deep pool of water,
he discovered him one morning bathing in this pool.

Surrounding the valley with his men, S , who had been

disguised as a native throughout, approached the pool,
and slipping quietly, swam close up to the bather, then,
diving suddenly, seized the unsuspecting Babaji by the
legs and dragged him under water.

Being an exceptionally good swimmer and thoroughly
at home in the water he had no difficulty in mastering his
prisoner whom, half drowned and terrified out of his wits,
he brought ashore safely, and, I presume, formally re-
arrested !

Meanwhile the rest of the gang, seeing their leader
captured, scattered at once, but the greater number were
secured, and together with their chief, were sent in under
a strong escort to Nagar, where the news of this great haul
having already preceded them, the police received quite
an ovation.

As the party reached Nagar, they were met by the
band of the regiment and played into the station, a com-
pliment never known to have been accorded to a party of
police before, thus proving how important the capture of
so notable a criminal as Babaji was considered.

Quite apart from this, however, the action of the

219

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

military authorities was particularly gratifying to Sir F—

S r, for, as it happened, there had been a certain amount

of friction between the police and military which this
gracious action quite removed. I was much interested
to learn that the band referred to belonged to my father's

regiment. Sir F— - S r subsequently held the office

of Commissioner of Police, Bombay, in which capacity he
earned quite a world-wide reputation, and was much liked
and respected by all classes, and amongst the large native
commercial community was especially popular.

It was during this period of his successful career, while
employed in the investigation of a famous and sensational
case of poisoning, that an incident occurred which showed
the reputation he had acquired for finding out the truth
and bringing offenders to justice. The case was a most
important one, involving many persons of high rank.
These, fearing he would discover their complicity in the
crime, offered, through intermediaries, to pay him one
lakh of rupees for merely giving up the direction of the
enquiry which he was conducting personally !

Needless to say he refused the offer, and being naturally
very much incensed at such a suggestion being made to
him, promptly reported the matter to the Government.
Yet strange as it may seem the reply he received was
virtually a snub, some precocious young civilian in the
Secretariat writing to the effect that " The time of the
Government was too precious to be taken up with such
twaddle ! "

Soon after this, at Aden, while on his voyage home on

leave, Sir F S r was much surprised at hearing that

a fussy globe-trotting American was enquiring for him
all over the ship. Wondering who this individual could be
and why he wished to see him, his curiosity induced him to
reveal himself.

The stranger, looking at him curiously for a while then
said, " He had heard a story about him which had struck
him greatly, and that he would be glad to know if it was
true and whether he was really the man who had refused
a bribe, of a sum so enormous as a lakh of rupees, in the
poisoning case ? "

" Yes," replied Sir F S r quietly, " I am the

220

-YOU BRITISHERS WILL KEEP INDIA"

person you refer to." " Say then — shake," cried the Ameri-
can excitedly, and extending a huge powerful paw seized

Sir F S r's hand and nearly shook it off ! But when

he heard what reply the latter had received from the
Government to his report about the proffered bribe his face
was a picture !

He then asked many questions about our administration
of India, and after an animated conversation, finally took
his departure, observing as he bid Sir F S r fare-
well, " Wall, I guess you Britishers will keep India ! "

It appeared that in the course of his globe-trotting he
was visiting Aden, and seeing in the passenger list of the

steamer the name of Sir F S r, whom he had very

evidently heard of, he had come on board, for the express
purpose of interviewing him.

221

CHAPTER XXIX

Small-game shooting in India — The season for this sport — Snipe offers best
sport — Arrival of these birds — Two varieties of true snipe — Other
kinds, the jack and painted snipe — Migratory birds — Large bag can
be made — Quail — Small charges and 20-bore preferable — River
and bush quail — Partridge — Three kinds — Painted, grey, and black —
The last best for table — Sand-grouse — Strong on the wing — Floriken
finest game bird in India — Peculiar habit of the cock — Native explana-
tion— Very plentiful in places — Indian bustard — A huge bird — Good
sport for rook rifle — Peafowl and Indian plover — Ortalon, too small
for sport — Snared by natives — Excellent eating — Wild-fowl — Many
kinds — Found on tanks — Very numerous — The blue-winged teal —
An excellent bird — Cotton and whistling teal — Not worth shooting —
Widgeon and pochards — Swarm in thousands — Mallard — Similar to
the English bird — The spotted bill and gadwall — The pin-tailed duck —
The red-crested pochard and white-eyed duck — The shoveller — Wild
geese — Two varieties — The common or grey-bag, and the pink-footed
goose — A curious hybrid bird, half goose and half duck — Bittern, same
as the English bird — Ground game — Hare only — No rabbits in India
— Hare afford good coursing with Persian hounds.

THE hunting of dangerous animals having been my business,
so to speak, for some years of my service in India, and my
chief amusement always, I have probably devoted less
time to small-game shooting than the majority of Indian
sportsmen. Nevertheless, there were occasional long
periods in my service, as when stationed in districts devoid
of big game, where I was compelled to satisfy my sporting
instincts with this less exciting form of sport ; hence,
necessarily acquired some knowledge of this subject.

In these circumstances it has occurred to me that
having now said all I have to say on the subject of big-
game shooting in the Bombay Presidency, I cannot do
better than to give a brief description of the game birds
of this part of India, together with some account of small-
game shooting as carried out in India generally.

The sport may be said to begin on or about the 15th
222

GAME-BIRDS OF INDIA SNIPE

October, and to last till 15th March or thereabouts, the
contents of the bag depending largely on the locality and
season.

Of the enormous variety of small game to be obtained
in India the snipe, I think, takes first place, since it affords
quite the prettiest sport of all Indian game birds.

No sooner has the cold weather set in, about the
beginning of November, than the snipe begin arriving ;
on first alighting, after their long journey from the north,
they are naturally in poor condition, but soon pick up and
are then quite as rapid on the wing as English birds.

There are two varieties of the true snipe — one rather
smaller than the common snipe, with a pin tail, shorter
bill, and beautifully marked bars on the end of the wing.
They are supposed to come to India from the Straits of
Singapore or China.

There is also the Jack snipe which lie very close, often
rising within a yard or two of the sportsman's feet. Painted
snipe are also to be met with in the marshes — a large, clumsy
looking bird, with an owl-like flight, and not worth shooting
either from the sporting or pot point of view.

Snipe, like quail and all migratory birds, are subject to
good and bad seasons, being sometimes comparatively
scarce. Forty or fifty couple are considered a fair bag,
but in Sind one of two hundred will often be made by a
good gun, and even this number, I am told, has frequently
been doubled ! A friend of mine and myself once accounted
for one hundred and fifty couple at a place called Larkana
in the Sind district, but this kind of shooting being merely
a matter of sufficient cartridges was not much to my taste.

Christmas shooting camps are generally held in all the
good, small-game shooting districts, and very fine sport is
usually enjoyed ; especially by men living in large cities
like Bombay. These camps are very enjoyable from a
social point of view, but the wholesale slaughter of birds,
which is the chief object of these meetings, did not appeal
to me. I preferred to go out morning and evening when
on tour, picking up a sufficient number of birds for the
pot ; or when near enough to headquarters, to send in to
friends to whom small game is always an agreeable change
from the perpetual diet of fowl.

223

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

Partridge, both grey and painted, grey and rain quail,
sand grouse, florikin, bustard, hares, etc., are all fairly
common in the Bombay Presidency ; and in Sind is also
found the black partridge. With regard to the grey quail,
a good morning's work should easily account for fifty
brace or more to each gun, but these birds being migratory,
much depends on the season. In some years, they actually
swarm, and in others they prove comparatively scarce.

The ordinary Indian quail is about the size of the English
bird, the tips of the wings (primaries) being marked with
dark bars. The hen birds have not the dark brown bands
or collar on the throat which distinguish the cocks.

Full charges of powder are not necessary for these
birds, rising as they mostly do close to the gun, and of shot
Nos. 8 or 9 are the most effective. I always loaded my
own cartridges as being more economical than buying them
ready loaded, and economy becomes a consideration when
one hundred or more cartridges are used in a morning's
shoot.

I have invariably used a 20-bore, finding it lighter and
handier than a 12-bore, for small-game shooting ; though,
doubtless, it requires to be held somewhat straighter than a
larger bore.

Quail fly extremely swiftly, with a delightful whirring
noise and an awkward twisting flight. Both quail and
partridge can be shot to a dog, and I have often had good
sport with a steady spaniel, but shooting with dogs in India
is risky work, as they are sure to come to grief in time, either
from sunstroke, snake bite or alligators.

The little rain quail which usually comes in soon after
the monsoon has burst, are smaller than the grey quail ;
the cocks are prettily marked with black crests covered
with small spots.

The jungle bush quail, another variety, is not worth
shooting. They are very common, and have a habit of
hiding very close in thick bush or patch of grass, and on
being approached, of suddenly whirring off in all directions,
with startling effects to a novice, especially if he should
happen to be following up a wounded tiger at the time !

The francolin, or painted partridge, is fairly common,
and will often be put up singly, generally followed by its
224

PARTRIDGE, SAND-GROUSE, AND FLORIKEN

mate. They are very handsome birds, and afford good
shooting, rising something like the English partridge.
They are mostly found in green corn-fields, large patches
of high grass, or on the banks of nullahs or ravines. They
are not particularly good eating.

Grey partridge are very common, and not thought
much of by Indian sportsmen, either from the sporting or
table point of view. The flesh is tough and extremely
tasteless ; in fact, hardly eatable unless the bird be stuffed
with bacon, then roasted with layers of bacon wrapped round
it. These birds are found in bushes and hedges round
villages. The natives catch them in pits and often keep
them as pets.

We now come to the black partridge, found mostly in
Sind. It is a large and very handsome bird with beautiful
black plumage plentifully spotted with white on the breast.
On rising it towers for a few yards, then flies straight forwards
giving a fairly easy shot.

These birds are generally to be found in patches of
high grass near water, in cotton fields and beds of rivers
where there is thick cover. They have a shrill peculiar
call, and are very noisy, especially in the early mornings
and about sundown. Their flesh is tender and excellent
eating.

Of sand-grouse, probably so called because they frequent
open, sandy plains, there are three varieties, one very
large and the other two with pin-tails. The largest kind
are rare, and mostly to be found in Sind. Sand-grouse
squat or lie very close. They are very strong on the wing,
and it requires hard hitting to bring them down. They are
good eating, but tough, and should be skinned before
being cooked. By watching over, or near water, where
these birds come to drink, any number may be shot.

Floriken, without doubt the finest game bird in India,
arrive soon after the rains, and are found in rush-grown,
swampy places, and in high grass, also on plains where the
grass has been burnt. The cock bird is about the size of
a pheasant, and very handsome, with neck and under part
of the body black ; while the back is mottled like a bustard.
On the back of its head are six thin, upturned feathers,
with small tufts at the end, somewhat resembling the crest

Q 225

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

of a peacock. These birds rise very gracefully, towering
to about fifteen yards before soaring away, and are very
easy to shoot. The cock bird has a peculiar habit of
jumping up high in the air, three or four times in rapid
succession, and at intervals of six or seven yards. The
natives declare this is done to attract the attention of the
hen birds. The latter are of a light brown colour, prettily
marked with dark brown bars. They have not the crest
feathers of the cock bird. Another peculiarity of the
floriken is the rose-pink tint at the roots of the short
feathers, or down on the breast and under the wings ; but
which can only be seen by parting this down with the
fingers or by blowing it aside.

I remember on one occasion, when suffering from a
sprained ankle, shooting a number of these fine birds from
my pony, a quiet steady beast, my men slowly beating
the grass on either side as I rode quietly along.

In parts of Khandesh and Guzerat, floriken are very
plentiful, but their numbers depend much on the season.
Their flesh is excellent, but as they feed entirely on beetles,
grasshoppers and blister fly, it is sometimes tainted. On
the whole, however, the floriken is considered the best bird
for the table in India.

The Indian greater bustard is also a splendid game bird,
standing about three and a half feet high, and weighing
nearly three stone. It has a flat black crest on the head,
the neck is white, while the plumage on the back is a dark-
mottled brown colour. The feathers of the Indian bustard
are invaluable for salmon flies.

The birds afford capital sport with a rook rifle. In
Khandesh, where they are very common, I have shot five
bustards in a morning with a Holland and Holland '250
rifle, at an average distance of one hundred yards each.
The flesh is of a brown colour.

The only other land game birds are (1) the peafowl,
which, being held in reverence by natives, are seldom shot ;
(2) the golden plover, much like the English bird ; and
lastly, the ortolan, which are too small to shoot, but are
snared in hundreds by the natives, and sold in the market
in many parts of India, and are excellent eating.

We now come to wild-fowl of which there are many
226

TEAL, MALLARD, AND WIDGEON

kinds : first, the teal, precisely like the English one, which
begin to arrive directly the monsoon is over, and are
generally found on tanks, together with the duck (widgeon
and pochards). The birds are often so numerous that the
sportsman, creeping up cautiously to close range, may
bring down a dozen or more with both. barrels, for they
rise and fly so closely packed together. They are well
worth shooting, too, being excellent eating.

Another very good eating bird is the blue- winged, or
gangamy teal, which arrive in vast flocks later on in the
cold season. The cotton and whistling teal are also found
in large numbers on the vast sheets of water which do not
dry up in the hot season ; but they are not worth powder
and shot, their flesh being both fishy and muddy.

As the season advances, widgeon and pochards swarm
in their thousands on the larger lakes, especially in Sind,
and the sportsman may fire away as many cartridges as
he can make, or has the means to purchase, should he be
so extravagantly inclined.

Our excellent English mallard, or a bird absolutely
similar in every respect, will form the major portion of the
bag ; and next, the spotted-bill duck and the gadwall —
a smaller duck than the mallard, with mottled-brown back,
chestnut patch on the wings, and white belly. Then the
pin-tail duck, a beautiful bird with its very peculiar long,
pointed tail, brown head, prettily blue-mottled back,
white breast, and blackish slate-brown legs and feet. It
is larger than the mallard, flies at great speed, and is very
good eating.

Widgeon are somewhat rare. They are much smaller
than the mallard, and when flying make a shrill whistling
sound. The head and upper part of the neck of this
bird are of a chestnut-red with a pale-yellow band over the
crown. The bill is of a bright-bluish colour, breast light-
pink, back mottled-gray, and tail blackish-grey-blue lead
colour.

The red-crested pochard has a most unmistakable red
head, surmounted with a yellow crest or band ; back and
wings brown, with white patches at both ends of wings;
while the lower part of neck, breast and belly are black,
and the tail, legs and feet bright -red ; a most brilliant little

227

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

specimen of the duck tribe. The hen bird, however, is
more soberly arrayed.

There is, besides, the white-eyed duck, and another still
smaller pochard, the tufted duck, a beautiful dark bird
with a large silky crest of black feathers, a white bar on the
wings, white stomach and legs, and bill of a lead colour.
There is a beautiful glossy green and purple sheen over the
plumage of this bird.

Lastly, comes the shoveller, a larger bird than the above,
though not so large as the mallard. It can be easily
identified by its large, broad bill of a dark-slate colour.
These birds are common, but are not good eating.

There are two varieties of the wild goose, both of which
are to be found in Sind. One is the common wild or grey
wing goose of England ; the other the pink-footed goose, a
smaller bird than the first. As with all wild geese, they are
very difficult to approach, having a habit of lying concealed,
huddled up together in batches of sixty or more in clusters
of reeds or rushes, and always a long distance from the
banks of the lakes or other waters in which they have taken
up their temporary abode. They fly in long lines when
travelling, and it is a very pleasing sound, heralding as it
does the approach of the cold season, to hear their harsh
grating call as they pass, flying high, over the camp or
bungalow in the early hours of the morning, on their way
to their winter quarters.

But welcome as is the arrival of these great birds to
the sportsman, their advent is by no means so agreeable to
the Indian agriculturist, for they do a deal of damage to
their crops, chiefly grain, a sort of vetch to which they are
particularly partial.

There is another curious bright -russet winged, white-
breasted bird, a kind of cross between a goose and a duck,
which seems indigenous to India. It is called, for some
unknown reason, Brahminy duck in Bengal. These seem-
ingly hybrid creatures are always seen in couples, and
seldom met with except on rivers. Though game-like in
appearance, they are never shot by sportsmen as their flesh
is uneatable. Bittern are often put up out of long thick
rushes on the edges of tanks and nullahs. They are pre-
cisely the same as the English bird and fairly good eating.
228

THE INDIAN HARE

The only small ground game are hares, for there are no
rabbits in India. The Indian hare is much smaller than
the English beast. They are to be met with almost every-
where in open rocky ground or scrub. On being started
they bolt much the same as rabbits, and require quick
snap-shooting. Like the Indian fox — a pretty little silver-
white creature with black tips to their brush — they afford
excellent coursing with Persian greyhounds.

229

CHAPTER XXX

Remnants of Babajee gang — Joined by the Barwattis — A formidable coali-
tion— Rounding them up — Another European officer shot dead — The
gang finally destroyed — More about tigers — A tigress and three cubs —
Monkeys announce their presence — I shoot the tigress — Driving out the
cubs — Two rolled over — Beaters dispose of third — Wounded tigers
often lost — Cases in point — (1) A tiger on an island — The beat begun
— A momentary glimpse — Snap-shooting — Crashing through the jungle
— Mysterious disappearance — " Here he is ! " — Found dead under
water ! — A mangy specimen — A remarkable dying effort — (2) Another
instance — Three tigers put up — Two soon disposed of — In pursuit of
the third — Marked down — A snap-shot again — Concluded he was
missed — Further search abandoned — Found dead the next day ! —
Man-eating tigers — Happily now rare — Indenting on ancient history —
Alarming news at 5 a.m. — Camp in transit — Attacked by man-eater
— Disobedience of orders — A bullock driver carried off — Panic-
stricken servants — Pursuit taken up — The body found half eaten —
Man-eating tigers on high road— The traffic held up — Seven hundred
human victims ! — Mail cart attacked — Tiger jumps from a hillock
— Horse badly scarred — Shown to travellers as a curiosity.

THE members of Babaji's gang, who had escaped when
their leader was arrested, though scattered for the time,
soon came together again ; and being joined by remnants
of other broken-up gangs, and subsequently by some
Barwattis,* became a formidable coalition, and for many
years gave considerable trouble to the police.

Many of the members being practically outlaws already
were desperate men, to whom a crime more or less mattered
little, for in any case, if arrested, they knew their punish-
ment was certain ; hence, on the principle of "as well be
hung for a sheep as a lamb," they continued to pursue
their criminal courses.

The police, assisted by the military, had been indefati-
gable in their pursuit of the gang, but were greatly handi-
capped by the conduct of the villagers, who were in such

* A criminal tribe peculiar to Goozerat.
230

ATTACK ON A DACOIT STRONGHOLD

deadly terror of these men that they would give no informa-
tion of their movements ; and once or twice, when located
by the police, even connived at their escape !

Finally, when all other measures had failed, the authori-
ties decided to employ mounted men, and on the recom-
mendation of Colonel H , the then Inspector-General

of Police, G , a promising young" officer of the

2nd Bombay Lancers, was drafted into the police and
stationed on special duty at Kathiawar, as a suitable centre
from which to conduct the operations.

He had not been there long when one morning he
received information that the dacoits were in a village
about sixteen miles distant. He rode off at once, accom-
panied by his sowars, and on arrival found the gang
entrenched, or rather, concealed in a pit which they had
dug.

This method of defensive warfare had doubtless been
adopted at the suggestion of the Barwattis, for the par-
ticular tribe of these people, who were now members of the
gang, are in the habit of entrenching themselves in pits,
which they fortify, erecting a standard in the centre under
which they fight.

In these circumstances it would perhaps have been
wiser, as the military critics subsequently observed, to
have attacked the entrenchments on foot, and in skirmishing

order ; but G , being young, and full of military ardour,

probajbly thinking also that his men would feel more at
home mounted than on foot, charged the stronghold at
once.

The dacoits, most of whom had fire-arms of sorts,
reserved their fire till the attacking party were within a

few yards of their trench and then fired a volley. G ,

who was leading the charge, was struck by seven bullets
and fell dead ; but his Resildar,* assuming command at
once, led the men on, and a terrible revenge they took,
for in the hand-to-hand encounter that ensued the greater
number of their opponents were killed outright or cut
down.

G had been so great a favourite with all classes

that all the Europeans, and many natives of Kathiawar,
* Native cavalry officer.

231

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

subscribing to a fund, erected a monument to his memory

at Rajkote, which was unveiled by Lord H , the then

Governor of Bombay, who in a few well-chosen words paid
a tribute to the gallantry and devotion to duty he had
displayed.

Shortly after his transfer to the police, he had spent
some days with me in my camp near the Chap-Panee
ravine, and I well remember his delight at having been
selected for the task of hunting down these dacoits. This
ravine is — or used to be — a favourite haunt of tigers, and
I had seldom, if ever, drawn a blank there.

On the particular occasion I refer to, it did not belie
its reputation, for we had not been long there when we
received information of a tigress and three cubs.

Having arrived at the jungle and taken up our position,
we sent word to the beaters to advance. Presently I
heard a troop of monkeys chattering loudly, as these
animals always do when a tiger or panther is on foot, and
at the same instant I saw the tigress emerge slowly from a
mass of cypress and come quietly towards me.

I allowed her to approach within ten yards or so of my
position, then fired, and the bullet striking her fairly
between the eyes killed her on the spot. Meanwhile the
beaters were advancing, driving the cubs before them ;
small beasts they proved to be, each about three feet long.

G , who was to my right, now had his chance, and very

good use he made of it, rolling two of them over in fine
style ; the third broke back, but was soon despatched by
the beaters. Their mother, whom I had shot, proved to
be a large handsome beast with a fine dark-coloured skin.
I had this pegged out alongside the one of a large tiger I
had bagged some days before, the two making a goodly
show.

Altogether this shoot was a great success in that we
had accounted for every animal put up, and although three
were only little ones, still, in tiger shooting it is not always
that every tiger seen is bagged, more especially when
hunting these animals on foot, for unless badly wounded,
they often get away.

But sometimes, even if fatally wounded, a tiger may
sneak off unobserved to die in some dense jungle, or
232

TIGER SHOOTING IN SEONEE

perhaps an unknown cave ; and is then lost to the sports-
man, as nearly happened once to my father-in-law, Colonel

W , of the Indian Survey Department, and his chief,

Major O s, who, but for an accidental discovery of the

carcase, would have lost a tiger they had shot.

They were out shooting in Seonee, a district once so
noted for its tigers, and as being the scene of the adventures
described in R. C. Sterndale's famous book. Information
was brought to them one May morning by the villagers of a
tiger having been marked down in some jungle on a small
island, in the bed of the Weingunga River, where he was
said to be lying up.

They had only one elephant out with them, but as he

was an exceptionally staunch animal, Major O s

ordered the howdah to be put on him, and accompanied by
my father-in-law, who was only a subaltern at the time,
and quite inexperienced in sport, they proceeded to the
jungle.

On arriving there, O s, an old shikari, and thoroughly

acquainted with tigers and their ways, examining the place
carefully, found the island, which was surrounded by water
on one side and dry shingle on the other, was a mass of
jhamin, or wild damson bushes, affording excellent cover
for the tiger. The villagers declaring he was still there,

O s stationed the elephant at the head of the island

and ordered the men, who had agreed to act as beaters,
to beat right through it from the other end. Soon a
tremendous din arose, as the men advanced, all shouting
loudly, and suddenly the tiger appeared at the edge of the
island, but seeing the elephant, as quickly drew back into

the bushes, though not before O s had time to raise

his rifle and fire a snap-shot at him.

The report of the rifle was answered immediately by a
loud, angry roar from the tiger, as if protesting against his
privacy being disturbed, then came the sound of some heavy
animal crashing through the bushes, followed by a tre-
mendous splash as if it had plunged into the water.

The two sportsmen, fully under the impression that the
tiger had got away untouched, now descended from the
howdah and following his tracks through the jungle, were
agreeably surprised to find some blood on the shingle, and

233

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

walking on further, came upon his footprints on the spot
from which he had evidently jumped into the water.

The villagers, entering this water, which on an average
was about five feet deep, waded across, but could find no
footprints on the opposite side, and were still searching,
when suddenly one of the men, who had not as yet come
out of the water, called out excitedly, " Here he is, here
he is ! "

This sudden and decidedly disquieting announcement
might well have caused a panic, but for the fact that the
man who had made it, was now seen peering into the water,
and prodding with his spear at something underneath it.
He now explained that when he was crossing over he had
been testing the depth of the water, when he felt something
soft, and investigating further, concluded it was the carcase
of the tiger ! The others now assisting him, they soon
dragged the body to the bank, and sure enough it proved
to be that of the tiger, which with its last dying effort
had evidently plunged into the water, intending doubtless
to swim across, but being too badly wounded, had probably
been unable to rise to the surface, and was drowned or
had died while in the act of swimming across.

The animal proved to be a small and very mangy
tigress, but must have been possessed of extraordinary
vitality, for on examining the carcase later it was found
that the bullet (an explosive 12-bore) had struck her far
back in the stomach, and exploding inside had burst the
diaphragm and made mincemeat of the liver, and yet
she had sufficient energy left, not only to travel seventy
measured paces, but to jump into the water from the bank !

On another occasion in the same district, Colonel W ,

while out with D , the Forest Officer, again nearly lost a

tiger which they had shot. They had received information
of three tigers, said to be in some jungle on the banks of

the Weingunga. D having a good number of elephants

with him at the time, they went out at once.

By three o'clock in the afternoon they had bagged two
out of the three, then went after the third, and having
marked him down, posted a pad elephant on the other side
of the river as a stop.

The tiger, driven out by the beaters, made for the river,
234

AN UNEXPECTED FIND

intending to swim across and escape ; but seeing the
elephant, was re-entering the jungle, when both the
sportsmen fired at him.

As the tiger had not spoken to either of the shots they
could not tell whether he was hit or not, but as he eventually
got away without being fired at again, .they concluded he
had been missed ; and as it was now getting late, and they
were a long way from home, they padded the two tigers
they had shot and returned to camp.

Next day, however, a large party of villagers came into
the station carrying a dead tiger slung on to a pole, which
they took to the Magistrate's office, where they claimed,
and were paid, the Government reward of Rs.50. They
made no claim to having shot the animal themselves,
but said they had found it lying dead under a tree ; near
the jungle where the Sahibs had shot the two the day
before. However, they were allowed to retain the reward,
which, added to the Bakshish they had already received
for giving information, was, to men in their position, quite
a fortune.

The two cases I have quoted prove how easily a tiger,
even when mortally wounded, may be lost ; and there
have been doubtless many others of the kind, as well as of
tigers, seemingly only slightly wounded, who have got
off and have died eventually in some jungle miles away
from where they were originally put up.

******

Of man-eating tigers, too, Colonel W has some

experiences to relate, two of which I venture to repeat, for
as these once dreaded beasts are now happily less numerous
one must generally indent on ancient history to obtain
accounts of their exploits.

In the first case he tells of, the narrator was encamped
in the civil station of Seonee, many years ago, and was
roused at five o'clock one morning by his servants with the
thrilling information that a man-eater had just attacked
the Forest Officer's servants who were bringing their
master's camp into the station.

The latter it appeared had warned his men not to start
on their journey till after daybreak, as the man-eating
tiger was known to be prowling about on that road ; but

235

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

neglecting his warning, they had started at 2 a.m., trusting
doubtless to fate after the manner of their kind.

Conveying part of the camp equipage were some pack-
bullocks, accompanied by the driver, who was walking
behind them, when suddenly the tiger pouncing on him
carried him off into a dense jungle near the road where he
had been probably lying in wait.

The servants, panic-stricken, made no attempt to
rescue the man, but, leaving him to his fate, had come
running into the station with the news.

Colonel W , together with the Superintendent of

Police and the Civil Surgeon, rode out at once to the spot,
which was some five miles distant.

Here they soon found the broad track left by the tiger
as he had dragged his victim through the jungle, and
following along this for some considerable distance, they
came upon the remains of the latter lying in the densest
portion of the jungle.

The tiger, like most man-eaters, was evidently a very
cunning beast, and had no intention of running any risks
by returning to finish his kill ; for he had already eaten
most of it, the upper portion of the body being all that was
left of the unfortunate man, but this was intact, except
for a wound in the neck where the beast had seized
him.

It was hopeless to look for the tiger without elephants,
the jungle being too extensive and dense. He was shot
eventually, but not till a year or more had passed, during
which time he had added many other human victims to his
list.

The second case referred to, relates to events in the later
sixties, when man-eaters were quite common in, and in
districts adjacent to, Seonee, and more especially on the
high road from Jubbulpur to Nagpur, a distance of one
hundred and sixty-eight miles and passing through the
Civil Station of Seonee, which lies about half way.

On practically the whole length of this road, but
particularly at a long pass or crossing of three miles,
called the Korai Ghat, a party of what I may call pro-
fessional man-eating tigers, had taken up their quarters,
who, lying in wait in small hillocks above the road, would
236

A MAN-EATER'S SEVEN HUNDRED VICTIMS

pounce suddenly on drivers of bullock carts and carry
them off into the jungle below.

During the three years that Colonel W was stationed

at Seonee, this Ghat was often held up for so long as three
months at a time by these man-eaters, one of whom was
credited with having killed and eaten seven hundred human
victims before he was eventually destroyed.

On one occasion the mail cart, carrying the English
mail, a specially well-organized service with a booked speed
of fourteen miles an hour, was proceeding at this pace a
few miles from Seonee, when it was attacked by a man-
eater, which suddenly jumped on to it from a hillock where
he had, as usual, been lying concealed.

Probably his intention was to carry off either the driver
or the syce, but as it happened, he lighted on the horses,
one of whom he clawed all down the quarters. The beast
eventually recovered, but was badly scarred, and for many
years after the driver used to point him out to travellers,
with great pride, as the horse which had survived a man-
eater's attack !

237

CONCLUSION

THE last chapter brings my narrative to a close: Except
to the keen sportsman anxious to learn something of small -
game shooting in India, Chapter XXIX. will, I fear, make
dull reading ; but in the pursuit of prey so harmless,
startling adventures can hardly be expected. The previous
chapters, however, will, I trust, prove more generally
entertaining.

In my account of adventures with tigers and other
dangerous game, I have, as I proposed when setting out
to write my story, confined myself to recording those only
which seemed to me to possess some special interest, for
bare tales of animals slaughtered are apt to become weari-
some if too often told.

I have endeavoured, therefore, to make each incident
recorded as interesting as possible, consistent with truth
and, when opportunity offered, have given facts and
figures derived from personal observation and experience
regarding the various animals I have encountered, together
with their description, hoping that this information may
be useful to sportsmen contemplating a shooting trip to
India.

At the same time it must be borne in mind that I am
writing of sport in that country as it was some twenty-five
or thirty years ago ! With the progress of civilization and
clearing of the forests, game — more especially tigers — has
decreased. Big-game shooting is not so easily obtainable,
nor is it to be had at such comparatively little cost.

However, with an exercise of patience, tact and judg-
ment, as well as a judicious cultivation of the natives, much
may yet be accomplished. But above all it is advisable
to obtain introductions to the civil authorities of the
district, or district selected, especially the Police and Forest
238

A TRIBUTE TO COLONEL PROBYN

Officers who have the means — personally or through their
subordinates — of smoothing many difficulties, or of creating
them ! The goodwill of these officers is, therefore, very
desirable to acquire.

I regret now that I did not keep an exact record of the
number of tigers I have slain. As Tiger Slayer to the
Bombay Government, however, I had to submit a weekly
return of tigers killed, and during my term of office the
figures, so far as I remember, reached about two hundred.
These did not include the number I killed before being
appointed to that office, or during any period of leave.
I may safely say, therefore, that the number of tigers I
have shot cannot be much under three hundred in all.

My biggest bag for one year in Khandesh was thirty-one,
and for one week, six. At one time, indeed, I remember
being almost tired of shooting tigers, they were so plentiful,
and in so many cases shot without any greater effort on
my part than holding the rifle straight.

The largest bag of tigers on record for one day, so far
as I know, was in a beat in which Lord Harris was present,
the one that fell to his rifle being a very large, heavy beast
with an enormous head, the largest, I believe, that
Rowland Ward has ever set up.

I always shot on foot or, when more convenient or
advisable to do so, from a tree or macharo ; but even in
these cases, it was often necessary to follow the wounded
beast on foot, instances of which have been given in
previous chapters.

Many of my earlier adventures with big game were
experienced in company with my old friend and mentor,
the late Colonel Probyn, under whose kindly and able
guidance I embarked on my sporting career, and to whom
I attribute much of my subsequent success ; for taking him
as my model, I wisely decided to follow in his footsteps,
a resolution I happily adhered to.

Oliver Probyn is still a name to conjure with in Khan-
desh. In addition to being a thorough sportsman, he was
the beau ideal of a soldier and a gentleman. His influence
among the Bhils was so great that his word was law, and
yet he was loved as much as he was feared.

His appearance, though somewhat rough — the result,

239

TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER

probably, of his having passed so much of his life amongst
wild tribes — was nevertheless distinguished and com-
manding. Altogether he impressed me more than any
man I had ever met.

The above is my recollection of him some thirty years
ago, and since it was under his tuition that I started on the
adventures which have furnished me with material for
my narrative, it is but fitting I should end it with this
tribute to his memory.

THE END

.

PRINTED BY WILLIAM CLOWKS AND SON3, LIMITED, LONDON ANp BKCCLKS

•>•»*

RETURN TO the circulation desk of any
University of California Library

NORTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY
Bldg. 400, Richmond Field Station -
University of California
Richmond, CA 94804-4698

ALL BOOKS MAY BE RECALLED AFTER 7 DAYS
.2-month loans may be renewed by calhng

(510)642-6753
.1-year loans may be recharged by bring.ng

books to NRLF
. Renewals and recharges may be mad

4 days prior to due date

DUE AS STAMPEDJ3ELOW

FEBJJJOQ7
U.C. BERKELEY

DD20 15M 4-02