AftKOWh HAL i, CO. CHESTER.

THE LIBRARY

OF

THE UNIVERSITY
OF CALIFORNIA

PRESENTED BY

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

I

SCENES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE

SECOND EDITION.

Printed by R. Clark

FOR
EDMONSTON & DOUGLAS, EDINBURGH.

LONDON : HAMILTON, ADAMS, AND CO.

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Vi

EDINBURGH: EDMONSTON & DOUGLAS. M D C C C LXXH.

TO

COLONEL WALTER CAMPBELL.

MY DEAR WALTER,

As the perusal of the writings of

"The Old Forest Kanger," in the days of my early youth,
first turned my thoughts to the hunting-grounds of India,
to him the following pages are dedicated by

HIS AFFECTIONATE KINSMAN,

THE AUTHOR

AUCHINTOUL, April 1871.

PEEFACE.

AT the suggestion of friends, I have here given a short
account of some of my doings during a long residence
in India. The propriety of the suggestion may be
doubted, but having been adopted, the book must stand
for what it is worth.

Tiger stories have been told before, and as I gene-
rally find them received with incredulity in England,
it seems only fair that I should aid in establishing the
veracity of my brother-sportsmen.

But I should hardly have had the temerity to
appear in public, had I not received the valuable
assistance of Colonel E. Baigrie, late Assistant Quarter-
Master-General on the Bombay Establishment, to
whom I am indebted for the principal illustrations by
which the book is enlivened.

Himself an ardent sportsman, and a keen observer
of forest scenery and all its surroundings, he has well

M310057

Viii PREFACE.

portrayed the incidents described. His vivid sketches
have been reproduced by Mr. Dallas of Edinburgh by
a new and beautiful process.

The pen-and-ink sketches are copies from drawings
by my friend the late Harrington Bulkley, with whom
I was associated during several pleasant years in
Guzerat.

W. GOEDON GUMMING.

AUCHINTOUL, April 1871.

CONTENTS.

CHAPTEK I.

Introductory remarks— Route and Outfit— Expenses— Cold Weather Excur-
sion— Hints on Antelope-shooting, Ducks, Snipe, etc. — Hot Weather
Excursion — Hints on Tiger, Panther, and Bear shooting — Danger of
following wounded animals on foot — Preservation of Skins

Pages 1-21

CHAPTEK II.

Arrival in India — March to Dharwar — My first Antelope — Snaring Antelope —
Bustard — Scorpion-sting — Cheetul — Wild Boar — "The old Forest Ranger "
Panther Cubs — Jungle and Pea Fowl — Monkeys — Shooting at Edeegut-
tee — The Dandelly Jungles — We awaken the Authorities — Emaum and
Moideen — Mode of Shooting — Cheetul shot — Bison shot— Habits of
Sambur — Danger from a carelessly cleaned Rifle — Bison killed — Cow
Bison — We fire the Jungle — An energetic Kick — Bull shot — Picnic at the
Lake — Thunderstorm — Solitary Bull shot — A charging Bull— Emaum's
Device — Preservation of Skulls— Tiger and Deer — Pig shot — Bison shot —
Indolence of Emaum — Return to Dharwar 22-48

CHAPTEK III.

Kolapoor— Fox and Jackal Coursing — A broken Collar-bone — A Snake — Royal
Sportsman — Excursion with Langton — Treasure Escort — Surgery — A
Native Hunter — Military Sporting — Phoonda Ghaut — Shaik Adam : his
Gun— Fever— A Cheerless Vigil— Stuffed Bear— Practical Joking— Fish-
shooting — Mombait Jungles— A Bear shot— Conjugal Affection — Bear's
Grease— Bison seen— Domestic Cow shot — Embark for Guzerat 49-67

CONTENTS.

CHAPTEE IV.

Landing in Guzerat— Saras shot — Broach — Quail-shooting — Expedition to
Nandode — Tiger-shooting at night from Platforms — Tiger missed — An
untoward Snooze — Sliced Hygena-^Opium-eaters — Bear shot — Bear shot
near its Cave — Gratuitous Feast to a Tiger — Panther shot — Toorun Mall
Hill — A Tiger poisoned — Smoking out a Tiger — Dubka — Big Boar
wounded— Boar slain— Alligators — One shot — Pebbles in Alligators —
Powaghur — Sambur-shooting *bn the Hill — Thrilling Adventure with a
Goat Pages 68-87

CHAPTEE V.

Guzerat — Game — The Revenue Survey— "The Hunt "— Dongurwah Meet —
Disputed Spear — Finishing off a Boar on foot — A Bloody Draught — The
Eace not always to the swift— A Sell for a Boaster — Boar dropped with
a single Spear — Thorns in Horse's Legs : Treatment — A Day's Shooting
at Dongurwah — Hunt meet at Vinjool — Three Hogs slain— Land Tor-
toises— Chinkara-shooting — Three Bucks shot — All Smoke — Sporting
Attendant . - . 88-105

CHAPTEE VI.

Antelope-shooting on the Samburmuttee — Meytal — Peafowl-shooting — Ride
"Wounded Buck — Do. with Dog— White Antelopes — Nylghae— Dog
attacked by them — Three shot — Rock Snakes — Panther shot at Surla —
Invigorating Drink — The "Null" — Antelope — Coolen and Duck shoot-
ing— Shooting in Bedfordshire — Anecdotes — Antelope-shooting from Pits
—Gun borrowed and returned . . 106-118

CHAPTEE VII.

Antelope-driving in Grain-fields — Coolen — Two Antelope at a shot — The
"Rore" — Alligators — Unpleasant Bathing Companions — Antelope near
Dhollera — Four Bucks shot — Long shot at a Wolf— Buck eaten by Wolves
— A Game-preserver corrected — Spearing a Snake — Snake and Frog —
Shooting in Dhundooka — White Buck shot — Wolf ditto — More misguided
Game-preservers . 119-131

CONTENTS. XI

CHAPTEE VIII

Shooting at Raanpore — Panther shot — Chinkara : five shot — Panther missed
— Hog-hunting at Eaanpore — Three successful Runs — Young Lion —
Hunting at Santhul— Great Draught of Fishes — Robbed of the Honours —
Porcupines — Hunting at Suheej with Bulkley — Two good Runs — Exciting
Hunt of a big Boar . . Pages 132-146

CHAPTEK IX.

Horses ripped by Boars — Run at Rheenjah — Ducks in Samburmuttee — Tiger-
Shooting expedition near Beerpoor — Large Tiger seen — Hunt in the "Wat-
ruck river at Muggoree — Big Tiger wounded — Tigress shot — Rash Hunt
for the Big Tiger — Second day at Muggoree — Two cubs shot — Man killed
by a Tigress — Third day at Muggoree — Bulkley badly mauled — March
to Baroda — Langton killed by a Tiger — March to Surat — Tiger- wounds

147-161

CHAPTEE X.

Indore — Kautcote Jungles — Tiger wounded — Large Tiger seen — Cry of Tigers
when charging — Bad Mahouts — Night watching for Tigers — Cheetul
shot — Herd of Sambur— A Bear's Throne — Murrel shot — Tiger missed
— Wild Dogs — Craving of Deer for salt — Shooting with a High Tra-
jectory— Antelope-shooting at Indore — Jowra Nawaub — Cheetah Hunt —
Tame Buck (?) shot — A Buck in the grass — A long Shot — March to
Bundelcund — Thunder-storm — Cholera — Snipe-shooting — Jansi — Duttiah
— The Chiefs Preserve — Four Nylghae shot — Wild Pig shot — Stalking
Antelopes— Right and left shot at Chinkara — Cheetah's Tactics— Oorae
— Gipsy Kettle —Return March — Blue Bull shot — Bustard shot

162-179

CHAPTEE XL

Origin of the Bheels : their Character — Bear marked down — Valley of Nimar
— Bear bolted and slain — Mowa Trees — Sindwah— Mekranee joins me —
March to Teekree — Hunt in the Boorar River — Tigress slain — Filtered
Water— Runaway Elephant— March to Khull — Meet Hunt — Move to
Dhurrempooree — Panther smoked out and shot — March to the Hills —
Encounter with Bear — Bappoo to the Rescue — Close shooting — Absence
of Pain in Fresh Wounds — Habits of Bears and Young — Move to Mund-
laisir — Cold-water Dressing — Recovery ..... 180-193

xii CONTENTS.

CHAPTEE XII.

Mutiny of the Bengal Army — Outbreak at Indore and Mhow — Murder of
Officers at Mhow — Signs of Disaffection at Maunpore— Retreat to the
Jungles — Precautions against Surprise — Return to Maunpore — Visit the
Mhow Fort — Reinforcements— Assume Charge of Nimar District— Colonel
Keatinge, V.C. — Panther-traps — Shaik Munnoo — Cow slain by Panther —
Unsuccessful Vigil — Bear-Hunt — Munnoo shoots Hysenas — Wolf seen —
Attack of Smallpox Pages 194-206

CHAPTEE XIII.

Ride to Maunpore — Nylghae — Absence of Fear — Blue Bull shot — Wolves —
Munnoo shoots a Tiger— Tracks of Four — Panther and Cubs — Ajnaar
River — Cave — Recluse — Panther shot — The Force of Imagination — Bheel
Insurrection — Plunder of Treasure — Military Movements — Rout of Insur-
gents— Discovery of buried Treasure — Surrender of Bheema — A Tiger
missed— Flying Squirrel— Ant-eater 207-216

CHAPTEE XIV.

Suppression of the Mutiny — A Wise Policy — Capture of Gwalior — Tantia
Topee — Advance of General Michel — Duties of "Politicals" — Rajghur
— The Pursuit — An Ambuscade — Capture of the Guns — Death of Lieut.
Shaw — March on Bhairseeah and Sironj — The Sir Soubah — Engagement
at Mongrowlee — Advance on Lullutpore — Movements of the Enemy —
Fight at Sindwaho — Pursuit — Affair at Kurai — Bagrode — Bodies of the
Slain — Bhilsa — The Sanchi Tope— Advance on Baitool— Flight of Tantia
— Return to Mhow — March on Kotah — The Rajah's Shooting Party —
Chinkara-shooting — Evening Receptions — Adroit thieves — Nusserabad —
Dispersion of Tantia's Force — His Capture and Execution — End of the
Campaign— I move to Bhopal 217-234

CHAPTEE XV.

Sehore — Guinea- Worms — Man killed by Tiger— Preparations for the Hunt —
Impatient Sportsman — Pursuit — The Tiger checked — A Charge — A
Struggle for the Mastery— The Tiger slain — Sirdarpore — Prospects of
Sport — Tigress shot at Baug — Five Bears seen — Panther shot — Tigress
at Ringnode ; her Death — A Pony speared — Opium Cultivation

235-246

CONTENTS. X1U

CHAPTER XVI

Sooltanpoor Eavine — Tiger seen — Man wounded — Second visit— Tiger slain
— Tiger shot by Ward — Tiger shot— Ward's shooting — Good Pistol-prac-
tice— Florican-shooting — Hyaena — Panther shot in Dhar — Hyaena- trap —
Mandoo — Tigress shot — Bears at Burmundel — Bears at Buckutgurh —
Dhotreea — Tigress shot — Intense Heat — Bear shot on the Mhye — Kamla
—A Habitual Criminal Act . . . . . . Pages 247-257

CHAPTER XVII.

Meet Bonnor on Dohud Frontier — Tiger in Eanapoor Eavine — Plan of Attack
— Instantaneous Death — I join my Friends — Murder of Two Bears —
Cooling Drinks — Another Bear — Pursuit — The Bear shot — I return to
Sirdarpore — Bears at Tirla — A Siesta — Drawing the Bear — Mother and
Child smoked out— The Chief of Jucnaoda— Tiger-Tactics— the Tiger
slain 258-264

CHAPTER XVIII.

Meet Ward at Dhurrempooree — Move to Kotra — Scenery— Tigers' Tracks —
A lucky Find — The Tigress slain — Two more marked down — Bees —
Ticks — Successful Hunt — Second Day, Tigress slain — Third Day, the
Tiger escapes— Fourth Day, killed this, time — Fifth Day, five Tigers
bagged— Calm Beatitude 265-275

CHAPTER XIX.

Meet Blowers at Baug — Tiger wounded — Following up — We return empty-
handed — Another Tiger — A Snap-shot— The Tiger's Den — Imperfect Ven-
tilation— Spoiling the slain — Old Bullet-wound — Skin spoilt — Eeturn to
Sirdarpore— Meet Ward and Bradford at Dhotreea — Two Bears shot —
Two more — Large Tiger and two Bears bagged . . . 276-284

CHAPTER XX.

Alice Eajpore — Shoot with the Eajah — Tigress shot — Tigress killed in Sankree
Tokree Eavine — A Long Shot — Hunt in Mogra Eavine — Tiger and three
Cubs— Cheetah — Move to Jhabbooa— Bugore — Dhokul Sing — Big Tiger

XIV CONTENTS.

shot— Kullianpore — Tigress shot — Tiger wounded — Four Tigers at Bugore
— Narrow Escape of Dhokul — Camp on Anas River — Large Tiger wounded ;
followed up and slain — Boar's skull — Tortoise — A Cunning Tiger — Break
up the Camp — Rodent Bouquet . . . . . Pages 285-298

CHAPTER XXL

Baug — Bhoodist Caves — A Recluse — Four Tigers tracked — Cub shot— Bears
and Bees — Dhokul shoots a Cub — Tigress and Cub shot — Peacocks —
Mogra Ravine— Jungle on fire— Bear shot — A Tiger escapes — Dog attacked
by Panther— Tigress shot— Bull killed by a Tiger— Stalking Tactics-
Platform shooting by night— Hysena shot — Tiger killed — Move to Tanda
—Tiger shot— Death of Foorsut— The Bag .... 299-309

CHAPTER XXII.

The Meet at Mundlaisir — Three Tigers at Burnea — One shot — Panther killed
—Bees at Zerbar— Wild Pig— Tiger shot— Tigress and Cubs at Buluk-
warra — Three Bears murdered — Tigers at Nulwye— One shot — A Cowardly
Mahout — Tigress shot — Panther at Kirnowee — The Mahout chastised —
Big Tiger at Oochawud — Bear and Cub — Three Bears shot — Tiger Cubs —
Hysena caught— Panther shot — Alligators at Dinner— Tigress shot at
Bowtee — Tigers in Three Places — Three shot — Camp at Morkutta — Three
more — The Hum Pahl — Bear shot — Precautions against Thieves — Two
Bears shot — Camp at Hutnee River — Two Tigers slain — Measurements
of Tigers— White Ants— Divide the Spoils— Cadell departs — Elephant
in Quicksand — Three Tigers poisoned — Tiger shot — Bear and Cubs —
Bear wounded — Three Tigers shot — Man mauled by Tigress — Return to
Sirdarpore 310-328

CHAPTER XXIII.

Predatory Habits of the Bheels — The International Court — Mode of Procedure
— Naikras of the Punch Mahal — Camp at Powaghur — Peculiar form
of Oath— A Cobra— Three Dogs killed— Move to Ruttun Mall— The
Route — Green Pigeons and Jungle-Fowl — Stag shot — Major Bonnor
breaks out in Poetry — Move to Dohud — Three Bears shot — Tame Tiger —
Their fondness for Water — Murrel— Return to Sirdarpore— Cheetah shot
—Gazelles — Business combined with Pleasure — An Amiable Tigress

329-337

CONTENTS. XV

CHAPTER XXIV.

Excursion to Rajpootana — Bradford's Encounter with a Tiger — Prompt Prac-
tice— A "Wolf— The Jowra Gunsmith — I meet Hayward — Trout-fishing —
Alligator shot — A runaway Elephant — Native Fishermen — Turtle —
Bustard — General Game — A Tiger shot — Camp at Mandul — Murrel-fish-
ing — Shoogramghur — Pig-shooting — Return to Neemuch and Sirdarpore
— Hot Season Expedition — Meet Evans and Froom — Tiger shot — Panther
shot — Move to Hum Pahl — Tiger killed — A Facer — Panther in Mogra
— Bear missed— Jeeree Ravine — Two Panthers shot — Camp at Baug —
Panther shot — Maun River — Tigress shot — A Rifle smashed — Panther
killed — Good shooting — Move to Munawur — Two Panthers slain — Man
wounded — Camp at Kotra — Nylghae — Cheerakan — Fossils — Move to
Sooltanpoor — Death of Tarrachund — Dutteegaum — Bear wounded — End
of the Campaign — Concluding Remarks . . . Pages 338-351

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

1. ATTACKED BY A BEAR, vide page 190 — Frontispiece.

2. TITLE-PAGE.

PAGE

3. SMOKING OUT A TIGER 82

4. THE START 93

5. BIDING FOR THE FIRST SPEAR 96

6. THE FIND 103

7. THE "GRIM GRAY," No. 1. BULKLEY TAKES A MUD BATH . . 143

8. ,, ,, No. 2. THE BOAR CHARGES .... 144

9. ,, ,, No. 3. THE SWORD BREAKS . . . .145

10. .,, ,, No. 4. DEATH OF BOAR . . . . . 146

11. DRAWING A BEAR 262

CHAPTEE I.

Introductory Remarks — Route and Outfit — Expenses — Cold Weather Excur-
sion— Hints on Antelope-shooting, Ducks, Snipe, etc. — Hot Weather
Excursion1— Hints on Tiger, Panther, and Bear Shooting— Danger of
following Wounded Animals on foot — Preservation of Skins.

I HAVE often been surprised that the game of India, with its
wild and varied character, does not more frequently attract
sportsmen from England.

In many new and comparatively savage countries, unin-
fluenced by British or any other rule worthy of the name,
there is no doubt grand and exciting sport to be got ; but
then it is accompanied by an amount of hardship and dis-
comfort, not to say personal danger, which scares any but
the most determined hunters. Servants are with difficulty
obtained, and much of what may be called the dirty work of
the expedition has to be done by the master. Large supplies
of all kinds have to be carried, and, owing to the difficulties
of transport, many comforts have to be left behind. The
time, moreover, to be taken up by the excursion is uncertain,
owing to ignorance of the ground to be traversed and the
difficulty of locomotion ; and, in the event of sickness or
accident, medical aid is not to be had for love or money.
Lastly — and to many not least — no approximate estimate can
be formed of the probable expense.

In India there is none of this ; the country is either
British, or under native chiefs, protected by or tributary to

B

2 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

the Queen ; locomotion is easy, and not expensive, carts
being almost everywhere procurable, or, failing carts, pack
bullocks or ponies. The country is studded with British
cantonments 200 and 300 miles apart, where supplies can be
got to replenish the commissariat department — the traders'
shops containing all that may be desired, from Holloway's
pills to moderator lamps, and from Hall's gunpowder to bitter
beer and cod-liver oil. All articles are generally at fair prices,
the distance from England and the irregular market considered.

The "promiscuous" traveller cannot, of course, expect, on
first landing in the country, to get servants of the best class,
the more so as they would be aware that their work would be
hard, and their situations only temporary ; but good rough-
and-ready men will always be found on the look-out for
service, and prepared to start on a day's notice.

The only parts of the country which are much shot over
are those in the immediate proximity of cantonments, say
within fifty or sixty miles. Beyond this radius game may
be found in sufficient quantities to satisfy the most greedy
sportsman ; and in the pursuit of some species he will find
no lack of the danger which gives zest to the chase.

In the event of sickness or accident, skilled surgeons are
to be met with in every cantonment. Indian hospitality is
proverbial, and the patient might reckon on being courteously
received and well cared for. Formerly, such a thing was
hardly necessary, but now-a-days one or two good letters of
introduction at starting would be found useful. In India
everybody knows everybody, and the stranger would be
passed on from one cantonment to the next.

With the exception of his guns and rifles and their
ammunition, an outfit for a six months' excursion might be
got together in a day at any of the Presidency towns.

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 6

If the sportsman goes in for hog-hunting, a couple of
good horses are desirable, and these would cost from £20 to
£100 each, according to the weight or luck of the rider. The
more expensive horses are, however, by no means always the
best hog-hunters, and I have known more first spears taken
off seasoned screws and strong galloways with a turn of speed
than by high-priced horses ; blood and pluck to stand a
charge being, however, indispensable.

A second-hand hill-tent, twelve or fourteen feet square,
a copper basin, a couple of fold-up tables, two cane chairs
bound with leather, a light sleeping cot, and, above all, a
comfortable arm-chair, are all the furniture required, together
with a thin mattress and a few sheets, blankets, and towels.
If the party consists of two or more, a double supply of every-
thing is most convenient. On a change of ground being con-
templated, all would dine comfortably together, and after
dinner one set of servants would start off with one tent and
one set of equipments. The sportsmen would rise at or before
daybreak, and, after a cup of tea and a bite, might shoot
their way to the next camp, where they would find the tent
which had come on in the night ready pitched, and their tubs
and breakfasts all comfortable.

Leaving England early in October, Bombay might be
reached via Marseilles in twenty-one days. Four hundred
miles by rail would take the party to Ahmedabad, and the
months of November, December, and January might be spent
in the plains of Guzerat and Kattyawar. Here the Saiseen
antelope or black buck abound, as do also the chinkara or
gazelle and the nylghae. Hog are also to be found in parts,
and panthers, wolves, and hysenas would occasionally vary
the sport. In Kattyawar bustard are plentiful ; quail and
snipe are to be met with in large numbers, while every sheet

4 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

of water in the country teems with ducks of every description.
Waders of many kinds would afford interest to the naturalist,
and the coolen or blue crane, which is found in large numbers,
forms a valuable addition to the table of the sportsman.
Hares are also plentiful in many places ; the grey and painted
partridges are common, and rock or sand grouse are found on
light and dry soils. If the hunter cares to vary his amuse-
ments, foxes and jackals will always give fair sport before a
" running dog."

In the " Geer" of Kattyawar lions are to be found, though
not in such numbers as formerly ; but I believe there are no
tigers in this part. I have, however, never shot in that
jungle. Wild boars and nylghae are plentiful ; but the
country is rugged, and not suited for hog-hunting on horse-
back. Panthers are met with in considerable numbers.

I would not recommend this country for the hot weather,
unless the pursuit of lions is an especial object ; and even then
not unless very good " shikarees," or native hunters, could be
got. I think a better bag would be made in the valleys of the
Nerbudda and Taptee.

From the plains of Guzerat and Kattyawar the sportsman
might return to Ahmedabad, and thence to Bombay. Start-
ing again about the end of February, some 200 miles by the
Great Indian Peninsular Eailway would bring him to the
Asseerghur jungles, which are numerously stocked with tigers,
bears, panthers, bison, pigs, the sambur or Indian red deer,
chetul or axis, and several smaller kinds of deer.

By this time the country would be tolerably well dried
up, and a large portion of the grass in the heavy jungles would
have been burnt. Until the jungles are cleared there is little
hope of sport, however numerous the game.

It would be well to secure and pay two good shikarees

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 5

from January 1. This might be done by a letter and a remittance
of two or three months' pay to the Commissioner of Minar, or
some local official. Before the arrival of the sportsman at
Asseerghur, from which place the party should start, the
shikarees should go over the ground and determine the best
line of country to be traversed. By this means much valuable
time would be saved.

From the ravines on the Taptee Eiver the party might
cross to the Nerbudda ; and in the Hoosungabad and Baitool
countries, and thence down both banks of the river towards
Burwye, a good bag might be made.

The best sport will always be got in the months of March,
April, and May, as the trees are then free from leaves,
and the scarcity of water drives all game to the immediate
proximity of the rivers. As a rule, I have found that more
tigers are shot in partially inhabited districts, and if a fair
amount of game can be found in these, they are always to be
preferred for many reasons. The cultivation attracts the deer
and pigs, which are the favourite food of the tigers. Failing
them, they have the cattle of the villagers to fall back upon.
Bears prefer less disturbed countries ; but these are generally
to be reached by a ride of a few miles, and the facilities in
obtaining beaters, carriage, and supplies, more than compen-
sate for the little extra trouble in reaching the ground.

The trip that I have thus briefly sketched might be
thoroughly made out by the end of May. Soon after this the
rains may be expected, and by this time the hunters will
probably have had enough of it. Should they not care to
remain in the country till next cold season, two or three days
will bring them back to Bombay ; and at the end of the
three weeks' journey home they will arrive in town for the
best part of the season, and can have an opportunity of dis-

6 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

playing their sunburnt faces to their friends in " The Row,"
as they gracefully loll against the railings at t( Fool's-corner."

I calculate that the cost of such a trip as I have described
would not be much more for the season than that of a moor
in Scotland ; certainly less than a deer-forest. After provid-
ing for their passage-money to and from India, and the small
outfit they would require, £50 per man per mensem would be
ample for all charges. During the cold weather, when em-
ployed after antelope and small game, the expenses would not
amount to that sum. Large game shooting is more expensive,
as rewards have to be given to shikarees to keep them lively,
beaters have to be paid for, young buffaloes for baits, and
various incidental charges ; but for antelope, gazelle, nylghae,
and duck, snipe, and quail shooting, the expenses are but
little, as beaters can be got from the villages at about 4d. a
head, and, except for quail-shooting, very few are required.

If large game is shot in British territory, the Government
rewards would considerably diminish the expenses. Fifty
rupees are given for tigers, 15 for panthers, 12 for bears, and
5 for wolves and hyaenas.

If the sportsman does not intend to hunt hogs, he can
mount himself well on the ponies of the country at about £10
a head, and two such ponies ought to do all his work.

A riding camel is a most useful beast in camp, and a good
one, with easy paces, should be got in Central India for about

£15.

COLD WEATHER EXCURSION.

For antelope-shooting a light cart is very desirable, and a
pair of good strong bullocks, fast walkers. The deer are
generally in open places, where hardly any cover can be found
to conceal the stalker. They are accustomed to see the carts
of the villagers, and are not scared by them, but allow them

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 7

to approach within 100 yards. The hunters can either shoot
separately or in pairs. If they are content with alternate
first shots (which is in my opinion the more pleasant and
sociable arrangement), one cart and a pair of bullocks are
sufficient for every two guns. The sportsmen should have
their own bullocks for this purpose, and they should be
good and highly fed. With the light shooting cart they will
travel across country all day, and, being accustomed after a
short time to the European faces and the crack of the rifles,
they will not shy or give trouble when approaching deer.
By hiring the village bullocks as required, a good shot is often
lost, and the driver being ignorant of his work is a constant
source of irritation to the sportsman. The cart such as I have
described might be bought in Surat or Ahmedabad for £3 or
£4, and a pair of really good bullocks would cost about £16 ;
but they would be readily sold at the end of the season.
Similarly, ponies might be got rid of without loss ; but a market
cannot always be found for the more expensive Arab horses, and
these are not absolutely necessary in a shooting excursion.

Leaving the tents, the hunters may ride, their rifles being
carried by their attendants. On seeing deer, they should dis-
mount at some distance, and, making over their ponies to
the grooms, and leaving all superfluous men with them,
the guns alone should advance with the cart. They should
not go straight at the deer, but make as though they would
drive past them, the hunters always keeping the cart between
them and the deer. They must on no account drop behind
or walk apart from the cart, or the deer will be uneasy and
suspicious.

Should the deer commence to move, and cross the front
of the cart, no attempt must be made to head them. If they
have the slightest idea that they are being driven, they will

8 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

move off, and that herd will not again be easily approached.
But by edging off behind them no alarm will be caused. If
there are two guns with the cart, the shooter should walk
last, and both should be on the far side of the cart from the
deer.

When an opportunity presents itself, the shooter should
raise his rifle just behind the driver, and by the time the tail
of the cart is clear of him he will have probably fired. The
cart should not be stopped, nor should the shooter, if possible,
drop behind to fire, as, except in districts where the deer are
but little disturbed, such a proceeding would at once make
them on the alert, and they would begin to move off.

After a herd of antelope has been fired at once, they
should not be again followed at the time. They will not
again stand for another shot, but will keep moving ahead ;
and by their scared appearance they will alarm and carry on
with them all deer within sight in the line of country they
may take. On the herd going off, therefore, whether any
have been bagged or not, their direction should be observed,
and an opposite line taken by the hunters. Picking out the
best bucks from every herd, a dozen or more good shots may
be got in a day ; and one great advantage of the cart is that
on a buck being killed he can at once be placed in it, and the
party can proceed in quest of more game without delay.

On the shot being fired, the ponies should be brought up
at once ; but if during the stalk the herd should move towards
the spot where they have been left, the grooms should go
quietly to a distance, as I have always found deer much scared
by the sight of horses standing about the plain.

Grooms should always carry a good hog-spear ; there are
many occasions when it is handy. Antelope with a hind leg
broken will give a good horse a run for miles ; with a foreleg

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. . 9

broken they will go long distances, but should the ground be
rough they are sooner distressed. It will seldom be found
necessary to spear a wounded buck in a run, as he generally
gives in when he finds the horse close with him. He will
then throw himself down in some bush or patch of grass, and
may be laid hold of. It is well, however, to carry the spear,
for at times it may come in useful. Antelope shot through
the body should not be ridden at once ; if watched, they will
probably lie down, and in half an hour may be picked up.

The foregoing remarks also apply to the pursuit of the
chinkara or gazelle, and the nylghae. The does of all these
antelope are generally easier to be got at than the bucks, but,
except for food, the sportsman would not care to shoot them ;
and in Guzerat there are few places where a good buck cannot
be found, and in many he may come home with four, six, or
eight in his cart. When the herd is shy, the does generally
lead off in the flight.

In the course of a day's shooting the hunter will frequently
come across water, and, taking a smooth-bore either in the
cart or carried by an attendant, he may vary his bag by a couple
of hours of duck or snipe shooting. In Kattyawar he will
often fall in with bustard and floriken, and altogether he will
have no cause to complain of the scarcity of the game. Bustard,
like antelope, may be approached with the cart. Large shot
will bring them down.

In some of the fresh-water ponds fish are plentiful, and
in the brackish pools in some of the rivers towards the Gulf
of Cambay huge prawns are numerous. For the capture of
these I always carried a casting net in the shooting cart, and
was frequently enabled to improve my dinner by an extra
course.

In some parts of Guzerat the natives of the Bunneah caste

10 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

are much averse to the destruction of animal life, and en-
deavour in every way in their power to thwart the sportsman ;
and, as they are generally the grain-dealers and money-lenders
of the place, they have sometimes considerable influence among
the rest of the inhabitants, and can occasion small annoyances
by withholding milk and other supplies from Europeans.

When an intelligent officer is in charge of a district, these
little games are not often tried on, and these gentlemen are
not allowed to annoy others who may not have the same
religious views as themselves. But occasions have been
known when, in a fit of fervour, they have not hesitated to
incite the villagers to personal violence against Europeans
who had offended them, either by the pursuit of game or the
slaughter of some obnoxious Pariah dog who had intruded
his impure presence in the neighbourhood of the camp.

Sportsmen would do well always to shun the close proxi-
mity of villages, even though good shade may not be obtained
at a distance. During the presence of cholera and other
epidemics, the cleanliness of an encampment is a great
guarantee to health, and all ground near any native town or
village is more or less filthy.

The water-supply should be carefully attended to, every
care being taken to secure it as pure as possible, and the
attendants should be discouraged from coming more in con-
tact with the villagers than is necessary for procuring the
requisite supplies of food, etc.

HOT WEATHER EXCURSION.

The success of the European hunter in quest of large game
in India will depend greatly on the ability and diligence
of his shikarees, and their subordinates. If the ability exists,
rupees will generally draw out the other requisite.

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 11

It will be remembered that the best season for shooting is
in the hottest months of the year, and during that time the
work of following and hunting beasts, when their exact
locality has been ascertained by the shikarees, will be found
sufficient exertion. This does not refer to bison, sambur, and
chetul shooting, as they are generally shot when stalking in
the early mornings or evenings. But with tigers, bears, and
panthers, the best plan is to have the game marked down by
the shikarees ; and if good men are employed, they will,
except in very difficult countries, always succeed in following
a beast to the spot where it lies up for the day.

Various methods are adopted, but I have found, for tigers
and panthers, that baiting the country brings more game
to the bag than any other plan. This is done by the shikarees,
who, on arriving on fresh ground, proceed to hunt up the
country far and wide for tracks, and by careful examination
of the ground, and assiduously " pumping" the cowherds, toler-
ably accurate estimates of the prospect of sport can generally
be formed.

The presence of a tiger in the country having been ascer-
tained, young buffaloes must be procured, and these can be
bought at from three to six rupees each, according to their size
and the rapacity of their owners. They are tied up in the after-
noons at the meetings of paths or ravines, and near pools
which the tigers frequent, being attracted both by the water
and the herds of deer and pigs which co-me down to slake their
thirst. They should be tied by a stout cord to some stump or
root, so that if possible they may not get the rope into a com-
plication. They should, moreover, be tied in an open space,
so that they may be seen from a distance. Sometimes, on the
approach of a tiger, they will lie down, and by keeping still
escape observation.

12 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

The tiger will, however, generally kill the buffalo and de-
vour half of him, always beginning at the point of the buttock
or inside the thigh. If the rope is not very strong, he will
break it and drag off the carcass to some covert ; but in either
case, if he is not disturbed, and eats well, he will lie up in the
nearest spot where he can get good shade, or shade and water
combined.

By the first streak of dawn the shikarees will be out ex-
amining the country, and looking after the baits. All the
buffaloes found alive should be taken to a cool spot for the
day, and they should be well fed and watered. If one has
been killed, the shikarees will quietly approach the spot, and
endeavour to find out where the footprints lead to. Especial
care is requisite at this early hour, as in the cool of the morn-
ing the tiger, unless very lazy and much gorged, is apt to
move if disturbed, and there may be great difficulty in again
marking him down that day.

Towards seven or eight o'clock the sun will be powerful,
and the shikarees may advance nearer. Should the tracks
lead into a thick covert or mass of rocks, or other spot where
the tiger may be supposed to have lain up, the shikarees will
proceed to ring the game by carefully examining the ground
for footprints, at some distance all round the covert. If no
footprints are to be seen, and the place is in their opinion a
good one, they will quietly mount trees commanding a good
view of the ground.

The tiger will probably change his position, and, if there
be a pool of water, will come out to drink and roll in it ; or
some inquisitive crow will perch over him, and drawing
attention by cawing, will indicate his position to the shikarees,
who, on being certain of his presence, will send off one of
their number to camp to bring up the hunters.

AD VENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 13

Some men in India insist on each shikaree always
carrying with him a supply of water in a leathern bottle.
With that and his pipe a native will sit in a tree, and keep
watch over a beast for a whole day. Without the water they
may be tempted to go in search of it, and the game may
move unobserved, to the eventual disappointment of the
hunters. If the party can command the services of more than
one really good shikaree, it is well to assign to each a line of
country, otherwise they are apt to be jealous, and sometimes
spoil sport.

By this means I have been able to cover a considerable
district, and by having a horseman at the head-quarters of
each detachment ready to start off at once to the main camp
with intelligence from the shikarees, the prospect of the day's
sport may be known by 9 A.M., by which time the hunters
will have breakfasted comfortably, and the sun will be
sufficiently hot to prevent game from moving to any great
distance if disturbed. By following the above plan I have
received information from three places at once of tigers
marked during the morning.

I had more men and horses at my disposal than a stranger
could expect, but even on a small scale the plan will be found
a good one ; and in many parts of the country a man on foot
will not take much longer than a horseman to run into camp
with intelligence.

There are of course occasions when game has to be beaten
for " on spec," and I have frequently made a good bag though
leaving the camp with but slender expectations.

On arriving on the ground selected for the day, the party
should quietly dismount and hold a long palaver with the
shikaree. This time is not thrown away. Then the ground
should be carefully but quietly examined, and the run of the

14 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

beasts ascertained. There is generally some covert not far
off, which the tigers may be expected to make for when started,
and all this information can usually be gathered from some
of the natives of the spot, who will have been induced by the
shikarees to assist them in marking the game.

Tigers are found in great variety of ground. At times I
have found them lying almost in the open, or in ground quite
clear of under-covert ; on other occasions they lie in high
grass or in dense bushes. Bocks, caves, and ravines with
water, are favourite spots, and above all the tiger seems to de-
light in the thick shade of willows and cypress as found in
large masses in the partly dried-up beds of rivers.

The mode of attack will depend on the ground and the
means at the disposal of the hunters, but much of the success
of an expedition will rest on having at least one good elephant ;
and to insure this, I would recommend the hunters, before
leaving England, to endeavour to get a good letter of introduc-
tion to the Governor of the Presidency where they may
intend to shoot. There are some good elephants in the Com-
missariat department, and I believe one or more of these
might be got for their keep — say 5s. each per day. Many of
the native chiefs have good elephants, and if they know that
they will be well used they will generally lend them in their
own territory ; but, if possible, I think it would be preferable to
obtain one from the Commissariat. This arrangement should
be made at once on landing in India, and if necessary a
howdah should be made during the cold weather, and all the
gear got ready before the month of February.

None but really staunch elephants should be employed —
a runaway is most dangerous — and a good and plucky mahout
is essential. An elephant will no more go steadily up to a
tiger when driven by a funky mahout than a horse will at

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 15

his fences when ridden by a bad and nervous rider ; and the
least hesitation or retrograde movement on the part of the
elephant at a critical moment may spoil or lose a shot, and
perhaps enable a vicious tiger to get in and make good his
charge.

The elephant is generally required to drive a tiger out of
cypress, long grass, or scrub jungle ; but the great advantage
of having him with the party is that, on a tiger being wounded,
he can be followed up at once. It is madness to follow on
foot a wounded tiger into long grass or dense bush, and I
have known many fatal accidents from such rashness. I
well know that it is hard to leave a bloody track, but without
an elephant, no tiger ought to be followed into such ground
as I have described. They may sometimes be followed up
successfully, if the mass of hunters and beaters will keep
together, but no reliance can be placed on such a scratch
pack ; and I have seen a crowd of beaters start and scatter in
a moment at the mere growl of an angry tiger. With an
elephant there is no danger to speak of. The wounded tiger
can be almost always followed and brought to bag, unless he
has managed to escape into some cave or mass of rocks.

In many places the elephant may not be required at first,
or till the tiger is wounded. The covert may be surrounded
by trees, and no better "coign of vantage" can be found.
The experienced hunter will at once detect a good seat on
some branch for himself and gunbearer.

If the party consists of two or three guns, straws may be
drawn for places. This is a good plan ; it prevents all dis-
cussions as to who gets the best chance of the shot. When
the elephant is required, the choice of tree or howdah can
similarly be determined by straws.

Should guns not be available to command all the passes,

16 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

intelligent natives may be posted on trees in one or more
with orders to cough or tap with a stick on a branch. This
will generally be sufficient to turn the tiger on the shooters.

On the guns being placed, the beaters should commence
at some distance from the spot where they know the tiger to
be ; the more noise they can make the better. If suddenly
roused, the tiger may dash by the guns and give an uncertain
shot ; but by commencing to beat at a distance, he has time to
rise, and move off quietly ; and, as they seldom look up, he
will at times come under the very tree from which the hunter
quietly awaits his approach. By this means I have shot
tigers within fifteen feet of the muzzle of my gun, before they
were aware of my presence.

If the tiger is wounded and goes on, the elephant must be
called into requisition, and all beaters left behind. Neglect
of this precaution will often be followed by bad accidents.

Bears may often be shot on foot, and by two guns together,
with comparative safety ; but they are tenacious of life at
times, and savage when wounded. They generally select a
quiet spot to lie up, but care little for heat, notwithstanding
their black colour and long hair. When convenient, they in-
habit caves and rocks, but I have often shot them in grass,
where they had been lying throughout the day exposed to all
the power of the Indian summer sun.

Most of the remarks which I have written regarding tigers
apply also to panthers. The latter are most savage and
dangerous animals, and too much precaution cannot be taken
in hunting them. They can conceal themselves anywhere,
and when attacked will charge repeatedly and in the most
determined manner.

On no occasion ought the beaters to be exposed to danger
more than is necessary, and they ought never on any account

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 17

to be sent into a covert where a wounded beast is known to
be. In India news travels fast, and the report of a beater
killed or mauled will precede the hunter from camp to camp.
If the natives hear that their lives are likely to be recklessly
exposed, they will not assemble to beat, and the shikarees
will find great difficulty in obtaining men to assist them in
marking game.

If a tiger has only been slightly wounded, he will do mis-
chief ; if badly, he will probably be found dead next day ; but
he should never be followed up into thick covert, unless with
an elephant ; and all men on foot should be directed to mount
trees or keep well out of the way. I purpose illustrating the
truth of these remarks by anecdotes which have come within
my own experience ; and as I bear the marks of both teeth
and claws, I hope my observations may have weight in
warning any gentlemen who may be desirous of entering on
a sporting campaign in the East of the danger of rashly
exposing themselves or their followers when in pursuit of
savage beasts.

A bad accident to one of the party entails the removal of
the sufferer, if not killed on the spot, to the nearest canton-
ment where medical aid can be obtained. His friends have to
accompany him, and the expedition is either at an end or
much valuable time is lost. With common and reasonable
care, and a little resolution and self-denial, all this may be
prevented.

PRESERVATION OF SKINS.

A few remarks on the preservation of skins and heads (not
human) may, I think, be useful here.

Deer's heads may be cleaned by boiling till all the flesh
leaves the skull; but the base of the horns should be en-

C(

18 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

veloped in paste to prevent bleaching by the hot water. The
nose bones should be carefully looked after, and, if loose,
should be fastened in with glue. If wanting, the appearance
of the head is much spoiled. Deer-skins should be pegged
out in the shade, hair downwards, with wooden pegs, and
rubbed over with finely-powdered alum.

Tiger, panther, and bear skins require more attention.
The beasts may be killed at a distance from home, or in such
a locality that they cannot be carried out without much
difficulty and probable injury to the skin. In such a case
they can be skinned on the spot, and the carcass left on the
ground. When shot, a tiger should never be allowed to lie
on hot ground or rocks in the sun. The heat is so great,
that it will soon blister off the hair, and a good skin may
be lost. It should be moved very carefully, and never dragged
on the ground or over rocks. When tied on an elephant, care
should be taken to prevent the ropes from chafing, or the hair
will be rubbed off.

Tigers should be skinned on the same day that they are
shot. The after appearance of the skin will greatly depend on
the manner in which it is taken off. The hunter should him-
self superintend this part of the business, or only entrust it
to one of his men whom he may have previously instructed.
The cutting should be done by his own hand as follows : —

1st. Place the beast on his back, and cut the skin from the
lower lip to the point of the tail. This cut should open the
tail to its extreme point, beyond the last joint, else the tip is
apt to go bad, and the hair will come out.

2d. Cut the skin down the middle of the ball of the fore
paws, and so down the leg to the middle of the chest.

3d. Cut the skin from the inside of the ball of the hind
feet, inside the hock and up the middle of the inside of the

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 19

thigh, falling into the main cut about six inches from the root
of the tail.

By carefully following these instructions, it will be seen
that when the skin is spread out, the outline is not jagged or
unseemly, and that the yellow is almost entirely surrounded
by a band of white. This adds greatly to the beauty of the
skin.

Panthers and chetahs may be done the same way. After
the skin has been cut as described, the village skinners will
do the rest.

Black bear skins are generally kept, though I don't know
why, unless as trophies, for they are not useful nor ornamental,
the hair being long and coarse.

When taken off, all skins should be made over to the
village chamars or skinners, who will go over them with their
own peculiar knives, and remove from them all flesh and fat
which may be adhering. Each man should have an inch-
thick board, free from nails, and a foot or eighteen inches
square, to work upon. The ears should be skinned down as
far as possible, as also the toes, each separately, and the bones
removed to the last joint. The lips should be pared as thin
as can be without damaging the roots of the moustache. All
bullet-holes should be sewn up with a stout needle and thread.

On the skin being thoroughly cleaned, it should be pegged
out, hair downwards, with wooden pegs five or six inches in
length. A large number of these pegs should always be kept
ready. The pegging out should be done with care, and the
legs on both sides should be stretched in the same positions,
else the shape of the skin will be spoilt. The proper propor-
tions of length and breadth should also be preserved.

The skin should be pegged down in some spot which is
completely shaded throughout the day ; and the ears, head,

20 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

and feet, should be well painted over with a strong solution of
arsenical soap. The rest of the skin may be rubbed with
finely-powdered alum ; but a brush over with arsenical soap
is also good. The soap should be kept in a tin pail, and laid
on with a strong brush.

If white ants are numerous about the spot, men or boys
should be employed night and day to tap the skins all over
with a light stick every half-hour. This will prevent the
ravages of these insects, otherwise at the end of two days, on
lifting the skin, the hair may be found eaten off in large
patches.

After two days the skin may be taken up, but the head
and neck will still be found to be wet, and these parts should
be very carefully handled at this time, or the hair will rub off.
The skin should now be placed, hair uppermost, where it may
get just a little sunning, a free current of air passing under.

In about three days it should be quite dry, and then should
be placed on a broad litter of long bamboos, and carried on
men's shoulders from one camp to another. In this way a
dozen or more skins can be carried by four men. Should a
change of camp be necessaiy before the skin is thoroughly
dried, it can be taken up, and by placing it on the top of the
heap, and abstaining from handling it, it will travel in safety,
and can be again pegged down at the end of the march. This
will be found a superior method to any other. If placed on
a cart, the skins will be much rubbed and damaged.

A trustworthy man should accompany the skins when
moving from camp to camp ; the coolies are apt to singe the
moustaches as a mark of contempt or defiance, and to
steal them to wear as charms. When in camp, tent-pegs
should be driven in to keep the litter clear of the ground, so
that white ants cannot get at the skins.

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 21

Handsome skins should be brought home simply dried as
above described. The Indians do not tan well, and I have
seen many a good skin spoilt. Skins packed in a tin-lined
box with camphor should arrive in good order. They should
be folded, not rolled, or the hard points in the leather round
the peg-holes may rub off the hair in other places. I recom-
mend Mr. Stammwitz, of Argyle Street, as a good man to
mount skins. He does them well, and at a very moderate
charge.

The skulls of tigers, bears, and panthers may be cleaned
by boiling after the fleshy parts have been removed with a
knife. As soon as the skull is cleaned, the whole of the teeth
should be covered with a coating of beeswax a quarter of an
inch in thickness, so as completely to exclude the hot air, else
the teeth will splinter like dry wood. This operation should
be performed at once. Any claws that are loose should be
removed and kept separately, or the natives will steal them
for charms.

A peculiar bone, detached from all others, is found in the
muscles of the shoulder, in tigers and panthers.

CHAPTER II.

Arrival in India— March to Dliarwar — My first Antelope— Snaring Antelope —
Bustard— Scorpion-sting— Cheetul— Wild Boar— "The Old Forest Ranger"
— Panther Cubs — Jungle and Pea Fowl — Monkeys— Shooting at Edeegut-
tee — The Dandelly Jungles — We awaken the Authorities — Emaum and
Moideen — Mode of Shooting — Cheetul shot — Bison shot — Habits of
Sambur — Danger from a carelessly-cleaned Rifle — Bison killed — Cow
Bison — We fire the Jangle — An energetic Kick — Bull shot — Picnic at the
Lake — Thunderstorm — Solitary Bull shot — A Charging Bull — Emaum's
Device — Preservation of Skulls — Tiger and Deer — Pig shot — Bison shot —
Indolence of Emaum — Return to Dharwar.

ON landing in India on the 8th of January 1847, 1 was placed
on duty in the garrison of Bombay, where I remained for five
months. At the end of that time, having been posted to a
regiment in the Southern Mahratta country, I was directed to
join. Meeting with a brother officer similarly situated, we
hired a country boat, and sent our baggage, servants, and
horses on board.

The craft was a botella, or ordinary coasting boat, undecked,
with a small cabin in the stern, from the roof of which the
tiller was worked. The crew consisted of about ten men, and,
the wind being fair, we made our run down the coast in about
a couple of days to Vingorla, where we landed.

It was my first visit to the mainland of India, and having
read from my youth up of its varied game, I longed to see
and judge for myself. Hay ward, my chum, was imbued with
a like spirit, and we subsequently made many excursions
together.

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 23

We were detained a day or two in procuring pack bullocks
to carry our baggage to Belgaum, and in the meantime had
leisure to examine the new country and its inhabitants. At
the travellers' bungalow we met an officer of the Belgaum
garrison — a very sharp fellow. I rode with him one evening,
and having made a considerable detour, we found ourselves
at dusk close to the house, but separated from it by a creek
thirty yards wide, which we had crossed further up. I was
not aware of the depth, but my companion told me to go on,
and assured me that it was " all right." In another moment
the water was over my saddle. Finding myself in for it, I held
on, and, half swimming my horse, reached the opposite bank.
Looking back, I saw my friend on the other side. "Ah!"
cried he, " the water is deeper than I thought ; " with which
remark he rode off by the way we had come, while I returned
alone to the bungalow, a wetter arid a wiser man.

The march to Belgaum occupied five days. Not knowing
the customs of the country, we generally rose at daylight,
superintended the loading of the bullocks, and then marched
with them till about 10 A.M., by which time we had got over
some eight miles. If we came to a suitable stream, we un-
loaded, had a bathe in the river, and breakfasted, moving on
again to the next staging bungalow in the afternoon. We
were of course " griffins," and our mode of procedure was that
of griffins ; but what cared we? We enjoyed ourselves
thoroughly, and pursued and shot doves for the pot with a zeal
and energy worthy of a better cause.

On the second day we reached the foot of the Earn Ghaut,
a steep pass in the mountains, leading up from the Concan
to the table-land of the Deccan. I believe that, had we
known how to set about it, we might have got bison and
sambur here ; but ignorance was bliss, and when I shot a

24 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

large red squirrel at the foot of the Ghaut, I was happy for that
clay, and busied myself with taking off and preparing the skin.

The jungles below the hills swarmed with fireflies, lighting
up the trees on dark nights.

We reached Belgaum on the fifth day, and, after a halt of
two days, proceeded on our way to Dharwar, fifty miles, which
we accomplished in three marches.

It was now the beginning of June, the rains were setting
in, and not much shooting was to be got.

To the east of Dharwar is a vast level plain, extending
sixty or eighty miles, and highly cultivated. In parts the
antelope are numerous, but we did not then understand the
use of the stalking-cart, and got but few. I well remember
my satisfaction on bagging my first black buck. He was
with a small herd, and I had succeeded in getting within 150
yards of him. Not having much confidence in the steadiness
of my hand, I made my shikaree lie down flat on his face,
and, lying down myself at a right angle, I rested the rifle on
his back. On being struck, the buck kicked out with both
hind legs like a jackass, and went off at speed. I watched
him for some distance, and then, supposing I had missed him,
signalled to my groom to bring up my horse. On mounting
I observed an unusual object on the plain, and cantering up
I found the buck stone dead.

In this plain the deer are much hunted by the Hirun
shikarees, or antelope hunters, who snare them by an in-
genious method. To a line about 200 yards in length, made
of the sinews of deer, they attach snares, to each of which is
fastened a wooden pin eight inches or ten inches long. The
snares are also made of deer sinews, and the whole is very
strong. They are placed at intervals of about eighteen inches.

When carrying the line, the hunter passes his left arm

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 25

through all the snares, so that it is covered from the shoulder
to the wrist. A stalking bullock is employed, and is led by
the shikaree, who also carries a number of sticks five feet in
length, with bunches of feathers attached to one end, the other
being pointed. Stooping on the far side of the bullock, he
proceeds towards the herd, and, on approaching sufficiently
near, he plants the sticks into the ground, 20 or 30 yards
apart. Having so disposed of half the number of his sticks,
he commences to lay his snares, which he does across the
plain, dexterously setting each in the ground by the peg
attached to it. From the end of the line he plants his re-
maining bunches of feathers, and moves off. His confederates
then show themselves, and, by simulating the movements of
cultivators, quietly drive the deer towards the snares. When
they calculate that the proper time has arrived, they howl
and run forward, and turning from the feathers the herd runs
over the snares, one or two deer generally being caught by
the leg. The snares being all attached to the main line, the
deer are then easily caught.

Bustard are taken in the same way, but the driving has
to be quietly conducted, else they would take flight. They
are fine birds, weighing from 20 pounds to 24 pounds each. 1
have frequently, when stalking them in comparatively open
ground, suddenly lost sight of them, and, after searching in vain
for some time, have seen them rise from the ground I had just
gone over. They will lie flat on the ground, and conceal
themselves in a marvellous manner. One morning, when
riding across the plain, I observed one walking about in the
open ground. I moved slowly towards him, and he did not
rise till I was within ten yards. I have often, in Central
India, had good shots at them from the back of a horse or
camel, but they are very shy of a man on foot.

26 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

It was in this plain of Dharwar that I made my first and
last personal acquaintance with the sting of a scorpion. I
was seated on a bank, waiting for my horse to be brought up,
and had been pounding the black friable turf between my
feet with the butt of my rifle. Scorpio had been disturbed,
and quietly walked up the stock and stung me in the point of
the finger. I instantly shook him off, and stamped upon him ;
but the pain was most acute, and shot up the arm at once.
Binding a handkerchief tightly round the finger, I sucked the
injured part, and the pain began to subside as the poison was
drawn out. In half an hour I did not feel it ; but some time
after a callosity formed over the spot. Experiencing a peculiar
sensation, I opened this one day with a penknife, and dug out
the point of the sting, which had been broken off and remained
in the wound.

To the westward of Dharwar, within a few miles, are some
good lakes, or tanks as they are called, much frequented by
wild-fowl in the cold weather. There are also many good
snipe grounds, and quail and florican in the season are toler-
ably plentiful, though by no means in such numbers as in
Guzerat. About ten miles to the westward are considerable
jungles, stretching away towards the Western Ghauts. In
these we found a fair amount of spotted deer and pigs, and
also jungle sheep, a small antelope with flat goat-like horns,
three inches or four inches in length.

We generally had these jungles beat by a number of men,
taking up our places at the different passes. At one of these
beats a large boar and a couple of jungle sheep had fallen to
my rifle, and I was on my way to rejoin the other guns when I
came on a herd of cheetul or spotted deer crossing my front
about sixty yards off. They were just over the brow of a hill
covered with grass and jungle, and sloping abruptly down for

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 27

150 yards. Kuiming in a few paces, I fired at a doe ; but by
the time the smoke had cleared, the herd was out of sight. I
was confident that I had held straight ; but on going up to
the spot I found nothing. I followed for some distance in the
direction which the herd had taken, and, finding nothing,
returned along the base of the hill. Nearly opposite the spot
where I had fired, I caught sight of the white stern of a deer
among some long grass, and, aiming rapidly, rolled it over.
It turned out to be the same deer at which I had fired above,
and my first shot had broken both fore legs close to the body ;
notwithstanding this, she had managed almost instantaneously
to disappear, and, but for my luck in coming across her, would
have been lost.

In the next drive I heard a shot from one of my friends,
and soon after a pariah dog which had accompanied the beaters
came down in my direction, giving tongue loudly, and evidently
after something. Guided by the sound, I rushed off, and crash-
ing through a thicket came into an open spot, thirty yards
across, in the middle of which stood a mighty grey boar. He
was crippled in one of his fore legs, but was able to keep his
head to the dog, on whom he fixed his small vicious eyes, his
long white tusks gleaming in the sunlight. The instant I ap-
peared, he wheeled round towards me, and I believe in another
moment would have charged ; but a shot between the eyes
bowled him over.

Formerly tigers must have been numerous close round
Dharwar, and, though we never fell in with any, our old
shikaree always endeavoured to soothe the pangs of disappoint-
ment by assuring us that he had seen many shot in those
self-same coverts. He constantly quoted two gentlemen,
named .Walker and Campbell, as having been mighty hunters,
and I fear we did not always receive the accounts of their
exploits in a spirit of meekness.

28 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

I have since learned that Campbell was either " The Old
Forest Ranger" himself, or his brother. Both were well known
in that country.

One morning a man came running into the fort, and in-
formed us that a panther had taken up her abode in a rocky
hillock about ten miles from the cantonment. Hayward and
I started off with a friend who was staying with us, and on
arriving at the village we were conducted to the place by half
a dozen semi-nude savages. The hillock was not more than
fifty feet high, and was situated close to the edge of the heavy
jungle. The summit was a mass of rocks and green bushes.
As we were all on foot, and could not tell the exact spot in
which the beast might be expected, we formed up three
abreast, and advanced very cautiously in expectation of a
charge. Ascending the hillock, we peered about among the
rocks for some time without seeing anything. At length we
found a small den formed by several masses of rock, and as
our eyes became accustomed to the darkness we spied what
we supposed to be the head of a panther. We were on the
point of firing when the object moved, and we then discovered
it to be two small cubs lying together, and apparently asleep.
We captured these without much trouble, and then hunted
about the jungle in the immediate neighbourhood, in hopes of
getting the mother, but she never showed ; so, tying up her
offspring in a blanket, we carried them off to the cantonment.

In these jungles were numerous pea and jungle fowl, and
frequently, when we were waiting for larger game at passes,
they would come by in long strings, passing close under the
trees on which we were seated. Troops, too, of the "lungoor"
or large grey monkey would come dancing along, with black
careworn countenances. It was interesting to watch them
unobserved — grey old patriarchs and youthful mothers, with

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 29

their young clinging convulsively to their necks and waists as
they bounded along. To see them spring from tree to rock, it
seemed a marvel that the infants did not get their brains
knocked out.

About three miles to the south of Dharwar are the Edee-
guttee jungles, which we generally found good for spotted
deer and pigs ; but the coverts were very thick, and consisted
almost entirely of corinda bushes. These grow to the height
of about twenty feet, and are evergreen. The leaves are about
two inches in length, and, while the outer part of the bush
appears impenetrable, the interior is generally hollow, and
affords cool shade to wild animals during the day. The
branches are armed with strong thorns.

We were driving this jungle one morning, when five
spotted deer came by me. I was standing at the top of a
rising ground, but the bush on all sides was so dense that I
could only get a view at one or two places, and then only for
distances two or three yards in width.

I had my eye on one of these openings, and as the deer
crossed had a snap-shot at a fine buck. I had hardly time to
see whether he was hit, but on the beaters coming up, we
examined the track for a short distance and found blood. As
we followed the prints, the buck dashed out of a thick bush,
and I again fired, taking him behind the shoulder, but without
dropping him. He then got away into a very dense mass of
bushes, but was discovered by some of the beaters, and, after
assuring myself that the opposite side was clear, I again fired
and finished him. On examination, we found the three balls
had entered behind the shoulder, within three inches of each
other. Considering that I was shooting with a 14-bore gun,
his tenacity of life was wonderful.

Immediately to the south of Edeeguttee, about three miles,

30 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

runs a range of very stony hills, with deep ravines filled with
rocks and bushes. In these we frequently shot pigs. On
different occasions we started panthers, but never succeeded in
bagging one. Hysenas were less fortunate, and we slew
several. Langton, of my regiment, shot a very large one,
whose striped sides he had at first mistaken for a tiger. As
he wished to preserve the skin, we proceeded to remove it on
the ground, and had taken it off all but the tail, round the
root of which a rope was tied, and, while Langton and I held
on to the rope, half-a-dozen natives hauled bravely at the
head and legs. The skin was strong and tough ; but at last
it stripped off, and came away with a run, the beaters tumbling
backwards down the hill in a heap, while we rolled over in
the opposite direction.

A hare rose at my feet one morning near these hills, and
as she went off at speed I bowled her over with a bullet.

But the happy hunting-grounds of Dharwar lay in the
Dandelly jungles, thirty-five miles to the S.W. Hay ward
and I had long been anxious to visit them, but they were
said to be malarious, and our commandant was shy of giving
us leave. In those days we did not believe in fevers, or at
any rate were quite willing to risk them in the hope of sport ;
so perhaps it was as well that we did not get our own way,
for I believe that till the ground is thoroughly dry the jungles
are not safe.

It was towards the end of April that, at the close of a long
march, we reached Hullihal, about six miles from the bunga-
low, on the banks of the Kala ISTuddee.

The latter is a noble river, flowing through the heart of
the jungle where we were to shoot. As we intended to push
on again in the afternoon, we made a halt under some trees,
and sent one of our servants into the village for supplies.

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 31

After a long time our messenger returned, saying that the
native government official declined to furnish any, adding
that he had stated that his resolution was fixed, even if a
subsequent request should be made by our parents. Being
hot and hungry, I suppose we were displeased, for we at once
set out to see the gentleman in person. We found him in his
office — a wide, open, verandah — seated on cushions, and sur-
rounded by minor officials. He was a large man, and his sole
garment consisted of a sheet, apparently embedded in folds of
fat at the spot where his waist should have been, and hanging
down over his nether man.

He gazed on our dusty coats and sun-browned faces with
a listless apathy, quietly chewing a large mouthful of betel
nut ; and it was not till sundry pokes had been administered
with the points of our sticks to the softer portions of his
capacious person, and our wants had been reiterated in forcible
and emphatic language, that the requisite orders for supplies
were given, and we returned to our people.

Towards the arternoon we again marched, and our fat
friend sat down and wrote an account of our brutal treatment
to the collector of the district. Had we been better acquainted
with the manners and customs of the country, we should have
been beforehand with him ; as it was, we forgot all about the
matter, and made up our minds for a pleasant camp in the
Dandelly.

We subsequently received an official letter from the col-
lector in charge of the district, and had some small trouble in
settling the complaint of the obese gentleman, who, however,
on our return march supplied everything at once on our
arrival without delay.

At a village a few miles from Hullihal we were joined by
the shikarees of the country, Messrs. Emaum and Moideen.

32 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

The latter was an intelligent little man, and well acquainted
with the jungles, but was in a way, I believe, under subjec-
tion to Emaum, who was, to say the least of it, a very remark-
able man. He was by birth almost a pure negro, with all the
characteristics of the race both in face and person. He
generally moved in light marching order, his dress consisting
of an unclean turban, and a strip of cloth passed under a
string, which he wore round his waist. Over his shoulder he
carried a brown blanket. His accoutrements were a long flint
gun, a belt with sundry bags attached, and a long knife. By
Creed a Mahomedan, he was, I regret to say, addicted to strong
waters, and when he came to us he stipulated that his daily
wage should be one shilling and two glasses of brandy. He
was, however, so far mindful of his duty to his employers that
he never, except on special occasions, took his drink till the
day's work was over. He seemed much pleased at the
prospect of sport, and informed us that he had a strong pre-
dilection for flesh — a craving which, he added, had not been
lately gratified. Moideen was the son of old Kamah, men-
tioned by " The Old Forest Kanger," in whose words the fol-
lowing anecdote of his early life is well told : —

" While sitting at breakfast we were alarmed by hearing
cries of distress proceeding from the Jagheerdar's hut, and on
running out to ascertain the cause, we found old Kamah in a
furious state of excitement, his left hand firmly fixed in the
woolly pate of the hopeful scion of his house, and belabouring
him soundly with a stout bamboo.

" We inquired what crime young Moideen had been guilty
of, to bring upon him such a storm of parental indignation,
and learned, to our astonishment, that it was all owing to his
having killed a tiger !

" One of his father's tame buffaloes having been killed by

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 33

a tiger on the previous day, the young savage had watched
for him during the night, and shot him from a tree when he
returned to feed upon the carcass.

"This most people would have considered a very gallant
and meritorious exploit on the part of a lad of fifteen, but the
old forester was of a different opinion.

" ' It was all very well/ * he said, " ' for us who lived in the
open country to wage war with tigers, but with him, who lived
on sociable terms with them in the jungle, the case was
different. I have no quarrel with tigers ! I never injured
one of them, they never injured me, and while there was
peace between us, I went among them without fear of danger.

" ' But now that this young rascal has picked a quarrel and
commenced hostilities there is no saying where the feud will
end/

"And for this breach of good fellowship between the
family of Kamah and his feline neighbours, the unfortunate
youngster was being beaten to a mummy !"

The shooting in the Dandelly was carried on entirely by
stalking. We rose long before daybreak, and had a light
refreshment ; then each taking one shikaree, we set off in
different directions, returning home about 9 or 10 A.M.

The principal game was bison, sambur, cheetul or axis,
and pigs. There were also bears, tigers, and panthers ; but in
those extensive forests the chances of getting them were small.

We rested during the heat of the day, and about 3 P.M.
again set out, returning to camp after dark. The shikarees
were well acquainted with the jungles, and by their advice
we always walked in their tracks, while they, carrying the
spare gun, led the way and kept on the look-out for game.

Emaum was generally my companion, and he certainly was
a very good marker. His senses of sight and hearing were

D

34 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

very acute, and he used to declare lie could smell bison when
the wind was favourable. We had in our camp about a
dozen baggage ponies, each with his attendant, and after a
successful stalk we generally took these and went out after
breakfast to cut up and bring in the meat. We had a sort of
pic-nic on these occasions, and it was fearful to see Emaum
indulging in his African propensities, and bolting huge pieces
of raw bison's flesh.

We were joined by Emaum and Moideen about four miles
from the bungalow on the Kala Nuddee, which we intended
to make our head-quarters for some weeks ; so, on the follow-
ing morning, sending on our baggage by the road, we each
took a shikaree, and started off through the jungle in different
directions.

Our attendants requested that we should trust entirely to
them to find the game, and that all our attentions should be
engaged in avoiding making any noise by treading on dry
leaves and sticks.

My first shot was at a doe cheetul, at which, however, I
would not have fired, had not Emaum urged the want of meat
in camp. She was about eighty yards off, feeding in an open
glade in the bamboo jungle. My shot took her behind the
shoulder, and Emaum's long knife did the rest. He was much
pleased at this beginning, and expressed his intention of eat-
ing largely of flesh. The deer was soon skinned and cut up ;
but Emaum said that nothing must be wasted, and, emptying
out the entrails, he packed them in the skin, and so we set off
to camp, where we were soon after joined by Hayward, who
had shot a sambur.

One morning, when shooting in this jungle, I fired at a
spotted deer, which at once made off, and, as it showed no
signs of being hit, I concluded I had missed— especially as I

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 35

had not heard the thud of the bullet on his side. On going
up to the spot where the deer had been standing, Emaum
bent down, and pointing out some hairs on the grass, pro-
nounced it " no miss." The hairs had been cut by the ball on
entering, and lay just below where the shoulder of the deer
had been, the spot being plainly indicated by the deep marks
of the hoofs in the ground as it started at my shot. Following
up the track, we came on the deer lying dead. On other
occasions, I have been similarly assured that deer had been
wounded, and have brought to bag beasts that otherwise
would have been lost

The bungalow was situated in a lovely spot, about sixty
yards from the river's bank. To the rear of the house was a
huge banian tree, alive with minahs, parrots, and green pigeons ;
and on all sides were clumps of giant bamboos seventy feet
high, standing out like feathers against the clear sky. The
river here was about one hundred yards across, the somewhat
broken bed of the stream changing just above into a fine deep
pool. We made this place our head-quarters for about three
weeks, stalking morning and evening in the jungles, and
generally having some fresh additions to make to our game
list every evening.

I did not get a shot at a bison till I had been out some
days ; but one morning when I was stalking with Moideen we
came on fresh tracks. My companion plucked some blades of
grass, which had been cropped, and pointed out how the
broken edge had not dried, from which circumstance he knew
that the game was not far off. It is remarkable how little
impression these large hard-hoofed animals leave on the sun-
baked earth, and, though sometimes the footprints are plain
enough, at others, they can only be distinguished by a prac-
tised tracker.

36 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

We proceeded very cautiously in single file, Moideen
leading, and after going about half a mile we heard the bison
a short distance in front. The herd was about to lie up for
the day, and had betaken themselves to a mass of thick young
bamboos.

There were several of them ; but near the edge of the
thicket, with her face towards us, lay a cow, and, from her
position, we saw we could not advance without alarming
the herd. I was anxious to get a bull, but, fearing that in
attempting to do so I should lose all, I made up my mind to
take the cow. She lay in deep shade, and I fired at her
shoulder, on which she sprang up, and, together with the rest,
dashed off to the left.

My battery was but a poor one, consisting of a 12-bore
single rifle, and a 14-bore double gun. I caught the latter from
Moideen, and fired both shots at a bull as they rushed off.
Eeloading, we took up the track, and soon came on blood in
large quantities, and a few hundred yards ahead we came on
a bison, standing with his stern to us, at the side of a patch of
jungle grass eight feet high.

We decided on moving round this grass, to get, if possible,
opposite his shoulder, and on going to the right we suddenly
came on the cow. She caught sight of us, and, wheeling
round, stood head on. Expecting a charge, I got behind a
tree, and as she stood looking at me, with her nose poked out,
I fired at her head, and she fell dead in her tracks.

We had supposed that this was the beast whose blood we
had seen ; but, on examination, we found that as she lay in
the bamboo thicket her hind foot had probably been drawn
up behind the forearm, and in firing I had sent the first ball
through the foot, breaking both toes. Being unable to run in
this crippled state, she had wheeled round on finding herself

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 37

pursued, and my second shot had taken her just above one
nostril, and had passed up the head into the brain.

Seeing that she had bled but little, we knew that the bull
must have been hard hit, and endeavoured to follow up the
track ; but the blood soon ceased to flow, and the footprints
getting mixed up with those of the rest of the herd, we
were unable to make anything of them ; so, returning to the
encamping ground, we had breakfast, and then, taking our
ponies, we proceeded to skin and cut up the beast.

Our camp followers were in high glee at the prospect of
meat, and on our return they cut up the flesh into long strips,
and dried it on ropes and bamboos suspended from tree to
tree. In a few days it became black and hard, and was then
tied up in bundles like firewood till required for food.

We kept the tail, tongue, and marrow-bones, and some of
the meat, for our own larder. The flesh was somewhat tough
and stringy, but after a long diet on scraggy fowls and goat
we were glad of any change. The tail made capital soup, and
the tongue and marrow-bones were excellent.

Most of the jungle on the left bank of the river had been
burnt ; that on the right only partially. As the fire sweeps
along, it is not uncommon for dead trees to ignite near the
root, and as the fire smoulders, the tree falls. It will continue
to burn for days, and the fire travels out to the ends of the
branches, leaving the impression of the tree on the ground in
white ashes. At these times the sambur approach, and stand
in the smoke to rid themselves of the flies. They also lick
up the ashes for salt. We frequently came on them about
these burning trees, but our shikarees assured us that on
being disturbed they would not return till the second day.

One morning, Hayward and I, having set out with
our shikarees in different directions, chanced to meet in the

38 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

jungle, and, seeing one of these burning trees close by, went
up to it and sat down to have a smoke. Presently a splendid
buck cheetul came quietly across the open glade in front of
us. We sat quite still, and he never observed us till within
seventy yards, when he drew up and stared. He was a handsome
beast as he stood in the bright morning sun, with his dark-
brown sides flecked with white, and his fine antlers thrown
back. Hayward, who sat somewhat in rear of the rest of the
party, quietly raised his rifle and rolled him over, and we
carried him off bodily to camp.

While encamped in the Dandelly I had a narrow escape
of being charged by a bison, owing to want of proper attention
to my rifle. I was out one morning with Emaum, and as we
were emerging from a thicket of young bamboos we came on
four bison feeding on an open space. The clearing was only
about fifty yards wide, and in the bamboos on the opposite side
we could see the rest of the herd moving about. The wind
was favourable, and we were not observed, but any retrograde
movement on our part might have alarmed the game ; so,
quietly sinking into a sitting position, I raised the heavy
single rifle to my shoulder and sat motionless, trusting to the
dark brown colour of my clothes and Emaum's skin to escape
observation.

I was anxious to secure a heavy bull, and, supposing that
one would be in the herd, I reserved my shot for him, and
allowed the four in the open to feed unmolested. One of
these was a fine young bull, and presently he turned his head
towards me and fed up to within fifteen yards. He was getting
too close to be pleasant ; so, aiming at the point of his
shoulder, I pressed the trigger. The cap snapped, and the
bison started back a pace or two and looked hard at us. Had
they charged, we should have been smashed, as we were

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 39

sitting among young bamboos no thicker than a man's finger,
and no friendly tree was near. Without lowering the rifle
from my shoulder, I whispered to Emaum to fire, which he
did with the double-barrel smoothbore, taking the bull dia-
gonally from the point of the right shoulder to the rear of the
left arm.

All four wheeled round and dashed away through the
thicket. Emaum, however, assured me that he had fired with
a good aim. I then set to work to fire off my rifle, and after
some time succeeded in doing so. Shooting into an ant-heap,
T picked up about half a yard of burning cloth, which my
servant, to whom I had foolishly entrusted the cleaning of
my rifle on the previous night, had left in the barrel. I made
a note of the fact for future guidance. Eeloading, we took up
the track of the herd, and after going about 200 yards through
the jungle came on the bull, lying quite dead.

As a rule we found that when a bison fell to the shot, it
was wise to give him more lead at once, as they will frequently
rise and get off. On the other hand, when a bison ran some
distance, and then fell, he seldom rose again, and was nearly
always bagged.

I was out with Emaum one morning before I had learned
this fact, and as we advanced through some bamboos we
heard bison moving a short distance ahead. Bending down
to the ground, so as to get a view under the thick leaves of
the bushes, we could see the heads and feet of the advancing
herd as they grazed on the young grass. Some of them were
within thirty yards, but their bodies were quite concealed. I
had heard that a shot in the forehead would not penetrate,
but having no other chance I determined to try, and, sitting
down so as to get a good sight of the heads, I watched my
opportunity. A large cow was head on, and aiming a little

40 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

above her eyes I fired, and she fell. The remainder of the
herd crashed away and disappeared as Emaum and I dashed
forward.

He begged I would fire again, as the cow would probably
rise and get away, so, standing over her, I fired both shots of
the smoothbore behind her shoulder. Eemarking that all
was now right, Emaum drew his long knife from his girdle,
bent back the head, and muttering some words of the Koran,
proceeded to cut the throat. Unless this operation is per-
formed in life, no good Mussulman will eat of the flesh.
When meat was scarce, however, I have seen them satisfied
with a very slight movement on the part of the dying
animal.

I had just reloaded the smoothbore, and Emaum had
already made a deep incision in the stout skin of the throat,
when, with a desperate struggle, the cow shook him off and
got to her knees. Emaum sprang to the nearest tree, and,
catching up the loaded gun, I gave the poor cow two more
shots behind the shoulder, and she sank down.

We were much troubled in our stalking on the right bank
of the river, owing to the jungle being only partially burnt,
and the ground was covered with huge dry teak leaves eighteen
inches across, which rendered all stalking hopeless. We were
informed that the burning had been prohibited by the officer
in charge of the district, as being injurious to the young
timber. This we did not believe, the more so that the jungle
had been burnt every year from time immemorial, and, not-
withstanding, trees of every growth were flourishing. Several
good stalks having been spoilt, we determined to fire the
jungle, knowing that, in addition to getting rid of the objec-
tionable leaves and dry grass, a fresh green herbage would
spring up in a few days, and that game would be attracted.

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 41

Breaking out some stout dead bamboos, we jumped on
them till they were in splinters from end to end, and suitable
for torches, and then, striking a light, we raked up some dead
leaves and made a fire. While engaged at this work, I was
bending over the flame, when my powder-flask fell from an
inner breast-pocket and dropped into the blaze. My first im-
pulse was to bolt, but I was a long way from home and had
no other flask, so I launched a desperate kick into the burn-
ing mass. I caught the flask on the toe of my boot, and sent
it spinning right into Emaum's face. He was some yards off,
and was not a little astonished, though not much hurt. We
then lit our bamboo torches, and, walking across the wind,
poked them into the leaves at intervals of ten yards. In half
an hour the whole jungle was a sheet of flame, and, satisfied
with our afternoon's work we started oif home.

In the jungle, a few miles from the bungalow, was a very
pretty lake, to which we occasionally went to spend the day,
stalking morning and evening on the way. Going to one of
these pic-nics, I came on a herd of bison, and got a fair broad-
side shot at a fine young bull. I heard the shot tell, but he
dashed off and disappeared. Emaum was sulky, and taxed
me with having fired too soon, but I made him take up the
track, and, finding blood, he recovered his temper.

.After going some distance, as we crossed a small dry
watercourse at the foot of a hill in the jungle, we saw the
bull standing above us, eighty yards off. He was evidently
distressed, but we could not tell where he was hit. Presently
he gave a good broadside shot, and, kneeling behind a fallen
tree, I fired. He staggered, and then we saw one of his fore-
legs was disabled.

Whether he tried to come at us, or whether he was un-
able to run in any other direction, I cannot say ; but he came

42 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

down towards us on three legs at a terrific pace. He passed
within a few feet of where we lay, and as he went by I gave
him another shot behind the shoulder, and he fell all in a
heap at the bottom of the watercourse, where another shot
finished him.

The lake was a charming spot for resting during the heat
of the day, though its proportions were of course reduced by
the month of May. All round the edges might be seen the
tracks of deer, bison, and pigs, which evidently came down in
large numbers at night to the water. The reeds were filled
with large blue waterfowl of the coot and waterhen kind,
having long toes, which enabled them to run freely over the
network of weeds which covered the surface of the water.
Hayward killed one of these by a fine shot from the rifle at
about 150 yards.

We had spent a pleasant day at this lake, and were pre-
pared for a start home, when we observed a heavy storm gather-
ing. The only shelter in the place was an old hut, about as
large as a carriage umbrella, which had been erected by cow-
herds. It was constructed of slips of bamboos and teak leaves,
and doubtless would have kept off a heavy shower twelve
months before. At this time, however, it was rent and torn
by the wind, and large patches of the thatch had been blown off.
Into it, however, we crept, and covering up the locks of
our guns, lit our pipes and waited for the storm to burst. We
chaffed Emaum a good deal, as, in reply to a remark from me
about mid-day, he assured me we should have no rain. We
did not wait long for it, and for over an hour the rain came
down in a perfect deluge. Our frail protection only seemed
to concentrate the heavy drops, which poured through in every
direction. The thunder was deafening, and the lightning ap-
peared to strike into the ground all round us. We were

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 43

somewhat uneasy lest the metal of our guns should attract it ;
at length we carried them off, and laid them down in the open
ground at some distance.

The storm went off as speedily as it came, and, wringing
the wet out of our clothes, we dried our rifles and set off
home.

The morning after rain generally brought game to the bag.
All old footprints were of course obliterated, and, the ground
being soft, any beasts that had recently passed were easily
tracked, and the leaves and grass being wet enabled us to
move noiselessly through the jungle. We were therefore out
early on the next day, and, my beat on that morning lying on
the other side of the river, I crossed with Emaum in the canoe
before daybreak, and by the time that objects were distinguish-
able we were several miles from the bungalow.

As we skirted a fine open glade in the forest we observed
a large herd of cheetul on the far side, and as we were ad-
vancing to stalk them we came on fresh marks of a bison — a
solitary bull, which had evidently fed and lain down at the
covert side during the night. He had not left the spot more
than half an hour ; so, taking no more notice of the cheetul,
we followed on his track. He had moved deep into the heavy
forest, and as we followed we came across another herd of
cheetul. Catching sight of us, they dashed off from right to
left, making much noise. We stuck, however, to the track
of the bull, and found he had been lying down close to the
line on which the deer had crossed. They had disturbed him,
and he had moved ; but we could see by the prints that he
was not scared, and had moved slowly, feeding as he went.

Proceeding with much caution for a quarter of a mile
further, Emaum suddenly halted, and pointed out the bull
about sixty yards in advance. He stood in a small green

44 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

space, twenty yards in diameter, on the side of a hill. Beyond
was a dense thicket. On this side of him was a ravine, from
the sides of which grew bamboos, and one straggling clump of
these, about twenty yards from us, came in the line of sight
for the bull's shoulder. It was a moment of much perplexity.
The bull was by far the finest I had seen, and we knew that
if he advanced five paces he would be out of sight. He stood
broadside on, and, as the intervening bamboos were four and
five inches apart, I determined to take aim between them,
and, raising the single rifle, I fired. The bull made a start
forward, and stood for a few seconds on the verge of the
thicket. I told Emaum to fire with the smoothbore, which
he did at once, and the bull disappeared. Emaum was much
disgusted, as the bull had shown no signs of being hit. How-
ever, I carefully examined the bamboos through which I had
fired, and, finding no mark, I assured him that the bull was
not unscathed. We had just reloaded when we heard loud
snorts from the thicket, and the African features of Emaum
relaxed into a broad grin as he sprang behind the nearest
tree in expectation of a charge. The ravine, however, was
between us and the bull, and I knew that we were tolerably
safe. Presently we heard more snorts, and a heavy fall,
followed by a crashing of bamboos. Emaum shouted that the
bull was down, and was lashing out ; but we could see no-
thing owing to the density of the covert. Soon the kicks
seemed weaker, and we advanced, running forward from tree
to tree. There lay the mighty bull at his last gasp. He had
not run thirty yards from where we had first seen him, but
had stood, sending the blood from his nostrils over the bushes,
many feet higher than his head. My shot had taken him
about half-way up his body, behind the shoulder, and
Emaum's farther back. As he lay on the ground we measured

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 45

him, and made him out to be about seventeen hands high at
the shoulder, with fine well-preserved horns.

These large solitary bulls are at times very savage. They
separate themselves from the herds, and their lonely life seems
to make them vindictive and morose. When wounded they
will charge repeatedly with great ferocity, and on these occa-
sions the nerve and activity of the hunter are put to the test,
and woe betide him unless he succeeds in gaining the shelter-
ing trunk of some tree. Emaum informed me that he had a
narrow escape on one occasion when he had wounded one of
these bulls. He was pursued, but succeeded in getting behind
a tree. The bull drew up about twenty yards from him, watching
his opportunity, for the forest was of large growth, and Emaum
could see no tree up which he had any chance of climbing before
the bull could overtake him. At length he bethought himself
of his blanket, which he carried over his shoulder, and as the
bull drew back for another charge he placed the blanket
on the end of his long gun, and holding it out from behind
the tree shook it defiantly. Accepting the challenge, the bull
lowered his head, and came on with a rush. Catching the
blanket on his horns, he dashed on through the jungle, while
Emaum, bolting off in the opposite direction, made good his
escape.

We found the best way to preserve the skulls of bison was
to bury them up to the horns in the earth for three or four
days, after removing the skin and as much flesh as could be
got at with the knife. At the end of that time the horns
might be pulled off after a few blows from a tent-peg. We
then dug up the head, fastened a rope round the bone of the
horns and flung it into the river, where the fish soon cleaned
the skull.

On one occasion only did I see a tiger in the Dandelly. I

46 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

came suddenly on him one afternoon as he was rolling on
some dry sand in the bed of a watercourse, but he saw us,
and was off before I had time to shoot.

Hay ward also fell in with one under peculiar circumstances.
While walking quietly in quest of game, he heard a great
swearing of monkeys, accompanied by the cries of deer. As
the noise appeared to approach, he stood, and soon saw
numbers of cheetul and sambur coming on, apparently in a
state of great alarm, while troops of monkeys sprang from
branch to branch, crying in the manner peculiar to them
when alarmed by the sight of a tiger or panther. Hayward
and his shikaree stood motionless, and presently the head
and shoulders of a tiger appeared from behind a clump of
bamboos. Catching sight of them, he dashed off ; but Hay-
ward had a right and left shot at the deer, and got two sambur.

Tracks of tigers having been seen near the river, Emaum
proposed that we should sit up one night over a cow which
was to be tied up for a bait, and a platform was made in a
tree for this purpose. The place was not, however, well
selected, and as the moon rose we found the cow lying in deep
shade. Two tigers came by together about midnight, and
passed within thirty yards of the cow ; but the old beast laid
her head to the ground, and they passed on without seeing
her.

We frequently came across pigs, and sometimes saw some
very fine boars. Eeturniug home with Emaum one evening
empty-handed, we saw a sounder* of pigs rush across our line
100 yards in front of us, and as we moved up to the spot we
heard one of their number crying after them. This was an old
sow, who, I suppose, had been busy with some choice root which
she did not like to leave, and so had been left behind. She

* Term used in the language of Boardom for a " herd."

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE.

stood on a ridge about eighty yards to our right, with her head
towards us. I told Emaum I should either miss her or shoot
her between the eyes. I was lucky enough to do the latter, and
ran up to the spot with visions of pork chops. Friend Emaum,
however, notwithstanding his love for strong drink, was a
staunch Mahomedan as far as pig was concerned, and steadily,
but respectfully, declined to lay a finger on the noble beast.
I was obliged, therefore, to cut off the head and carry it home
myself, leaving the carcass to the jackals. My rifle I made
over to my companion, but I do not think that even the pro-
spect of soused countenance would again induce me to carry
a pig's head four miles on my shoulder.

When meat was plentiful in the camp, Emaum was
sometimes apt to be lazy in following up a wounded bison.
I was out with him one evening, and, seeing a herd at some
distance feeding towards us, we lay still and allowed them to
come on. They advanced within thirty yards without observ-
ing us, and singling out a good bull, I aimed at the point of
the shoulder and fired. He swung round, and went off with
the herd. Emaum declared I had missed, but this I knew
to be impossible, and insisted on his taking up the track.
The ground was hard, and we were unable to distinguish
from the others the prints of the beast which was supposed
to be wounded. After going a quarter of a mile I saw a few
small specks of blood on the leaves, but soon after even these
ceased. Emaum then said that the wound was evidently
but slight, and that, as we were far from home, night would
come on, and we should lose our way in the jungle unless we
returned at once to camp. I replied that, if necessary, we
could sleep in the jungle, but that in the meantime we must
follow the track. This we did, and soon came on the bull
lying stone dead. Emaum was probably aware that we

48 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

should find the bull dead, and that consequently the flesh
would not be lawful food for him and his co-religionists ;
hence his laziness.

We were sorry to leave the Dandelly jungles, but our
leave was up, and we were obliged to return to cantonments.
Hayward also had had good sport, and we had a fair show of
sporting trophies packed on our baggage ponies on our return.
In commemoration of the expedition, our washerman, who
accompanied us, cut a bamboo about eighty feet in length, and,
hiring coolies on the road, bore it to the fort at Dharwar,
where we afterwards saw it supporting a flag at his favourite
shrine. We fully intended to have made another explora-
tion in the following year ; but getting our marching orders
in autumn, we moved to Kolapoor, and since then the
Dandelly jungles have been to me but a dream of the past.

CHAPTEK III.

Kolapoor — Fox and Jackal Coursing— A Broken Collar-bone — A Snake— Eoyal
Sportsman — Excursion with Langton — Treasure Escort — Surgery — A
Native Hunter — Military Sporting — Phoonda Ghaut — Shaik Adam : his
Gun— Fever — A Cheerless Vigil — Stuffed Bear — Practical Joking— Fish-
shooting — Mombait Jungles — A Bear shot — Conjugal Affection — Bear's
Grease — Bison seen — Domestic Cow shot — Embark for Guzerat.

THE country around Kolapoor in the Deccan is not very good
for sporting. There are no large jungles within two or three
marches, and, owing to the rocky nature of the ground, even
the uncultivated districts are but thinly wooded, giving no
covert to large game of any sort, with perhaps the exception
of a few panthers ; and these can hide so easily among rocks,
or in the holes of porcupines, that they are seldom to be met
with.

At the time I write of, the present cantonment was not
established, and the military force — which, after the campaign
in the southern Mahratta country of 1844-45, was considerable
— had been located to the south of the town, on the ground slop-
ing to a large lake. The houses of the officers were scattered
on spurs of land jutting down among the rice-fields from the
higher ground. Each regiment had of course its own lines
assigned ; but, as the force was reduced on the pacification of
the country, many of the bungalows, being left untenanted, fell
into decay, and on our arrival only a few were occupied, and
our officers were spread over a large area with most unmilitary
irregularity. The garrison consisted of two native infantry
regiments and a horse battery of European artillery.

50 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

No large game being found within a day's shoot, we were
obliged to be contented with what we could get. Foxes and
jackals were plentiful, and we set to work to collect grey-
hounds, or rather long-legged dogs of all sorts. We had some
Persian greyhounds, but found they could not stand the hot
weather, when they invariably pined off and died. With
Polygars we were more successful ; but the best dogs of
our pack were from a large Arab mother and a thoroughbred
English dog, which had been brought out by an officer of my
regiment. They were large, handsome hounds, having the
dash and speed of the English dog, while from their mother
they inherited hard and durable feet, which enabled them to
stand over the rocky hills and ravines in which we generally
found our game. As greyhounds I fear they would not have
passed muster in this country, but they were well adapted
for the work they had to do. Every dog " ran cunning ; " and,
in fact, had they not done so we should have had few kills to
chronicle, for the country was covered with rocks and stones
and scrub jungle, and earths were plentiful

Our season did not commence till about December, by
which time the higher crops had been removed from the
valleys running up among the hills, and the grass was cut in
most places. After February the weather began to get very
hot, and the dogs could not stand the sun after 7 A.M., so our
hours of sport were limited to the early mornings.

Our usual plan was to send out the dogs a few miles from
the cantonment before daybreak, and then follow on horseback,
so as to be up with them as soon as there was light enough
to see clearly. On our arrival the dogs were cast loose ; we
generally ran from two to four together, and sending the dog-
boy home, wandered over the hills and ravines till we found.

Together with the greyhounds I always had a small terrier,

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 51

and we frequently found her most useful in bolting a fox
from his earth. Poor old Smut ! she lost her teeth early in
life, but she would force herself into any place, and at times
we had hard work to extricate her from some complicated
hole among masses of rock and roots.

The foxes were of the usual Deccan breed, small but fast,
and would double and turn before the dogs with wonderful
agility. The jackals, too, were strong and active ; but they
give but a poor run before good dogs, unless the ground is
rough and they have a good start, and then they will fre-
quently escape.

The dogs knew their work, and kept near the horses till
they saw their game, when they would dash off over the most
rugged ground in a manner that would astonish a man only
accustomed to legitimate coursing.

Eiding quietly along, we would frequently start two and
three foxes together, and I have seen as many as four jump
up at once from some hollow, where they had been basking
in the morning sun after their nocturnal wanderings. At
such times we had to trust to our luck to get the dogs on any
particular fox, and if our pack scattered the chances were
against us ; but we seldom came home without one or two
brushes to show for our morning's work.

When a fox went to ground, the terrier came into play,
though she bad neither teeth nor strength to draw him ; but
we found that, as a rule, if the fox were followed into its earth
by the terrier, and there bullied a little, all we had to do was
to get her out, and withdraw with her and the other dogs to
a distance of fifty yards. If we then kept quiet for a few
minutes, the fox, apparently satisfied that its retreat had been
discovered, would often bolt out and make off, giving a second,
and for him often a fatal run.

52 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

I do not recollect ever bolting a jackal in this manner,
nor have I ever heard of a fox having been so started from its
earth in this country ; but the hint, if new, may be worthy of
the attention of foxhunters, and may secure a kill when blood
is wanted.

In addition to foxes and jackals, we also fell in with
hares ; but we preferred going after these with beaters, in
the cooler days of the rainy season. We moved in line on
these occasions, carrying guns, with our horses led behind us,
and the dogs at intervals held in slips. Partridges, quail, and
florican, were tolerably numerous ; and if a hare got up in
rough ground unsuited for the dogs, his career was stopped
with a charge of No. 5, otherwise we jumped on our horses
and gave chase. We were annoyed sometimes by herds of
antelope ; they would lead the dogs a dance of miles, and by
the time we got them back they were generally quite ex-
hausted. They never seemed to grow wiser in this matter, but
having on one or two occasions killed fawns, never hesitated
in their hopeless attempts to run down full-grown antelope.

One course was checked in a singular manner. The dogs,
four in number, were close round my horse, and sighting a
black buck they dashed after him. After going about 100
yards, I saw an unlucky fox jump up just in front of the lead-
ing dog. He whisked his tail and attempted to get under
weigh, but the dogs were on him like a railway engine, and
I saw him flung up and come down among the pack, who
made short work of him. The antelope was of course for-
gotten, and I congratulated myself on the turn of events.
Eunning loose, the dogs became very intelligent. At first
they would start off even after a hawk or other bird skimming
along the ground, but in this they soon learned wisdom, and
came to know what they ought to follow.

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 53

Biding over this rough ground, it was requisite to have a
horse strongly bitted and thoroughly in hand, at the same
time giving him his head sufficiently to enable him to pick
his way over bad ground. I was one day riding a valuable
horse, which, having been raced, had become almost a run-
away. Finding that he pulled less with a plain snaffle than
any other bit, I foolishly rode him in one on this afternoon.
I was accompanied by two friends, and we were soon after a
fine fox. Before we had gone 100 yards I felt that the horse
was away with me, and, as we were on smooth ground, I
determined to keep him on it till I could manage him. Bear-
ing heavily on one rein, I kept him going in a large circle
till I succeeded in stopping him. By this time my friends,
with the dogs and fox, had crossed some low ground, over
which I had to follow, and no sooner did I attempt to increase
the pace than my horse again bolted.

The hollow was full of huge holes many yards in width,
formed by the action of water in the rainy season, and one
of these coming in our line, I only escaped a smash by a
desperate wrench of the rein, whereby we were enabled to
clear the corner of the pit. When I rejoined my friends I
found they had lost the fox among some bushes, and shortly
after we again moved on. Finding a hare, my horse bolted
for the third time ; but, as the ground was clear, and he was
going in the right direction, I did not much care.

I was far ahead of my companions, and going at racing
speed, when my steed fell as if shot through the head. I
suppose he must have crossed his legs, for I could see nothing
to throw him. I was sent flying about ten yards over his head,
and came down on the hard sun-baked ground with a force
which would require to be felt to be fully appreciated. I was
badly bruised, but managed to pick myself up and return to

54 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

my horse, which lay where he fell. I had shaken him on his
legs, and was about to remount, when my friends came up.
One of them was our regimental doctor, and he naturally
inquired after my health. I replied that I was all right,
though a good deal knocked about. On attempting, however,
to raise my left hand to gather up my reins, I found it was
powerless, and the doctor then called out that I had broken
my collar-bone, and was all down on one side. True enough,
this was the case. He dismounted, and unrolling my muslin
turban he trussed me up, and with his assistance I mounted
his horse and returned to camp, where I was laid up for
some weeks.

Our dogs frequently started off in pursuit of some unlucky
mongoose, an animal like a large blue ferret. The poor beast
was at once pulled to pieces, much to our regret, for they
are inveterate enemies to snakes, with which the country is
infested.

I was awoke when in bed one night by the growling of
a small dog which lay at my feet. My bed was the only
furniture in the room, the floor of which was covered with a
bamboo matting. At first I suspected thieves, but at length
observed the dog fix its eyes in the corner of the room, where
stood a tumbler of oil with a wick burning. Near the lamp
I saw a snake close to the wall, and, snatching up my sword
from under the mattress, I jumped out of bed. The snake
wriggled under the matting, and as I could see where he was,
I gave a smart cut down on him. The sword went through
the matting and into the plaster floor ; but on my attempting
to withdraw it I gave the lamp a jerk and extinguished it.
The situation was unpleasant. My feet were bare and un-
protected, the room was dark, I could not tell how the snake
had fared. I managed, however, to regain my bed, and

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 55

shouted till a servant came with a light, when we found that
I had cut fair, and the two ends of the snake lay wriggling
under the mat.

The game round Kolapoor was much reduced by the
hunting expeditions of the Eajah, which were frequent in the
cold weather and during the breaks in the rainy season. His
party consisted of several hundred men, mounted and on foot,
and about thirty brace of greyhounds. They moved across the
country in a long line. Everybody who had a gun fired, and
all the dogs were slipped at any running beast that got up.

The lake below the cantonment was full of fish of large
size ; and in the cold weather a fair amount of ducks and snipe
might be got.

About twelve miles off were the hill forts of Punalla and
Powagurh, rising about 800 feet above the low ground. Here
some of the political officers had bungalows, which gave a
pleasant retreat from the heat of the cantonment. To the
eastward of these forts was the hill of Jotebaz, crowned with
picturesque temples, where large numbers of Hindoo devotees
were wont to congregate. On the north side of this range
was a good deal of scrub bush, well stocked with peafowl,
hares, partridges, and a small species of jungle antelope. My
chum Hayward and I frequently shot over these hills, and
invariably made good bags.

Fourteen miles to the west of the cantonment lay some good
coursing ground ; and thither Langton, of my regiment, and I, set
out for a three days' trip, taking with us an old native officer
of the corps, who was fond of sport of all kinds, and generally
kept two or three good dogs of his own. Bheema was a native
of Malabar, an intelligent man, and a good and trustworthy
officer. His sporting get-up was very fine — short drawers from
the waist to the middle of the thigh, an old cloth jacket, and

56 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

a black blanket ; about his person were hung numerous bags
containing flint and steel, tobacco, food of sorts (including
parched grain, sugar, and salted shrimps), shot, powder, and
ball ; on his shoulder he carried an old flint musket.

We found foxes in great numbers, and one day coursed
seven, killing six. The ground was very rough, and Bheema,
who was on foot and declined a mount, predicted that we
should break our necks, but our ponies kept their legs, and
we had no spills.

On the last day of our leave we had just struck our tent,
and were about to load the baggage ponies, when a severe
thunderstorm came on, and in five minutes we were drenched
to the skin. Within an hour every watercourse was a raging
torrent, and we knew that for the present it was hopeless to
attempt to return to camp.

Turning into the village, we found some horsemen of the
Eajah's Irregular Cavalry picketed at a temple, and with these
we fraternised, and gave them a goat, which they forthwith
slew and cooked. Here we halted till the moon rose, and
having got some dry clothes from among our baggage, we made
ourselves comfortable. About 11 P.M. we started on our
march home, and, the water having by this time subsided, we
arrived without further adventure.

I was ordered off with a detachment to escort treasure
which was coming from Belgaum, and was sent out five marches
to meet it. At our second halting-place some villagers
brought in an unhappy boy who had been horned in the leg
by a buffalo. The calf of his leg was nearly torn off, and was
hanging down over his ankle. It was in vain that I assured
his friends that I was no surgeon. They said that they had
great confidence in a white man, and begged me to do my best.
I beat up among the detachment for needles and thread, and,

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 57

having prepared a number of threads with two needles on
each, had the boy laid on a table, and brought the calf into
its proper place by sutures at intervals of about an inch ; then,
directing cooling diet and water dressing, I made the lad over to
his parents. We marched early next morning, and I never had
an opportunity of learning the result of my attempt at surgery.
The natives, however, at times get over wounds and lacerations
in an extraordinary manner, and he possibly recovered, though
it struck me at the time that there was much danger of tetanus.

On this march I passed through a country swarming with
antelope and bustard, but I was suffering at the time from a
sharp attack of rheumatism in the shoulders, and was unable
to hold up a rifle.

I was out one morning with an old village shikaree, and,
disgusted with several bad shots, returned to the tents. The
man asked permission to try his luck by himself; but, as
his weapon was only a short and very rusty old matchlock,
I never expected he would succeed. About two hours after
my return he made his appearance, bearing on his shoulders
a fine black buck which he had successfully stalked and
brought down.

A friend of mine once made a rather remarkable shot
when on the line of march, in command of a treasure-guard.
His party consisted of about 100 infantry and some horsemen,
the infantry with loaded muskets. As not unfrequently
happens, a large herd of antelope were feeding near the road
in the open plain, and, quietly getting his men on the proper
flank of the treasure-carts, he halted, faced outwards, and fired
a volley at the astonished deer. A charge was at once executed
by the cavalry, and the result was, I think, seven deer brought
to bag. The muskets were the old brown Bess ; with Sniders
an even better account might have been given of the herd.

58 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

A brother officer had been out on leave at the Phoonda
Ghaut, where the road from Kolapoor descends the Western
Ghauts to the port of Wagotun. He reported well of the
prospect of bears, having shot one or two, and badly wounded
another, which had escaped. He proposed that I should re-
turn with him, so we got ten days' leave and set out.

It was the early part of the rains, and the weather was
cool and pleasant ; we did not, however, find much game.
There had been a few bears, but they had been disturbed and
had changed their ground, and we found no very fresh marks.

We shot a few of the small deer known there as " Peesaie."
They are about the size of an English hare, very handsome,
having sides spotted something like a cheetul. Our shikaree
here was Shaik Adam, a very respectable old Mahomedan, and
in his younger days he must have been a strong active man.
When employed with us he, of course, carried a spare rifle,
but his own shooting-iron was peculiar. The barrel, which
was of great length, was that of a matchlock ; he had pro-
cured an old Government flint lock, and the stock had been
fashioned and fitted by some primitive village carpenter. His
charge was a handful of coarse native powder, measured with
the ramrod in the barrel, and a long plug of lead hammered
on a stone to fit the bore. The barrel was of soft metal, and
if much knocked about was liable to become bent, a circum-
stance which naturally affected its shooting. A bad shot
was, however, not unfrequently put down to the evil influence
of some Hindoo demon, who was supposed to be employed by
Brahmins and Bunneahs to counteract the flesh-eating and
life-destroying tendencies of the worthy Shaik. On such
occasions a kid was generally presented as a propitiation to
the nearest Hindoo shrine, and the musket was handed over
to the blacksmith to have the barrel straightened.

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 59

We were encamped among the hills far from any village,
when my companion got a bad attack of fever and ague, and
was unable to leave his tent.

As we intended to stalk sambur early next morning, I
went out with Shaik Adam before daybreak, and we had a
long walk over likely ground, but returned at nine to break-
fast, having only had a distant view of one sambur.

Shaik Adam had arranged for a beat in the daytime, and
had assembled some men ; so we again went out, returning at
4 P.M., without having seen a hoof.

My friend was better, and being hungry we sat down at
once to dinner, and had just finished when a herdsman came
running in and said his cow had been killed by a tiger about
three miles from our tents. The Shaik and I at once set off
with our guide, hoping that the tiger would return about sun-
down. As we approached the spot, which was in a rugged
part of the jungle, the cowherd pointed to the bush where
the cow lay, and we saw something moving close to the car-
cass. We naturally thought this must be the tiger, but it
turned out to be only a fine old peacock who was quietly
scratching the ground by the murdered cow. No part had
been eaten by the tiger, but in her neck were the marks of
the four fangs.

As there was not much daylight left, we at once climbed
trees, and waited patiently for the arrival of the beast. The
sun went down, and the darkness came on, but still we sat
hoping for the tiger, till we could not distinguish the white
carcass of the cow beneath us.

I then proposed that we should descend and return to
camp ; but the cowherd declared we should be eaten by the
tiger, and that we should never be able to retrace our steps at
night through the jungle and ravines. In this he was backed

60 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

up by Sliaik Adam ; and, being somewhat inexperienced, I
bowed to their mature judgment, and made up my mind to
pass the night in the tree.

As we had made no platform or arrangement of any sort
for squatting, the prospect of sitting for eight hours on a
small branch was not invigorating, the more so that we
had been on the move since daybreak in the morning. My
first proceeding was to tie the guns to branches, and then to
cut up my turban into lengths for stirrups, as the blood de-
scending into the feet when kept long in a hanging position
gives a very painful sensation.

The padded cover of my cap was employed as a cushion,
and another portion of my turban to tie round the waist to
the tree at my back, and so to keep me in position in the
event of my falling asleep.

These little arrangements concluded, I smoked myself into
a state of somnolency, and passed one of the most uncomfort-
able nights I can remember. So eager were we to bag the
tiger, that even when the day broke we retained our positions
for some time, in the hope that he would return to the cow ;
but we never saw him.

Returning to the tent, I found my chum still in small health,
so we determined to move to Phoonda, where an officer of the
Quartermaster-General's department was employed in making a
road through the pass, and from him we hoped to get some medi-
cines. We accordingly rode in after breakfast, leaving the ser-
vants to follow with the baggage and tent. Captain Delhoste
received us hospitably, and made us comfortable at the travellers'
bungalow, which was situated on the crest of the mountain,
commanding a magnificent view of the pass and low country.
We made a halt here of a couple of days, during which my
companion was fortunate in shaking off his feverish attack.

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 61

Soon after our arrival, and before that of our people, two
villagers came in bearing on a pole a dead bear, which they
said they had killed. Knowing the weight of a large bear,
we were astonished to see them move so easily under their
load, but, on closer inspection, we found that the bear had
been skinned and rudely stuffed with hay. After some
questioning, the men confessed that they had found the bear
dying, and had knocked him on the head with their axes ;
and from various bullet-holes in the skin, and their descrip-
tion of the place where they found it, we had no doubt that
it was the same bear which my friend had wounded and lost
in his former expedition. We gave them a small reward and
dismissed them, and as Shaik Adam had not come in we
arranged to have a little sport with the defunct bear.

I had it carried to some distance from the bungalow to a
mass of rocks and bushes on the face of the mountain, where
we drew out the pole and partially concealed the bear among
some long grass. On the arrival of the Shaik, we told him
that a bear had been severely stung in an attack on a bees'
nest, and was so blinded as to be unable to make his way
through the jungle.

"We added that he was supposed to be lying up among
some rocks not far off, and as my companion was not fit for
work I proposed to the Shaik that he and I should go in
search of it. He at once acceded, and soon appeared with his
own gun. Placing a couple of caps on a rifle, I went out
with him, and, directing him to keep close, moved down on
the spot where we had placed the bear. When about ten
yards off the Shaik caught sight of it, and halting, pointed it
out to me. I at once raised my rifle, and exploded the cap.
Up went the long gun, and taking a careful aim my friend
pressed the trigger, but the only result was a flash in the pan.

62 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

Telling -me to stand ready with my other barrel, he again
cocked his piece and attempted to fire, with no better result.

Muttering something uncomplimentary to the musket, he
passed his right hand behind him, and, drawing out a long
knife, commenced to hammer the flint with the back of it,
steadily keeping a look-out on the bear all the while. Satis-
fied with his operations, he again raised the gun, which this
time exploded with a report like a young cannon. I retreated
a few paces, warning the Shaik to beware of a charge ; but he
replied that his aim had been sure, and that he had done for
the bear. We then advanced, and a slight puff of wind from
the direction of the bear saluted our nostrils with a not too
savoury odour. With a disrespectful allusion to she bears
in general, and particularly to those nearly connected with
the deceased, the Shaik ejaculated " Bas marta," which is,
being interpreted, " it smells."

I could contain my gravity no longer, but fled laughing to
the bungalow, where I was soon followed by the indignant
and much injured man. His feelings were much hurt, for he
had the local reputation of a mighty hunter, and he knew
that the story would spread, and that his village friends would
make the most of it. He remarked in a dignified manner that
he was an old woodsman, and that such a prank ought not to
have been played on him by a youth of my tender years. I
have since heard of a similar joke being played on a gallant
officer, who was taken out and made to shoot at a railway
wrapper, having on it the representation of a panther-skin,
which had been cunningly hid away among some long grass.

We restored the Shaik to good humour with a glass of
brandy, and in the afternoon went out with him, and bagged
a number of spur-fowl.

In the river above the pass we saw two fair-sized fish of

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 63

the species known as inurrel. They were lying close to each
other near the surface of the water, and, aiming between their
heads, I fired with a heavy rifle. The Shaik, who had in the
meantime disrobed, sprang in and recovered both fish. Neither
had been struck, but the concussion of the water had stunned
them, and they were on the bank before they had time to
recover.

My friend being restored to health, we arranged to move
to the Mombait jungles, about four miles to the north of
Phoonda. The road was only practicable for men on foot, and
horses ; so we had to collect coolies to carry our tent and
baggage. These were sent on with Shaik Adam, who was
directed to go out on reaching the ground, look about for
marks of game, and ascertain the prospects of sport
generally.

We started on horseback one afternoon, but, as we did not
take the direct route, it was sundown before we reached the
camp. We found the coolies and servants busy pitching the
tent, and bringing in wood, grass, and water. The Shaik had
gone out alone, and it was nearly dark before he came in. He
said he had been along the crest of the Ghauts, and had visited
several caves of bears, finding fresh marks. He was on his
way back to the camp, and was entering on a piece of clear
ground, about 200 yards in length, having a footpath down
the middle of it. On coming out into, the open, he saw a
bear walking leisurely towards him along the path, and as he
was not observed he quietly slipped aside and concealed him-
self behind some bushes. The bear, meanwhile, came slowly
forward, and when within ten paces, the Shaik gave it the
contents of the long gun through the heart. The bear fell in
its tracks quite dead, but to make sure he rammed down
another charge, and fired again behind its shoulder as it lay

64 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

on the ground. He then cut boughs of trees, and, having
covered up the beast, returned to the tent to procure men to
carry it in.

A party of our coolies at once set off with him, but on ar-
riving at the spot where the bear had been left, they found it
had disappeared. The boughs lay scattered about, and marks
of blood were on the ground, but the bear was gone ; and it
being now quite dark, the men came back and reported matters
to us. We of course conjectured that the bear had only been
stunned and badly wounded by the Shaik, and had managed
to recover sufficiently to get away among the dense bush,
which on all sides surrounded the spot. The Shaik, however,
who was a man of long experience, and skilled in all matters
of woodcraft, assured us that he had left the bear dead, and
he believed some beast must have carried it off. It was too
late to do anything then, so we settled to go out at daybreak
and clear up the mystery.

The jungle-cocks were crowing in the ravines when we
turned out in the morning ; and after a light breakfast we set
off for the spot whence the bear had disappeared.

As the men had reported, we found the boughs strewed
about and much blood on the ground, but the daylight enabled
us to see that the carcass had been dragged along the ground,
so we prepared to follow up the track. For some distance it
led through the open glade, through which the Shaik informed
us the bear had advanced just before he shot it ; after this, it
went through some thick scrub jungle, and then along the
stony bed of a dry watercourse.

Here the jungle became very thick, and the thorns and
branches were so interlaced across the bed of the stream that
we were obliged to stoop, and at times to crawl along on all
fours. We were about 500 yards from where the bear had

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 65

been left, but the blood on the stones enabled us to follow the
track with ease.

We kept a sharp look-out ahead, expecting to come on
the wounded beast, and at length, in turning an angle of the
nullah, we caught a glimpse of a bear moving up the bank in
the thick bush. We were unable to get a shot at him, but
kept our rifles ready, and on coming up to the spot we
found the dead bear lying on the stones. It turned out to be
a large female, and the one which we had seen moving off was
evidently the he bear, who, finding the carcass of his spouse
on the previous night, had managed to push or drag it all this
distance. We were much struck by his conjugal affection, as
his grief was no doubt genuine, and not, as is perhaps the
case with some other animals, simulated out of deference to
public opinion.

He must have moved the body with great care, and
evidently hoped that if he could only get her home to their
cave, he would be able by assiduous nursing to restore her to
health. She was a large bear, and very heavy and fat, but he
had moved her throughout the night with such gentleness that
the skin was quite uninjured.

We carried her to the tent, and, after skinning, cut off all
the fat, collecting a large quantity, which we boiled down and
bottled off for our lady friends in the cantonment. I have
been told that any efficacy which may exist in bear's grease
" for promoting the growth of the hair" is only to be found in
the fat cut off the loins and hams — in fact, the external grease,
and that the internal fat of the animal is no better than that
from a sheep or bullock. On this subject, however, I must
consult my hairdresser.

WTe found the neighbourhood of our camp a good deal
disturbed by herdsmen and woodcutters, and during the two

F

66 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

following days I only came on one lot of bison. At one of
these I had a fair shot at about sixty yards, but wishing to
get nearer I was advancing through some thick bush, when I
alarmed another which I had not previously seen. He dashed
out of a mass of creepers, and I had a snap shot at him, but
he held on, and we could hear the herd crashing along the
side of the mountain, dislodging gravel and stones, which
rolled down with much clatter. We looked in vain for traces
of blood, and returned to camp empty-handed.

Our leave being now nearly up, we had to move back
towards Kolapoor.

My friend had been out some time previously in the
jungles along the Ghauts when on his way to the coast. At
one village where he was encamped he heard great stories of
numbers of sambur which frequented the spot, and how they
came out at night to graze about the cultivated lands. He
accordingly directed his servants to be on the look-out in the
neighbourhood of the tent, and, as the moonlight was bright,
he hoped to get a shot. Towards midnight a sambur was
said to have been seen in a field not far off, and, taking a rifle,
Pogson sallied forth. Seeing a dark object among some low
bushes, he made a successful stalk, and when sufficiently near
loosed his piece. The animal made off, but one of the servants,
on hearing the shot, came up with a dog, which was at once
put on the track. The dog went off, but, as he did not return
for some time, Pogson went back to the tent. At length the
dog appeared with much blood about his muzzle, and, making
up his rnind that he would find his game in the morning, my
friend went to bed again.

At an early hour he was awoke by the sound of voices,
and on coming out he found the whole village community
assembled in front of his tent. The head men came forward

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 67

and informed him that they were all much distressed and
shocked at finding the Sahib had shot a very holy cow, which
had been allowed to roam at will about the village. They
then took him to the spot, where, sure enough, lay a red cow
dead, with a bullet-hole through her shoulder, and the marks
of the dog's teeth in her throat.

Pogson expressed much regret, and offered to pay for the
cow, but was informed — no doubt much to his own satisfaction
— that the cow was sacred, and could not be sold for money.
The villagers behaved very well, and said it had been the fate
of the cow to die by the Sahib's bullet, and there was an end
of the matter.

About the close of the year we received our marching
orders for Guzerat. This district we had always heard of as
abounding in game of all sorts ; and we were not sorry to
leave the Deccan, where, to say the most of it, our bag had
been but small.

We marched to the port of Wagotun, on a river about
twelve miles from the sea. Here we found a number of
coasting boats, twenty-two I think, waiting for us ; and we
were told off to these according to their capacity.

A few of the boats had cabins ; these were assigned to
married officers. I had a party of about seventy-five men
and women, for many of our men moved with their families.
Our boat had a split bamboo mat for a deck, and the men
took up their quarters on it as best they might. The boat
had no cabin, and the only spot which afforded any shade from
the sun was under a platform, whereon sat the steersman. This
was by courtesy supposed to be my cabin, but it was filled
with bags of provisions for the men ; and during the eleven
days occupied in the passage I sat above in the sun, and tried
to console myself with the idea that I was serving my country.

CHAPTEE IV,

Landing in Guzerat — Saras shot — Broach — Quail-shooting — Expedition to
Nandode — Tiger-shooting at night from Platforms — Tiger missed — An
untoward Snooze — Sliced Hyaena — Opium-eaters — Bear shot — Bear shot
near its Cave — Gratuitous Feast to a Tiger — Panther shot — Toorun Mall
Hill — A Tiger poisoned — Smoking out a Tiger — Dubka — Big Boar
wounded— Boar slain — Alligators — One shot— Pebbles in Alligators —
Powaghur — Sambur-shooting on the Hill— Thrilling Adventure with a
Goat.

IT was late one evening when our boat reached its haven in
the creek known as Tunkaria Bunder, one of the chief ports
in Guzerat for the export of cotton and opium. Notwith-
standing the great trade of the place, there were no facilities
whatever for the landing or shipping of goods, and the
coasting vessels were simply moored to the bank of a muddy
creek.

We were. all glad to get ashore. The caste of many of
the men had prevented them from cooking on board, and they
had subsisted during the voyage on parched grain and sugar.
These now set to work to collect material for a heavy feed ;
but, as it was too late to pitch tents, we all returned to sleep
on board the boat. I had my bed made in the stern of the
vessel, and made up my mind for a comfortable night's rest.

About midnight I was awakened by finding my cot flying
across the boat, and I was brought up against the side in an
avalanche of boxes, etc. There was a great outcry among the
men, and on extricating myself I ascertained that the boat,
which had been moored on the mud, had been left by the

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 69

receding tide, and had consequently heeled over, and lay com-
pletely on her side. We had some difficulty in settling down
again, and on the day breaking we all landed and joined the
camp. We were halted here two or three days, waiting for
some of the boats that had not arrived. When the whole
regiment was landed, the head-quarters moved on Baroda, and
the major, another subaltern, and myself, with three companies,
were told off for detachment duty at Broach.

I was much struck by the numbers of wildfowl and game
of all sorts which surrounded us. Every field was swarming
with quail, and in every patch of rushes we found snipe, while
the pools furnished ducks of many kinds, and waders innumer-
able. Here, for the first time, I saw the coolen — a large blue
crane, which comes in great numbers in the cold weather ; and
I here fell in for the first time with the sarus, a huge bird,
also of the crane family. They are very numerous in Guzerat
and Central India, feeding in the corn-fields, and in the
neighbourhood of tanks and rivers. They are generally found
in even numbers. Every Jack is supposed to have his Jill,
and, according to native report, the death of one is soon
followed by that of the other. I have at times seen them in
large numbers together, generally in the sandy bed of some
river, where they assemble during the heat of the day, or at
night. The bird is of a light blue colour, with some white
about the tail ; the head, and about eight inches of the neck,
are bright red, but nearly devoid of feathers. The natives
regard them with some degree of veneration, and they are
seldom molested by the European sportsman.

Soon after landing I was out after snipe, having with me
several small dogs. I was beating a patch of rushes, when I
saw two of the huge birds above mentioned flying towards
me, uttering their peculiar cry. I had loaded with No. 8, but

TO WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

I dropped a ball into one barrel, over the shot, and, crouching
down, awaited their approach. They came on with the inten-
tion of alighting among the rushes, and had almost touched
the ground, when they saw the dogs, and turned upwards.
The male bird presented a large surface, and I fired, sending
the ball through his breast, and at the same time peppering
him with the small shot. He fell dead, and we secured and
carried him to camp, where I gave him to some of my men,
who declared that he would be as good as half a goat. He
was about six feet in length, from the toe to the extremity of
the beak. I have often thought that these birds would be
good for food, but I never heard of any European trying them ;
nor do I think that during all my residence in India I ever
fired at another.

The road for the first few miles from Tunkaria is about the
worst in Guzerat, and consists simply of a number of parallel
ruts, so deep that the bottoms of the carts often scrape the
earth between them. In these ruts the dust accumulates to
the depth of many inches, and when raised by the march of a
body of men it becomes very distressing.

We started one very cold morning at about 3 A.M., our
detachment being in front of the regiment. I was mounted
on a pugnacious pony, but I was too cold to attend to
him, and, having got him into a rut behind the band, I
lit my cigar and rolled myself up in my cloak. We had
thus advanced for some miles, when the march was checked
by some obstruction, and as we halted the dust rose thick and
white. Suddenly my pony gave a scream, and rose on his
hind legs, and I could just make out that he was in furious
combat with the major's horse, when we all seemed to tumble
over together. I thought I should be jammed against the
bank, but managed to kick myself clear. Some of the men

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 71

rushed forward and secured the horses, while a friendly
drummer dragged out the nearly expended major, who had
sustained a sharp contusion on the shoulder. On assembling
at breakfast, I received the thanks of the regiment for my
laudable endeavours to accelerate promotion.

After the first march we left the main body, and made our
way to Broach, where I was stationed for some ten months.

On the south bank of the Nerbudda, which flows by the
town in a stream half-a-mile in width, we got some first-rate
quail-shooting. Below the town we found birds in immense
numbers in the fields, and higher up we made large bags in
the bastard cypress along the bank of the river. They were so
numerous that a couple of guns could kill seventy and eighty
brace with ease in a few hours, and frequently they rose so
fast that we were obliged to cease firing to allow our guns to
cool. The natives catch large numbers in traps made of the
stalk of the millet, which they shape into a small box and
bait with a head of grain, the trap being like a figure-of-4 trap.
Numbers also are killed with arrows having a blunt head of
hard wood as large as a florin. The natives stalk them as
they dust themselves in the cart-ruts, and often kill several
at one shot. I am not aware whence these quails come.
They appear about the end of November, and are gone again
by March. In this respect they are similar to the mass of
the wildfowl and snipe, which I suppose are driven down by
the cold from the north. Our bag was generally varied by a
few brace of gray and painted patridge and hares, and not
unfrequently by a civet or large wild cat.

Further up the Nerbudda, near Nandode, where the river
enters the jungles, tigers are found ; but, though I went on
two occasions for several days at a time, we were unable to
make anything of them, owing to our not knowing the country,

72 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

or having no authority among its inhabitants. On the first ex-
pedition, my friend and I had just passed through a village at
some distance from any jungle, and had been assured by the
villagers that tigers were unknown among them, when we
were addressed by a man in charge of some cattle, who begged
that we would shoot the tigers which had killed several of
his beasts. On our doubting his statement, he drew our
attention to numerous footprints, almost obliterated by those
of the cattle which had passed over them. They were in all
directions, close up to the houses, and the tigers seemed to
have been walking about the village all night. We were
much astonished at this, for I had never before known tigers
wander so close to human habitations. The man informed
us that they came from a belt of ravines and jungle about
two miles farther on, and about a mile from the bank of the
Nerbudda. He accompanied us for some distance, and showed
us their tracks, both new and old, along some cart-ruts formed
in bringing grain from the fields. As the moon was near the
full, we determined to sit up in trees at night, and rode on to
our camp to make the necessary preparations.

We at once sent off men, who erected two platforms in
trees about half-a-mile apart. Bound the edges of these seats
we had screens formed of boughs, selecting those with soft
leaves, to prevent any rustling or noise. Goats were tied with
strong ropes on the south side of the trees, about fifteen yards
from our hiding-places, in such positions that, as the moon
came round, they would remain clear of the shade. My tree
was on the path, that of my companion nearer the village, both
in open cultivated ground, but clear of crops. About nine
o'clock I saw a tiger come across the field and stand in the
clear moonlight about 100 yards from my tree. I had made
up my mind that he would come along the road and I should

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 73

get a good shot, when suddenly another tiger came skylarking
at him, and, with a playful growl, they both ran across and
disappeared behind a rising ground. I had waited for about
half-an-hour, hoping to see them again, when I heard my friend
fire, and soon after some men came to call me, and I left my
tree and joined him. The tigers had come close to where he
was posted, and one of them came straight at his goat, sprang
on it, and, having killed it, walked forward for a few paces
with his tail straight up. in the air. At that moment my
friend fired, but unfortunately missed, and the tiger went off
at speed. In his way lay a cactus hedge nine or ten feet in
height, and this he appeared to have taken in his spring, for
we found the footprints deep in the light soil on the far side.
The tigers did not return.

On the following evening we sat up in trees on the other
side of the ravines. On this occasion my platform had been
built in a prickly babool tree, and was only accessible with a
ladder. My friend, having seen me in my place, carried it
off to enable him to mount his own tree, about a quarter of a
mile off. The moon did not rise till some little time after
sunset, and having been out all day I was tired and fell asleep,
with my rifle projecting from a small porthole in the screen
of boughs. I suppose I turned in my sleep, and thereby
raised the stock of the gun, for I was awoke by hearing it
rattling through the branches, and on looking down I beheld
it on the ground with the stock broken. Having no means
of descent, I was unable to recover it, so composed myself to
sleep till morning, when my companion returned and enabled
me to come down. No tigers had appeared during the night.

Next day we crossed the Nerbudda, and went to the
village of a small chief, who assured us that his country
swarmed with game, and that the viUage was nightly beset

74 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

by all manner of savage beasts. I knew enough of these
gentry to prevent me from placing much reliance on his
statement ; however, we had no better amusement in view,
so we rode off to his place, and had platforms again made in
trees. I was posted in the bed of the river, and was close to
the village ; but the chief assured me that that was the
principal resort of all the tigers in the country. A goat was
tied up below me, but he seemed to consider himself in no
danger, and after watching for some hours I fell asleep. I
was awoke by the goat moving about and bleating, and on
peeping out I saw a large hysena walking round him, and
apparently in doubt as to whether he should make a meal
of him. As there was no prospect of nobler game, I thought
I might as well make game of him, and, as he seemed much
inclined to rush at the goat, I fired and shot him through the
loins, disabling his hind quarters. Hearing some of the
chief's people above me in the village, I called out and told
them to knock the hysena on the head and take him away, in
the hope that, as morning was still far off, some other beast
might come. Three or four men at once came running down
the hill, and I could see their swords gleaming in the moon-
light ; when they found that there was nothing 'more formi-
dable than an old hysena, they went in at him with the most
determined courage. Next morning, when we came down
from our trees, I found the ground covered with blood, and
all the marks of a great struggle.

My companion had seen nothing, so we went up to the
village to get a drink of warm milk. The first thing we
observed on coming up to the house was a cart, upon which
was lashed the ignoble carcass of the hysena, in order, as the
villagers said, that we might take it to our own camp in case
we wished to preserve the skin. We went up to the spot

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 75

and examined the beast, which we found cut and slashed with
swords in all directions, and altogether presenting a very
gruesome spectacle.

On turning into the courtyard of the chiefs house, we
found him and his merry men just rousing themselves from
the dose which overtakes habitual opium-eaters ; for they
cannot be said to enjoy what other men call sleep. I never
saw such a wretched-looking parcel of vagabonds. Generally
I had seen them rather smart and dandified in their attire,
but they now, one and all, looked more dissipated and untidy
than I can describe. Their beards were tangled, and I could
not help laughing as they tried to open their gooseberry eyes
and wish us good morning. They had not had their morning
dram of opium ; and till it was ready for them they squatted
round the verandah of the courtyard, with looks of the most
hopeless imbecility. Soon a woman of the establishment
appeared, and, taking a piece of cotton wool, spread it out
about the breadth of a saucer. She then took a lump of
opium, which she scraped and rolled up in the cotton. The
whole was then saturated with water, which she squeezed and
sopped into the palm of her hand till she succeeded in pro-
ducing a strong brown liquid. She then went to the chief,
and, holding her hand to his lips, poured the opium into his
mouth, after which the cotton was again saturated with water,
and the operation repeated, till every gentleman had had his
"morning." The effect was wonderful ; in ten minutes they
all began to brighten up ; and when they had washed
their faces and bound on their turbans, it would have been
difficult to recognise the seedy-looking fellows of the pre-
vious half-hour. This custom of eating opium is almost
universal among the Eajpoots of Guzerat and Central India.
Every man carries it, and on two chiefs meeting they

76 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

take opium together, as Scotsmen are popularly supposed to
take snuff.

After a drink of warm milk we returned to our tents,
shooting partridges on the way. Passing through a bit of
jungle, I saw a large hawk fly up from the ground, and on
going to the spot found a hare which he had just killed. It
was only a little damaged about the head, so we carried it off
and had it jugged for dinner.

Hearing of some bears at a place called Wuggeria, where
there were some low hills, we moved our camp there. We
found three small table hills lying close together, having their
sides covered with stunted trees, while round the tops were
precipitous rocks and caves, giving good shelter to bears.
A tiger was also reported to frequent the neighbourhood. An
old Mahomedan shikaree offered to show us the ground, and
we went out under his guidance. He led us along the top of
one of these hills to a spot overhanging a mass of rocks, into
which we heaved some big stones. Two bears rushed out,
and went down the hill at a headlong pace. We opened fire
and knocked over the largest, but he picked himself up and
went on. We could see he was severely gruelled, and, reload-
ing, scrambled down after him. We found him lying in a
small ravine, and he at once charged, with loud grunts, but
we again bowled him over, and he made off ; being again shot
in the rear, he turned and made a last attempt to charge, but
was dropped dead. The smaller bear got off unscathed, and
we could see him crossing the ravines in his flight for a
considerable distance.

Our leave being up, we had to return to Broach,

During the next hot season, when we were quartered at
Baroda, Hayward and I organised another expedition to the
Toorun Mall hill, in the Akranee Pergunnah of Kandesh.

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 77

We made first for these hills at Wuggeria, but on inquiring
for the old shikaree, we were informed that he had gone to
the happy hunting-grounds, so we had to procure another
guide. Early next morning we ascended one of the hills, with
some men from the village, and carefully examined all the
rocks along the crest. We had been looking down from one
spot, where there were large masses of rocks, and seeing no-
thing, we had moved away some paces, when we were startled
by the discharge of a matchlock just behind us. We hurried
back, and found one of the villagers seated on the edge of the
rock, whence he had fired at a hyaena. As we were scolding
him for shooting without orders, six or seven hyaenas ran out
from the rocks below us, and made off down the hill. The
noise we had made alarmed a large bear, which had been also
lying among the rocks, and it made a rush for its cave, which
was close by. We opened fire, and, confused by our shots, the
bear went at a hole too small to admit it ; and as it struggled
in the entrance, we emptied our remaining barrels. It man-
aged, however, to withdraw its body, and disappeared under a
huge mass of rock. Beneath this was a cave, having another
small opening tending upwards to the edge of the rock, and
having on its immediate left a perpendicular mass of stone,
many feet in height. We could hear the bear in the cave
below ; and on looking down through the opening above men-
tioned, I could see its eyes below me. From the position of
the hole, however, I could not get my rifle to bear upon him,
except by firing from the left shoulder. This I did ; and from
the struggles below, we knew that the shot had taken effect.
After some time, one of my horse-keepers who was with us got
down to the spot where the bear had entered, and, taking a
knife in his teeth, he crawled in. I followed him, and we
found ourselves in a small cave, the end of which was blocked

78 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

by a mass of rock, having a hole under it, through which the
bear had passed. Into this hole the man crept, and dis-
appeared, till I saw nothing but his feet. Presently he called
out that he had hold of the bear, and requested me to pull his
legs. Laying down my rifle, I hauled away, and succeeded in
drawing out man and bear into the outer cave, whence the
beast was dragged by the rest of the party. I was much
pleased by the pluck shown by my man, for his entry into the
cave was a purely voluntary act on his part, and contrary to
the advice of the villagers, who, one and all, declared that he
would be killed.

In the dry bed of a river, close to the village, was a water-
hole used by the cattle, and we were informed that a tiger
came there every night to drink. We had been out all day
without getting a shot ; and on our return late in the evening,
we found that some men, who had promised to have a plat-
form erected in a neighbouring tree, had decamped, leaving
their work undone.

The moon did not rise till after nine o'clock, so we re-
mained till then in the village, and then went down to the
water-hole, where we had a small breastwork of boughs
placed round the foot of an old tamarind tree. In the open
space in the bed of the river we tied up a goat, and throwing
our blankets into our hiding-place, we arranged our guns, and
dismissed all our attendants. As we came down from the
village, we had heard the tiger growling on the hill-side ; but
though we remained on the alert a long time, we saw nothing
of him. It had been arranged that if the tiger came, and
sprang on the goat, we should lie still till he commenced to
eat, when we were to rise on our knees and deliver our fire.
Altogether, it was rather an insane proceeding ; but we were
young in those days.

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 79

About midnight Hayward was lying fast asleep, when I .
heard the growl of the tiger at a short distance on the hill
behind us. I at once aroused my companion, and we could
see by the movements of the goat that it was in a great state
of trepidation. Presently we heard the footsteps of the tiger
advancing on the dry leaves, and then all was still, save the
piteous bleat of the goat as it strained at the rope. The
tiger, I believe, stalked him behind the very tree under which
we lay, and in a few seconds he made his rush. We kept
well down ; there was a struggle among the shingle, and then
all was still. Thinking that the time had arrived for us to
shoot, we raised our heads and saw — no tiger — no goat — no
anything !

The rope had given way, and the tiger had carried his
prey under some thick bushes, on the far side of the river-bed.
We could hear him crunching up the bones as he made his
meal ; but he was in deep shade, and we could see nothing.
About two hours after he moved to a muddy puddle, and
drank. We then got an imperfect view, and had a snap shot
at him, but he got away untouched ; and we returned to the
village much disappointed.

Next night we had a platform put up in a tree at another
spot, and again tied up our scape-goat. We took up our
positions, and had both been asleep, when, on waking, I
looked over at the goat, and saw that it was tumbling about
in a peculiar manner, I roused my friend, and after looking
long in the imperfect light, we made out a panther, 'lying by
the dead goat, with his teeth in its throat. As the beast lay
on the yellow grass, it was with great difficulty that we could
distinguish it. We got our rifles on him, and fired together,
on which the panther gave one grunt, and rushed oft among
the underwood. On descending next morning, we examined

80 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

the ground, and found both the bullets in the earth, within a
few inches of each other, and on the very spot where the
panther had been. We searched about, but did not find
him ; and next morning we moved our camp. Two days
after, some villagers, observing vultures attracted to the spot,
again went to the ground, and found the remains of the
panther lying among some dead leaves. We must have
passed close to him in our former search, but his yellow
jacket being so similar to the dry grass and leaves, we had
failed to see him, and thereby lost his skin.

We had several days' severe marching among the hills to
Dhergaum, where we left our heavy baggage and pack-
bullocks, and set off to the Toorun Mall hill, distant some
thirty miles, by a footpath through the jungle. We camped
at the foot of the hill, and ascended it next morning. It is,
I believe, about 4000 feet above the sea, and the change
of climate from the low country was delightful. There
are no human habitations on the summit, but we found a
fine artificial lake, on the borders of which we encamped.

On the way up we came upon a huge tiger hanging on
a tree. He had killed a cow belonging to some Bheels ; they
poisoned the carcass, and, on his return, he had eaten freely,
and there and then died. The Bheels had pulled out his
teeth, claws, and whiskers, and then hung him up by his hind
legs. The skin not being broken, the action of the sun had
swollen the body to a huge size, and he looked truly gigantic ;
but having hung for several days in an April sun, we did
not care to inspect him very closely.

We spent several days on the top of the mountain.
There were bison here, but not being present in any official
capacity, we were unable to get men to show us the jungles,
and were not sufficiently acquainted with the country and its

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 81

inhabitants to work them properly. We bathed frequently
in the lake, and shot a number of small jungle antelope
and peafowl on the summit of the hill. On our home-
ward march we again passed Wuggeria, and went out on
the hills during the heat of the day, hoping to fall in with
something. As we were ascending a spur, we espied some
animal lying under a ledge of overhanging rock in a bay
formed by the contour of the hill to our right. We had no
regular shikarees — only a few Bheels picked up as we were
leaving the village ; these pronounced the beast to be a
hyaena, and we decided on having a shot at him.

Carefully marking a tree on the crest of the rock above
him, we made a circuit, and, ascending to the table-land, came
out above the spot were we had marked him. Standing
ready to open fire, we directed the Bheels to heave down
stones, which they did, but nothing appeared. We concluded
that the game had moved, but some of the Bheels crawled
along the face of the rock like monkeys, and, on looking over,
ascertained that there was an inner cave within that in which
we had seen the animal lying. It was evident that on hearing
us he had quietly risen and moved in, so we agreed to smoke
him out. We, therefore, found a place where we could de-
scend, and so passed round the base of the rock to the cave.

The outer part was triangular in shape — about seven
yards wide at the outside, and four or five deep, having at
the farther end an inner cave of about four feet high by two
and a half broad. The outer cave was quite open in front,
and seven feet high at the outside. From the cave the hill
sloped sharply down, covered with trees and bushes.

Some of the Bheels advanced to the mouth of the inner
cave, and looking in, saw one eye of the creature, like a ball
^f fire, at the far end of the den. We endeavoured to get

G

82 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

a shot, but owing, I suppose, to some projecting piece of
rock, we never could see both eyes at once, and two shots
which I fired in were without effect. Meanwhile, the Bheels
had collected a large bundle of grass and sticks, which we
rolled up to the entrance of the inner cave, and having set
fire to it, we all withdrew to the mouth of the outer to watch
the result. There was a most thorough draught into the cave,
and the flame was swept into it, but the beast made no sign,
and at length the fire died down. We then had another large
bundle of dry grass made up, but this time we mixed it well
with green leaves. On this being fired, a dense black smoke
arose, and was carried into the cave. It was such that we
thought no beast could live in it ; but again the fire died out,
and though the inner cave was filled with smoke, its tenant
had made no attempt to come out. We had just made up
our minds that he had died in the hole, when, from the inner
cave, came a sudden rush of smoke, as if driven out by some-
thing advancing rapidly. We stood ready, and the next
instant, through the embers of the fire, came — not a hysena —
but a large tiger, charging blindly, with savage growls.

Hayward carried a short rifle, with a ball of some three
ounces in weight, and I had a double rifle of fourteen bore.
In the instant that elapsed between the tiger's emerging
from the smoke and his reaching the entrance of the outer
cave, he was struck by the three balls. Two had taken him
through the shoulder, and one through the loins, disabling
his hind quarter. As he fell we could have placed our guns
on his head — too near, in fact, to be pleasant.

Our followers behaved with great steadiness, and at once
handed us our second guns. By this time the tiger had managed
to drag himself from the cave, and having got on the slope
of the hill, he was evidently unable to move up towards us.

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 83

When he first appeared, the Bheels were up the trees in an
instant, but came down when they saw him fall, and assisted
us to ascend the rock. This we did one at a time, the other
keeping guard in case of accidents. The tiger, though
disabled, was very savage, and had plenty of life in him, and
crunched the underwood savagely. After some time we gave
him his quietus, and carried him home to the camp. He was
no doubt the same beast that had dodged us so cleverly at
the well, but we had checkmated him this time. From his
boldness he had long being the terror of the village, though
we did not hear that he had killed any one.

After this exploit we returned to Baroda, and soon after I
joined some friends in a three days' pic-nic to Dubka, on the
Mhye river, where the Guicowar, who rules the country, has a
preserve well stocked with antelope and wild hogs. Besides
myself, there was only one of our party endowed with sporting
tendencies, and his forte was more in the saddle than with
the rifle. The Guicowar had given us permission to hunt,
but had requested that no firing might be allowed in the pre-
serve. We, therefore, encamped at some distance, and made
preparations for an early start.

My companion was well mounted on a valuable Arab. I
had only a rough but strong Deccan pony, so did not expect to
take a very active part in the morning's work. The beaters
had been sent round to drive, and as we rode through some
thin cypress jungle, on our way to the point where we were to
take up our position, we saw a huge boar returning to his covert
from the open country where he had been feeding during the
night. As we wished to get him as far as possible into the
open ground before riding at him, we cantered ahead, and
getting between him and the jungle, shouted, and turned him
back. We slowly followed, keeping about a hundred yards

84 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

apart, and well away from the boar. He went quietly for about
half-a-mile, and then seemed to think he had gone far enough,
for he stopped and faced round. He was in front of me at
the time, and was hid by some low bushes. My friend called
to me to look out, and at that moment the boar came charging
straight at me. I had no time to get under weigh, but my
pony behaved admirably, and stood like a rock. As the boar
came on, I planted my spear in the top of his neck, just
behind the head. The blade and a foot of the shaft were
completely buried, but he gave a wrench and snapped the
bamboo short off. I turned to a horseman who was with us,
and who should have been carrying spare spears, but he had
none, and when I looked round, the pig had disappeared.
Where he went I cannot say, but I never saw him again. I
thought then, and I think now, that had my companion done
his duty, he should have finished him. The jungle was thin,
and there was nothing to hide the pig ; my friend was, more-
over, well mounted, and had seen me deliver my spear, so he
had no excuse. I was much vexed, for the boar was a rattler,
with long white tushes. We hunted about for some time,
but could find no trace of him, and as by this time we
calculated that the beaters would be in the covert, we
moved on, to intercept any pigs which they might start.

We had not been long by the covert-side before a
fine young boar broke across the open ; and this time I
had no chance of a spear, for my friend was better mounted,
and a good rider to boot. The boar held 011 till he came
to some thin cypress jungle, over which we raced him,
but were thrown out by some nasty creeks. He dashed
through these, sending the mud flying in all directions, and
by the time we had managed to cross where the bottom
was sounder, he was far ahead. He then slacked his pace,

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 85

and was apparently undecided as to what course he should
take. In the meantime, we made play, and gained on him
fast, but on seeing us he again went off at score, but he was
now in clear ground, and my companion closed in and gave
him a good spear. In another moment mine was through
his ribs, when he made a sharp and plucky charge at my
friend, who met him well, and turned him over.

By this time the sun was high, and we returned to
our camp, which was on a high bank overhanging the
Mhye river. The opposite shore was muddy, and all along
the edge lay huge alligators basking in the heat. Walking
along the bank, near the tents, with one of our party, I
observed a large one which had crawled out, and lay high
and dry, in such a position . that we could stalk close up to
him. We made a circuit, and coming straight in on the
bank, saw him lying about thirty feet below us. We gave
him four barrels before he could reach the water, into which
he threw himself, lashing about with his tail with great
violence. From the mud which he raised we could see he
had not gone far, and the water being much tinged with
blood, we knew that he was hard hit. We returned to the
tents to get some long poles wherewith to stir him up, and
on our return we found he had come out, and was lying dead
upon the bank. He was a strong heavy beast, over twelve
feet in length, with most formidable jaws. I had him carried
to the tents, where I removed his skin and preserved it. In
his stomach we found a hatful of pebbles, some of which
were as large as small billiard-balls ; these he had swallowed
probably to assist digestion.

In shooting alligators, I have generally found that unless
shot dead by a ball in the head, or the base of the neck,
they will struggle into the water, but that, if left alone,

86 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

they will return to the shore and die on the bank. In the
same way the large turtles which frequent the Indian rivers
will also come ashore when shot through the body. I suppose
they are distressed by the water entering through the bullet-
holes in the hard skin.

About twenty-five miles to the east of Baroda is the hill-
fort of Powaghur, standing at a height of 2500 feet above the
sea. It is much frequented during the hot weather by the
officers of the cantonment, with their families. The base and
sides of the hill are clothed with heavy jungle, well stocked
with sambur, and having a fair sprinkling of tigers, bears,
and panthers.

The sambur lie in the ravines, far up the hill-side, and
require hard work to bag them. My friend Hayward did
more execution among them than any one else, and his plan
was to ascend the mountain before daybreak, and take up his
position at the head of one of the spurs of the hill, at the
highest point accessible to the deer. Beaters, who had been
sent for the purpose, would then come up the ravine, driving
the deer before them. The sambur would move up, till the
rocks became too abrupt for them to ascend higher, when
they would skirt the precipice to pass over the spur into the
next ravine. The hinds always came first, then the smaller
stags, and if there was a big one, he invariably came last.
They were not therefore bagged without considerable exercise
of self-denial on the part of the sportsman, for, as it could
never be known that the old stag was with the herd till he
made his appearance, it was not safe to fire at the small ones ;
and if there was no big one, the chance of the lesser was
often lost before the fact was ascertained.

Officers visiting the hill from Baroda generally made the
journey during the night, as the toilsome ascent was best got

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 87

over in the early morning. There was one man who, by his
own account, had been a most intrepid sportsman, though we
had never known him bag anything more formidable than a
quail. One morning he started up the hill by the only foot-
path. The day had not yet broken, and on getting into the
jungle he heard the steps of some beast following him. He
halted, and the sounds ceased ; but on his advancing, they
were again heard. Becoming somewhat nervous, he kept his
rifle ready, and at length saw what his diseased imagination
led him to believe was a huge tiger. He at once loosed his
piece, and shouted loudly, but was only answered by the
bleating of a goat, which had followed him from the village,
and which he fortunately had missed in his excitement.

CHAPTER V.

Guzerat — Game — The Revenue Survey — "The Hunt" — Dongurwah Meet —
Disputed Spear — Finishing off a Boar on foot — A Bloody Draught — The
Race not always to the Swift— A Sell for a Boaster — Boar dropped with a
single Spear — Thorns in Horse's Legs : Treatment — A Day's Shooting at
Dongurwah — Hunt Meet at Vinjool — Three Hogs slain — Land Tortoises —
Chinkara-shooting — Three Bucks shot— All Smoke — Sporting Attendant.

THE district of Guzerat is the best in the Bombay Presidency
for game of all kinds ; and the town of Ahmedabad, directly
connected as it is by rail with the Presidency, is a most con-
venient starting-point.

In addition to the British Civil Station, there is a military
cantonment, and the latter has a good racecourse, where there
is an annual meeting, as well as sky races, generally got up
during the monsoon. Game of many kinds abounds within
easy distances; and in most parts of the country, antelope,
chinkara, and nylghae, are to be found.

The cold season, commencing in November, brings in duck,
quail, and snipe ; and, as soon as the rain crops are off the
ground, good hog-hunting can be got in many places. The
country is for the most part very fertile, so much so that Guzerat
is fairly styled the Garden of Western India. From a few
miles south of Baroda, and as far as Ahmedabad, the line of
railway passes through a succession of highly-cultivated fields
for upwards of eighty miles. These fields are generally fenced
with high cactus hedges, covered with flowering creepers, and
the whole is richly wooded with noble trees, the larger pro-

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 89

portion being mango. To the west of the Samburmuttee river*
which flows under the walls of the town of Ahmedabad, the
country is more open and less cultivated, but in many parts
are immense tracts covered with wheat and cotton. Conti-
guous to these are often found extensive salt plains, to which
the Saiseen antelope retire during the heat of the day, return-
ing again in the evenings and at night to feed in the fields,
where they do great damage to the crops. The cultivators
seldom interfere with them, but endeavour sometimes to drive
them off by placing fuel in long stripes along the edges of the
fields. In the evening they ignite these at the ends next the
wind, and the fire smoulders till morning. The plan is not,
however, very efficacious. The Jeytulpoor country, lying
south of Ahmedabad, is richly wooded, and in many parts
nylghae and chinkara are very numerous. There are also many
good tanks, and in these, and in the rice-fields which they
irrigate, excellent snipe-shooting is to be had in the months
of December and January. I seldom cared to shoot more
than twenty or thirty couple at one time ; but on one occasion
I remember two men going out twenty miles to their ground,
and shooting during that day and for three hours on the fol-
lowing morning, and returning to the cantonment with 120
couple of snipe.

I was at this time appointed to the Guzerat Eevenue Survey,
a branch of an establishment which has done much to" concili-
ate the natives, and to consolidate our empire in Western India.

Throughout India the population, with the exception of
Bheels and other jungle tribes, resides entirely in towns and
villages. To each of these the land in the immediate vicinity
belongs, and it is either cultivated by individuals, or reserved
for grazing by the community in general.

Previous to our occupation of the country, the boundaries

90 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

of townships, except in cultivated districts, were vaguely
defined. But now that life and property are secure, and the
population has confidence, the cultivated area has greatly
increased, and it has been found necessary to have all bound-
aries accurately laid down.

When the Survey was establishod, village maps did not
exist, and the village accountants merely had rough books,
containing vague and unsatisfactory entries regarding the
tenure and rent of the lands.

A very large proportion of the best lands was alienated
from the state, and held by individuals on old grants, subject
generally to certain payments.

The rents paid to Government were excessive, and much
land lay waste.

Moreover, on wells being dug, or other improvements
effected by cultivators, they were at once subjected to an
increased assessment on the improved value of their holdings.

For the correction of these matters the Kevenue Survey
was established.

The Guzerat Branch consisted of —

1 Superintendent ;

6 Measuring Assistants ;

2 Classing Assistants.

In the early days of the department these were all officers of
the army, or gentlemen of the uncovenanted civil service.

The superintendent directed the whole, and assigned his
work to each assistant.

The measuring assistants had each under him twenty
native surveyors and eight learners.

The native surveyors were appointed to survey the various
villages about the country ; and they conducted their work
with chain and cross-staff.

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 91

They were at work at daybreak, accompanied by the
village authorities, and in a rough field-book all entries
regarding the tenure, holder, cultivator, and area, of a few
fields, were daily made.

On going home these entries were written out in a fair
book, and a plan, drawn on a scale, was made of each field
which had been measured that day.

The fields were then daily added to the large map of the
village under survey.

Eoads, tanks, or ponds, wells, etc., were all shown on the
plan.

Boundaries of fields were marked by stones or mounds of
earth.

The classing assistants had each under him twelve native
classers, and each had to go over as much ground as three
measuring assistants.

Their duties were to examine and class the soil according
to its capability.

This they did by ascertaining the depth and nature of the
soil. All land was divided into first, second, and third classes ;
and the standard was lowered as deteriorating qualities
existed.

Mixture of lime, gravel, sand and clay, and salt, were
held to be bad, as was also liability to flooding in the rainy
season, or a surface whence the rainfall would at once
run off.

All unculturable land was deducted from the gross area.

Finally, the area being fixed, the field was classed accord-
ing to its merits, the great object being to secure, by constant
supervision and co-operation, that lands of equal value should
be entered by the various native classers according to the
same standard, and consequently in the same class.

92 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

Ten per cent of all work done by native measurers or
classers was tested by the European officers.

On the completion of the survey and classing, the books
and maps were made over to the settlement officers, who were,
usually, the superintendent of the survey and a revenue officer
of experience.

These determined the rent to be paid on the lands, and
they were assisted by the best local advice.

In this matter all minor details were duly considered —
viz. the area ; the soil ; the distance of the land from the
village and from water ; and the distance of the village itself
from the nearest market.

The settlement was made for thirty years, and the rents fixed
were so low, that not only were large tracts of waste at once
brought under cultivation, but many lands which had been
granted away on yearly payment were given up, the holders
preferring to give the new and diminished rent.

The full value, up to the end of the settlement, was
secured to the cultivator for any improvements he might
effect.

The land was secured to the cultivator so long as he con-
tinued to pay his rent ; while, 011 the other hand, he was at
full liberty to give it up at any time, on giving intimation
previous to the 5th of June.

At the time I write of we had an institution called " The
Hunt," got up for the furtherance of hog-hunting, and a small
monthly sum was collected from subscribers. With this the
Hunt paid for a shikaree, whose duty it was to go about the
country and ascertain where pigs were to be found in rideable
ground. The Hunt, moreover, paid for the cost and carriage
of a large mess-tent and a mess -table, and provided candles
and cards. On hunting days half the cost of the beaters was

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 93

also defrayed out of this fund, the other half being paid by
the sportsmen present. The meets generally lasted from four
to six days — alternate days being devoted to hunting and
shooting.

The locality being fixed on, the mess-tent was sent out,
and every man intending to be present sent on his servants
with a small sleeping-tent and a goodly store of provender
of all kinds — both solid and fluid — and as many horses
and ponies as he could muster. The shikaree and his assist-
ants were out long before daybreak, and took up positions in
trees whence they could watch the pigs as they returned to
the coverts from their feeding grounds. By eight o'clock he
generally reappeared, and gave in his report to the captain of
the Hunt, by whom the programme for the day was arranged.
About 9 A.M. there used to be a general shout for breakfast,
and each man's servant brought in a dish or two to the mess-
tent, and the table speedily groaned with viands of sorts.

The appearance of our camp was highly effective. It was
generally situated in some grove of grand old mangoes. In
the centre stood the mess-tent, amongst the trees were dotted
the small sleeping tents, and besides each of these were picketed
three or four steeds, whose numerous attendants lay about on
the ground wherever they could find shade. By half-past ten
we were in the saddle, and seldom had far to go before reach-
ing the covert-side. The horsemen were sent to their places
by the captain, and though at times some were unruly, we
were, for the most part, orderly and well conducted. Our
favourite meet was at Dongurwah, about thirty miles to the
north of Ahmedabad. Pigs were always plentiful, and on the
alternate days there was abundance of game of all kinds, for
both gun and rifle.

The mess-table was always liberally supplied. In addition

94 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

to beef, mutton, hams, and tongues, we had ducks of many
kinds ; teal, snipe, quail, Saiseen antelope, chinkara ; and the
marrow-bones and tongue of the nylghae, while his head was
generally potted and served up cold ; partridges — painted,
gray, and rock — and hares in plenty ; and, to crown all, pork
chops and the soused head of the mighty boar himself.

The field was generally well attended, and sharp contests
for the honour of the first spear were numerous. At times
this emulation led to hot and strong discussions ; for in the
excitement of a chase, when several pigs were on foot at
once, and when possibly the hunted boar might be changed
during the run, it was not always an easy matter to say
whose spear had drawn first blood.

I well remember an occasion when a warm dispute for the
tushes had at last been decided between two rival horsemen
by a toss-up. The beaters were proceeding to open the beast,
and only then discovered, deeply buried in the boar's neck,
the spear-head of a third horseman, whose claim to the tushes
had been utterly ignored, but who had in reality drawn first
blood. The boar, after being first speared by him, had in his
course passed through a thicket of high grass and bushes, and
on emerging on the far side was supposed to be a fresh one ;
hence the dispute which had so narrow an escape of an unjust
decision. The head of the first spear had broken short off,
and was completely buried in the muscles of the neck.

In some parts of the Dongurwah country there were dense
thorny thickets which, though of no great extent, were quite
impenetrable for horsemen, and on a wounded boar gaining the
shelter of one of these, there was much difficulty in dislodging
him. We had had a severe run after a very large old boar ;
he was badly speared, but managed to reach one of these, and
all our attempts to induce him again to break cover were in

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 95

vain. The beaters came up and advanced with fiendish yells,
blowing horns and beating drums. Stones were showered into
the bush, and a sharp fire of blank cartridge was kept up by
a party of the Guzerat Kolee corps who had accompanied us.
The boar, however, knew the strength of his position, and
refused to show himself again in the open ground. He
might, of course, have been shot, but such a proceeding
would have been regarded in the same light as the shooting
of a fox in Leicestershire ; so as we could not in honour ride
away and leave him, it was agreed that we should dismount
and go in at him on foot with our spears.

The project was a rash one, for though a spear is a handy
weapon when used from horseback in open ground, it is not
quite so suitable when going in at an infuriated boar in a
tangled thicket of thorns and long grass. We did not, however,
give this part of the matter much consideration. We were
about eight in number, and in the event of any one of us being
in difficulties we relied on our comrades. The boar had taken
his stand in the centre of the thicket, which was some fifty
yards across, and we moved slowly in on him, with our spears
shortened and pointed in advance. My greatest danger
seemed to be from my neighbour on the left, who, relinquish-
ing his spear, had armed himself with a sharp-pointed crooked
sword which he had taken from one of the beaters, and
which he held over his shoulder in painful proximity to my
countenance.

Towards the centre of the thicket the ground was some-
what clearer, and most fortunately the boar selected the
moment at which we gained this spot to make his charge.
With savage grunts he came crashing down on us, and evi-
dently intended to make an ugly hole in some one, but we
stood steady, and the nearest spears were buried in his chest

96 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

and shoulders. His weight and impetus were great, and the
tough bamboo spear-shafts bent under the strain, but we
closed in on him, and he yielded up his gallant spirit.

The beaters crowded in and bore him from his lair, and
on reaching the open ground, proceeded to "gralloch." On
removing the intestines, a large quantity of blood was found
in the carcass. Diving their hands into the body, they scooped
out the warm blood and drank it greedily, wiping their en-
sanguined fingers on their long beards and moustache. The
effect was truly startling, but they seemed to enjoy it, and
for all that I can say to the contrary, it may have been very
good tipple.

Many of these men carried " boomerangs, " a weapon I
have never seen used in any other part of India. It was
made of dark heavy wood, two inches broad, three quarters of
an inch thick, and about two and a half feet long, sharpened
at the edges. These they threw with great force, and would
not unfrequently knock over hares and partridges as they rose
during the beat.

Although in hog-hunting it is advantageous to be well
mounted, yet many spears are taken by men on steady old
horses, held well in hand. Young high-couraged horses are
often hard to hold, and, to enable the rider to work his spear
properly the right hand should be free. I have seen the
spear taken from a field mounted on high-priced horses,
by an old stager riding a steady screw that would not fetch
£10. One member of the Hunt often rode a small dark
chestnut pony, about thirteen hands high. The man was over
six feet in height, and it seemed incredible that the rat he
bestrode could carry his weight. The pony was a most
vicious little beast, and when at his picket would rush open-
mouthed at any one who approached him ; but his blood and

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 97

pluck were undeniable, and it was a rare sight to see him and
his rider hurl themselves into a ten-foot hedge and kick and
struggle till they forced a passage. When let out at a boar,
the pony thoroughly entered into the sport ; and, thanks to
his speed and game running, his owner frequently carried off
the spear.

Old boars are often very cunning, and will hang back in
a thicket when the rest of the sounder breaks, stealing
quietly off when the field is in hot pursuit of some of the
smaller pigs. As a rule, they do not give so fast a run as a
young boar or a long-legged sow ; but when brought to bay
they are awkward customers, and frequently leave their mark
on their pursuers. Our beaters were ripped on several occa-
sions, but fortunately the wounds were not severe, and were
confined to the legs. . The cut of a boar's tusk is peculiar, and
is generally of the form of the letter L, like a tear in woollen
cloth. Although, when charging, they come on with savage
grunts, they seldom cry out when speared ; and a pig who
dies with a squeal is generally regarded as an ignoble beast,
having in his veins the blood of domestic ancestors.

I remember a joke played off on a man whose deeds in
the saddle were not supposed to lose aught of their import-
ance by his own description of them. Some youngsters of the
cantonment, having purchased a village pig, had been in the
habit of sending it out for a mile or two in a cart, and hunting
it home with long bamboos. By this course of training, the
piggy acquired wind and some degree of speed. At length,
on a day appointed, he was taken out and secured by the leg
in the covert. The usual party, with the addition of the
mighty hunter, were assembled at the mess tiffin, when a
native came up and reported a fine boar marked down.
Horses and spears were called for, and, with the guide in

H

08 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

advance, all proceeded to the jungle-side. Nimrod announced
his intention of refraining from all active part in the pro-
ceedings, on the ground that it would be unfair for an old
experienced hunter like himself to take the spear from a lot
of young fellows to whom the sport was new. He was, how-
ever, assured that without his valuable aid the game would
probably escape, and that it was therefore hoped he would
not practise such extreme self-denial. On the riders taking
up their positions, men were sent to free the obscene
beast, which speedily appeared ; and, in expectation of the
customary chevy, made off at its best pace. By judicious
management, all the field got thrown out with the exception
of Nimrod, who was seen riding like a man, and coming up
to the pig, hand over hand. Making a well-directed rush,
with a triumphant shout, he speared the beast, and a few
more thrusts rolled it over. The other riders now gathered
round the redoubtable hunter, who was seen standing by the
prostrate " gaumtee," waving his cap and brandishing his
blood-stained spear. " Gentlemen !" he cried, " it was too
bad of me ! but really when I saw the boar break cover, my
blood got up, and I was quite unable to restrain myself ! "
At this moment, a villager, who had been previously well
coached, came running up and demanded payment for his
property. It was long before Mmrod again entertained the
mess with his hunting exploits.

Although large boars often showed fight, and gave trouble,
at times they were laid low by a single spear. One morn-
ing we were hunting in a difficult country, covered with
scrub-bush, through which it was difficult to urge a horse
at great speed, when a stout young boar was seen crossing
the cover at some distance ahead. He was going at a sharp
pace, and as he already had a good start, the word to ride

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 99

was at once given. Away we went, threading through the
bush at a smart gallop. Hearing us coming up, the boar
halted for a moment, and again started off. We now settled
down to the work, and were gaining on him, when one of our
party, who had been at some distance from us when we
started, came down on the pig at a right angle. The boar
never swerved, but apparently charged straight ahead, and
with the intention of cutting the fore legs of the horse from
under him. How the horse escaped we could not imagine.
The boar seemed to cross under his neck, and both were going
at their best pace. In an instant the rider dropped the point
of his spear between the shoulders of the boar, and with a
convulsive struggle it rolled over, quite dead.

The thorns through which we hunted told heavily on the
legs of the horses, and they were often much swollen after a
hard day's work. A favourite remedy was the red earth from
the nests of white ants, boiled up with the leaves of the neem-
tree, till the whole formed into a thick paste. With this the
legs were plastered, from above the knees downwards ; and
the mud on drying formed a sort of bandage round the leg.
In the early morning the horses were often taken down to the
nearest tank, and kept standing for fifteen minutes in the cold
water. These combined remedies seemed to draw out the
thorns to the surface, whence many were extracted by careful
horsekeepers ; and I have seen a man come up with the back
of his currycomb covered with large thorns, which he had
picked out from the legs of the horse under his charge.

During the meet, — on the days devoted to shooting,
we generally started off in pairs, armed with gun and rifle,
and taking a light shooting-cart to carry home the game. I
was out one day with a civilian who was passionately fond of
the chase in all its branches. We laid in a good lunch, and

100 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

cooling beverages of sorts, and started off after breakfast.
A mile or two from camp we came on a small herd of chinkara,
and conspicuous among them was a fine buck. They were
standing about, in a partially cultivated piece of ground, crop-
ping the young shoots of bair-bushes. Dropping off our horses,
we walked on the far side of the shooting-cart, which was
slowly driven past the deer. Seeing us, they moved off for a
short distance, and stood scattered over the side of a slight
rise. The buck gave a fair chance, and the Collector dropped
him neatly with a shot through the shoulders.

Placing him in the cart we again mounted and moved on,
and soon came on a herd of nylghae. One of my attendants
had asked me to procure for him the skin of an old bull, as he
required it to make a shield. Observing a very fine blue fellow
standing out by himself, at some distance from the rest, we
decided that he was a proper beast for the purpose. On this
occasion, it was my turn to shoot, and working up to within a
hundred yards, I drew the bead on his shoulder. As I pressed
the trigger the bull wheeled round, and the ball struck him
too far back. He was, however, badly wounded, and went off
slowly. Eunning back, the Collector mounted his horse, and
gave chase. As he closed on the bull he delivered his spear
behind the shoulder, and narrowly escaped a kick, which would
probably have broken his leg had it taken effect. The spear-
thrust proved deadly, and the beast fell over, after going a short
distance. As we did not fancy taking him about with us all
day, we dragged him to some thick bushes, where the vultures
could not see him, and covering him up with boughs, we left
him till we returned in the evening.

Farther on, we came on a herd of Saiseen antelope,
but my companion missed a tolerably good buck, and
knocked over a fat doe, which was grazing just beyond

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 101

him. We now came on a country fairly stocked with
hares and partridges, but as deer were likely to be scared
by much firing, we did not interfere with them. In a patch
of scrub jungle, we came on six or seven chinkara, and I shot
the best buck. The rest ran a short distance and stood, when
the Collector rolled over a doe in good style. Our bag was
now, one nylghae, one antelope, and three chinkara, so we
thought we had fairly earned our luncheon. Not far off was a
well shaded by trees, where some cultivators were busy with
their bullocks, irrigating a field. Here we halted. Our own
bullocks were unharnessed and watered, and while we emptied
the luncheon-basket, they and our horses took their mid-day
feed of grain. Then a smoke and a confabulation, and we
again turned homewards. On our way we shot two more
chinkara, and picked up the blue bull which we had shot in
the morning. Altogether, the load in the cart was about as
much as it would hold. The blue bull was taken charge of by
one of my gun-bearers, who removed the skin by cutting it
down the back of the neck and spine, thereby preserving un-
damaged the stout skin of the chest and throat, which is prized
as a defence against sword-cuts and arrows. After a long day
in the sun, a tub and clean clothes were very refreshing, and
the hour before dinner was pleasantly passed in arm-chairs, in
an open spot, where we assembled to smoke our pipes, and go
over the adventures of the day.

There was a sure find for pigs at Vinjool, about eight miles
from Ahmedabad ; but the country was difficult, and hog
were only got by hard riding and good luck.

Part of the ground was much cut up by rice-fields, formed
into terraces, with mud-banks between them. These fields
were baked in the sun till they became hard as bricks ; and
woe to the unlucky man who got a cropper among them. We

102 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

were also frequently troubled by a nasty nullah, with steep
and treacherous banks, winding in a tortuous manner through
the line of country which the pig almost invariably took ;
and in many parts, the cactus and milk-bush hedges grew to
the height of eighteen and twenty feet — too thick for a horse
to crash through, but open enough below to allow of the pass-
age of a boar.

We had a good meet here one fine morning, the attend-
ance being larger than usual, owing to the proximity of the
cantonment. Several pigs had been marked into some low
hills covered with neem-trees, and having in parts a strong-
undergrowth of bair-bushes. They were started, and made
off across the rice-fields at a great pace. We were soon after
them, and before long, a gallant officer was seen to get a
frightful header over a high double bank. The sounder
broke into twos and threes, and I found myself, and two other
men, after a stout young boar. He made for some enclosed
fields, and dashed through an eighteen feet hedge. Thinking
I saw an opening, I rode at it and crashed through, landing
in a narrow lane, minus my stirrups, which had been drawn
out of the catches by the resistance of the hedge, which was
strongly laced with creepers. Having readjusted the stirrups,
I again mounted and put my horse at the hedge on the other
side, and somehow we struggled through ; but by this time
my two companions and the boar had got a long start of
me. I had some difficulty in getting up to them, and only
did so in time to see the spear taken. The boar was only
slightly pricked, and getting close to the side of a high over-
hanging hedge of cactus, he held on at a good pace, and, by
crossing through where he found an opening underneath, left
us a long way behind. Finding a gap, we again closed with him.
He was now very savage, and as we came up he shortened

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 103

his pace and prepared for a sidelong rush at the nearest horse,
" verris obliquuru meditantis ictum." Watching his oppor-
tunity, he suddenly swerved across, but was checked by a
clever spear in the shoulder, and in another instant he was
rolled over by a cross spear behind the elbow, which finished
him. Meanwhile the rest of the field had divided into two
parties ; one of which had lost their pig in the nullah, and
the other had slain a large sow. She had made a good charge
at the finish, and before receiving the coup de grace had nearly
bitten through the boot of one of her pursuers.

About mid-day we adjourned to the tent for refreshment,
and by the time we had rested, the Hunt shikaree — who had
gone off on the track of a small boar which he had seen
stealing away in the morning — returned, having succeeded in
marking him down. His hiding-place was watched on all
sides by men perched on trees. We set out at once, and on
arriving at the spot a few men were sent into the cover to
dislodge him. Some of the field were rather noisy, having
taken deep draughts of beer-mug, which had not only cheered
but also slightly inebriated. Two of these gentlemen managed
to head the pig, and turned him back into cover ; thereby
calling forth a well-merited rebuke from the captain of the
Hunt. After some trouble, the boar was again driven out,
and made for the much-dreaded nullah. The field, however,
spread out and divided. One or two horsemen kept on the
far side, and on the boar attempting to cross for a distant
cover, they had a sharp skurry, and the spear was neatly
taken by an officer of the Guzerat Horse. In the course of
the afternoon another pig was started, but got away among
difficult ground and escaped. While watching a comer of
the cover, one sportsman saw two land tortoises crawl out
of some thorn bushes, and dismounting, succeeded in capturing

I

104 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

both. We returned to the cantonment by moonlight, and as
we rode along, were favoured by some of the party with vocal
music of a high order.

In some parts of the country round Vinjool, chinkara are
plentiful, and it was here I had my first day's shooting among
them. It was during the height of the rainy season, and I had
come to Ahmedabad to attend the races which were held that
year. Bowles of the Eevenue Survey had a good shooting-cart,
which we sent on with our rifles and lunch, and cantered out
after it on horseback. The millet and maize crops were high,
and we were not very sanguine, as, during the heat of the day,
the deer take much to the shelter of the tall crops. However,
after wandering about for some time, we spied a buck feeding
among some vetches, and succeeded in working the cart up to
within shooting distance. Bowles would not fire, as he wanted
me to have all the sport. I made a good shot, and dropped the
buck, but he rose at once and made off ; we could see, how-
ever, that he was badly hit, and he soon slackened his pace
and lay down among some low bushes. Had we attempted
to go up to him at once, he would probably have risen and
gone off, so we quietly sat down and watched him for nearly
an hour. By this time his wound began to distress him, and
when we again advanced he allowed us to approach suffi-
ciently near to give him a final shot. We then went on, but
saw nothing for some time, so sat down under a tree and
took our lunch. Again moving on, we started two bucks,
which were feeding in some high grain in our left, and they
ran out into the open ground. After going about seventy yards
they halted and stood head on ; I fired, and dropped one in
his tracks, shooting him through the chest ; and as the other
bolted off I gave him the second barrel, hitting him through
the body. He was completely doubled up, and soon after lay
down, when we captured him without another shot.

ADVENTUKES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 105

The heat of the sun during the monsoon is very great, and
the glare from the large white clouds has a more scorching
effect than at any other time. We felt it very much on this
occasion, and having three deer in the cart, we thought we
might move home. So, leaving our men to follow, we returned
to our quarters.

By keeping quiet, and watching a wounded deer for some
time, much trouble may be saved. Some men ride down
wounded bucks on horseback ; but the plan is a bad one, and
should be avoided if possible, as the other deer get scared,
and subsequent shooting is spoiled. It is, however, requisite
to keep the wounded animal in view, or a disappointment may
result.

I remember one man who fired at a buck, and thought he
hit it. He followed, and lost sight of the deer ; but soon
after observed a brown object near a bush, which he supposed
to be the wounded antelope. He was not much of a sports-
man ; but, having heard us recommend the above course, he
determined to adopt it. Sitting down, he lit a very long
Trichinopoly cheroot, and smoked it out, and had, I believe,
half finished a second, when the supposed buck turned out to
be only a large hawk, which then rose, and flew lazily away.

When stalking antelope, it is well to pay some attention
to the selection of any native attendant who may accompany
you. It is an amusing and instructive sight to see a youthful
sportsman crawling up to a herd on his hands and knees,
while his servant, walking bolt upright, gravely follows at the
distance of a few yards.

The result may be imagined.

CHAPTEE VI.

Antelope-shooting on the Samburmuttee — Meytal — Peafowl-shooting — Ride
Wounded Buck — Do. with Dog — "White Antelopes — Nylghae — Dog
attacked by them — Three shot — Rock Snakes— Panther shot at Surla —
Invigorating Drink— The "Null" — Antelope — Coolen and Duck-shoot-
ing— Shooting in Bedfordshire — Anecdotes — Antelope-shooting from
Pits — Gun borrowed and returned.

MY chum, Harrington Bulkley, than whom a better fellow or
more keen sportsman never breathed, had invited me and a
friend who was staying in my camp to pay him a visit. So
we made an early start one morning from the town of
Dholka, and, riding eastward, crossed the Samburmuttee
river, when a few more miles brought us to his tents.

He was most comfortably situated, in a good game country,
and there was excellent snipe-shooting in the vicinity. On
arriving at the tents we were informed that our host was
absent in Ahmedabad, but was expected home that morning ;
so, after a cup of tea, we ordered out the shooting-cart, and
went in quest of a herd of antelopes which we heard were in
the neighbourhood. We had not gone a mile before we came
upon them, some fifteen in number, and among them four or
five very good black bucks. My friend and I tossed for the
shot, and the luck was in my favour. The deer had
evidently not been disturbed much, for they allowed us to
get within easy range. My first shot dropped a fine buck
dead, and, as they went off, another fell to the second barrel.
They were both large bucks, and, having had good feed

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 107

among the irrigated fields, were in excellent condition. We
then put them into the cart, and returned to the tents just in
time to meet our host on his arrival. He gave us a good deal
of light and pleasant chaff, and abused us for disturbing the
game so near home.

It turned out afterwards that, though chinkara were
plentiful, this was the only herd of antelope within some
distance, and it had been carefully preserved in anticipation
of our visit. During our stay we were joined by two
gentlemen of the Civil Service, and had two days' good hog-
hunting, killing several pigs on both occasions. We also
made some good bags of snipe and ducks. Bulkley and I
were employed together for some time at Meytal — a village
about fifteen miles west of Dholka. This was an excellent
camp for game, and on all sides the Saiseen antelope swarmed.
I shot one very fine buck, with twenty-five inch horns. He
was feeding on the side of a rising ground, about a mile from
camp, and I was at once struck by the rich purple-black of
his skin and the great length of his horns. I made a
successful stalk, and put a ball in through the shoulders.
He went only a short distance, and then ran into some thorn
bushes, where he lay down and was easily captured.

Close round our tents were some low sandy hills, slightly
rising above the plain, and covered with neem-trees and
thorny bushes. Hares were plentiful, and we shot them from
time to time, as required for the pot. The painted partridge
was also common, and shared the fate of the hares. In
Guzerat the shooting of peafowl was prohibited, in deference
to the prejudices of the natives, who encourage them in the
neighbourhood of the villages. They consume large quanti-
ties of grain — especially of wheat, which is seldom cut, how-
ever ripe, until a certain date ; and in many parts scores of

108 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

peafowl may be seen feeding in the fields at all hours of the
day. There were numbers of them round Meytal, and we
frequently took a quiet shot at the younger birds among the
thorn bushes. They were excellent when roasted, and made
very good make-believe turkey. The Mekranees have a
singular method of shooting them. When the peafowl are
feeding in the early mornings and evenings, these men tie a
mask, representing the head of a panther, over their faces,
and crawling up to some bush or opening in the hedge, they
thrust their heads forward and attract the notice of the fowl.
The latter raise their heads and advance in an inquisitive man-
ner, watching the supposed panther, which they frequently
approach to within twenty paces, and are then easily shot.

About a couple of miles south-west of Meytal is an ex-
tensive plain. The ground is so impregnated with salt as to
be uncultivable ; but during the monsoon a coarse grass
springs up, and the place is resorted to by herdsmen with
large numbers of tame buffaloes. The soft ground is cut up
by these heavy beasts, and when again hardened by the
subsequent action of the sun, is most disagreeable to ride
over. I had a very severe run over this country one morning
after a black buck whose hind leg I had disabled. I was un-
acquainted with the ground, and seeing the buck make off
over the apparently level plains, I signalled to my groom to
bring up my horse, and, mounting, gave chase. By this time
the buck had got a long start, and having passed near some
other deer which were out in the plain, they also took alarm
and moved off with him. Had he been shot in the body I
should have had difficulty in selecting him from the rest, but
with his damaged leg there could be no mistake, though the
pace at which he went kept him up with the others. I fol-
lowed at a hand gallop, but found I had to put my galloway

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 109

at his best speed. Sometimes we came on places where the
hard mud stuck up in jagged lumps, and my horse made some
desperate flounders. I sat well back in the saddle, keeping a
steady pull at his head, and the pace alone kept him on his
legs. After going about two miles the buck began to give in,
and broke away from the rest of the herd ; and as we were
then on better ground I was enabled to press him. I at
length succeeded in turning him, and I then knew that he
could not hold on much longer. He now gave in fast, and,
holding my horse well in hand, I took several more turns out
of him, and he soon after dropped exhausted. The run was
altogether a severe one, owing to the extreme roughness of
the ground, and the mud, baked in the sun, was as hard as
brick. On these occasions I generally carried a spear, though
I seldom required to use it, for when a buck is so far blown
as to allow a horse to come up with him, he will, in most
cases, throw himself down, and may then be laid hold of.

A friend sent me a large red dog, which I found very useful,
especially when following a wounded buck in long grass, rough
ground, or high grain. The dog had, I think, belonged to some
of the Brinjarra, or other wandering tribes, and was a strong
powerful beast, though by no means fast. He was, however,
wonderfully steady, and would never leave a wounded deer.
Where antelope were numerous, I have frequently seen him
pursue one right through a herd ; and though the other deer,
apparently with the intention of baffling the dog, would cross
and recross within a few yards of his nose during the run, he
would never leave the wounded beast, but would follow on
till he succeeded in separating him from his fellows. The
only difficulty was to get him fairly laid on at the outset, and
for this purpose I had a cord passed through his collar to act
as a slip. I kept one end of the cord tied round the wrist,

110 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

the other loose in my hand, and in this manner I would
mount my horse, and, keeping the dog on the right hand,
would start after the wounded buck at a hand gallop. The
old dog knew his work, and as soon as I was convinced that
he saw which deer he was to follow, I slipped the cord and
away he would go.

The Saiseen antelope, or black buck, is, to use an Irishism,
occasionally found pure white.

I have seen five or six specimens, but they were all in the
country to the soutn-west of Ahmedabad, and may consequently
have been related to each other. These antelope are regular
albinos, having white horns and hoofs, and red eyes. They
can be distinguished at great distances, owing to the exceed-
ing purity of their white coats, and, being seldom met with,
they are much sought after by sportsmen. My friend Bowles
shot one of these on the north-east frontier of Kattyawar. He
was a very fine buck, having horns twenty-six inches in length.
I had often seen one near Meytal, but he had been frequently
fired at — often when he could only have been bagged by a
fluke — and he had in consequence become very cunning,
lying out during the day in some open salt plain, and only
coming into the cultivated parts at nightfall. Many
stratagems were employed, but to no purpose. Sometimes
we stalked him with the shooting-cart, sometimes we tried to
drive him, occasionally we tried to approach him with the
coloured dress of one of the native women over our shooting
clothes, but the buck was too much for us, and we never
brought him to bag. I fell in with another of these albinos
at Kote, a village some thirty miles south of Ahmedabad. It
was a fawn, in company with one or two skittish does, and
they were very shy. I worked after it one morning for many
hours, but was unable to get within range.

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. Ill

The nylghae were met with to the north-west of Kote,
and we often brought in a fat cow to the larder. The flesh,
though somewhat coarse, is by no means to be despised ; and
as beef proper was not obtainable, we were glad of the change
from the everlasting mutton. We also shot some very large
old bulls.

I was out one morning shooting for the pot, when I
observed a herd of nylghae, and seeing some calves among
them, I stalked to within a hundred yards, and, singling out a
good one, fired. The bullet struck low, breaking the fore-leg
near the body. I had no horse with me at the time, but my
big dog was led by an attendant, to whom I signalled to bring
him up. The herd had not gone very far ; and, taking up the
dog towards them, I advanced till they began to move away,
when I slipped him. The herd went off at a sharp trot, and
the dog was gaining on them fast, and was close to the
wounded calf, when the herd suddenly halted, and a number
of cows faced about. They waited till the dog was within
twenty yards, when they made a rush at him, striking violently
with their fore-feet. The dog had no chance against them,
and received some severe blows, but at last managed to get
away, and returned to me much discomfited. The herd moved
off, taking the wounded calf with them, and my visions of
veal vanished into thin air.

The nature of the nylghae varies much, according to the
locality in which he is found. In some of the more cultivated
parts they are tame as cows, but in the big jungles they
become very wary, and are nearly as difficult of approach as
the sambur. An officer who was in camp with me, but who
himself was no sportsman, expressed a wish to join me one
afternoon ; so, ordering out the shooting-cart, we mounted our
ponies and set off for some Babool jungle, which I knew was

112 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

frequented by nylghae. We had not gone far before a large
cow passed across the track. We moved quietly on, and I got
a fair shot. She went off, however, and on my slipping the dog
he disappeared in the jungle, and did not return for some time.
Blood was visible about his muzzle, but we never got the cow.
Some days after, we learned that the dog had run her down
and killed her close to a village, and that her carcass had been
eaten by the Dhers and other men of low caste. Soon after
we came on another herd, and this time I got a fair standing
shot, dropping a large blue bull. The rest of the herd went
off through some high grass, and with iny second barrel I
bagged a fat cow. My companion was greatly excited. He
was of a practical turn of mind, and at once suggested that
meat so easily obtained might be turned to good account, and
that we ought without delay to enter into a contract to supply
her Majesty's navy with salt beef.

At a village a few miles to the south-west of Dholka we
fell in with two specimens of the boa or rock snake. They
were not very large, only about seven feet long, but stout.
They had taken up their quarters in an old tree, which over-
shadowed the tents. The main trunk and many of the
larger branches were hollow ; and a groom, as he lay on some
straw near his horses, observed one of the serpents project his
head from a hole about thirty feet from the ground. He
at once called out, and my friend Bulkley fetched his rifle
and put a ball through the head of the snake, which, after
a few convulsive struggles, threw itself from the hole and fell
at our feet. The other showed itself a day or two after, and
was also slain.

In the open plains about twelve miles to the south-west
of the town of Dholka were large tracts covered with high
grass, and these were frequently resorted to by panthers.

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 113

We were shooting antelope near the village of Surla, and
were astonished to find the deer very shy and scared.
In the course of the day we came on several remains of
them, and the carcasses of two or three which had been but
recently killed. On inquiring from some cowherds, we were
informed that a panther had been seen, so we fixed an early
day to hunt him up. Water was scarce and bad, so we had
a few bottles placed in the luncheon basket, which amongst
other things contained a bottle of whisky and several bottles
of beer. On arriving at the village of Surla I had a nasty
feverish attack, and was too seedy to go out. My two com-
panions, however, went forth, with about forty beaters, and
hunted up a strip of swampy ground covered with grass ten
feet in height. The panther was soon started, and opened
the ball by charging back through the line of men, who made
way for him with great promptitude. The guns then moved
back and the line faced about, and this time succeeded in
driving the panther across an open space. Here he received
a shot which disabled one of his forelegs, but he reached
a patch of high grass, into which he disappeared. To follow
him now became a service of some danger, as the whole
party were on foot, and the panther, being wounded, was
certain to fight. Two or three parties, of four men each, were
placed in various directions, with orders to stand together
and endeavour to mark the beast down if he left the grass.
The remainder of the beaters were then formed into a wedge,
and with the two guns leading, and all the rest howling and
on their guard, with uplifted clubs, the word was given to
advance. The panther lay till his pursuers were within a
few yards, when he charged out, and was rolled over by a
well-directed fire. He was a very strong beast and very fat,
having evidently taken kindly to his venison. It was uni-

I

114 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

versally allowed that it was fortunate that he charged at the
strongest point of attack, as, had he made his rush at one of
the sides of the living wedge, he would probably have left his
mark on somebody. The hunt had taken place in full view
of the spot where I lay, and my friends now came up, calling
loudly for cooling beverages. I at once proceeded to make a
beer-mug, and having prepared the correct quantity of sugar
and spices in a large jug, I poured in two bottles of beer and
what I supposed to be a bottle of water. My servant poured
out the compound into quart pewters, and the sportsmen
tossed off the grateful fluid at a draught. As he put down
the measure, one of them asked if I had " laced " the mug with
whisky ; and on my replying in the negative, he said he was sure
the drink had some taste of spirit. The other man being of the
same opinion, I examined the supposed water bottle, and found
I had in mistake given them whisky with their beer, and be-
tween them they had swallowed the best part of a quart bottle.

Luncheon was at once prescribed as an antidote, and it
succeeded so far that no evil effects were visible beyond exces-
sive hilarity and a slight tendency on the part of my friends
to roll in their saddles as we rode home. On the way we
came across three bustard feeding in the open plain. They
allowed us to approach within a few paces, and when they did
take flight, they lit again within two hundred yards. We had,
however, no guns, all our people being behind.

Thirty miles south-west of Ahmedabad is a large sheet of
water called the Nul, covering many square miles. It is very
shallow throughout, and in most places is only six or eight
feet deep. During the cold season the entire surface of it is
covered with waterfowl of every kind — geese, ducks of many
sorts, teal in great variety, and coots in myriads. Snipe are
found in scores all along the swampy borders.

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 115

Large numbers of coolen resort to the shores in the even-
ings, and their wild cry is heard in all directions. No regular
boats were procurable ; but the natives used rafts composed
of reeds. These were made somewhat in the form of boats,
the reeds being bound in bundles, in a mass, five feet wide,
and about three in thickness, and fourteen feet in length.
Towards the bow they were brought together, so as to form a
point, and facilitate progress through the water. The rafts
were propelled by a man at the stern, with a long bamboo.
On our arrival at the Nul, we at once ordered several of
these rafts to be got ready. We made comfortable seats of
blankets in the forepart of our primitive vessels ; and skirt-
ing along the edges of the high reeds, we enjoyed duck-shoot-
ing to our heart's content. Among the many handsome ducks
brought to bag, we got some fine specimens of the pintail,
which, when cooked, were excellent, though some of them
were almost too fat.

The country round the Nul swarmed with antelope, and
we slew many fine bucks. We also made some good bags of
coolen, as they fed in the wheat-fields. They are found in
great numbers throughout the whole of this district ; and
though very shy, and difficult to approach on foot, they will
frequently allow a man on horseback, or with a cart, to come
within shooting distance. At that time I had a steady shoot-
ing pony, from whose back I made many a raking shot,
greatly to the satisfaction of our attendants, with whom they
were very favourite food.

We were camped at one time — about the commencement
of the hot weather — at .a village a mile distant from the edge
of the water. Our beds were always placed outside the tents,
and we slept in the open air. The coolen were in the habit
of rising from the shores of the Nul at the early dawn, and

116 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

making their way in a long, wedge-shaped flight, towards the
cultivated country. Our camp was in their line, and they
passed over our heads, uttering their usual wild cry.

Thinking that something might be done with them, I
loaded a gun with BB, and placed it at the head of my bed.
Next morning I was awakened by the cries of the coolen
approaching, and, taking my gun, I sat up in bed and waited
for them. Presently they appeared — coming on in a long
line over my head ; when I fired right and left, and brought
down a brace of fine birds. I tried to do the same on subse-
quent mornings, but the birds had become shy, and avoided
the line of our camp.

A remarkable shot which I made at an antelope from the
saddle is perhaps worthy of record.

In company with a friend, I was riding across country to
a new camping ground, when I saw a herd of fifteen or twenty
does and one black buck. We had no shooting-cart with us,
but our rifles were carried by attendants. I rode up to within
fair shooting distance, and dismounting, fired at the buck,
and missed him. The herd made off, but halted after going a
few hundred yards. I had reloaded, and again mounting,
I moved towards them. They were, however, scared, and
bounded away. I put my horse into a canter, and followed
for a short distance, when I halted, hoping that the deer, as
they often do, would stand and give me another chance. But
they kept on, and I again cantered after them ; but as they
were evidently not inclined to stand, and were taking me
away from the direction in which I wished to travel, I drew
up my horse, and fired a random shot from the saddle at the
retreating herd. They were all going at fair speed, and at the
moment I fired they were 250 or 300 yards from me. Much
to my astonishment the only buck which was in the herd fell

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 117

dead in his tracks ; and on going up to him I found that ^the
ball had struck him on the back of the head, just below his
horns. My friend, who had been watching my proceedings
from a distance, came up, exclaiming, " What a fluke ! " and
though I pointed out to him that no sportsman worthy of the
name would fire at anything but a buck, and that the back of
the head was the correct place to strike a retreating deer, I
fear he was not convinced.

Another singular shot was made by one of our party. He
fired at a buck antelope, and struck it on the side of the horn,
about three inches above the head. The effect of the shot
was to wrench off the horn from the spiral bone which it
covered. In fact it was simply unscrewed, and by the force
of the shot was sent spinning several feet into the air.
The buck escaped, but my friend brought the horn into
camp ; and its appearance fully explained this remarkable
shot.

At the southern end of the Nul were immense plains,
covered with high grass. These plains were many miles
in extent ; and during the heat of the day, when the
whole atmosphere was trembling with heat and mirage,
we had often no little difficulty, after shooting, to find our
way back to camp. Large herds of antelope lay, during the
day, in the long grass, coming in at nightfall to the cultivated
lands, and returning to the grass at sunrise. Between the
grass and the cultivation was a dead level plain, almost bare
of vegetation, over which the deer were wont to cross in the
early morning. Having marked the most frequented lines,
we had pits, four feet deep, dug in this plain. Care was taken
to spread all the excavated earth at a distance, so that the
surface of the ground should present no unusual appearance.
Moving out from our tents before daylight, we took up our

118 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

position in these pits, and waited for the deer. About sunrise
they would come on, straggling across froni the fields. They
never seemed to suspect danger ; and as we sat in our hiding-
pits, with our eyes on the level of the plain, it seemed impossible
that we were not seen. So well, however, did our poaching
stratagem answer, that I have frequently slain deer from these
pits with a charge of shot. By this means we were able to
select the best bucks ; and got many handsome heads. I had
a long shot one morning at a gaunt hyaena, but I believe I
missed him. I was, however, consoled soon after by bringing
down a buck with twenty-six inch horns.

About this time a Eurasian gentleman, who was employed
in the same department with me, asked for the loan of one of
my guns, having none of his own, and being anxious to prac-
tise shooting.

I sent him a double smooth-bore, which was soon after
returned with the following note : —

"Sir — I have the honour to return you herewith your
gun, sound and in good condition, with the exception of the
stock, which is broken across. "

It is but fair to him to add, that he did not ask for
another.

CHAPTEE VII.

Antelope-driving in Grain-fields — Coolen — Two Antelope at a shot— The
"Kore" — Alligators — Unpleasant Bathing Companions — Antelope near
Dhollera — Four Bucks shot — Long shot at a "Wolf — Buck eaten by Wolves
— A Game-preserver corrected— Spearing a Snake — Snake and Frog —
Shooting in Dhundooka — White Buck shot — Wolf ditto — More misguided
Game-preservers.

I WAS joined in camp by an officer of a regiment stationed at
the Cape, who had come to India on a visit to his brother.
He was a light-hearted pleasant man, ardently devoted to the
chase in all its branches ; sang a good song, and smoked a goodly
allowance of strong tobacco. Thrown as I was, at that time,
greatly on my own society, my companion was doubly welcome,
and my shikarees and horses were at all times at his disposal.
On coming in from his first day's shooting he somewhat
startled us by the announcement that he had shot several
rams. We requested an explanation, and he then told us
that at the Cape the males of all antelope were styled " rams,"
and he had imported the term to India. Perhaps he was right ;
antelopes are more goats than deer, and, I believe, horn-shed-
ding deer are unknown at the Cape. At the time my friend
joined me, the crops of millet were still standing, and the
Saiseen antelope and chinkara, or gazelles, lay up, during the
heat of the day, in the high grain. We used to beat these
fields with a party of men on horseback, all our grooms and
followers being mounted on every available horse or pony.
The grain stood eight and ten feet high, and men on foot could

120 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

hardly have preserved an efficient line. One day, having been
detained at office work till 4 P.M., I went out with my friend
to hunt up the fields near the camp. Placing our line of
cavalry quietly along the side of a square field, we moved
along the flanks to the far end. As I walked slowly ahead,
I saw a buck chinkara turn the far-away corner of the field,
and come running down straight at me. I was evidently un-
observed, and I stood still till he came within thirty yards.
We were armed with smooth bores, loaded with BB shot,
and I rolled him over dead. At that moment a doe broke out
from the field, and was going across the open ground, when I
turned her over with the second barrel. We then beat two or
three fields blank, and I mounted my shooting pony, and joined
the line of beaters. As we moved through the high grain I
saw a fine black buck lying down about twenty yards ahead.
He apparently thought that we should pass without observing
him, but, checking my pony, I fired, and he rose, and dashed
back through the line. I was afraid to shoot again, as my men
were irregular in their movements. One of them was some
200 yards in rear, and I heard him call out that he had seen a
wounded buck. At that moment I heard a shot from my
friend, who had gone ahead to the corner of the field, but being
anxious to secure the buck, I gave the word to the line to
retire, and went back after the wounded deer. We soon came
on him. He lay in a natural position, but his eye was vacant,
and he was evidently much exhausted. Quickly dismounting,
I succeeded in laying hold of his horns, and he was soon
gathered to his fathers. My friend's shot had killed a fine doe
antelope, and we returned home at sunset with four deer ; — a
fair afternoon's work.

The next hot season I was encamped, for some weeks, at
Wasna Kelea, about five miles north of Dholka. The country

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 121

was a good deal enclosed, but was well stocked with chinkara,
and I generally brought in a buck shot in my evening walk.

My Cape friend was, I think, sorry to leave us. He was
a most persistent sportsman, but somewhat jealous withal, and
inclined to claim his full share of the bag. On one occasion
we had discharged our rifles at a flock of coolen, from a distance
of several hundred yards. Four barrels were fired, and the
result was, " one killed." As we had fired into "the brown"
of them, neither could claim the bird ; my companion, how-
ever, declared that it fell to his shot, and, not caring to
alloy his happiness, I did not dispute his statement. We
parted, and I have never seen him since ; but I have a vivid
recollection of pleasant days spent with him in the Guzerat
plains.

Shooting two antelope at one shot is by no means uncom-
mon ; I have done so on several occasions. One morning,
having worked up towards a herd with my shooting-cart, I
got within range of the best buck He was standing broad-
side on, and immediately beyond him were several does. I
fired, and the buck started, but kept his legs and went off at
speed. Instead of the usual sound of a ball striking a deer, I
heard a sharp cracking noise, and as the does scattered I saw
one of them kicking on the ground. Observing that the buck
had gone off at his best speed, and had not bounded in the air
as is their custom when unwounded, I kept my eye on him,
and sent my attendant with the cart to pick up the doe, which
had been shot through the head. The buck soon slacked
his pace, and presently subsided into a walk. I felt convinced
he was hit somewhere, but as he moved straight away I was
unable to distinguish any wound with my spy-glass. I there-
fore quietly followed. After going about half-a-mile, the buck
stood still, reeled, and fell. I at once ran up, but he was dead

122 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

before I reached him. The ball had passed through the neck,
cutting a large vein, and travelling on had killed the poor doe.
The buck had bled to death.

To the west of Dholka is a long string of pools called
the " Kore," which, during the rainy season, are united into a
sort of river. In the hot weather they are merely a succes-
sion of sluggish ponds, and in some of these alligators con-
gregate. They are, I believe, harmless, but probably only
owing to want of opportunity. We fired at several, and some
of these we found dead on the bank next morning.

They are very numerous in the Watruk river, near its
junction with the Samburmuttee. Close to the confluence the
former river makes a large bend, almost enclosing a consider-
able tract of cultivated land. I was shooting there on one
occasion with a friend, when I wounded a black buck, break-
ing his hind leg. My companion signalled to his groom, who
came running up with his horse and spear. Mounting, he at
once gave chase. The buck made straight for the bend of the
river, and, knowing that the stream was deep, and about fifty
yards in width, I concluded that he would be overtaken and
slain on the bank. I followed on foot, but on arriving at the
river I saw my friend standing on the opposite side, drenched
with water, and minus his spear and stirrups. The wounded
buck had swum across, closely followed by the horseman.
When half-way over, the latter saw the heads of alligators
appear above water in most unpleasant proximity.

Numerous at all times at this spot, they were probably
rendered more lively than usual by the blood of the wounded
buck. The situation must have been disagreeable, and espe-
cially so when, on reaching the opposite side, my friend found
his horse floundering in deep mud, and unable to mount the
bank. Close to the edge the water was deep enough to cover

AD VENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 123

the saddle, and, as the horse floundered, the stirrup-leathers
came away from the hooks, and they fell to the bottom.

With great presence of mind the rider drove his spear into
the mud to mark the spot, and, throwing himself from his
horse, scrambled ashore. Eetaining his hold of the reins, he
managed to guide his horse along the bank, and at length got
him to dry land. We vainly endeavoured to recover the
stirrups. The water was too deep to allow a man to feel for
them with his feet when wading, and too muddy for diving
operations. The knowledge that the water was full of alli-
gators did not encourage us in our search.

I have seen as many as thirty of these reptiles, some of
them twelve and fourteen feet in length, basking on the mud
in the noonday sun, within a few hundred yards of the spot
where my companion -crossed. The wounded buck escaped
from us, but was no doubt soon killed by jackals and wolves.

Near the head of the Gulf of Cambay very good antelope-
shooting can be obtained, but the country is bare and desolate
to behold, and contains large areas of uncultivable waste.
In few spots can a tree be found to shade the sportsman's
tent, and this inhospitable region should only be visited during
the cold months. I was encamped there with a friend in the
latter part of the year 1855. We had lately arrived from
Surat, and after a ride of about sixteen miles, from the town
of Dhollera to our tents, we breakfasted, and ordering our
horses and a shooting-cart to be got ready, went forth for the
first day of the season. As we were neither of us new at the
work, and preferred to combine sport with conversation, we
shot together, taking alternate chances. At sunset we returned
to camp, having four handsome black bucks in the cart.
Antelope abounded in all directions, and before we left the
neighbourhood we had a goodly show of heads and skins.

124 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

I was out one evening with only a native attendant, when
I observed an unusual object on the black salt plain, about
half-a-mile ahead. With the glass I could see something move,
so, directing the cart to follow, I dismounted, and taking my
rifle I advanced. When within 300 yards of the spot I saw
a wolf rise from a slight hollow where it had been lying, then
another, and a third. They stood looking at us for some time,
and then went off slowly, watching us all the time.

I endeavoured to approach them by directing the cart to
move in an oblique direction ; but they were very suspicious,
and the distance between us seemed to increase. One of the
three was much larger than his companions, and I turned my
attention to him. He was an immense beast, with shaggy
tufts of hair about his neck, and altogether seemed a very
respectable patriarch. My rifle was sighted to 250 yards,
and, despairing of getting a closer shot, I raised the highest
sight and fired. I saw the dust fly as the ball struck the
ground fifty yards short of the wolf ; but the line of fire was
correct, and the ricochet took him almost through the heart.
He dashed forward at a headlong pace, with his tail whirling
in the air, and his head coming lower at every stride. After
going a short distance he fell over — dead. I was much
pleased with this shot, for the wolf must, at the time I
fired, have been at least 300 yards from me, and I generally
considered it good shooting if I could make sure of a buck
at 100.

Shooting one morning near this place, I wounded a buck,
which I followed on horseback for several miles before I
secured him. I had left my cart far behind, so, sticking my
spear into the ground, I attached to it a white handkerchief,
to mark the spot in the grass. On rejoining the cart, I
directed my men to bring in the buck, and rode off into

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 125

camp. When they arrived at the spot, they found a couple
of wolves feasting on the deer, and in nowise deterred by
the flag which I had set up. Wolves are very bold at times,
and will attack and carry off lambs and kids from the flocks
in broad daylight.

At a village named Gaumf, a few miles north-west
of Dhollera, we had good antelope-shooting. They seemed
to do considerable damage in the wheat-fields ; but owing
to apathy, or to the religious prejudices of devout Hindoos,
they were seldom molested by the natives. On the contrary,
the tendencies of some of the inhabitants were strongly
in favour of the most stringent game-laws. One of my
friends went out one morning after deer, and, after some
trouble, had succeeded in working his shooting-cart towards
a herd, when he saw a horseman wildly careering towards
the game, shouting frantically, and waving a white cloth.
The herd was thoroughly startled, and fled over the plain,
and the sportsman referred to, who was a man of a gentle
disposition and well-regulated mind, unwilling to suppose
that he would be wantonly annoyed, went in quest of more
game. A second time he was about to approach a herd of
deer which he had espied on the plain, when the horseman
again appeared, and, wheeling his horse in giddy circles,
again scattered the deer. A third time my friend went on
after a fresh herd, when it was suggested to him by some of
his attendants that the lively horseman had been told off for
the duty of scaring the deer by the Bunneah, or trading
community, by whom the taking of animal life is regarded as
a deadly sin. He therefore watched his movements, having
previously directed his own groom, with his trusty Arab, to
keep near the shooting-cart. A herd of deer now came in
sight, and seeing that the persecutor was again in attend-

126 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

ance and bent on mischief, the Highland blood of my friend
was raised, and he resolved to stop the annoyance.
Springing on his horse, he grasped his spear — nine feet of
tough bamboo — and, turning the blade behind him, he
cantered towards his tormentor. The latter now turned his
horse, and, not caring for a closer acquaintance, urged his
steed towards the village whence he had come. As far as
he was concerned, the wrong man was in the right place ; and
before he could reach a friendly shelter, the incensed hunter
had overtaken him, and he received the chastisement he had
so well earned.

Eeturning to our camp one evening, we were disturbed by
an alarm among the servants, who said they had seen a large
snake in a hollow fig-tree at the edge of the pond, and close
to the spot which they had chosen for our kitchen. Pre-
sently one of them called out that he could see the tail of the
snake, and, taking up hog-spears, we ran to the spot. The
tail of the snake was plainly visible, and I succeeded in
nailing him with my spear to the tree. My companion then
made another dig, and pinned him, six inches nearer the
head. The snake was large and strong, and was only drawn
out with much difficulty ; but, by alternate spearing, we
forced him out and slew him. He was of the daman or
water species — about nine feet in length, and as thick as a
man's arm. The natives say that these snakes are not
venomous, but that they are capable of inflicting severe blows
with their tails. I have never heard of an authenticated
case.

Biding round a small lake one morning, I observed one
of these snakes, seven or eight feet in length, lying motionless
among the weeds near the water. Its head seemed swollen
to a great size, and the mouth especially presented an unusual

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 127

appearance. I carried a stout walking-stick, so, dismounting,
I struck the snake a sharp blow. It gave a frantic wriggle,
and disgorged from its throat a bull-frog of the largest size.
The head of the frog was protruding from the mouth of the
snake, which seemed to have already swallowed the rest of
its victim. On being liberated, the frog disappeared among
the weeds.

The country to the north-east of Kattyawar, on the border
of the Dundooka Pergunnah, affords great attraction to the
sportsman during the cold weather. In many parts good
hog-hunting may be got ; and, owing to the country being
seldom visited by European sportsmen, antelope-shooting can
be enjoyed in perfection. I was encamped with a friend —
now, I regret to say, no more — at the village of Eaanpore.
Several hogs were known to be in the sugar-fields near our
tents, and we found and hunted them successfully. Of them
more anon. A white antelope was said to be in the neighbour-
hood, and we were anxious to bag him. It was one of those
fine bracing mornings in the Christmas week, when one can
almost forget what the heat of Guzerat really is, that we set
forth. To increase our chance of falling in with the " albino/'
we agreed to hunt separately, each making a circuit towards a
certain village about eight miles off. We left our camp about
9 A.M., and, mounting our horses, set out, accompanied by
well-appointed shooting-carts, and attendants on foot bearing
our rifles. I had not been long out before I observed a herd
of antelope feeding in a cotton-field. Working the cart to-
wards them, I dropped a good buck. Having cleaned and
placed him on the cart, we moved on. Before long I had
another shot, but the ball fell short, and the buck escaped.
Unfortunately, I found that the deer, when scared, were in-
clined to travel in the same direction as that in which I

128 WILD MEN AJTO WILD BEASTS.

wished to hunt, and I had to make a wide circuit to avoid
driving before me the herd containing the buck which I had
missed.

I now came on a fresh herd, and acquitted myself better,
another good buck being placed in the cart However, I
found I was getting far away from our point of rendezvous,
and I was obliged again to alter my course. In a bit of un-
cultivated waste, partially covered with thorny scrub, I saw a
herd of chinkara feeding. Among them was a fine buck,
who stood on a small rising ground, watching our advance.
Leaving my horse, I went on with the cart, and the deer
seemed to think we were not very dangerous, for they only
moved across our front, and went on feeding among the
" bair " bushes. Some of the does were very tame, but, as I
wanted the buck, I reserved my fire ; and my patience was
rewarded, for he soon gave me a fair chance, and I dropped
him in his tracks. There were two smaller bucks with the
herd, but I did not fire again. Unlike the Saiseen antelope,
the chinkara do not congregate in large numbers. More
than eight or ten are seldom seen together. Four or five is
a more usual number, and the bucks are often found singly.
It was now past midday, and knowing that my friend would
be waiting for me, I headed straight for our meeting-place.
But my attention was soon called to large numbers of ante-
lope moving in a northerly direction. The plain seemed
alive with them, and I think several thousand must have
been in sight Far away, in a distant herd, I saw a white
speck, and after examining it with the glass I became certain
that this was the buck we were after.

The herds had evidently been alarmed, and I had no
doubt that my friend had started them. Taking no notice of
the others I moved across the line in which the herds were

ADVEXTUEES IX CAMP AND JUNGLE. 129

travelling. Some were shy, others gave fair chances, but I
would not shoot. I hoped that by moving through the
others, without alarming them, I might be able to pass in rear
of the herd containing the white buck. As I afterwards
learnt, my friend had fallen in with him early in the day,
and had fired without success, and he was not again inclined
to allow himself to be approached. The country was quite
open and level ; and even had the ground been favourable,
the numberless deer scattered in all directions over the plain
destroyed all hope of stalking him. I dodged after him for
nearly a mile. I was far from home, and the sun was getting
low. The deer seemed to suspect that all was not right, and
I saw that my chance of a standing shot was small At that
moment some of the other deer took alarm at my horse, which
was led at a considerable distance behind the cart. They
trotted forward, and the white buck moved across my front
to join them. He was about 150 yards from me. Aiming
somewhat in front, I fired ; the buck reeled, and then went
off at a long trot My second barrel missed, but as he did
not increase his speed, I made sure I should get him unless
daylight failed me. With the aid of the glass I could make
out that he was shot through the body, but well forward.
Presently, to my great satisfaction, he halted and lay down
in a cotton-field. I waited for half-an-hour to allow the shot
to take effect, and then mounting, I rode straight at him.
He rose, and went off at a good pace. But I found I could
keep up with him. At length I succeeded in turning him.
and then I knew he was safe. He gave in soon after, and,
well pleased with the day's work, we turned homewards.
After going two or three miles, I directed my men to follow,
and, mounting my horse, rode off towards our camp. 1 had
not gone half-a-mile when I saw what seemed to me to be a

K

130 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

very large jackal sitting in a cotton-field between the rows of
plants. Checking my horse to a walk, I moved slowly along,
to see how near he would allow me to approach. As I ad-
vanced the beast crouched down, keeping his eye fixed on me,
and I then made him out to be a wolf. Without halting, I
made a wide circuit, and moved back till I met my gun-
bearer. Making the horse over to him, I took the rifle and
advanced on foot towards the wolf. He had evidently been
watching my movements, and had slunk away to some
distance from the spot where I had seen him. At length he
left the shelter, and soon after stood out in the open. Being
under the impression that the wolf I had seen was crouching
close by, I reserved my fire, and it was not till I had searched
for some time that I saw I was mistaken. All this time the
wolf stood looking at us from a distance of 200 yards.
Eaising my rifle, I fired. The light was very uncertain, and
I had not much hope of bagging him ; but I heard that the
ball told, and, mounting my horse, I went after him. The
shot had taken him through one of the hind legs, which
swung helplessly as he ran. I was soon up with him, but
gaining some low bushes, he dodged me for a few minutes.

At length I succeeded in spearing him, much to the
delight of a shepherd who came by on his way home, and
who held my horse while I finished off the wolf. Cutting off
its head, I threw it into the cart, and reached home rather
tired.

My bag was — two black bucks, a buck chinkara, the
wolf, and the white buck. Bowles had bagged two black
bucks, and missed the white one ; after which he went off to
the village at which we had agreed to meet ; and, directing his
men to feed his horse and bullocks, sat down under a tree.
While peacefully smoking, he observed a number of villagers

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 131

assembling and coming towards him, headed by some of the
Bunneah caste. One of these came up and demanded by
what right the great sin of deer-slaying had been committed.
Seeing only one European, and knowing that he himself had
all the village at his back, this man was most impertinent ;
and, fearing violence, Bowles made a sudden move, and suc-
ceeded in reaching his rifle, which fortunately the crowd had
not observed. The gallant Bunneah was about to beat a
retreat, when my friend collared him, and, after giving him
and his followers an instructive lesson on religious toleration,
he was allowed to go ; but not before he had made an ample
apology, and many profound salaams.

CHAPTEK VIII.

Shooting at Kaanpore — Panther shot — Chinkara : five shot — Panther missed
— Hog-hunting at Kaanpore — Three successful Runs— Young Lion —
Hunting at Santhul — Great Draught of Fishes — Robbed of the Honours —
Porcupines — Hunting at Suheej with Bulkley — Two good Runs — Exciting
Hunt of a big Boar.

PANTHERS were often found in the neighbourhood of Kaan-
pore, and several had been shot by Bowles before I joined him
there. Most of them had been killed during the hot season,
when all crops save small patches of sugar-cane, left for seed,
were off the ground. The canes being irrigated to keep them
green, the ground in these fields was always cool and damp.
The canes gave good shade, and the presence of a panther was
generally indicated by his footprints in the moist earth. Left
to themselves, the cultivators would have cut the canes on the
outside of their fields ; but, in the hope of getting rid of the
panthers, they were often willing to cut rides down the middle,
of a sufficient breadth to allow of a snap shot at a panther
crossing. My friend on these occasions shot with a double
smoothbore, with two balls in each barrel ; and, taking up his
position at the end of the ride, he would wait for the panthers
to be driven across by a line of beaters with drums and
tom-toms.

If the panther was missed, as not unfrequently happened,
the beaters retired, and, moving round outside the field, would
proceed to drive him back Sometimes a panther would be
wounded and claw a beater ; but, on the whole, there were

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 133

not many accidents, and the cultivators • turned out readily to
join in the hunt.

One morning, when going out after deer, etc., we had
occasion to skirt a small garden outside a village, and in some
fine sand we saw the recent footprints of a large panther.
The hut of the gardener was close by, and on asking him if
he had seen the beast, he replied that he had heard him near
the spot about an hour before the daylight that morning. The
garden was bounded by a dry watercourse ; and on the far
side was a patch of rough ground, covered with high grass
and mimosa trees. We had little doubt that we should find
the panther here ; and a few villagers having been collected,
they formed a line with some of our own people, and beat out
the cover towards the guns. The men had passed over the
more likely spots, and were advancing over some open ground,
when the panther — which had been lying in the grass under
a small bush — rose and came bounding towards us. Bowles
was stationed about fifty yards to my left, and the panther
was passing within a few paces, when he rolled him over like
a hare with a very clever shot. He was a very large male
panther, unusually heavy and stout, with a beautifully marked
skin. The villagers were much pleased and astonished, and
brought out offerings of milk and sugar.

At our next camp chinkara were very numerous ; but
we were in a lazy mood, and sent our men out to look
for tracks of panthers in the cypress jungle, lying by
the bed of a river. Having heard of nothing by noon, we
proposed to go out together to shoot chinkara. We were
to fire alternate shots, and only at bucks, and were to return
to the tents when we had shot ten. We had been out
about two hours, and had five good bucks in the cart, when
we were overtaken by one of our men, who said they had

134 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

found a panther's track in the cypress. We therefore gave
up the chinkara-shooting, and went off to the river-bed,
which, at this time, was a broad expanse of white sand, with-
out any water.

On either side were strips of cypress. We were posted on
the river side of one of these, and our men went round to
drive the panther across. They had beat close up to us ; and
I had seen nothing but a wild sow, surrounded by a litter of
squeakers. I had ceased to expect the panther, and was pick-
ing off young shoots from the bush before me, when I saw the
beast walking towards me, and within three paces. I was
quite startled ; my rifle lay in the hollow of my left arm, and
as I jerked it into my hand, the panther sprang to one side.
I fired hurriedly and missed. Some bushes intervened ; and,
when I next saw him, he was bounding across the open bed
of the river. He passed through the cover, and up the oppo-
site bank, and was lost in some ravines. Next morning we
hunted in vain for his tracks ; we never saw him again.

I made a note in my memory — " Never consider a beat to
be over till the last man has cleared out of the covert."

It was about Christmas, in the year 1855, that we were
last camped at Eaanpore. We were greeted one morning on
waking by the welcome intelligence of a sounder of hog having
been seen in the early dawn entering a field of sugar-canes
near our tents. We sent out our own people to verify the
statement of the villagers ; and, instead of guns and rifles,
boots and spurs were the order of the day. About breakfast
time our shikarees returned and reported that they had seen
the tracks of several pigs, and that two were marked down in
some sugar-canes. We were somewhat doubtful of our horses,
for that of my friend, though a stout well-bred Arab, had only
recently arrived from the dealer's stables at Bombay, and had

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 135

never been tried after hogs. My own had been out before, and
I had killed pigs off him, but he was a hot fiery beast when
excited, though at other times gentle as a lamb, and would
follow me along the road like a dog. We mounted at about
10 A.M., and moved off to the ground, where we found upwards
of thirty villagers assembled. When we had quietly taken up
a position, the beaters entered the cane-field, and soon a large
sow broke and went off at speed. We did not give her
much law, nor, indeed, did she require it, for the ground was
in her favour, being uneven, and intersected with watercourses.
Farther on, it was more favourable for horses, and we now
gained on the flying pig. I could not pay much attention to
my friend, for my own horse pulled like a mad beast, and I
had some difficulty in keeping him steady. At length we
closed on the sow, but her speed was wonderful, and she cleared
thorn-hedges like a greyhound. Nevertheless the pace was
evidently telling on her, and I succeeded in delivering my
spear behind her shoulder. The pig gave a sudden twist, and
nearly wrenched the spear from my hand, but I held on, and
got clear away. In another moment my friend planted his
spear in a vital spot, and she rolled over, dead. She was one
of those long-legged, lanky sows, which I have generally found
give good runs. Their pace is much faster than that of an old
boar, whose sense of dignity usually prevents him from a too
hasty retreat from his foes. After breathing our horses we
returned to the cane-field, as our men were certain that it held
another pig. Their supposition was correct, and we soon knew
by the shouts of the beaters, who had now re-entered the covert,
that something was on foot. Presently a fine stout boar jumped
out, and stood hesitating by the edge of the sugar-canes. But
the line of beaters was advancing on him, and having appa-
rently made up his mind about his line of country, he bounded

136 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

off. Fearful lest lie should turn back to the covert we let him
get well away before starting ; but our horses had seen him
break away, and mine was nearly wild with excitement, and
danced as if on hot plates. At last we started, riding steadily
together, with a strong pull on the bridles. The boar took over a
fine open country, with light soil, and ground free from holes or
cracks, and we saw that his fate was sealed. By the backward
glance of his eye we knew he would do mischief if he could,
and his long white tushes warned us to be careful. Letting
out my horse a little, I suddenly closed on him, but he swerved,
and was getting away, when at that instant Bowles planted
his spear between his ribs. On receiving the thrust, he charged
across the front of his pursuer, and the shaft of the spear,
coming against the horse's chest, was knocked out of his hand,
and remained sticking in the boar, who at once pulled up and
stood at bay, determined to die game. Bowies' horse would
not go near him, and it was in vain that he tried to recover
his spear, for the boar always met him with a vicious charge.
Watching my opportunity, I put my horse into a gallop, and
delivered my spear as I passed. The thrust was a deadly one,
and as the boar staggered, Bowles cantered past and succeeded
in regaining his spear, and a few more thrusts laid low the
boar. This run had taken us to some distance from our shik-
arees, who, with the beaters, now came up, and the boar having
been hung on a pole was sent off to our tents. Meanwhile, our
horses were attended by their respective grooms, the saddle-
girths were slacked, and the gallant steeds had their mouths
washed out with water while we smoked a quiet pipe under
the shade of a mimosa tree. The beaters held an animated
discussion over the events of the morning, and the merits of
the horses and their riders. We should have returned to the
camp after the last run, but we had been informed that a

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 137

cotton-field in the vicinity was often frequented by pigs, and
we settled that, we should form a long line, and beat it up
before going home. Accordingly, after a halt of about an hour,
we were again in the saddle, and on arriving at the ground we
advanced at either end of the line of beaters. After going
about half-a-mile, we saw the men in the centre run back a
few paces, and soon a young boar jumped up and went away.
We followed him at once, and I now, for the first time, learned
from experience, what I had often before heard, viz., that a
pig going through cotton cannot get up any pace. This is,
no doubt, owing to the stalks and pods of the plants striking
him on his nose and eyes.

We closed on him hand over hand, and I soon secured the
tushes, which were of fair size, though small in comparison of
those of the big boar we had slain in the morning.

He turned at once, and charged at Bowles, whose young
horse behaved very well, and enabled his rider to stop him
cleverly. By this time I was on him again, and he was soon
following his kinsfolk to our camp. Altogether we were at
Eaanpore about ten days, and we made a fine mixed bag.
Bowles intended to visit the Geer of Kattyawar, during the
following hot season, for the purpose of lion-hunting, a pursuit
which he had followed the previous year with some success.
In addition to bagging several full-grown lions, he had suc-
ceeded in capturing a fine cub, which he brought to Surat,
where it wandered at will about our house during the rainy
season. It was then about as large as a Clumber spaniel, and
very good-natured, except at feeding time. Having got out of
a verandah on the first floor, it passed down the weather-
boards, and, jumping to the ground from a height of about
eight feet, strained its back and fore-legs, and soon after died.
I have had bears, panthers, and tigers, at various times, as

138 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

household pets, but none of them were so good-natured and
docile as this young lion. We were sorry to break up our
shooting- camp when we had to return to our respective dis-
tricts ; and poor Bowles never lived to make his second excur-
sion to the Geer, for within six months of our parting at
Eaanpore he was laid in the graveyard at Ahmedabad.

One of our favourite hunting grounds was at Santhul,
about four miles east of Dholka. Here the Samburmuttee
river flows over a wide sandy bed, having, in many parts,
large patches of cypress, in the cool shade of which the wild
pigs delight to lie during the heat of the day. My men were
always on the look-out, and when I learned from them that there
were fair hunting prospects, I sent intimation to my friends
in the cantonment, and forthwith a meet of the Hunt was
arranged, and was attended by all lovers of the noble sport
who could get leave of absence.

At one of these meets I wandered out one morning near
the tents, and came on the bed of an extensive pond, which,
with the exception of three or four deep holes about eight
yards in width, was dried up. As I stood near one of these
holes I observed a large fish rise to the surface, and I at once
concluded that all the fish of the pond were probably collected
in these holes. I accordingly returned in the evening with
one or two of the party, taking with me the casting-net which
I always carried in my shooting-cart. This I threw into the
largest hole, and drew it out filled with fish of several kinds,
and of all sizes. Subsequent casts were equally successful,
and we returned to the tents with a good supply.

I was hunting at Santhul with my friend Major Johnson,
and in some sugar-canes near the river we started a stout boar.
Johnson was well mounted on a hunter of good repute, while
I had only my galloway, a strong beast about 13.3 in height.

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 139

He was, however, a very fast pony, and entered fully into the
spirit of the chase, and would double and turn after a boar
almost of his own accord. The pig made across an enclosed
country, and gave us some sharp scrambles over and through
the cactus hedges. At length he turned and made for the
river, the bank of which at this place was rather abrupt. We
were close on him when he dashed into the broad shallow
stream, but the uneven sand was scooped out in parts by the
action of the water, and we had two or three desperate floun-
ders before reaching the other side. Here we came on a con-
siderable breadth of cypress, which would be under water in
the rainy season, and beyond this, at a distance of some 300
yards, was the other bank of the river, a steep slope of 30 or
40 feet. The cypress covert was all ridge and furrow, caused
by floods, and was very awkward to cross at a rapid pace.
The boar held on as though he would go up the bank, and,
thinking to spear him on the ascent, Johnson urged his horse
to the front, but, with a sudden swerve, the pig turned up the
river, while the horse shot up the bank and was completely
thrown out. My galloway behaved admirably, turning sharp
with the boar, and, as we were now running up the sandy
furrows, we were enabled to put no more steam. The boar,
however, kept his lead, and Johnson, who was galloping along
the top of the bank, and unable to find a place to descend,
could not render any assistance. At length I began to close
on the pig, and had made up my mind that I was to get the
tushes, when, to my horror, my friend, with his horse quite
fresh, having found a path down the bank, came by me hand
over hand, and shooting past took the first spear. I gave the
second, and the boar fell dead. Johnson was greatly excited,
and his conscience smote him for depriving me of the spear
for which I had worked so hard. " By Jove," said he, " you

140 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

rode that pig well ! I had no right to take that spear ! It
was an awful shame !" With that he commenced shaking me
violently by the hand, and pouring forth expressions of admira-
tion and respect. It would have been amusing for a looker-
on to see two Britons standing by their reeking horses, in
the bed of the Indian river, shaking hands over the gory
carcass of the dead boar.

We were returning to our camp one evening after a
day's hunting, and I was riding alone in advance of the rest
of the party when I heard shouts behind me, and presently
saw the caps of some of the riders bobbing along on the far
side of a high hedge. I stood wondering what to expect, when
a large porcupine came bolting through the hedge and ran
across a field. I gathered up my reins and rode at him, but
his quills were rattling, and my horse did not seem to know
what to make of him. At last I managed to spear him ; but
before I could turn my horse again, he disappeared into his
burrow. The other sportsmen now came up, and with them
a number of beaters.

About sixty yards off was a stream of water, running from
a well to a neighbouring sugar-cane field. All hands were at
once set to divert the runnel to the porcupine's hole, which
we succeeded in flooding. The wounded beast, together with
two or three others and a civet cat, bolted out and was slain.
We had some of the porcupine's flesh cooked for dinner, much
to the disgust of our servants, who looked on them as unclean
beasts. The flesh seemed white and good, and I believe if it
had had fair play in the kitchen, we should have liked it well
enough ; as it was, I did not care much for it.

A favourite meet was at Suheej, a few miles farther down
the river. I was camped at this place with my friend Bulkley
in the month of May. The heat was intense ; but this was in

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 141

some respects in our favour, as the pigs were attracted to the
cypress in the bed of the river. We left our tents about
9 A.M., our shikarees having been out before daybreak. They
met us on the ground, and reported that several hogs had been
seen in the early morning entering the covert. Soon after the
beaters began to move, a well-grown boar left the jungle, and
ascending the bank, went off slowly over the open country.
We gave him a good start, and then cantered after him. By
the 1;ime we topped the bank he was well away, and we now
increased the pace and closed up to him. On finding himself
pursued, he halted, looked round for a moment, and then went
off at score. We now went at him in earnest, and both being
well and evenly mounted, we had a most exciting chase. The
pace was good throughout, and the boar ran true for some dis-
tant sanctuary, which he was doomed never to reach. I had
got the best place, being on his left quarter ; and as I made
a rush at him, I made sure of the spear, but with a sudden
swerve he shot across my front, nearly upsetting my horse,
and I missed him. He was less fortunate with Bulkley, who
stopped him with a thrust behind the shoulder, and as the
blood streamed from his mouth we saw that his race was run.
He struggled gamely on for a short distance, but my second
attempt was more successful, and poor piggy was laid low.
We were now joined by our grooms and a few beaters, the
main body having been quietly drawn out of the covert by the
shikarees as soon as the pig broke away. The boar was slung
on a pole and carried back to the river ; and having breathed
our horses we remounted and returned to our old places. On
reaching the high bank which bounded the cypress covert, we
observed a monster boar crossing the broad shallow stream,
and making for a patch of cypress of some extent on the other
side. In a position commanding a full view of this covert,

142 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

we had placed a native in a tree as a marker. As we could
see him plainly, and he made no indication of the boar having
gone on, we concluded he had lain up in the covert. We
therefore arranged to put the beaters again into the place
which we had first driven, and before long, another pig — a sow
this time — came out, and went off, taking much the same line
of country as the boar we had killed. She gave a very good
and fast run over some very rough ground, but our horses
carried us well and never made a false step. As we reached
some good riding ground we pressed in on her, and I took the
first spear ; on which she stood and seemed determined to act
on the offensive. Bulkley advanced at her at a walk — a
rather dangerous proceeding, as in the event of the spear
missing, both horse and rider are at the mercy of the pig,
which can make its rush and do damage before its foes can
get away.

Bulkley, however, stopped her, but so determined was
the charge that she managed to run in on the spear and bit
him sharply in the foot. Fortunately he was protected by a
stout deer-skin boot, and before farther mischief could be
done I had turned and given her the coup de grace. Again
returning to the river, we were met by grooms leading a
couple of galloways, which we mounted, sending off our
horses to the tents. "We partook of a slight refreshment, and
as we smoked our pipes we formed the plan of attack on the
big boar which we had seen crossing the river.

The beaters being sent round, we took up our positions,
and stood anxiously waiting the appearance of the monster.
Tom-toms and drums were loudly beaten, horns were blown,
and guns fired, but still no signs of the game ; and it was only
when the last man left the covert that I began to suspect the
true state of affairs. Leaving the beaters, our shikarees pro-

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 143

ceeded to examine the ground round the cypress, and on
coming to within a few yards of the tree on which our look-
out man had been posted, they came on the tracks of the boar,
leading up the bank. The villain had either slept on his post,
or had been amusing himself by watching our runs in the
morning, and had allowed the boar to pass up the bank un-
observed. The footprints were not to be mistaken, for the
boar was of the largest size.

Leaving the river, he had made a detour of about two
miles in the open country, which, though cultivated, was at
this season quite bare of crops. Our men were equal to the
occasion, and taking up the track they moved quickly along,
scoring the ground at every few yards with a short stick
across the prints of the boar's hoofs. We now found that he
was crossing a wide bend in the river, and that the tracks
would again fall into the bed of the stream. The trackers
moved fast and sure, and we followed close in their wake
with the crowd of beaters. At length we came to where a
smaller stream joined the river, and on the ground between
the two was a crop of irrigated maize, about ten feet in height,
and looking very cool and green. The smaller stream was
about fifteen yards in width, slow and sluggish, having about
a foot of water, and an equal amount of black mud below it.
We had crossed and sent the beaters to the end next the junction
of the streams, when we heard much yelling and shouting, and
next moment the boar came out at speed, and dashed down the
slope into the stream we had just crossed. Bulkley was only
a few yards from him, and driving in his spurs he rushed
down the bank, regardless or forgetful of the muddy bottom.
His horse seemed to turn heels over head, and as I checked
mine and floundered slowly across, he was picking himself
out of the black mud and shaking his steed to his legs again.

144 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

He had lost his hunting-cap, and his spear was buried in the
grimy slush. I reached the bank in safety, and gathering up
my galloway I went on after the boar. From his great size
and weight I was sure he would make a good fight, and I saw
I had work cut out for me, so I determined not to irritate
him with a minor poke, but, if possible, to disable or check
him till such time as my friend should emerge from the mud
and come to my assistance. As the boar went along at an
easy canter, I saw I should have no difficulty in overhauling
him. We were going up the side of a field, having a high
mud-bank on our right ; and watching my opportunity I
lowered my spear and pressed my horse with the spur. In
an instant I was alongside of the boar, and had my spear
within a few inches of his shoulder, when, with a savage
grunt, he made a sidelong charge at my horse. The spear
took him in the neck and checked him, but with a sudden
wrench he broke the bamboo shaft, leaving the head im-
bedded in his muscles. Turning my horse sharp to the left,
I got clear away, but having only the headless spear-shaft in
my hand, my offensive powers were at an end, and I saw that
my only hope of getting the boar lay in being able to keep
him in view till my friend should rejoin me. In this way we
held on over many fields. At times I pursued and tried to
turn the boar, at others he pursued me, and then I was forced
to " advance backwards." Still no signs of my friend, and I
began to fear that either he or his horse had been seriously
damaged. The boar had nearly reached the spot from whence
we had first started him in the morning, and as he went
down the steep bank into the cypress cover I pulled up in
despair. At that moment I saw Bulkley coming along at a
hand-gallop, and with a frantic yell I again set off after the
boar. Aided by Bulkley, I succeeded in turning him towards

I

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 145

the water, into which he hurled himself and lay still, appa-
rently dead beat. Springing from his horse, Bulkley lowered
his spear and ran in at him, but the boar rose and charged.
He was stopped by a thrust in the neck, but his great weight
broke the bamboo, and though Bulkley managed to get away
unscathed, we had no spears, and were now powerless for all
purposes of attack. Unwilling to leave the wounded beast,
and hoping that some of our men with spare spears would
soon come up, we followed him slowly down the river, and
seeing some cultivators irrigating their fields near the banks,
Bulkley rode off to them in the hope of obtaining some
offensive weapon.

Presently he came after me armed with a short crooked
sword, but by this time the boar was going down a part of
the river where he had an abrupt bank six feet in height on
his immediate left. Bulkley vainly tried to force him out, as
he found it impossible to reach him with the short sword. At
length he made a cut, but the boar charging at the same
moment ripped his horse in the foreleg, and finding that he
could not again get him to go near the pig, he handed me the
sword and I took up the running.

We here came to a tributary stream, joining the river at
right angles. Into this we plunged, and as the boar swam
almost on a level with my saddle, I rose in the stirrups and
made a cut at him with all the force I could muster. Had
the weapon served me truly, I should have laid the boar in
two halves, but the blade of the sword, being merely fastened
into the hilt with lac, fell out, and the pig turned on me. I
had just time to fend him off with my hand, receiving as I did
so a slight cut over the thumb from his tusk.

Wheeling my horse round, I got away from him, when he
crossed the stream, and, turning up the other bank, left the

L

146 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

main river. By this time lie was nearly exhausted, and our
shikaree appeared on the scene, having followed the run on
foot. Another sword was procured from some cultivators. The
shikaree carried his own, and one of his men had an iron-bound
club. Leaving our panting steeds, we made a simultaneous
rush on the boar, as he stood at bay in the water. He made
a last charge, but the swords cut fairly this time, and the huge
beast succumbed.

I have been in at the death of many boars, but I never
saw a run so full of excitement as that which I have now
endeavoured to describe. t

We returned to our tents well satisfied with the day's
work, and the leading incidents of the last run were committed
to paper in a series of four spirited sketches by the ever-ready
pen of my light-hearted friend. I have them by me now, but
the hand of the limner has been chilled in death, never again
to grasp the spear or guide his gallant steed in the soul-stirring
chase of the grim gray boar.

CHAPTEE IX.

Horses ripped by Boars — Run at Rheenjah — Ducks in Samburmuttee — Tiger-
shooting Expedition near Beerpoor — Large Tiger seen — Hunt in the "Wat-
ruck River at Muggoree — Big Tiger wounded — Tigress shot — Rash Hunt
for the Big Tiger — Second Day at Muggoree — Two Cubs shot — Man killed
by a Tigress — Third Day at Muggoree — Bulkley badly mauled — March to
Baroda — Langton killed by a Tiger— March to Surat — Tiger Wounds.

" Ready he stood right valiantly,
But ere he had time to strike,
The tusk of the Boar, more prompt than he,
Deep through the flesh, above the knee,
Ripped with a stroke oblique."

MAGINN'S ' HOMERIC BALLADS.'

IN hunting the wild hog, injuries from their tushes are some-
times received both by horses and beaters ; but it is seldom
that the riders suffer. The wound made by the tusk of a pig
on the human leg is, as I have already said, generally of the
form of the letter L — like a tear in woollen cloth.

It is wonderful that injuries to beaters are not more fre-
quent than they are ; for a boar will constantly break back,
and when the line is advancing, through cypress or high sugar-
cane, he often cannot be seen till he is almost upon the men.
We seldom, however, had any difficulty in assembling beaters,
and though at times they naturally expressed an objection to
move in on a wounded pig, yet, on the whole, they showed
great pluck, and a proper enjoyment of the sport.

The injury done was not always in proportion to the size
of the pig, and I have seen a horse badly cut by a small sow
with teeth only half-an-inch in length. We had been hunting

148 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

her in the cypress covert, when she broke back, and, in the
centre of a small clear space of ground, was met by one of
our party who was cantering up to join us. He rode fair at
the pig, which never swerved an inch, but charged straight at
the horse. The steed was fresh, and tried to jump over her ;
but the sow, without slacking her pace, seemed to throw up
her head, and just touch the horse on the hind leg as she
passed on. The jump given by the horse caused the rider to
miss his spear, and, as he turned to follow the pig, we saw a
clean cut, five inches in length, down the shank of the hind
leg. The horse was of course laid up for some time.

On another occasion I pursued a boar which had been driven
from a cane-field. He crossed the bed of the Samburmuttee
river soon after I had slightly pricked him, and we were
thoroughly splashed by the time we reached the other side.
The boar was a heavy one, and lazy, and I was soon along-
side of him. On being again speared, he stood at bay. Turn-
ing my horse, I walked towards him, and, as I advanced, he
charged. He was, fortunately, very groggy, and, missing his
stroke, he stood under my horse's neck. In vain I tried to
shorten my spear, which was dripping with water, and slipped
through my hand ; and, after several tosses of his head, the
boar struck his tusk into my horse's chest. At that moment
he was killed by a thrust from another of our party. Dis-
mounting, I found my horse streaming with blood from a deep
but narrow wound, which we only staunched by pinning the
sides together, and binding them up with thread.

There was a good covert for hog at Kheenjah, about eight
miles south of Dholka. I was encamped there in the hot
season of 1855 with Bulkley, and walking out one morning
near the tents, we came on the fresh tracks of a goodly boar
leading into a sugar-cane field. A few beaters were collected,

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 149

and we went out in the afternoon. Bulkley was mounted on
a large iron-gray Arab, which had been sent out to his camp
by a young gentleman who, I believe, was anticipating a visit
from bum-bailiffs. I rode my galloway, having no fear that
so heavy a boar would be likely to beat us by speed. He was
soon started, and at once made for some extensive cypress
covert in the bed of the river. We therefore gave him short
law, but unfortunately turned him into another cane-field.
Across his path lay a dry thorn hedge, over four feet in height,
which he cleared at a bound, like a deer. We had some diffi-
culty in again dislodging him, but this time he took a more
favourable line, and, after letting him get well away, we went
after him. The iron-gray got the better of his rider, and
bolted between two thorn hedges. A bushy tree overhung
the path, and, as he dashed under it, Bulkley had a narrow
escape, for his hunting-cap was knocked off, his spear sent
spinning out of his hand, and he sustained a severe contusion
on the shoulder.

My galloway behaved admirably, and, putting his ears
back, followed the boar closely ; but on passing through
some thin jungle he breasted a mimosa sapling, covered
with long sharp thorns, and, as he brushed over it, he
received a smart blow on the head from the stem. The
boar then crossed some open ground, and I was close on him,
when he seemed to think he had taken the wrong line of
country, and pulled up sharp — sliding along the ground on his
hind-quarters — then, turning suddenly, he retraced his steps
at full speed.

My horse checked himself in an instant ; but so sud-
den was the movement that I was thrown off my balance,
and the sharp strain snapped my stirrup-leather, and nearly
brought me to the ground. However, I managed to keep

150 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

my seat, and wheeling round I soon closed again with the
boar. In front of us lay a cactus hedge, fifteen feet high,
and seeing that he would escape unless I speared before he
arrived at it, I crammed my horse at him. Before he could
reach the hedge my spear was into him ; but, though badly
wounded, he struggled on, and passing through a gap got
away.

Fortunately, at this moment, I was joined by Bulkley,
who came up on the other side, and, meeting the boar, turned
him back. He was afraid again to face the open ; but, stick-
ing to the hedge, whose overhanging branches prevented our
getting at him, he kept dodging back towards the sugar-cane,
which was not far distant. Judging that if he could only
reach its friendly shelter he would be safe from his pursuers,
he at length made a rush. Just then I found an opening in
the cactus, and, joining Bulkley, we raced after him.

About fifty yards from the canes was a steep green slope,
at the top of which we both speared him at the same instant.
Bulkley drove his spear from his stern to his chest, while
mine passed through across his body, and as we let them go
the transfixed boar rolled down the slope and lay dead at the
bottom.

Altogether it was a most exciting chase, and we had
reason to congratulate ourselves on the finish, for had we not
slain the boar when we did, he would have reached the canes,
and we should not again have been able to make him break
cover.

Suspecting that my horse had got badly pricked by the
mimosa thorns, I dismounted and examined his head. I
found one spike driven through the cartilage of his nose, and
another broken short off, just above the eye. Both were so
firmly imbedded that I had to draw them out with my teeth

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 151

but no bad consequences ensued. This was the last boar
which I saw killed on the Samburmuttee.

In the hot summer evenings we found some amuse-
ment at Eheenjah in shooting ducks in the neighbour-
hood. The sport was conducted in a lazy manner, for
on these occasions we started off in a shooting-cart, and
with pipes alight drove down to the bed of the stream,
where we halted. About sunset, the ducks would fly up and
down the river, within easy distance, and we shot them from
the cart. They were large fine gray ducks, with bright orange
feet.

The rains were now not far off, and we had planned an excur-
sion in quest of large game in the country towards Lunawarra.
Our party consisted of four ; to wit, Ashburner, Arbuthnot,
Bulkley, and myself ; and we had secured the services of a
good shikaree in the person of old Bheeka, a sergeant in the
Guzerat Koli Corps, who, with several of his own men, had
been sent on about three weeks before us to examine the ground,
and ascertain where tigers were to be found, so that we should
lose no time in moving camps in quest of game.

Ashburner and Arbuthnot had preceded us. Bulkley and
I started one afternoon from Ahmedabad, and rode out a stage
on borrowed nags. Here we found our shooting-carts in
readiness with hired bullocks, our own having been sent on to
Kuppurwunj, which we hoped to reach early next morning.
But the hired bullocks gave us much trouble, and, at starting,
bolted and upset Bulkley; then they shut up, and crawled
along at a wretched pace. Fortunately, as the day broke,
we got fresh ones from a village, but it was late -before we
reached Kuppurwunj. Here we breakfasted, and after a hot
ride of many miles we arrived at Beerpoor, where we met our
friends. Our carts arrived late in the afternoon.

152 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

Bheeka was in attendance — he had been busy, and told us
of about eighteen beasts, which he had either seen or tracked,
within the range of our operations. In one place were five
tigers ; in another two ; in another a panther, and so on. It
was arranged that we should first move on the five tigers ;
beating " on spec " some likely places on the road ; but we
found nothing, and by the time we reached our camp at Mug-
goree it was about 3 P.M.

The tigers were said to live in the bed of the Watruck
river, about a mile from the village. On reaching the tents
Bheeka and his men were brought up for consultation, and it
was settled that nothing should be done till next morning, as
it would be well not to disturb the covert : Bheeka then retired.
Before long a man came running in and said that there was a
tiger close by, and that the monkeys in the trees were swearing
in their peculiar manner. "We jumped up at once, and sent
for Bheeka, but that worthy, on receiving his orders at 3 P.M.,
had departed to his own quarters in the village, where he
forthwith proceeded to get drunk. He came up, wild and in-
coherent, and we saw at once that no work was to be got from
either him or his men. We went out, however, and I saw the
tiger, a male of' the largest size, moving along the face of the
hill. Some of us ran on and tried to head him, but he slipped
away, and not seeing him again we returned to camp.

At nine next morning we moved out and went towards the
river. We had only one elephant, and as it had never been
tried, it was not much sought after by any of the party.

After examining the ground, we found that the tigers had
taken up their quarters in a piece of very rough scrub by the
river-side, covered with large stones, long grass, and thick
green willow bushes, many of which were bent over and
weighed down by large masses of driftwood carried down by
floods during the monsoons.

ADVENTUKES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 153

We were all new at the work, and trusted a good deal to
Bheeka, who, when sober, was a good shikaree. By his direc-
tion we were posted in trees at various points on one side of
the cover, while the beaters advanced into the jungle with
loud yells and beating of drums. Very soon the father of the
family appeared ; he was no doubt the big beast we had seen
the day before. He came out either to Arbuthnot or Ashbur-
ner, who were posted near each other, and one of them wounded
him severely, turning him back into the jungle. On hearing
the shots the beaters promptly drew back, and could not again
be induced to enter the covert, but the yelling was redoubled.

My post was in a tree at the upper end of a small water-
course, about a hundred yards from the edge of the thick wil-
lows. My rifle had recently been re-stocked by a native
artificer, who had so arranged the triggers that if placed on full
cock both barrels would go together, or nearly so. When deer-
shooting, I got over this difficulty by cocking one barrel only.

Soon after the old tiger had been wounded I saw a tigress
leave the covert and come up the watercourse towards my
tree. Forgetting the peculiarity of my rifle, I cocked both
barrels, and when she was within thirty paces I fired. My
rifle went off with a great report and a sharp recoil, and I
then found I had let off both barrels.

The tigress fell forward, and remained quite motionless,
neither moving tail nor paws. My gun-bearer, who was seated
beside me, passed the second gun, a smoothbore, and I sat
ready to fire in case the beast should move. From her posi-
tion she looked as if merely checked by the report of my rifle,
and crouching for a charge. Meanwhile the beaters remained
yelling on the far side of the river, where they had perched
themselves on trees commanding views of the covert, which
they prudently did not attempt to enter.

154 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

My three friends left their passes and came towards me,
but halted when I told them of the tigress. As she remained
motionless, I began to think she must have been killed in-
stantaneously, so calling on -them to cover my descent, I came
down, and we went up to her. She had been struck by both
balls. One had entered about the root of the neck on the
right side, passing out behind the left forearm, the other had
taken her through the loins, and the combined results were
that she had sunk — stone dead — in her tracks.

I was not in very robust health about this time, and the
effect of the sun, which was very powerful, brought on a feeling
of deadly sickness ; and, soon after coming down from my tree,
I became violently ill. My comrades gave me weak brandy
and water, and poured water over my head, and in about half-
an-hour the more acute symptoms subsided, but I was not
fit to go on.

My friends were vexed at losing the big tiger, which they
had wounded badly, and they determined to go into the covert
together and hunt him out. I did my utmost to dissuade them,
but they had been reading Eice's accounts of tiger-shooting,
and assured me they would advance shoulder to shoulder, and
proceed with the utmost caution.

Mounting a riding camel, I returned to the tents, and
kept quiet for the rest of the afternoon. My friends returned
about 5 P.M., not having seen the wounded beast ; they had
gone into the covert as they had proposed, and had seen one
small tiger, at which one of the party had attempted to fire,
but his rifle snapped ; and, altogether, I thought they had
reason to congratulate themselves on their want of success.

As our men assured us that there were still a tigress and
two large cubs in the covert, we went to the same ground next
morning, and took up the same positions. I saw the tigress,

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 155

which came out for a short distance, and then turned back
to the willows. Then one of the cubs came out : he was a
small beast, about six feet from tip to tip. He stood broad-
side on at seventy yards, and I dropped him dead with one
shot.

The beaters had again taken to the trees, and declined
to enter the covert, so after a consultation it was agreed
that Ashburner and Bulkley should take up fresh posi-
tions in trees, and that Arbuthnot and I should go in with
a few picked men and drive out the tigress.

The chief of the village had come out with us that
morning, with a considerable following. Ashburner had
lent him a carbine, and he and his men also posted
themselves in a tree near the edge of the willows. We
hunted about for some time, and, as I now believe, we were
fortunate in not finding the tigress, who would certainly have
left her mark on one of us. As we came up to a thick patch
of willows, near the edge of the covert, several shots were fired
in our front by the chief and his men, and we heard their
bullets ping in the air as they glanced off the stones. Our
position was not a good one. A tiger — probably wounded —
somewhere close to us, and an excited chieftain firing " pro-
miscuous " into the covert.

We shouted to him to " cease firing," and made the best
of our way out of the jungle. Going up to him, we found the
chief had fired at and killed the other cub, which lay dead
near his tree.

A palaver was now held, and as we believed that only
the tigress remained, and that her temper would not be
improved by the slaughter of her offspring, we decided on
leaving her alone for that day. So, getting some men
together, we carried out the two cubs, and were starting off

156 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

to our camp when we heard shouts from the covert, followed
by the cry that a man had been seized by the tigress.

It turned out that a party of men, unconnected with us,
who were passing near t}ie place, had heard the shots, and
from motives of curiosity had joined our people at the spot
where the chief had killed the second cub. When all had left
the covert, one of these men missed the scabbard of his knife,
and returned to the spot where the cub had fallen, supposing
he had dropped it there. He was accompanied by one of his
friends, and as they approached the spot they came on the
tigress licking the blood from the dead leaves. She charged
on them at once, and as the unfortunate men turned to run,
one of them was dashed to the earth. The tigress seized him
in her teeth by the waist, driving her fangs deep into his body,
and shaking him as a dog would a rat She then slunk back
into the willows, and had disappeared by the time we reached
the place.

"We feared from the first that the man's case was hopeless,
but we had him carefully carried to the tent, where we
dressed his wounds, and did all in our power, but he sank
fast, and died next morning.

Apart from the feeling of regret for the poor man, we
feared the event would seriously affect our success during
the rest of the expedition ; for though we were in no way to
blame, and the man had met his death solely by his own rash
act in returning to the jungle, yet he had died in our camp,
and we knew we should get all the credit of his death among
the country folks. We gave his friends money for the funeral
expenses, and they carried off the body to be burnt at his
native village.

Soon after they had left we went forth to hunt in the
bed of the Watruck river, a few miles above the scene

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 157

of the previous day's disaster. Some of our men had been
out in the early morning, and had followed up the fresh track
of a tiger into the willows which fringed the banks of the
stream. At this spot the river was about eighteen inches in
depth from bank to bank, and the sides, which sloped down
sharply to within a few yards of the water, were clothed with
thick green bushes.

The main river was joined by several deep and tortuous
nullahs, partially filled with dry grass eight feet high, which
had escaped the conflagration in the annual burning of the
surrounding jungle. Altogether the spot was very tigerish.
Away from the bed of the river the jungle was bare and
stony, and the black ashes of the burnt grass seemed to
render the heat more intense. The trees were clear of leaves,
and the only shade to be got was on the north side of their
trunks.

On this day Bulkley and Arbuthnot wished to try
the elephant, so they mounted him together, and proceeded
to beat down the bed of the stream towards Ashburner
and myself, who were posted in trees on the bank. My tree
was in a good position on the edge of a deep nullah, and
mounting, with my gun-bearer, we perched ourselves and sat
quiet.

We soon heard the elephant trumpet, and a glimpse was
obtained of the tiger by those in the howdah ; but the trees
hung so much over the water, and were so large and dense, that
the elephant could only be driven in the centre of the stream.
Stones were flung in freely from above, but the tiger would
not again show, though we worked after him for two hours.

All this time I was sitting in the tree exposed to thefullforce
of the blazing May sun, and I had another attack, similar to that
from which I suffered on the first day. My attendant would

158 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

not let me descend, as he said he was sure the tiger was not
far off. So, tying the guns to the tree, he passed his turban
round my body, and kept me in my place. We called to
Ashburner, who was not far offj and he left his tree, and came
with several men to our assistance and helped me down. We
then left the river-bank, and I was placed in the shade of the
trunk of a tree.

I began to feel rather better, and Ashburner had shouted
to the others to come and have luncheon. He was busy
unpacking the basket, when we heard a great uproar from the
river, followed by two shots, and snatching up our rifles, we
ran forward in time to meet Bulkley staggering up the bank
with his clothes all torn and bloody.

They had dismounted from the elephant in the bed of the
river, where they were joined by some of the beaters, and
were on their way up the bank to join us at luncheon.
Arbuthnot was somewhat in advance, and Bulkley followed
with a number of beaters, when the latter suddenly called out
" The tiger ! the tiger ! " and fled incontinently.

Bulkley wheeled round, and at that instant the tiger
charged out. It had been lying in the deep shade caused by
a mass of willows, bent over by a heap of drift and debris
from the river ; and Arbuthnot, and the men with him, must
have passed within a few yards of it on their way up the
bank. As the tiger charged, Bulkley fired both barrels in his
face, but, failing to stop him, turned and endeavoured to get
away. His foot slipped, and he fell forward against the bank.
At that instant the tiger seized him by the back, just over
the shoulder-blade, and carried him off for about twenty
yards. Bulkley had probably wounded him in his charge,
for he now dropped him and retired into the bush, and did not
again show. The wounded man picked himself up, and met

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 159

us as we advanced, and we supported him to the spot where
we had been sitting.

Cutting open his clothes, we found his back fearfully
lacerated, but the discharge of blood was not great. The
tiger had lifted him by the muscles of the back, and that
with no tender grasp ; but we could form no idea of the
actual mischief done.

A litter having been constructed, we raised him and set
off for the camp. His pluck was wonderful, and he conversed
freely with us on the road, and explained the whole matter.
On our arrival at the tent we made all preparations for
taking him to the Baroda cantonment, distant about eighty
miles, where we could place him under proper medical treat-
ment. Meanwhile we carefully washed his wounds, and
over the whole laid a huge flour poultice.

We marched that evening, carrying our friend on a cot,
borne on men's shoulders, and by daylight next morning we
had got over twenty-five miles. A tent was then pitched in
the shade, and we kept him quiet till evening, when we again
marched, and so arrived, after three or four days, at Baroda.
Quinine and castor oil were given, and the general health of
the patient carefully attended to.

The British Eesident at the Guicowar's court, having
heard of our disaster, sent out a skilled medical man, who met
us about ten miles from the cantonment, and under whose
charge Bulkley remained for a month, by which time his
wounds were sufficiently healed to allow me to take him to
Surat, which we reached in five marches. I remained with
him while at Baroda, where my regiment — from which I was
detached on staff employ — was then stationed.

Another shooting party was out, and, as their leave was
up, we daily expected them in cantonments. One morning

160 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

a man arrived with the news that one of the party had been
wounded by a tiger, and was on his way in. Soon after,
Langton, of my regiment, was carried in on a litter. Two
days before, having left his comrades, he was on his way back
to Baroda alone. Hearing of a tiger in the bed of the Mhye
river, he went after and wounded it. The beast got away
among some rocks, and as Langton was endeavouring to dis-
lodge him, he charged, knocked him over, and bit him through
the elbow-joint and thumb. The tiger then left him, and his
people got him home to his tent. Men were procured, and
having placed him on a litter, they set off towards the canton-
ment.

In this way they moved all that afternoon, the whole of
the following day, and the third till 11 A.M., when they reached
Baroda. The wounded man was quite sensible, and free from
any great pain, and gave iis a full account of his misadventure.
We got him put to bed, and he soon after fell off into a drowsy
state, from which he never recovered. A brother officer and
I watched him during the night, and at 2 A.M. I saw such a
decided change come over him that I at once sent for the
doctor, who was himself on the sick list. All that was possible
was done for Langton, but he never rallied, and died in the
afternoon. He was buried next evening with military
honours. He had been in a nervous and excitable state for
some time previous to the accident, but there was no doubt his
death was accelerated by undue exposure to the sun after the
shock which he had sustained.

Bulkley and I had a severe march to Surat, which was
distant ninety miles. The rain fell in torrents, and in those
days the railway was not commenced. All the nullahs were
unbridged, and some could only be crossed on cots, floated on
large earthen pots, procured from the nearest village.

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 161

Bulkley was carried in a palanquin by about twenty men,
and I rode, having previously removed my horse's shoes,
which otherwise would have been drawn off by the tenacious
mud.

On several occasions the bearers had to carry the palan-
quin on their heads, while I dismounted, and wading and
floundering waist-deep, crossed stretches of water a quarter of
a mile in width. So bad was the road, that by starting at
daylight and allowing a couple of hours' halt at mid-day, we
did not reach the end of a march of fourteen miles till some
time after dark. However, no damage was done to my
patient, and in Surat he again came under the doctor's hands.
The wounds refused to close, and for upwards of twelve
months continued to discharge, giving at times excessive
pain. By my advice Bulkley then went down to Bombay,
where he consulted an eminent surgeon. This man placed
him under chloroform, and laying open the wounds, extracted
considerable portions of the shoulder-blade which had been
splintered off by the teeth of the tiger, and were keeping up
a constant irritation.

Soon after this operation the wounds completely closed
up. The foregoing chapter is, I think, worthy the attention
of young sportsmen, and may warn them from attempting to
follow up wounded or otherwise infuriated wild beasts on
foot.

M

CHAPTEE X.

Indore — Kautcote Jungles — Tiger wounded — Large Tiger seen— Cry of Tigers
when charging — Bad Mahouts — Night Watching for Tigers — Cheetul
shot — Herd of Sambur — A Bear's Throne — Murrel shot — Tiger missed
—Wild Dogs— Craving of Deer for Salt— Shooting with a High Tra-
jectory— Antelope-shooting at Indore— Jowra Nawaub — Cheetah Hunt —
Tame Buck (?) shot — A Buck in the Grass — A Long Shot — March to
Bundelcund — Thunder-storm — Cholera — Snipe-shooting — Jansi — Duttiah
—The Chiefs Preserve— Four Nylghae shot— Wild Pig shot— Stalking
Antelopes— Right and Left Shot at Chinkara— Cheetah's Tactics— Oorae
—Gipsy Kettle— Return March— Blue Bull shot— Bustard shot.

IN the hot season of 1856 I marched from Ahmedabad to
Indore in Malwa. I had always heard of this part of Central
India as a good sporting country, but I arrived too late in the
year to be able to organise an expedition, even had I been able
to get the necessary leave of absence. The country was all
new to me, and I knew that the information of the natives
around the cantonment was hardly to be relied on. Game
there was in plenty within sixty miles ; but without good
shikarees little could be done by a stranger.

The Mhow cantonment was distant only fourteen miles,
and some few of the officers employed shikarees ; but they
were only to be got to work by high pay and large rewards,
and, as a rule, confined their services to the garrison. The
Vindyah range of mountains was close to Simrole, twelve
miles from Indore, where the table-land of Malwa ceased, and
the ground fell away to the valley of the Nerbudda river.
The intervening country was very rugged ; covered with hills

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 163

and deep ravines. Bradford, of the Madras Cavalry, started
with me to explore this country, and riding to Baie, eighteen
miles from Indore, on the Bombay road, we turned to the left,
and after some miles along a jungle track we arrived at
Kautcote, where our men had preceded us. The Maharajah
Holkar had kindly lent us two elephants, but they were
unsteady, and were driven by a couple of rascals who feared
to take them near a tiger. Next morning we moved into the
jungle, and encamped in a lovely spot by the banks of a river,
a few miles from Kautcote. In the jungle were many iron-
pits which had been worked in the olden day, but were now
buried in grass and bushes, and given over to wild beasts.

We had not been long at our tents when one of our men
came in and reported he had taken the fresh track of a
tiger up to one of these pits, and was anxious that we should
at once go and drive him out. On arriving at the ground we
saw that the tiger had gone into some holes under a steep
bank, so making a circuit, we posted ourselves above, and
threw down stones. We had hoped that he would bolt out
in front, but he showed no sign till we were about to give
him up, when he suddenly appeared on our left, coming up
the bank. I at once fired, but he dashed on, and in an instant
was lost among the long grass. On examining the spot we
found drops of blood ; but it was not safe to follow him on
foot, for the grass was three and four feet high, and the trees
and bushes would not have allowed the passage of an elephant.
We were obliged to leave him and return to the tents.

Next day was blank, and we moved camp farther into the
wilderness. On the way we came on some old marks of bison,
and had a chance at a herd of nylghae, but would not fire, as we
did not wish to disturb the country. As we approached a
ravine running down from some springs, we observed a very

164 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

large tiger standing in a streamlet about 200 yards from us.
He had evidently seen us, and after a few seconds he moved
up the hill-side, which was covered with bamboos and de-
tached fragments of rock. On arriving at the spot where we
had seen him, we came in full view of the huge beast, as he
stood, a hundred paces above us, at the base of a large rock.
He was watching us, with one paw raised like a pointer dog,
and his head turned sideways towards us. Notwithstanding
the distance, we were about to fire, when, with a series of
savage growls, he charged down the hill, and rushing across
the ravine, disappeared, and we saw him no more. The word
" growl," which I have used above is, I think inaccurate, but
I know not what term to use. A tiger when lying wounded
in a thicket will sometimes "growl," but when he charges
his cry is more of a deep cavernous grunt, very horrible to
hear, and well calculated to try a man's nerves. On one or
two rare, occasions I have heard a tiger roar, and have often-
times heard him growl, but the war-cry which he gives when
charging is quite distinct from either of these.

After resting a while we moved towards the place where
we had sent our servants and tents. The jungle had been only
very partially burnt, and all the edges of the streams, together
with large tracts of the more level jungle, were covered with
grass two feet or more in height. We were skirting up the
bank of a considerable stream, when we saw a tiger move up
from the river on the opposite side, and disappear among the
long grass. The jungle was fairly open, and we thought we
might try our luck on the elephants ; so, calling them up, we
mounted. We had to proceed up stream some distance, as
the bank was too abrupt to allow the elephants to descend.
Having at length effected a passage, we moved down to where
we had seen the tiger, and there, among the grass, we found

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 165

half the carcass of a recently killed nylghae. Bringing the
elephants abreast we turned up the hill, and presently came
on three tigers sitting quietly in the grass, within thirty
paces of each other. They seemed to regard us with great
unconcern. Whispering to the mahout to stop, I was in the
act of raising my rifle, when, with a shrill trumpet, my
elephant rushed to the front. I was of course jerked down
into the seat, and before I could recover myself the three
tigers had vanished. Looking around for my friend, I found
his elephant had behaved even worse than mine, and had
nearly smashed him against the overhanging branch of a tree.
We deplored our hard fate, and abused the elephants ; but
had I known then all I know now, the blame, and probably
the punishment, would have fallen on the mahouts.

It was late in the afternoon when we reached our camp at
Ghora Puchar. It was by no means a cheerful spot, and we
were informed that on a former occasion the groom of some
officer from Mhow had been killed here by a tiger. It was
suggested by some of our people that we might have a chance
of a shot by sitting up at night over a bait. Bradford had a
young buffalo tied up, while I sat over the remains of a nylghae
which had been killed two days before. Hyaenas were
plentiful, and they fought over the carcass of the blue bull
all night, but no tiger came near me ; and Bradford was
equally unsuccessful. On leaving my tree at daybreak I
made a short detour through the jungle, and on my way to
the tents I came on a large herd of cheetul. No good buck
presented himself, so, as we were in want of meat, I knocked
over a fat doe, which we carried to camp.

About this time we were told that the supply of flour was
running short, and that we must move in nearer civilisation.
In fact, we found ourselves in the hands of our attendants, who,

166 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

not being in our pay, and in no way imbued with the love of a
woodland life, sighed for the bazaars and flesh-pots of Indore.
These gentlemen no doubt gave the cue to the rest of the party,
and we were constrained to retrace our steps. We had still two
days more of leave, and these we determined to spend at our
first camping-ground. The camp was therefore struck, and
the tents and servants sent off by the most direct line.
Taking our gun-bearers and a few of the aborigines who had
joined us, we made a wide circuit through a very singular
country. The whole of the grass had been burnt, and, in
many parts, the surface of the ground was nothing but a sort
of black freestone, which had, when in its liquid state, become
mixed up with minute veins of quartz. The freestone had
worn down under the combined effects of wind and weather,
while the thin ridges of quartz stood out as sharp as knives,
and were most destructive to our boots. Emerging from a
small ravine, we came in full view of a large herd of sambur,
headed by a noble stag. They stood watching us, but were
too far to risk a shot ; and, after a short time, they went off,
the hinds leading, then the smaller stags, and, in rear of all,
the monarch of the herd.

None of the natives with us had any pretensions to being
shikarees, and we wandered on in a purposeless manner,
only endeavouring to eke out the day till our servants should
have time to arrive and pitch the tent. As we ascended a
rocky eminence we saw a large bear slink off, scared by the
noise made by our followers. We found his seat, and to
judge from the polished appearance of the rock it had been
the resting-place of his ancestors for many generations, and
possibly for centuries. It was on a slightly concave piece of
rock, over which stood an enormous stone, resting on two or
three points, and affording ways of escape on at least two sides.

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 167

Marks of bears were numerous, but we saw no others. It was
late in the afternoon when we reached our tent, and, throwing
off our garments, we plunged into the stream and enjoyed a
good bath. We had a long talk that night after dinner, and
laid plans for another visit to these jungles ; for we could see
by the marks in the forest that game was plentiful, and we
were convinced that with good shikarees sport might be
obtained. As it was, we had nobody with us who had any
love of the chase, and the few people of Kautcote who
attended our camp were only qualified to act as indifferent
guides.

By 10 A.M. next day we had no word of game, so we
set out on a further exploration. Passing a pool in the
river, we saw a small shoal of the spawn of the murrel or
sowlee fish. We knew that the parent fish were swimming
below the shoal and would presently come to the surface,
so, cocking my rifle, I waited their appearance. As one of
them rose, I fired, and my men running in, brought it out.
He was about seven pounds in weight. We then wandered
up the river without seeing anything, and about 2 P.M. we had
halted in the shade near some springs, not far from the stream.
We lay about under the trees, and our people were scattered
for some distance about the jungle. Presently one of them
came running up, and assured us that they had seen a
tiger lying close by. They suggested that Bradford should
mount one of the elephants, and remain near where we then
were ; and that I should accompany them and drive out the
tiger. We accordingly crossed the river about a hundred
yards below, and I was taken up among some rocks on the
opposite side, from whence I had a good view of two frag-
ments of rock an the other bank, meeting in a V shape, and
overshadowed by a thick green willow. Behind these rocks

168 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

I was assured that the tiger was lying, and had been seen by
some of the attendants as they were going down to bathe.
The river was only some thirty yards in width, and our
position was quite accessible had the tiger felt inclined to
charge. After some minutes I saw him raise his eyes over
the rocks, take a look at us, and sink down again. This he
did several times, and at length, thinking I could take him
in the head, I fired. He at once sprang up under the over-
hanging willow above him and disappeared, passing within
a few yards of Bradford, whose elephant trumpeted loudly,
and, bolting off, nearly killed him among the trees.

We never saw the tiger again. The finish had been quite
in keeping with the other parts of our expedition, and we
both vowed never again to go out with other men's servants,
or to attempt to explore an unknown country without proper
shikarees. Out of six tigers which we had seen we had
bagged none, and one spotted deer was all we had to boast of.
Wild dogs were numerous in these forests, and I saw three
one morning close to our tents. The natives declared that,
but for the presence of the dogs, we should have seen many
more sambur and nylghae. In spite of our bad luck we
enjoyed our ten days very much, and were sorry when we
had to mount and return to cantonments.

When in the Kautcote jungle we had a good opportunity
of noting the predilection of deer for salt. At some distance
from our tent was a scarped bank in a dry water-course,
and on its surface there was a strong saline deposit. The
spot was much frequented by sambur, and the fact seemed
known to the shikarees of the district, for, artfully concealed
under the root of a tree at the top of the bank, we observed a
seat whence, no doubt, many a deadly shot had been obtained.
The tracks of the deer were numerous and fresh in the ground

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 169

below, and, as far as they could reach, they had licked the
salt from the face of the bank.

An old iron-pit in this jungle was shown to one of my
friends, some years after my visit, by one of the natives of
the place. He stated that he had on one occasion taken up a
youthful British sportsman to this cave, in which a tiger had
been marked down. A fragment of rock was hurled into the
pit, and out bolted the affrighted tiger. " There/' said the
shikaree, pointing to the left, " there ran the tiger ; the sahib
stood here ; and there" (pointing to a branch twenty-five feet
straight over his head) "there is the mark of the sahib's
bullet !" It is supposed that the tiger was not the only thing
that was frightened on that day.

It was proposed by the Nawaub of Jowra, who had come
into Indore for the Dussera festival, that some of us should
go out some morning to see his cheetahs work. We accord-
ingly made an early start, and set out for some ground which
was preserved by Holkar, and on which was a good show of
black buck. The Nawaub, who was a stout heavy man, rode
a strong hill pony, which ambled along at a great pace, and
the other officers of our party were mounted on Arabs in the
hope of a run at something. In the open plain we came up
with the Nawaub's men, about a hundred and fifty in all ;
men mounted on screaming horses, and men on riding camels ;
men on foot with guns and dogs, and men with camels laden
with tents ; and last, but not least, men on elephants. There
were other men in attendance on the two cheetahs, each of
which rode on his own platform cart ; and, though hooded,
were apparently aware that some amusement was in store for
them. Several herds of deer were in sight, and they did not
seem much disconcerted by the troop of men, horses, etc. etc.
The place was not far from the town of Indore, and they were

170 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

accustomed to such sights. After some talk, it was settled
that one of the cheetahs should be taken up to the nearest
herd ; so the Nawaub, leaving the main body, requested us
to join him. The deer seemed to mistake us for harmless
wayfarers, for they fed quietly, while we passed at a distance
of about eighty yards.

A cheetah was now unhooded, and on seeing the deer he
at once glided from the cart, and taking advantage of every
tuft of grass and inequality in the ground, he crept towards
his prey. The deer were meanwhile lazily watching us as
we went on without halting, and the poor beasts were only
aware of their danger when the leopard made his rush. There
was a wild scurry, but the cheetah was among them, and as
the herd cleared off we saw him lying with his teeth in the
throat of a goodly buck. His keeper now came up with a
wooden ladle and a knife, and cutting the deer's throat he
caught the blood in the spoon, into which in a few minutes
the cheetah thrust his nose, and while he was lapping the
blood the hood was slipped over his eyes, and he was secured
and replaced in the cart.

As we moved on we saw several bucks feeding singly
about the plain, and the Nawaub suggested that I should take
my rifle and move on them with a shooting- cart. I advanced
on a very black fellow with long horns. He was lying near
a small bit of cultivated land, and as the ground was favour-
able I made sure of getting within easy shot ; but when I was
within about two hundred yards of him the buck rose, looked
hard at us, shook his head, and trotted off to some distance,
when he again lay down. We followed on slowly with the
cart, and I was about to fire at him as he lay, but he again
jumped up, and was shaking his head as before when I fired
and dropped him. Some of the attendants ran in and cut his

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE.

throat, and he was placed on the cart, with which I returned
to the Nawaub and one or two gentlemen who had witnessed
the death from a rising ground.

One of the party proceeded to overhaul the buck, and
forthwith set up a shout of derision, for on examining the
horns, holes were found which had been bored in them about
two inches from the tips. The natives had no doubt caught
him on some former occasion, and he had been let loose with
catgut nooses attached to his horns — the object being to en-
tangle any other buck with whom he might fall in and engage
in combat. I got well roasted for shooting what my friends
called a tame deer ; but, tame deer or wild, I had dropped him
by a good shot, and so could afford to be chaffed.

Notwithstanding that we were in preserved ground, the
crowd of followers by whom the Nawaub was accompanied had
evidently scared the deer, and we were advised to go on for a mile
or two, when we should be among fresh game. We accordingly
mounted our horses and moved through a tract of grass land.
Our company was numerous and noisy, and the chance of any
addition to our bag seemed small at that moment. We were
all laughing and talking as we rode along, when I observed,
about sixty yards on our left, what seemed to me to be the
points of a buck's horns, appearing just over the long grass.
My henchman with my rifle was at my stirrup, and before any
of the party were aware of what I was about, I had jumped
off, and fired at the point where I imagined the horns should
meet. The bullet told with a sharp crack, and the horns dis-
appeared. On going up to the place we found a buck shot
through the head. Had I not seen him, he would have lain
still while the whole party of hunters -7- if we deserved the
name — passed within a few yards of him.

At the foot of some low hills we saw a herd of deer feeding

172 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

in a cornfield, and the Nawaub called up the other cheetah
with his attendants. The ground was very bare between us
and the deer, and before the cheetah had got within distance,
the herd saw him and bolted. The leopard, however, did his
best, and nearly had one antelope, but, finding himself foiled,
he gave in at once and was secured by his keeper. Mean-
while the deer went off to our left, where they were turned by
some horsemen ; on which they passed in rear of us at a dis-
tance of several hundred yards. A rapid file fire was opened,
but without effect, further than perhaps to cause the deer to
bound higher than usual. The last shot was fired by one of
the Nawaub's men, with one of his English rifles. The deer
must have been nearly 500 yards off at the time, and to our
astonishment one of them tumbled over. The shot was of
course a fluke, but the shooter was not the less the hero of
the hour.

The Nawaub now suggested refreshments, and soon a
string of camels was seen coming up laden with tents, tables,
chairs, and all manner of kitchen arrangements. Breakfast
was at once ordered, and while the tents were being pitched
we went out after some quail which had been seen close by.
The Nawaub intimated his intention of shooting, and we had
no wish to interfere with his sport, which we watched with
great amusement. He was not a first-rate marksman, but one
of his men could shoot very fairly, and when the Nawaub
fired, he also loosed his piece, but of course took no credit for
any result. On breakfast being announced we returned to the
tents, where we found sundry and various cooling drinks, which
were gratefully swallowed. In the afternoon we rode back to
the cantonment, having spent a very pleasant day, although
the sporting was not of a high order. The Jowra Nawaub was
always most hospitable to all Europeans passing through his

ADVENTUKES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 173

country. Our last meeting was in 1865, when I was his guest
while on my way south from Eajpootana. Two months later
he died of cholera, which was then raging at Jowra.

Towards the close of the year 1856 I accompanied
the agent of the Governor-General through the Gwalior
and Bundelcund states. We left Indore in October, and went
north by rapid marches, so that, even had the country been
favourable, we should have had little time for shooting. At
this season, however, the jungles were filled with high green
grass, and there was no prospect of shooting till the cold
weather set in. We tried to beat a jungle near Eagoogurh,
and indeed we started one large tiger, whose fresh footprints
we found over our own on our way back to the tents, but we
could make nothing of it, and did not again renew the attempt.
At Seepree we encountered a violent thunderstorm. The
ground was hard as iron, and in pitching the camp there
had been a great destruction of tent-pegs. We were in the
cantonment at the time, calling on some of the officers, and
on returning to our camp we found it flat, with the exception
of the big man's tent, which had only been kept standing by
half-a-dozen men holding on to every rope.

The soil of the place was red, having a strong admixture
of ironstone, and our tents bore the marks of that storm for
many a day. To add to our discomfort, cholera had broken
out among a large party which had joined us from Oujein,
and had been communicated to our camp.

The disease was aggravated by the wet and discomfort,
and for some days we had many deaths among our people.

From Seepree we moved on Jansi, having some very good
snipe-shooting on the road. At one large tank they were
especially numerous, and sometimes we had six and seven birds
lying dead around us. We also made some good bags of

1*74 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

ducks. I had an agreeable companion in Hunt, of the Bengal
Lancers, who commanded the agent's escort.

At Jansi we called on the Eanee, who a few months later
was destined to give so much trouble ; and we also went over
the old Fort, where Burgess and his gallant companions fought
so well, till they were led by treacherous promises to trust
themselves to their merciless assailants.

After a detour to the south, we marched to Duttiah, where
the chief, hearing that we were fond of shooting, offered to
send out his men with us. We knew the sport would be
but tame, but having nothing better on hand, we started off,
taking only the chief's shikarees and our own gun-bearers.
I always had a horror of native gentlemen when out shooting ;
their utter ignorance of sport in any shape, and their inordinate
love of noise and large followings, made them most undesirable
companions. There are now and then exceptions, but they are
like angels' visits.

On approaching the preserved ground we were met by
the shikarees leading a tall and sagacious stalking bullock.
A string was passed through his nostrils, and he was guided
to the right or left by the rein being thrown on either side of
his hump. We had not gone far when we came on a herd of
nylghae, browsing among some thick bushes. One of them
raised its head, and stood watching us at a distance of seventy
yards. Hunt told me to shoot ; so, aiming at what I sup-
posed was its shoulder, I fired. The ball struck timber,
and when it cleared, I saw the white blaze of the shot on the
trunk of the tree, which I had mistaken for the shoulder of
the beast. Hunt had done better, for, as they went off, he
dropped a good blue bull.

It was now settled that we should separate and meet
again about 3 P.M., at a place about four miles off. We

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 175

were each accompanied by a couple of the Eajah's men ;
and those who came with me brought with them the stalking
bullock. After moving quietly through the jungle for half-
an-hour, we came on another herd of nylghae ; one large cow
was standing, broadside on, about eighty yards off. I dropped
her with one shot, and one of the men behind me was in the
act of rushing forward to finish her, when I checked him,
and at that instant a blue bull bolted out into an open glade
in the wood, and stood looking at us intently. Again my rifle
cracked, and the bull staggered wildly forward for about fifty
yards and fell. Fearing to lose the meat, owing to the throats
not being cut in the orthodox manner, the men now ran up,
and in a few seconds the poor beasts were lawful beef.

The style of shooting was by no means to my taste, but my
attendants seemed highly satisfied, and looked forward to a
great feast for themselves and their families, though they cared
little for sport. Having covered up the dead beasts with
boughs of trees, we went on a mile or two, when we saw a large
cow nylghae feeding among some scrub jungle. The bullock
was now brought into play, and stooping down behind him
with one of the men, we allowed the beast to graze quietly, at
the same time edging him up towards the game. The bullock
seemed thoroughly to understand his work, and moved at the
slighest hint from right to left. We got up within easy shot,
and the cow was dropped with one bullet. Satiated with this
slaughter, I intimated to my companions that we should now
push forward to rejoin Hunt, who I knew would be ready for
his luncheon. A. man was therefore sent for a cart on which
to carry home the game, and we moved on. Before long, a
huge blue bull crossed our front, and stood within a hundred
yards, with his shoulder well exposed. I raised my rifle and
covered him, but thinking my companions and their friends

176 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

would find they had sufficient occupation for their time and
teeth, with the game already slain, I lowered my weapon, and
soon after the bull went off.

Farther on, we heard some wild hogs moving in a thicket
of bushes and high grass. Though I had spared the bull I
thought a pork-chop might be desirable, so I crept forward.
The sounder, however, had got our wind, and we heard them
scurry off. One pig was left behind, and, on missing his com-
panions, he set up a peculiar cry. Presently he moved out of
the thicket, and stood in some long grass. I could just see his
head, and I dropped him dead with a shot between the eyes.
My attendant, by this time, regarded me with great respect.
Four beasts had fallen to four successive shots, and he had not
been accustomed, when sporting with his royal master, to see
so large a result from so small an expenditure of ammunition.
We now emerged into an open country, and were joined by
Hunt, who had been most unsuccessful, not having killed any-
thing since the bull in the morning. He had not had one
other chance.

An abundant luncheon was now produced, and to it we
did ample justice. Another party of the chief's men met us
here. They had with them tame antelopes for stalking, and
as neither of us had seen this style of shooting, we directed
them to come with us in the afternoon. The tame antelopes
were three in number — one buck, and two does — and their
human confederate carried on his arm a screen of leafy twigs,
having a small aperture in the middle, from which to shoot.
The antelopes were held by their cords, five or six yards in
length, and were so trained that a doe was always on each
side, while the buck passed backwards and forwards between
them.

A herd of wild antelopes was soon seen, and Hunt moved

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE.

forward with the trained deer and their keeper. As soon as
they were observed by the herd, the reigning buck came for-
ward, shaking his head, and evidently bent on having a fight
with the new comer, whose does he no doubt intended, in true
Oriental fashion, to sweep into his own harem. He was
followed, at a few yards' distance, by the rest of the herd, and
they all advanced steadily till within fifty yards of the stalk-
ing-party. Hunt would have dropped the buck had he had a
fair chance of shooting, but he was so persuaded that he must
be seen if he moved, that he kept his eye steadily fixed through
the opening in the screen, which was placed too low to enable
him to shoot conveniently. At this moment a horseman, who
had been sent out by the chief to inquire after our welfare,
came up on a screaming horse, and the herd went off at
speed. Neither of us being inclined to go farther, we mounted
our horses, and returned to the camp.

We marched next morning, and the chief sent with us his
hunting cheetahs, with orders to their attendants to accompany
us for several days on our journey. The country was not,
however, favourable, and antelope were not seen. We went
out one afternoon, on the report of a man who said he had
seen deer. We found they were chinkara ; and the man in
charge of the cheetahs informed us that these small deer were
too active for this sort of work. We therefore left the leopard
behind some bushes with our horses, and, taking his cart, I
went forward with my rifle. The deer allowed us to approach
within eighty yards, and I dropped the buck with the first
barrel. The doe darted off, and then stood looking at us.
She was at least 150 yards off, and looked very small, but I
bagged her with the second shot, greatly to the astonishment
of the cartman. We then returned to the cheetah. Farther
on we came on some more chinkara, and, at my request, the

N

178 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

cheetah was slipped. We moved on quietly with the cart,
and had a splendid opportunity of observing the leopard
approach his game. Crawling like a snake over bare ground,
and taking advantage of the smallest shrubs and tufts of
grass, he crept forward. But the deer were in the middle of
a bare field, and when the cheetah did make his rush, they
saw him at once, and fled with amazing swiftness. No capture
was effected, and we returned to the tents.

Our journey ings took us through Hameerpoor to Cawn-
pore and Lucknow, and we rejoined our own camp in Bun-
delcund, passing through Oorae. Here we were entertained
very hospitably by two officers, who were on detachment
duty. Food was scarce, and they trusted a good deal to their
guns for provisions. It was then the cold season, and a large
pot was kept constantly on the fire in the sitting-room, and
into this all manner of eatables were thrust promiscuously,
— hens, hares, venison, ducks, quails, potatoes, turnips, sauces
of sorts, etc. etc. The mess was, however, excellent, and there
was always a pleasing uncertainty as to the nature of the
food which the spoon would fish up. We were a merry party
of four, but a few months later I was the only one left to
tell the tale. Two fell in the massacre at Cawnpore, and
Hunt, with another officer, was shot by the mutineer cavalry
of the Mehidpore Contingent at Mulharghur.

Our return march was via Agra and Gwalior to Indore.
We moved too fast to allow of any chance of large game. At
Kolarus we were taken out by some of the people of the place,
but the jungles were green and very extensive, and we saw
that the whole thing was absurd. Late in the afternoon, as
we were returning home on our elephants, we saw several
nylghae on a hill above us. They were moving among thick
bushes, and more from a wish to empty my rifle than from

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 179

any hope of killing, I fired. The elephant had been by no
means steady, and the bull at which I aimed was moving,
but I heard the shot strike with a loud crack, and I ob-
served a commotion among the bushes on the hill-side. Some
of our people called out that the bull was shot, so, dismount-
ing from the elephants, we went up the hill, which was very
rough and stony, and covered with thick corinda jungle.
Forcing our way through this, we found the bull, who had been
shot through both hind legs, just below the hocks. The poor
brute floundered violently, and I would have finished him
with another shot, but for my gun-bearer, who was anxious to
secure the skin for a shield, so the poor bull was knocked on
the head with an axe.

As we approached the staging bungalow at Dewas, we
observed from the carriage two fine bustard feeding near the
road. During our march I had made several unsuccessful
attempts to obtain a shot at bustard, but these seemed tamer •
so, leaving one of the grooms behind to watch them, we drove
on to the bungalow, where I got my gun, and loading with
BB, I mounted on a small pony and cantered back.

The birds were feeding, and took but little notice of me so
long as I remained on the road, but as soon as they saw me
move towards them, they rose and took a short flight. I
followed slowly, and this time I managed to approach some-
what nearer ; but as I was about to check my pony, they
again rose. Quitting the reins, I fired at the largest, and he
dropped his legs, but recovering himself, he flew on. I saw
he was hard hit, and I kept my eye on him, and after going
about a mile, I saw him fall. Eiding up, I found him dead.
He was a very fine bird, and weighed twenty-two pounds.
Some of the feathers of the bustard are invaluable to the
salmon-fisher.

CHAPTER XT.

Origin of the Bheels : their Character — Bear marked down — Valley of Nimar
— Bear bolted and slain — Mowa Trees — Sindwah — Mekranee joins me —
March to Teekree — Hunt in the Boorar River — Tigress slain — Filtered
Water — Runaway Elephant — March to Khull — Meet Hunt — Move to
Dhurrempooree — Panther smoked out and shot — March to the Hills —
Encounter with Bear — Bappoo to the Rescue — Close shooting — Absence
of Pain in Fresh Wounds — Habits of Bears and Young — Move to Mund-
laisir — Cold-water Dressing — Recovery.

IN the spring of 1857 I entered on the duties of an appoint-
ment under the agent to the Viceroy in Central India. This
entailed the political supervision of the country bordering on
the Nerbudda river, lying between Western Malwa and the
district of Khandesh in the Bombay Presidency. My head-
quarters were at Maunpore, fourteen miles south of the Mhow
cantonment. The northern part of my charge lay in the
Vindyah mountains, the southern was covered with heavy
jungle, terminating in the Satpoora hills, and between the two
ranges, 1600 feet below the crest of the Vindyah, flowed the
broad stream of the Nerbudda.

The greater portion of the district was thinly peopled by
Bheels. Of these men, Sir John Malcolm, in his Memoir of
Central India, writes, " The Bheels are quite a distinct race
from any other Indian tribe, yet few among the latter have
higher pretensions to antiquity." According to popular tradi-
tion, the god " Mahadeo, when sick and unhappy, was one
day reclining in a shady forest, when a beautiful woman ap-

ADVENTUKES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 181

peared, the first sight of whom effected a complete cure of all
his complaints."

" An intercourse between the god and the strange female
was established, the result of which was many children ; one
of whom, who was from infancy alike distinguished by his
ugliness and vice, slew the favourite bull of Mahadeo, for
which crime he was expelled to the woods and mountains ; and
his descendants have ever since been stigmatised with the
names of Bheel and Nishada, terms that denote outcasts.
. . . The cultivating Bheels are those who have continued
in their peaceable occupations after their leaders were de-
stroyed or driven by invaders to become desperate freebooters ;
and the wild or mountain Bheel comprises all that part of the
tribe, who, preferring savage freedom and indolence to sub-
mission and industry, have continued to subsist by plunder."

The above was written about thirty-five years previous to
my acquaintance with the Bheel tribes. Since that period
they are much settled down, but the presence of a British
officer among them has always been found requisite for the
general peace of the country. I was fortunate in being
selected for this duty, as the wandering life among the hill-
men, to which it led, gave me many opportunities for the
pursuit of wild animals ; and while engaged in the chase,
supported by the valuable assistance of the Bheels, I was
enabled to become personally acquainted with many of
them, and to acquire a knowledge of their habits which often
proved of service in my official duties. By the more civilised
portion of the inhabitants the Bheels are dreaded as robbers
and freebooters, and to a certain extent some of them do prey
on society ; but during my wanderings among them, which
extended over nine years, I never lost the value of one rupee ;
whereas, had I attempted to pass a night encamped in the

182 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

neighbourhood of a town or village in the plains of Malwa,
without a watchful guard, I should probably, on waking in
the morning, have found my tent stripped.

In the month of April I had arranged to meet Hunt, who
had obtained two months' leave of absence from his regiment,
and we trysted at the point where the Bombay and Agra road
crosses the Nerbudda at Khull. But I had previously to
inspect the road for fifty miles to the southward, and on my
way I diverged to the right and left, gathering information
as to the sporting resources of the country. I left the main
road at Goojree, two marches south of the Mhow cantonment,
and, after moving about seven miles east, halted at the foot
of the Vindyah range. My men had preceded me, and
reported having seen both bears and sambur, but they had
been unable to mark anything down.

Immediately in rear of our camp rose a steep hill of con-
siderable height, and on its face, at various altitudes, were
lines of bare rock and huge stones. The hill was covered
with trees and scrub, and in parts the rank dry grass had
escaped the annual jungle conflagration. About noon I was
called out by one of my men, who, pointing to the black
rocks on the hill-side, informed me that he had marked a
bear among them, and had left his comrade on the watch,
while he came into camp with the intelligence. The April
sun was blazing down on the encampment, which was shut
in by hills throwing off an intense heat ; and though I had
small hopes of dislodging the bear from its cave, I thought
that on the hill-side the air might be cooler, and accordingly
started oft' at once with my men.

Toiling up the abrupt face of the hill, I found myself
compelled to halt on more than one occasion, for the sun was
powerful and oppressive. I suppose we had ascended 700

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 183

or 800 feet when our guide halted, and his friend, who had
been perched on a tree, came down and informed us that the
bear had not moved out from the masses of rocks into which
they had marked him. I carried a 12-bore rifle, and another
of the same calibre was carried by my henchman Bappoo,
who had accompanied me from Dholka in Guzerat. We ad-
vanced cautiously, peering over the rocks ; but we found that
they merely concealed the entrances to a complete gallery of
bear-holes. Into some of these we hurled stones, and vainly
endeavoured by shouts to induce the bear to show. Shots
were even fired into the cave, but with no result, and at
length, supposing that the bear must have moved unobserved
by the watcher, or had made up his mind not to come out, I
laid aside my rifle, and sitting down with my men in the
entrance of a cave, we lit our pipes and enjoyed the view.

The prospect was grand and extensive, though the heated
air rendered the distance rather hazy. We were seated on a
spur of the Vindyah range of mountains, and the ground beneath
us seemed to be nearly level, stretching away across the pro-
vince of Nimar to the Nerbudda, which, from our exalted
position, we could see winding through the valley like a silver
serpent, as it crossed from left to right about twelve miles in our
front. But we knew that our bird's-eye view deceived us, for
the apparently level jungles below us were deeply cut up by
rocky ravines, filled in parts with high grass and thorny
bushes of the "bair," whose small round berries form a favourite
food of their ursine namesakes. The trees were mostly
salur, of moderate growth, devoid of leaves. The wood of this
tree is soft and worthless, and a resinous gum of no known
value exudes freely from its yellow bark.

Here and there small clearings might be detected, and an
occasional Bheel hut ; and, in the more immediate vicinity of

184 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

the river, were considerable patches of cultivation. On the
north bank of the river could be seen the town of Mheysur,
and four miles higher up, the small but pretty British
station of Mundlaisir, the head-quarters of the political agent
in Nimar. Beyond the Nerbudda, the country presented
features similar to those on the north side ; jungle and cul-
tivation intermixed, the more distant portions of the land-
scape increasing in elevation, till the horizon was bounded
by the portion of the Sathpoora mountains lying between
Sindwah and the hill-fortress of Asseerghur.

As we sat, Bappoo and another man had moved along the
face of the hill some thirty yards, and were examining a
cave when a bear rushed out on them. Bappoo fired, but
missed, and the bear, greatly alarmed, went straight down the
hill. Snatching up my rifle, I sprang forward and got a snap-
shot at the rapidly-descending brute. My bullet struck him
somewhere behind the shoulder, killing him dead, and he fell
over an almost perpendicular rock, twenty feet in height.
Bappoo had a narrow escape, as, had the bear grappled with
him, they must have gone down together, and he could hardly
have escaped with his life. We had some difficulty in taking
the beast up from the mass of rocks among which he had
fallen, but the Bheels cut two stout poles, to which he was
slung, and so carried to the tent, where we proceeded to skin
him and boil down the fat.

I went out in the afternoon in quest of sambur, but saw
none. The berry-like flower of the mowa trees was falling,
and the wives and children of the Bheels were busy picking it
up from the ground. Their presence in all directions through
the forest was not conducive to sport.

The produce of the mowa forms an important item of
Bheel domestic economy. The tree is one of the handsomest

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 185

in this part of India. It is of large size, with heavy rich foli-
age of a dark green. During March and April few leaves
remain, but at this season the flower, which is edible, ripens
and falls. These flowers are thick and fleshy in substance,
pale yellow in colour, with a sweet sickly taste, and of the
form of a large hollow grape. They grow in bunches of from
four to ten or more, at the extremities of the branches ; each
flower being supported by a long spike running through it.
As they mature, they fall to the ground ; and the entire Bheel
population is employed in gathering them. To facilitate this
operation, all dead leaves round the bases of the trees are
burnt, and the surface of the ground swept clean.

The flowers fall night and day, and are collected in baskets,
and afterwards dried in the sun. The mowa is a favourite food
of both bears and sambur. They travel long distances in quest
of it, and when feeding under the trees are often shot from
hiding places by the Bheels. The privilege of gathering the
mowa is jealously guarded by the people of each district ; but
the boundaries of townships being only laid down by tradition,
disputes frequently arise, and these occasionally end in blood-
shed. The flowers, when dried, are cooked in various ways
and eaten. A potent liquor is also distilled from them.
Large quantities are collected by traders from the towns, and
sold to distillers throughout the country. The flower is suc-
ceeded by a fruit the size of a small apple, from which oil is
extracted.

My time being limited, I gave the order to move camp to
the Nerbudda, and thence to the fort of Sindwah, ten miles
from the frontier of the Bombay Presidency, which I reached
in four marches. At Sindwah I fell in with a Mekranee,
who was, or had been, in the employ of the guardian of the
fort. This man had, on a former occasion, joined one of my

186 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

friends who was marching up the country, and had assisted
at the death of a tiger in the bed of the Boorar river, six miles
south of Khull. The Mekranees are inhabitants of the country
to the west of Scinde, whence a number of the male popula-
tion migrate into Central India and the northern part of the
Bombay Presidency in quest of employment in a semi-military
capacity. They are free lances, taking service with any one
who will pay them. Many of them are expert marksmen,
and skilled in the use of both sword and matchlock. Not-
withstanding the services which he had rendered to my friend,
I did not think that the gentleman before me would prove
a very valuable addition to my sporting staff. He was evi-
dently a great dandy, and appeared before me wearing a
pair of very high-heeled red slippers, which were no doubt
greatly admired by his lady friends, but did not strike me
as likely to be of service for quick work over a rough country.
However, he said he could show me a tiger, and he kept his
word.

I was on my return march to the Nerbudda, and arranged
for a halt at Tekree on the Boorar river, where the Mekranee
had preceded us. I had with me a very good little Bheel
named Himta, whom I had brought with me from Maunpore.
He also went forward to examine the bed of the river. On
my arrival they met me, saying, that assuredly there was a
tiger in the neighbourhood ; they had seen his tracks in several
places, but had not succeeded in marking him down. About
10 A.M. I mounted an elephant, and we moved up the course
of the stream. After going two miles, we came on some close
patches of cypress and willow growing in the bed of the river,
which at this season was dry, except in the deeper pools. On
the banks were thick bushes, laced in many parts with masses
of creeping plants, through which an elephant could not have

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 187

forced his way. On either side the jungle extended over
wooded hills. Altogether our chance of finding the tiger did
not seem good, for the main river was joined on both sides by
numerous deep and narrow ravines, in any one of which the
beast might have lain up. In addition to the elephant which
I rode, I was accompanied by another, of whose staunchness
his driver was very doubtful.

Keeping all men on foot at a safe distance, I took Himta
in the back seat of my howdah, and, directing the driver of
the other elephant to keep abreast, we moved up the river,
carefully beating out each patch of cypress. In this manner
I worked for some time. Occasionally a hyaena would shuffle
off with his back arched and ears erect ; and jackals would
trot out into the bright sunlight, looking inquisitively at the
advancing elephants ; but no sign of a tiger did we see. At
length we came on a large herd of goats, some of which were
feeding close to the river-bank, while others were lying down
on the moist sand. We were about to leave a bed of cypress,
which we had beaten out, and my elephant was standing on
a slight hillock, when Himta caught hold of my arm, and
pointed down into the covert, almost under the feet of the
elephant. The cypress was thick, and about four feet in
height ; but, looking down, I could see the striped back of
the tiger, who lay perfectly motionless notwithstanding our
proximity.

So dense was the covert that I was unable to distinguish
head from tail ; but I knew that a two-ounce ball, either
down between the shoulders, or through the loins, must prove
an effectual stopper to any beast, so, quietly raising my rifle,
I fired. With a savage growl a fine tigress scrambled out
and vainly endeavoured to get away. Her hind-quarters
were quite disabled, and I had no difficulty in overtaking and

188 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

giving her the coup de grace. From this adventure I again
learnt the great importance of thoroughly beating any covert
in which a tiger or panther was supposed to be lying up, and
of never relaxing my attention till the last corner had been
carefully beaten out. We supposed that this tigress, when
disturbed by us, was probably intent on watching the herd of
goats ; but whatever her intentions towards them, we had, at
least, earned the gratitude of the cowherds of the district.

I was glad to make for some shady trees overhanging the
river, by the side of a long pool, where I dismounted, and sat
down on the sand, while the mahouts removed to a short
distance, and stood with their elephants in the deeper water.
Meanwhile my men busied themselves scooping out wells in
the sand, near the water's edge, for the natives of India are
fully aware of the value of filtered water, and never drink
direct from the pools in the jungle. Scraping out the sand
and gravel with their hands till they got below the water-
level, they dexterously splashed out the mud from the holes,
and then, having allowed them to fill gradually with clear
water, the men sat round and drank freely, using the broad
leaves of the kakra tree as drinking-cups. The pipe was then
passed from hand to hand, each man taking about three draws,
and filling his whole body with smoke in the operation.

I was in the full enjoyment of my own pipe, when one of
the elephants, uttering a fearful shriek, rushed from the pool,
and narrowly avoided trampling on some of the men. A red
bullock had been crossing the sandy bed of the river, some
300 yards above us, and, I suppose, was taken by the elephant
(who had been rather excited by the morning's work) to be
a tiger of gigantic proportions. In vain the driver shouted
and held on to his ear with the boathook-like goad. The
frantic brute rushed out of the river and up the bank. For-

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 189

tunately lie did not encounter any large trees, and after a run
of half-a-mile he was stopped; but not before some guns
which had been left in the howdah had been considerably
knocked about. He continued so restless that we did not
deem it advisable to use him again that day, so sent him off
to the camp. In the afternoon we hunted farther up the
river, but saw nothing.

Next morning the Mekranee returned to Sindwah, and I
moved to Khull, where I met my friend Hunt/ In the fore-
noon we moved six miles down the right bank of the Nerbudda
to Dhurrempooree. Here our men examined the ravines
descending to the river, but found only the tracks of a panther,
and we soon knew that we should do well to move camp
without delay, as there appeared little prospect of sport there.
About mid-day, however, one of my men came in, having found
the fresh track of a panther going into a porcupine's hole, in
a small open ravine leading down to the river. Having no
better work on hand, we went to the spot, and finding several
openings to the burrow, we filled one with dry grass, mixed
with green leaves, and setting fire thereto, we retired to the
opposite side to watch the effect. Before many minutes a
panther bolted, and was making off down the ravine, when we
rolled him over.

Next morning we moved ten miles to the north, and en-
camped near the foot of the hills, at a spot indicated by Himta
as being a favourite resort of bears. He had preceded us with
several Bheels of the district, and was absent when we reached
the ground. Late in the day he sent a man into camp with
intelligence of two bears marked down at a spot about three
miles from the tents.

We were soon on the road, and were led by our guide to
a hill-face, sloping down towards a small river. Here we

190 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

found Himta and his men seated in trees commanding a view
of some long dry grass on the banks of a small watercourse
running down the hill-side. Among the grass grew trees and
bushes. The markers were unable to point out the precise
spot where the bears had lain up, and it was therefore settled
that Hunt should take up a position on the face of the hill
above them, while I with three men advanced into the grass.
We were to proceed quietly, and, if possible, get a shot at
them before they moved. If we startled them by our approach,
we calculated on my driving them up to Hunt, who went off
to his post, accompanied by his two gun-bearers. Having
allowed sufficient time to elapse, I advanced into the grass
with great caution, closely followed by Bappoo, Buggoo Sing,
jemadar of police, and Himta, the two former carrying my
spare rifles.

As I was carefully endeavouring to avoid treading on the
dry sticks, I came on a covey of the small bustard quail.
These birds are generally found in the tree jungles, and sit in
the grass closely packed together, rising simultaneously, with
much noise, when disturbed. I had almost stepped on them
before they rose ; and as they flew up into my face I was a
good deal startled. I had hardly settled my nerves when I
saw the male bear about thirty paces in front of me, making
off at speed towards the right. I fired at once, but the smoke
came back on me ; and, as it cleared away, I saw the other
bear, not ten yards off, going away after the first. I let drive
with the second barrel, on which she wheeled round and came
straight at me, grunting viciously. I had no time to turn to get
a second rifle before she was on me. Eising on her hind legs,
she attempted to seize me by the throat in her teeth ; and, as
I fended her off with my left arm, she got it in her mouth, and
crunched it up like a cucumber. Meanwhile, she was not

ADVENTUKES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 191

idle with her formidable claws, with which she tore open my
clothes, and gave me an ugly score across the ribs. At that
moment Bappoo rushed in and shot her through the body.
She dropped on all fours, but retained her hold on my hand
with her teeth, tugging furiously to get me down. As we
struggled, a young bear which she carried on her back, and
which had been struck by my shot, fell dead at our feet ; and
the old lady's temper was evidently not improved by the
bereavement.

Bappoo behaved admirably. He again rushed to the front,
and, raising his rifle, watched his opportunity for another
shot. I called to him not to blow my hand off ; and at that
instant he fired, and the bear relaxed her grip and fell back
with a ragged hole through her head. All this was the work
of a few seconds.

I had now time to examine my hurts. My left wrist was
nearly bitten through, both bones were smashed, and the hand
twisted round. I was, moreover, cut across the ribs by the
bear's claws. Holding up the wounded limb in a hanging
position, I turned the hand round into its place, and supported
it on the other arm, till Hunt, who had now come up, had
cut some slips of bamboo, and bound the whole up with a
turban. I was astonished at the utter absence of pain, for
the wound was gruesome to behold.

The rage of the bear had evidently been kindled by her
offspring being wounded. They generally bring out their
young in some cave, or mass of rocks ; and, as soon as they
can run about, the young bears travel over the country on the
backs of their mothers, burying themselves in the long hair,
to which they cling with great tenacity, holding their position
at any speed, and over the roughest ground. While feeding
or undisturbed they descend and run about, scrambling up

192 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

again with great celerity on the least alarm. Had I pounded
the bear on the head with my rifle as she came on, I might
have turned her ; but the rifle was a new Sam. Smith, and I
suppose I was afraid of smashing it. I had reason to be
thankful to Bappoo for his cool and plucky conduct, as, with
her murdered offspring lying between us, the bear would not
have been easily driven off, and would probably have killed
me. Mounting the elephant, which had been brought out with
us, we went back to the tent, and I remarked to the jemadar
that I feared I should not require his assistance in bear-
shooting for some time to come.

I had in my camp a native dresser from the dispensary at
Maunpore, and by him my wound was artistically bound up.
Both bones of the arm were smashed ; the ulna was broken
about one inch from the joint, and the ends protruded. The
radius was also broken. I had on the third finger of my
left hand a ring which had not been off for many years, and
could not be removed. Knowing that my hand would pro-
bably swell up, I lost no time in filing this off. Meanwhile,
food had been got ready ; and, after partaking of refreshment,
I mounted on a litter, borne on men's shoulders, and set off
for Mundlaisir, distant thirty miles, hoping there to obtain
good surgical treatment. A horseman was sent off before
me, with a note to Colonel Keatinge, the political agent, ex-
plaining matters.

The Bheels turned out at various places along the road,
and carried me to Mheysur by daylight next morning.
Thence, Colonel Keatinge's riding cart took me the remaining
four miles into Mundlaisir. I had with me a leathern water-
bag or " chagul " having a tin spout, and with it I kept the
wound constantly wet. By this the inflammation was com-
pletely kept under. Soon after my arrival my clothes were

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 193

cut off, and I was sent to bed by Colonel Keatinge, who
attended to my wants with much kindness. Charley Hunt,
too, was in need of rest, having ridden beside me all night.
That evening Dr. Watson of the Bengal Army arrived after a
thirty miles' ride from Mhow, and considerably relieved my
mind by intimating his intention of endeavouring to save
the hand. He pleasantly remarked that any man could cut
off a limb, but that it required a surgeon to save one.

I received much attention from all my friends at Mundlaisir,
and in about ten days was so far recovered as to be able to be
moved in a palanquin to Mhow, where I remained under the
surgical care and hospitable roof of Dr. Watson. I have no
joint in that wrist, and can only partially close my hand, but
the limb is serviceable in most ways ; and as Watson used to
remark — " It is better than a hook." My misadventure oc-
curred about the 16th of April, and I was not able to take
the field again before the 20th of June.

CHAPTEE XII.

Mutiny of the Bengal Army — Outbreak at Indore and Mhow — Murder of
Officers at Mhow — Signs of Disaffection at Maunpore— Retreat to the
Jungles — Precautions against Surprise — Return to Maunpore — Visit the
Mhow Fort — Reinforcements — Assume Charge of Nimar District — Colonel
Keatinge, V.C. — Panther-traps— Shaik Munnoo— Cow slain by Panther —
Unsuccessful Vigil — Bear-hunt — Munnoo shoots Hyaenas — Wolf seen —
Attack of Smallpox.

THE year 1857 was a memorable one in India. The Bengal
Army, pampered, petted, and badly disciplined, rose in mutiny.
The officers of the army were not to blame. The system was
wrong. Eegimental officers had not sufficient power, and they
lacked support from the Commander-in-Chief and the Govern-
ment. Caste, in the army, was attended to ; and seniority
promotion in the ranks was the rule of the service. Indivi-
dual merit could not advance, nor individual incapacity retard,
the promotion of the Bengal Sepoy. The irregular cavalry
were insufficiently paid. Under these circumstances, it was not
to be wondered at that designing and discontented men found
in the army a willing tool in their schemes for the subver-
sion of the British power in India.

The European force, throughout India, was also at this
period reduced to a minimum, owing to the Persian war and
other circumstances. The army rose in rebellion, but it lacked
cohesion and organisation. Its action was not simultaneous,
and the European officers, nobly backed by civilians of all
grades, had time, in many instances, for preparations for the
safety of themselves and their families. How they bore

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 195

themselves, both before and after the storm burst on them,
is now a matter of history. I do not think the British name
in India lost aught of its prestige by the mutiny of 1857.

I was recovering from my encounter with the bear, and
about the middle of June I was able to go about with my arm
in a sling. Meanwhile we daily received the most alarming
accounts of the progress of the mutiny. Station after station
rose, and the advance of the rebellion was marked by terrible
deeds of bloodshed.

Indore, the head-quarters of the agent to the Viceroy for
Central India, is fourteen miles north of Mhow. It was
garrisoned by detachments of infantry, cavalry, and artillery,
of the Bhopal Contingent ; of infantry of the Malwa Contingent ;
and of the Bheel corps — all natives : together with some guns
and cavalry in the service of the Maharajah Holkar, whose
capital lay about two miles from the British cantonment.
The garrison at Mhow consisted of a horse battery manned by
Europeans, the 23d Bengal Native Infantry, and a wing of the
1st Bengal Cavalry. Notwithstanding the assurances of some
officers of their confidence in the fidelity of their men, I
felt, with many others, that the native troops, at both stations,
were only waiting their opportunity to break out. My trusty
henchman, Bappoo, had mingled freely with the men in the
lines at Mhow, and knew their feelings, and he warned me to
be prepared for the worst.

About the 20th of June I was ordered to proceed down
the road to the limit of my charge, and make preparations for
the advance of a small column which was on its way up from
Bombay. This column was, however, diverted, for the pur-
pose of quelling a mutiny at Arungabad ; and, after making
my arrangements at the Nerbudda, I returned to my own
house at Maunpore. I was accompanied by an officer of the

196 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

Thuggee Department, with his wife and child, who had joined
me at the Nerbudda. On the 1st of July they wished to go
into Mhow, and having sent out a fresh horse for their buggy
half-way on the road, I saw them depart, and went out for
my usual morning drive.

I returned, and was sitting at breakfast, when I heard the
sound of heavy guns in the direction of Mhow. The firing
proceeded from Indore, fourteen miles beyond Mhow, where
Holkar's guns had opened on the British Eesidency, raking
with their fire the horses of the Bhopal Cavalry, as they stood
at their pickets, within a square of four detached buildings,
composing the Eesidency stables. The men of the Bhopal
artillery and cavalry, and of the Bheel corps, were not in
the conspiracy, and were scattered at the time throughout
the cantonment. At the same moment a ruffianly rabble from
the town of Indore, ripe for plunder and bloodshed, came rush-
ing into the cantonment, eager for the sack of the treasury.

The European officers of the Malwa and Bhopal Contin-
gent Infantry ran to their men, but were warned off, with
threats and menaces. The guns of the Bhopal Contingent,
two in number, which had been posted close to the Eesidency,
replied to the fire of the attacking party, while a number of
the Sikh cavalry troop of the same force, having succeeded
in cutting away their horses from their pickets, rallied round
Colonel Travers. The men of the Bheel corps who could be
got together were drawn into the Eesidency ; but these
denizens of the wilderness seemed more taken up with the
survey of the various objects of European art and luxury
around them, and the contemplation of themselves in the large
mirrors, than with any thoughts of the defence of the place.
Colonel Travers, having got together some of his Sikhs, led
a gallant charge on the Indore guns, sabring and driving on

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 197

* the gunners ; but the infantry who were in support opened
fire, and compelled him to retreat ; and he and his men
regained the shelter of the Kesidency.

At the commencement of the outbreak, the Eesident, Colonel
Durand, sent off an express to Mhow, calling for the Euro-
pean artillery. The battery was sent off at once ; but it was
met half-way by a horseman, with the information that the
Eesident had been compelled to vacate the cantonment, and
had gone, together with such officers and other Europeans,
with their families, as could be saved, in the direction of
Sehore, escorted by the Bhopal guns, the Sikh cavalry, and
the Bheel corps. The station, being abandoned, was sacked
and burnt by the insurgents, who murdered about twenty-
five European men, women, and children.

On receiving this intelligence, Colonel Hungerford, who
commanded the European artillery, at once returned to Mhow
with all speed, fearful least the native troops should have taken
advantage of his absence to rise in mutiny. The so-called
fort of Mhow was simply an enclosure about 150 yards square,
and was used as a magazine. It was surrounded by a loop-
holed wall, ten feet high, and two feet in thickness, with
small bastions at the four corners, and was originally, I be-
lieve, built to repel the Pindarries. Into this Colonel Platt,
the officer commanding, had, at the urgent request of his
officers, allowed all the European families to be collected.
Later on, the artillery were also moved into the fort, but
fearful of hurting the feelings of the native troops, the fort
guard, which consisted of thirty men of the Native Infantry,
was increased to fifty. Thus the day passed, but as soon as
darkness had set in the whole of the native troops in the
lines rose in open mutiny. The guns, loaded with grape, were
at once turned on the native guard in the fort ; and they

198 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

were ordered to throw down their arms. This they reluc-
tantly did, and subsequently most of the muskets were found
to be loaded. The gunners then kicked them out at the gate,
and they went off.

Major Harris, who commanded the cavalry, had gone to
dine at his own house : hearing the firing, he mounted his horse
and rode towards the lines, but was met by a party of his
own men, and he and his horse were there and then shot.
Colonel Platt, who was very deaf, rode up to the fort, and
called out Captain Fagan. This officer, till within a few days
of the outbreak, had been adjutant of the infantry regiment.
Apparently Platt could not hear the firing, but his trust in
his men was great. He and Captain Fagan went off to the
lines, — the Colonel confident that he could restore order.
They never returned ; and their bodies were found next
morning on the parade-ground, riddled with bullets.

The' sky now began to redden with the blazing houses of the
officers, when Hungerford, ordering out two of his guns under
Lieutenant Mallock, supported by a few officers on horseback,
made a dash down the central road of the cantonment. A
few rounds were fired into the lines, which were instantly
vacated by the dastardly mutineers, who fled to join those at
Indore. Having plundered that station, they moved on
Gwalior, and it was said they formed part of the force which
was afterwards cut up near Agra by Colonel Greathed.

While these events were taking place I was in my house
at Maunpore, where I had hastily got together all the men I
could muster. What with my own guard of eighteen men of
the Gwalior Contingent, road and hill police, and about twenty-
five men of the Thuggee Department, left with me by my
friend in the morning, I had about one hundred men. Hol-
kar's agent, who was attached to my office, sent off several

ADVENTUKES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 199

horsemen during the day towards Mhow, to ascertain what
was going on, but none of them came back, probably find-
ing more congenial employment at Indore. Towards evening
the agent himself went off, and did not return. In the morn-
ing I had heard the guns at Indore, and after dark came the
ominous boom of those at Mhow.

In anticipation of the outbreak, Bappoo and Jemadar
Buggoo Sing had concerted with Himta a plan, by which I
was, if necessary, to take shelter with the Bheels in the
jungles of the Maunpore district. I was, however, unwilling
to leave my house till I knew the true state of affairs. Thus
the evening passed away. I sat reading in a room in the
centre of my house, which was partially surrounded with a
wide verandah, where my men were collected. About 11 P.M.
my treasurer's agent came in perfectly livid with terror, and
informed me that he had just come from Mhow ; that Hol-
kar had attacked the Residency at Indore, having been joined
by all the troops at the station ; that Colonel Durand and all
other Europeans had been murdered ; and that at that moment
Holkar was encamped at Eao, six miles from Mhow, the gar-
rison of which had gone over to him ; and finally, that the
officers and their families had retired with the European artil-
lery to the fort at Mhow, and were to be attacked in the
morning.

This cheerful intelligence created a great stir among my
men, and Buggoo Sing implored me to leave the house, as he
knew that many of the men, especially the Contigent Sepoys,
were not to be trusted. He added that he had seen some of
them stealthily loading their muskets, and that any one of
them could easily take a pot-shot at me as I sat. Acting on
his advice, I called in about ten men on whom I placed most
confidence, and made over to them my own guns and those

200 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

of my friend. At the same time I sent round to the stable
for my best horse. I then went out among the men, and
informed them that it was requisite that I should make
arrangements for guarding the hill-passes, as, owing to the
disturbances in the cantonment, disorderly persons would be
abroad. The corporal on guard over the house was directed
to keep order, and all were told to go to sleep quietly, and
that they would receive further orders in the morning. Just
then my horse was brought round, and I mounted and rode off
with my small band. I have a vivid recollection now of an
uneasy feeling of expectation of being shot in the back as
we left the door ; but no hand was raised, and I moved out
into the darkness with a sense of great relief.

We left the main road, and, taking a jungle path, proceeded
about a mile and a half, when we arrived at the Ajnaar river.
Here the banks were precipitous, and it would have been
dangerous to attempt to take a horse down the footpath in the
dark. We therefore halted, tied up the horse, and having
posted sentries, lay down till morning. When the dawn
broke, we descended into the gorge, and took up our quarters
for the day in a cave, whence I sent a man back to the house
for one of my servants and a supply of food, brandy, etc. I
was here joined and cordially welcomed by a number of the
Bheels of the district, headed by Himta and a man named
Oonkar, who assured me that they could give me safe pro-
tection for six or twelve months if necessary. In the evening
we crossed the river, and went up into the mountain of Shez-
gurh, where we encamped in the jungle ; the Bheels leaving
some of their men with us to mount guard during the night.
These men quite seemed to consider themselves answerable
for my safety ; and that any disaster occurring to me while
in th^ir jungles would be discreditable to them.

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 201

I remained among them for a week, during which time I
opened communications with the Mhow garrison, from whom
I learnt that the report which I had received regarding the
hostility of the Maharajah Holkar was incorrect, and that the
mutineers, having plundered the Indore cantonment, had gone
off en route for Delhi. On learning this, I sent off a note by
one of my own men to Holkar, from whom I received a very
civil reply, in which he expressed his sorrow for what had
occurred, adding that, like ourselves, he had been quite un-
able to restrain his men. He concluded with expressions
of attachment to the British Government, and assured me of
his willingness to do all in his power to restore order. On
receipt of this note, I determined to return to my own house
at Maunpore, and re-open the postal communications between
Mhow and the Bombay Presidency.

During the whole time that I was out the Bheels were per-
petually on the alert, and in the daytime they mounted sentry in
pairs, perched on trees commanding the approaches to our camp.
These double sentries were posted about a mile apart, and
were armed with bows and arrows and swords. On the
approach of any one bringing letters or supplies they descended
and asked his business, and on receiving his reply one man
escorted him forward to the next post, while the other resumed
his position in the tree. To guard against any night attack
they insisted on our moving our camp every evening after
dark ; and inasmuch as any attacking party would probably
make a rush at the camp-fire, my bed was always made in
some quiet spot, about one hundred yards distant, and a
couple of Bheels were told off to sit by me while I slept. We
were most fortunate in having cool and fair weather, only a
few showers falling during the time I was out, so that the
want of a tent was little felt either by night or day. The side

202 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

of the mountain of Shezghur, on which we had taken up our
position, was admirably suited for concealment, being cut off
from the open country by the deep rocky chasm of the Ajnaar
river to the north, and closed in to the south by the moun-
tainous range, which was thinly populated by Bheels only.
The mountain was heavily wooded, and intersected by rocky
streams.

Considering it advisable, for the sake of moral effect, to
return to my house with some show of power, I gave the word
for the Bheels to assemble, which they did to the number of
about one hundred and fifty, armed with swords, spears, match-
locks, and bows and arrows. With these, and my own men,
who had been with me throughout, I returned to Maunpore,
where I found the garrison had weeded itself, the evil-disposed
having gone off to join the mutineers.

Ten days after, I took a few men and rode into Mhow,
where I met all my friends in the fort. They had not been
idle, having collected supplies from the bazaar, and raised an
outwork in front of the gateway, behind which were mounted
some heavy siege-guns. Next morning I returned to Maun-
pore, accompanied by an Irishman named Moran, an old
soldier of the 86th, who had been in the service of a civil
engineer at Indore. His wife and master had both been
murdered in the outbreak, and he owed his own life to having
been employed at the time at some distance from the station.

A few days after I went down the road towards Dhoolia,
in the Bombay Presidency, which I reached by double
marches in four days, and where I met a detachment of 250
men of the 86th, with whom I returned to Mhow. There we
met Colonel Stuart's brigade, which had arrived via Asseer-
ghur. Soon after I was ordered to assume charge of the
Nirnar district from Colonel Keatinge, who was sent out as

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 203

Political Officer with the force under Colonel Stuart, for the
siege of Dhar and the relief of the besieged garrison of Nee-
much. He subsequently accompanied the force to Chundairee,
in Bundelcund, where he guided the stormers up the breach.
In this affair he was severely wounded, and for his gallantry
he received the Victoria Cross : no man ever earned it better.

My official duties and the disturbed state of the country
during the period I was in charge of the Province of Mmar,
did not allow me much time for field sports. My head-
quarters were at Mundlaisir, on the Nerbudda, but I also re-
tained the Maunpore district. Before leaving my house there,
I had built a trap for panthers, which I left with Buggoo Sing,
who succeeded in catching several. The trap was composed
of bars of stout wood, three inches apart, in the form of a
box, seven feet in length, four in height, and four in width.
At one end was a compartment to hold a live goat, the bars
at this part being sufficiently close to exclude the paw of a
panther. The partition bars were of iron, so as not to impede
a full view of the goat from the door, which was at one end,
and working perpendicularly in a slide. To the door was
attached a trigger, communicating with the centre of the trap,
so that any beast rushing in at the goat would free the door,
which would drop down behind him. I should not have
resorted to this contrivance had I been able to shoot these
panthers, but they lay during the day-time concealed in rocks
and caves, and could not be got otherwise.

Another trap was made of rough jungle-wood, tied with
strips of bark, in the form of a triangle, eleven feet in length
and six in breadth at the base. Across this triangle were
tied other sticks, and on these were laid heavy stones. A
forked stick, five feet in height, was then planted in the
ground, on which worked a twelve-foot sapling, one end

204 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

of which was attached to the apex of the triangle. By
pressing this sapling over the fork, the point of the triangle
was raised about four feet, and was kept in that position by a
trigger fastened to the other end and passing down through
the stones to a slight wooden partition of split bamboo, be-
hind which, in a pit sunk in the ground, the goat was tied.
The sides were closed by thorny bushes, and any panther
attempting to take the goat from the front, freed the trigger
and brought down the triangle with its weight of stones on
his back.

Among the peons or attendants in the Mmar office was
Shaik Munnoo, a young Mahomedau, fond of sport, and a good
shot. He was a smart well-made man, dandified in his attire
when in quarters, and generally might be seen with his
turban stuck on one side of his head, one fold being allowed
to hang over his neck in a jaunty style. His ears were
adorned with large gold rings. Like most men of his creed
and calling he was generally in debt, and when his creditors
became too pressing, he used to apply for a few days' leave
and betake himself to the jungle, where he would sit up at
night, either over water or over the carcass of some murdered
cow, and having slain a tiger or panther he would return to
the station, claim the Government reward, pay his debts, and
renew his credit.

My presence being required at a village about fourteen
miles off, I sent Munnoo ahead to endeavour to mark down
something, and followed next morning, taking with me the
doctor of the station, who, though an indifferent shot; was
fond of sport. On our arrival, Munnoo informed us that a
cow had just been killed by a panther, and that he had
erected a small platform in a tree close by, from which it
might be shot at night. No part of the cow had been eaten,

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 205

only the marks of the four fangs in the neck were to be seen.
I took up my position about sunset, and soon after a fine
panther came bounding out into the open. The light, how-
ever, was bad, and I could not be certain of my aim, for the
moon was obscured by thin clouds. The panther commenced,
as they always do, by tearing away the softer skin inside the
thigh. At length I fired, but the beast bounded off unscathed.
About two hours after it returned, and again I fired with the
same result. I was much disgusted, and, rolling myself in my
blanket, I went to sleep.

Just below where I sat was a jungle-path, and about day-
break I spied a bear coming leisurely along it. I fired, and
he rolled over, but picked himself up, and went off. Presently
Munnoo appeared, and we took up the track, but soon lost it
among some ravines, and I returned to the village. After
breakfast we proceeded to a jungle some miles off, passing
on our way round the edge of a fine artificial lake, along
the shores of which we found tracks of tigers, panthers, bears,
wild-pigs, and deer. Farther on, we beat out a very likely-
looking covert, in which we found the fresh track of a tiger ;
and in the moist sand of a small stream, well sheltered by
overhanging bushes, I came on the spot where he had lain, as
was evident by hairs from his coat lying on the ground.

We then beat a rocky ravine, taking up positions on trees.
Soon a bear came out, and fell to my shot, but rose again and
made off up the hill behind me. Bushes intervened, and I
was unable to put in my second barrel. At that moment a
police-horseman, who- was on his way to join us, met him on
the face of the hill. The bear charged, and, wild with fright,
the horse reared up, and then suddenly swerving round,
threw his rider. Ludicrous as the affair was, it might have
proved serious for the man, but, most fortunately, the bear

206 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

rushed at the horse, which broke away at full gallop. The
bear then crossed the open ridge, and went down into the next
ravine. We followed him at once, and running ahead, took
up fresh positions. Soon after we heard the shouts of the
beaters, and presently I saw the bear coming towards me.
His general health was evidently impaired, and my next shot
finished him. On removing his skin we found a small match-
lock-bullet in the muscles of his shoulder. It had been there
a long time, and was enveloped in a tough white sac.

That evening Munnoo took one of my guns, and sat up
over the carcass of the cow, while I took up a position on
another platform in a tree half-a-mile distant. During the
night I heard Munnoo fire several shots, and nothing having
come near me, I descended at daybreak and went up to him.
Eound the carcass of the cow lay the bodies of four dead
hyaenas ; a fifth had been wounded, and we tracked him by
the blood for some distance into the jungle.

I should have wished to explore these jungles farther, but
my presence was required at head-quarters, and we returned
to Mundlaisir. While descending to the ferry on the ISTer-
budda, we fell in with a large wolf, which allowed us to
approach within a few paces before he moved lazily away.
During our stay at the village we had resided in the dhurm-
salla or shelter-house for native travellers. These dhurmsallas
are open sheds, having a wall on three sides, the roof on the
fourth being supported by posts. They are free to all comers.
Immediately on reaching home I felt very unwell, and con-
tinued so for some days, when my malady declared itself
in the form of a mild attack of smallpox. I had no doubt
contracted the disease in the dhurmsalla.

CHAPTER XITI.

Ride to Maunpore — Nylghae — Absence of Fear — Blue Bull shot — "Wolves —
Munnoo shoots a Tiger — Tracks of Four — Panther and Cubs — Ajnaar
River — Cave — Recluse — Panther shot — The Force of Imagination — Bheel
Insurrection— Plunder of Treasure — Military Movements — Rout of Insur-
gents—Discovery of Buried Treasure — Surrender of Bheema — A Tiger
missed — Flying Squirrel — Ant-eater.

HAVING work at Maunpore, I left Mundlaisir early one morn-
ing in the hot season of 1858, and rode into Malwa by a jungle-
path up the mountain-side. Anticipating that I should see
game of some sort on the road, I directed one of my men to
take a rifle and go in advance, awaiting my arrival a few miles
below the pass. Near the base of the hills I came on a herd
of nylghae. They crossed the path about 100 yards ahead,
and, passing over a wooded spur of the hills, disappeared on
the other side. Though they must have seen us they did not
appear to be alarmed ; and, dismounting, I made my horse
over to my attendant.

I may here remark on the singular absence of fear of
human beings displayed at times even by the most timid
animals, if the former are passing along paths or highways. I
have frequently seen deer of all kinds, when grazing quietly
near a road, allow a party of men, mounted or on foot, to pass
near them without any signs of alarm. Any one, however
leaving the beaten track, or making any attempt to stalk
them, would at once create suspicion, and cause them to
move off.

Carefully ascertaining the direction of the wind, I made a

208 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

circuit, and picking my way up the dry bed of a torrent I got
within seventy yards of a large blue bull He stood broad-
side on, gazing back, apparently on the watch against pursuit.
Catching sight of me he started off, and at that moment
I fired. The bull dashed wildly forward for fifty yards, and
fell dead. Startled by my shot, but uncertain whence it
came, the cows ran up from a hollow which had concealed
them from my view, and stood out on the hill-side ; but I
had already shot more than I could carry, and I allowed them
to escape. On the way back to my horse I blazed the trees
with my knife, and having collected a small pile of stones at
the side of the path, I resumed my journey. On ascending
the mountain I rode to some Bheel huts, and informed the
inhabitants where they would find the beast. Men, women,
and children at once turned out, furnished with knives,
hatchets, and baskets ; and I doubt not that before night the
flesh of the poor bull was frizzling over many a fire.

From Maunpore I returned to the Nerbudda, having sent
on my tents and people to Khull, where I found them en-
camped on the south bank. A small flock of sheep, which I
kept for food, had been grazing that morning near the camp,
and were attacked in broad daylight by several wolves. One
sheep was killed before the shepherd could drive them off.
Near the spot were some deserted huts, which had been
occupied by a troop of irregular cavalry. I directed Munnoo
to tie the carcass to a tent-peg, and conceal himself at night-
fall in one of these huts. The wolves returned, as we had
expected. Munnoo shot one dead, and wounded another,
which got away.

Next morning I was riding about two miles down the
Bombay road, when a troop of six or seven wolves crossed
the path 100 yards ahead of me. As was my custom, I

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 209

was accompanied by a man on foot with a rifle. Quietly dis-
mounting, and making my horse over to my attendant, we
moved on at the same pace, and on reaching the spot where
the wolves had crossed, I saw several standing about in the
jungle within easy shot. Selecting a large dog-wolf, I fired,
shooting him through the body behind the shoulder. Although
completely doubled up, he kept his legs, but as I could
plainly see the bullet-hole in his side, I made sure he would
fall, and ran on through the jungle, hoping to get a shot at
another. This I failed to do, and on my return I found the
wounded wolf had disappeared. I followed the track by the
blood for some distance, but did not see him again, and had
to content myself with the knowledge that he was past sheep-
killing. Previous to this I had received intelligence of a
tiger in the Boorar river, near Teekree, but having much work
on hand I had been unable to go after him. But about this
time a detachment of the 71st Highlanders was on its march
up from Bombay, and as I intended to meet them at Sind-
wah, I hoped to find time to look up the tiger on the way.
I therefore deputed Munnoo from Khull, ordering him to
examine the bed of the river, and send me word at once if
he saw a fair prospect of sport. He returned after two days,
bringing the skin of the tiger, which was of the largest size.
Hearing that a cow had been killed on the morning of his
arrival at Teekree, he had sat up in a tree over the body, and
on the tiger coming out, about sunset, he had shot him dead.
I was rather angry at this termination to my hopes, and did
not award to Munnoo the meed of praise which he evidently
anticipated. When near Sindwah I came on the fresh foot-
prints of four tigers which had passed along the road in the
early morning. They were very distinct in the heavy dust —
paterfamilias, the lady-mother, and two well-grown children.

p

210 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

I returned with the 7 1st detachment, and one of the
officers being anxious to see some wild beast, I took him out
in the jungles on the south side of the Nerbudda. I hardly
expected anything, as we had but few people with us, and
had not had time to send men out in the early morning. But,
from the rocks on the edge of some table-land, thinly covered
with thorny bushes, we started a panther, and, on examining
the spot, found two cubs, which we carried off and made over
to the soldiers on joining the camp.

As we approached Maunpore, I sent Himta ahead, telling
him to bring all the local talent into action, and to endeavour
to mark down something on the morning that we were to
arrive. Accordingly, he presented himself as directed, and
reported a panther in the bed of the Ajnaar river. This river,
like many other streams rising on the southern boundary of
Malwa, after winding for a short distance through the higher
jungle, leaps down a precipice of about thirty feet into a
chasm, walled on either side by perpendicular rocks of large-
grained basalt, intersected in parts by veins of quartz. It was
to a cave in the north bank of this river that I retired when
the mutiny broke out at Mhow, and it was not far from this
cave that the panther had this morning been seen to enter
a mass of rocks in the centre of the river immediately below
the waterfall. The cave was formed by an overhanging rock,
from which water dripped incessantly. The water, being
strongly charged with lime, caused the surface of the rock to
be covered with incrustations in a stalactite form, wondrous
to behold. Immediately in front of the cave rose a mass
of heavy foliage twined with creepers, generally tenanted by
green pigeons. The only drawback to the place was a very
dirty recluse, who had taken up his quarters here, spending
his time either in begging in the neighbourhood, or sleeping

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 211

in a state closely bordering on nudity among the ashes of his
fire. These pious occupations, I need hardly state, secured him
the countenance and respect of all his native acquaintances.

Himta had left several of his men on the watch while he
came to guide us, and having finished breakfast we set out.
The party consisted of one officer of the detachment, the
doctor from Mundlaisir, and myself. When started, the pan-
ther could only come down the bed of the river, which was
only about thirty yards in breadtlj. Above him was the
waterfall, and on either side walls of rock. We drew lots for
places, the doctor getting the left bank, I the right, and the
Highlander the centre of the stream. As soon as we had
mounted into trees, the panther was started, and hugging the
rock on the right bank, came towards me. I fired, but
missed, and the beast passed close under me. Turning sharp
on the branch, I again fired, and he fell dead. As we stood
round the dead beast the Highlander commenced to con-
gratulate himself on his good shooting, whereby he had slain
the panther. Not having heard any report from his gun, I
mildly suggested that I had been the fortunate marksman,
but he declared so positively that the fatal shot was his, that
I, looking on him as my guest, held my peace. Just then the
doctor, who was standing by, passed his fingers into the barrels
of his rifle. They were perfectly clean. It was a wonderful
instance of the force of imagination.

Soon after this I marched to join a force employed in the
Sathpoora Hills in the suppression of a Bheel insurrection.
The Bheels to the north of Khandesh, headed by Khaja
Sing, took advantage of the embarrassment of the British
Government in the suppression of the mutiny, to return to
their old habits of plunder ; and those of the Burwanee State,
in the south-western corner of Nimar, having unsettled claims

212 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

against their own chief, were not slow to follow their example.
As in more civilised countries, there is always in India a
number of men of irregular habits, ready to join in anything
whereby they may obtain the means of subsistence without
the necessity of labour ; and no sooner does any freebooter or
disaffected chief evince a tendency to plunder, than many such
at once offer their services. As vultures to a carcass, so are
they attracted from far and near, and the disturber of the public
peace is speedily surrounded by a band of Affghan or Mekranee
mercenaries, swashbucklers, and vagabonds from the towns,
ready for any mischief. The only qualification necessary for
service is the possession of arms, and the promises of remu-
neration to be received generally depend on the nature of the
work expected.

Soon after they had turned out in insurrection the Bheels
of the Sathpoora received a most welcome subsidy. Owing
to the disasters of the day, the value of the East India Com-
pany's rupee became much depreciated throughout India, and
in consequence of this, silver, which, under ordinary circum-
stances, would have found its way into the Bombay mint, was
forwarded into the interior, there to be coined in the Indore
and other native states. At this time opium, for export from
Malwa to China, was escorted to Bombay by armed men, hired
for the trip by the native dealers ; and about 400 of these had
been collected by some bankers at Bombay, and started from
the railway terminus in charge of a string of carts laden with
silver, en route for Indore. The news of their march, of course,
preceded them, and doubtless an embassy from the insurgents
was sent to treat.

When the convoy reached the British collectorate of
Khandesh, they were informed by the officer in charge of the
district that the Bheels of the Sathpoora were in rebellion,

ADVENTUKES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 213

and would probably make a descent on the treasure, which
was stated to be worth £75,000. He suggested that they
should pass up into Malwa by the more easterly route via
Asseerghur. This advice was not taken, and when the
treasure-party had reached a spot six miles north of Sindwah
Tort the Bheels came down on them in force. Little or no
show of resistance was made by the guard, who, once they
had satisfied their consciences by a mild remonstrance, joined
heartily in the plunder. The treasure consisted of lumps of
silver, many pounds in weight, coins of Chili, and five-franc
pieces. Every man filled his waistband, and a large quantity
was buried in the jungle by the Bheels. Many of the escort
joined the insurgents, others continued their way to the Ner-
budda, and were arrested by the police, who collected from
their persons treasure valued at about £6000. No sooner had
the news of the robbery got abroad than numbers of vagabonds
of all castes from the large towns and viDages, attracted by
promises of high pay, joined the Bheels.

A strong native force was then sent out in April 1858 by
the Bombay Government, and an organised advance was made
into the heart of the jungles. The column was commanded
by Colonel Evans of the 9th Bombay Native Infantry. They
were encamped at Burwanee, and having received reliable
intelligence that the Bheels and their men were in a strong
position in the jungle a few miles to the southward, an attack
was planned. A small column was sent to make a feint at a
pass to the eastward of the insurgents, who turned out in
strength to oppose its progress. Meanwhile the main body
made a detour, and advanced on the rebel camp from the west-
ward. The Bheel force were exulting on their supposed victory
over the smaller column, when the alarm was given that the
Government troops were in their camp. They returned with

214 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

all speed, and a sharp fight took place, the Affghans and
Mekranees firing from behind the masses of rock and trees,
and making a determined resistance. In all about 300 were
slain, principally outsiders, for the Bheels themselves fled
early in the day, and by their knowledge of the ground made
good their escape. A prisoner having volunteered to show
some of the treasure which was buried in the jungle, a party
of men was sent with him. He guided them to a spot where
lay the decaying carcass of a bullock, and stated that the
treasure would be found buried beneath it. On digging, silver
of the value of about £12,000 was recovered.

I joined the force a few days after the fight had taken
place. Colonel Evans was then encamped on the Goee river,
in the jungle, twelve miles south-west of Burwanee. Soon
after I received a message from Bheema, the leader of the
Burwanee Bheels, stating that he wished to surrender, but
desiring that I should meet him in the jungle and let him
know the terms under which he would be allowed to come in.
The place of meeting was to be about two miles from the
camp, and I was not to be accompanied by any armed party.
As I knew that all but Bheels had fled from the jungles
after the engagement I acceded to his request, and replied
that I would meet him on the following day. I set out, ac-
companied by one native horseman of my own police, and
guided by a Bheel who had been sent by Bheema. Meeting
the officer commanding the Khandesh Bheel Corps, which
formed part of the force, he offered to join me, and as he was
personally known to Bheema, I assented.

On reaching a quiet spot in the jungle our guide requested
us to halt, and, running off, disappeared in the thickets.
After a short time he returned, followed by Bheema, who
was accompanied by fifteen or twenty Bheels armed with

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 215

matchlocks, swords, and bows. I greeted him pleasantly, and
after some conversation I told him the terms on which he
might come in. They were at once accepted, and he rode back
with us to the camp, while his men returned to the forest.
The news of his arrival created no small stir among the troops,
and my tent was surrounded by the men, anxious to get a
sight of the redoubtable freebooter, who was allowed to be at
large on parole. The result of these attentions was, that he
took fright and fled in the night ; and for long after he con-
tinued to be a thorn in the flesh both to his own chief and to
the British officer in political charge of the district. Soon
after this the force broke up and proceeded to quarters, and
my work in this country being only of a temporary nature I
returned to Mundlaisir.

When encamped with the force we received intelligence
of a tiger which had lain up in some long grass in the bottom
of a small ravine. I went out with two other officers, and
having taken positions in trees, men were sent to hurl down
stones from some overhanging rocks. The tiger was at once
started, and passed under the tree on which one of my friends
was posted. He fired, missing right and left, and the tiger
went off into the jungle. About this time I saw a specimen
of the flying squirrel, which was brought in by one of the
men. It was brownish-gray in colour, and over two feet in
length. On either side a web of loose skin connected the fore
and hind legs. In springing from tree to tree these webs are
spread out, and, acting like sails, enable the animal to make
surprising leaps. Another singular creature was captured one
night near the tents. It was nearly four feet in length and
about One in height, tapering from the middle of its body to
the nose and tail. The legs were short, and the toes furnished

216 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

with strong claws. The entire body from tip to tip was
covered with strong, hard, yellow scales, the largest being
about one and a half inch across. From its appearance we
supposed it to be a species of ant-eater. When alarmed, it
rolled itself into a circular form, the tail being lapped over
the head, which it completely protected.

CHAPTEK XIV.

Suppression of the Mutiny — A Wise Policy — Capture of Gwalior — Tantia
Topee — Advance of General Michel — Duties of "Politicals" — Rajghur
—The Pursuit — An Ambuscade— Capture of the Guns— Death of Lieut.
Shaw — March on Bhairseeah and Sironj — The Sir Soubah — Engagement
at Mongrowlee — Advance on Lullutpore — Movements of the Enemy —
Fight at Sindwaho — Pursuit — Affair at Kurai — Bagrode — Bodies of the
Slain— Bhilsa— The Sanchi Tope— Advance on Baitool— Flight of Tantia
— Return to Mhow- — March on Kotah — The Rajah's Shooting Party —
Chinkara-shooting — Evening Receptions — Adroit Thieves — Nusserabad — •
Dispersion of Tantia's Force — His Capture and Execution — End of the
Campaign — I move to Bhopal.

BY the autumn of 1858 the mutiny and rebellion in India
had been effectually crushed. Scarce eighteen months had
elapsed since the Bengal army had thrown off its allegiance
to the British, and having possessed itself of magazines, trea-
suries, and fortresses, vainly supposed that it could establish a
government of its own. It was narrated of a certain native
chief who owed much gratitude to the British, that, at the
commencement of the insurrection, he had consulted an astro-
loger as to the course which he ought to pursue. The reply
was, " If you can utterly exterminate them, do so — but if one
escapes, he will return with thousands." That chief stood
firm. Had the Bengal army received as good advice it might
have existed till this day. A few European troops were still
to be found in the Indian garrisons. These held their ground
till reinforced, and then, marching forth, they wreaked a ter-
rible vengeance on their foes.

The Central India force under Sir Hugh Rose had ended

218 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

its victorious march from Indore by the capture of Gwalior ;
and the rebel army, broken and utterly disorganised, had fled
southwards under the leadership of Tantia Topee. This man
was reported to have been the intimate friend of Nana Sahib,
and to have been implicated with that miscreant in the mas-
sacre at Cawnpore. It was said that, despairing of success in
the North-west Provinces, he hoped to gain the Bombay Pre-
sidency, and there endeavour to rekindle the flame of rebellion.
Be that as it may, driven from Gwalior by Sir Hugh, he fled
with a broken host of horse and foot, and arrived at Jalra
Patun in Central India, where he took possession of thirty
guns of various calibres from the Rajah. As ordnance these
guns were contemptible, but the mere fact of an army having
guns of any sort is sufficient in India to increase its import-
ance.

To oppose the progress of Tantia, a small column under
Colonel Lockhart (92d) was sent out from Mhow. It con-
sisted of about 350 men of the 92d Highlanders, 400 of the
19th Bombay native infantry, two squadrons of the Bombay
Native Cavalry, and two guns of the Bengal European Artil-
lery. But on intelligence being received that the rebel force
numbered about 20,000 men, and that Tantia had seized the
guns at Jalra Patun, a second column under Colonel Hope,
71st Highland Light Infantry, was despatched. This column
consisted of about 350 men 71st Highlanders, 400 men 4th
Bombay Native Infantry, two guns Bengal European Artillery,
and a squadron 17th Lancers. General Michel accompanied
the latter, and eventually assumed command of the combined
force. Captain Hutchinson accompanied Colonel Lockhart as
political officer, and I was sent with Colonel' Hope in a similar
capacity. It was our duty to obtain information of the strength,
position, and intended movements of the rebel force ; of the

ADVENTUKES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE-. 219

practicability or otherwise of various roads ; and to arrange for
the advance of such money as might be required for the
troops ; also to collect the requisite supply of food of all kinds.
The latter was a work of considerable anxiety, and could
not have been carried out without the hearty co-operation of
the native chiefs in whose territories we were engaged ; for we
were in pursuit of a flying enemy, the carrying powers of the
commissariat department were very limited, and it was im-
possible to say on one day where we might be the next.

On receiving intelligence of the advance of our force from
Mhow, Tantia moved eastward, and reached Eajghur, a fort
about 120 miles north of Indore, and ten miles west of the
Bombay and Agra trunk-road. General Michel advanced in
a north-easterly direction, and on the 14th of September,
about 3 P.M., came in sight of the rebel force. We had been
marching since an early hour, and our men had suffered
greatly from the intense heat, at no season more oppressive
than during the months of September and October. On arriv-
ing at a spot whence the country fell away towards the river
Neewuj, we saw the enemy about two miles off, encamped on
the far side of the stream. A portion of their force had
crossed to this side of the river, and had taken possession of
the fort of Eajghur, which stands on the left bank. Conscious
of the exhausted condition of his men, and aware that little
could be done during the few hours of daylight which re-
mained, General Michel halted his column for the night.

Before daybreak, on the 15th September, we were under
arms, and moving down the narrow track descending to
Eajghur. Oh either side the country was covered with
thorny scrub, and intersected with ravines. As far as we
could see from left to right, in the low ground, were the
camp-fires of the enemy. A halt was ordered, and we lay

220 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

down on the road till dawn. We then became aware that
Tantia had moved, only a rear-guard of a few hundred horse
remaining on the ground. He had marched in an easterly
direction towards Beowra, on the trunk-road. We at once
descended to the river ; and, at the request of the General,
I rode into the fort to bring out the chief, and learn what I
could of the movements of the enemy. The gate of the fort
was reached by a stone slope about eighty yards in length.
I was accompanied by four troopers of the late Bhopal Con-
tingent ; and, on gaining admittance, I left two of them in
the gateway to secure a retreat if necessary, and rode on to
the chiefs house. The fort presented a singular appearance,
the streets being utterly deserted, save by a few old or de-
crepit individuals. The roadways and floors of the verandahs
on either side were covered with horse-litter and smoking
embers, and in all directions were strewed dinner-plates made
of the leaf of the kakra tree — relics of the last night's feast.
The chief met me at the door of his house, and at once pro-
ceeded to detail the indignities to which he had been subjected
by his late unwelcome guests. His looks belied his state-
ments, and I have no doubt they had spent a very jovial
evening together. He accompanied me to the General, with
whom I left him.

Our small body of horse, consisting of two squadrons of
native cavalry and one of the 17th Lancers, was ordered to
pursue, and my services as a political not being required
while Captain Hutchinson was in camp, I accompanied
them. The country over which the enemy had retreated
was similar to that on the west side of the river — undulating
and stony, cut up with many small ravines and watercourses,
and covered with thorny scrub, through which the road wound
over the natural surface of the ground. Skirmishers were

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 221

thrown forward to clear the jungle in our front, while the
rest of the cavalry kept the track. About a mile from Eajghur
we came on a dismounted gun lying on the path, and soon
after this, stragglers were overtaken and cut up by the skir-
mishers. On a steep incline, rising out of a watercourse, we
found two guns, which had evidently belonged to the Eoyal
Jalra Patun Horse Artillery. They had been abandoned,
and the harness, which had been cast off the horses, lay
beside them. At length we sighted the rear-guard of the
enemy, consisting of cavalry. They allowed us to approach
within range of their carbines, from which they fired a few
shots before going off.

We now came to a more level country, and on the left side
of the road, an open space, half-a-mile in length, and four
hundred yards in breadth, had been cleared of jungle, and
roughly cultivated. As our skirmishers advanced over this
ground, the rebel horse turned, and came on in considerable
strength, driving them in on our diminutive column. Sir
William Gordon of the 17th, who was in command, formed
his men up in line, and moved slowly on. Meanwhile the
open clearing above referred to was covered by the enemy's
sowars, who advanced shouting and brandishing their swords.
As we closed in on them they began to give way, and when
they saw us increase the pace to a trot, it was evident that
they did not mean to stand. On receiving the order to charge,
our men came on in admirable order, but the enemy turned
and went off. A few fell before our sabres and lances, but
the mass of men, which a few moments before had shouted so
defiantly, fled in the wildest disorder.

But it now appeared that they had been leading us into a
trap, and, had the execution been as good as the plan, they
would have thinned our ranks. Along the whole line of our

222 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

front they had posted their guns masked in the jungle, and
no sooner had their own cavalry swept through them, than
they opened in our faces, accompanied by a sharp fire of mus-
ketry. Sir William Gordon gave the word, "Threes left," and
we passed within fifty yards of the muzzles of the guns. When
clear of their front we retired to the other end of the open
ground, where we halted. How we escaped being severely cut
up was a miracle. Neither man nor horse was touched, and.
we could only suppose that the guns had been laid for a
longer range, and, owing to our sudden onset, the enemy had
not had time to depress them. The infantry had probably
contented themselves with blazing in the air. Long after we
had halted, the round shot continued to fly over our heads,
but no damage was done, and we quietly awaited the arrival
of the General, with our own guns and infantry. These at
length came up. The men had marched fast, and a brief space
was allowed them to take breath. Meanwhile the enemy had
again got their guns on the road, and were once more in retreat.
We followed, a portion of the infantry skirmishing in front
to the right and left, and the remainder in column with the
guns and cavalry. At length we reached the confines of the
hard stony soil, over which we had marched since we left
Eajghur, and before us lay a wide expanse of cultivated ground.
But on this side of the cultivation was a stream, with soft
boggy banks ; and as we came in sight of it we saw the guns
of the enemy below us, struggling through the mud. Our own
were then ordered to the front, and after a few rounds, the
enemy fled, leaving their guns as they lay. The cavalry was
again pushed forward ; and, having crossed the stream, swept
through a small village and out into the open country. Haif-
a-mile ahead, we saw the rebels in flight, — a dense mass of
horse and foot mixed up together.

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 223

It was now about 4 P.M. Our men had been in the saddle
since 3 A.M., and had suffered a good deal from the heat.
We had cut up a number of the enemy, and had taken all
their guns ; and as any attack on the mass of the rebel force
with our handful of cavalry must have been followed by some
loss, and could have been accompanied by no adequate
result, a halt was called, and the enemy went off, heading for
Sironj. Men and horses were in want of water, and, guided by
a fringe of date-trees at some distance to our left, we rode off
to a small stream and dismounted. Here Lieutenant Shaw, of
the 3d Cavalry, died of sunstroke. He was taken ill as we
lay by the water, and was dead in twenty minutes. He was
a man of a cheerful and kindly disposition, and was much re-
gretted by all his comrades. He was buried at Beowra, where
we rejoined the column, and from which place the captured
ordnance was sent to Mhow. At Beowra we also buried
several men of the 92d and 7lst, who had died of sunstroke
during the action. Our loss from the enemy was nil.

From Beowra, Captain Hutchinson returned to Indore, and
after a halt of one day, the force marched on Nursinghur, and
thence on Bhairseeah, the object of the General being to drive
the enemy northward. From Sironj, Tantia, having obtained
a considerable accession to his force from the Mahomedan
population of the place, moved to Esaghur in the Gwalior
territory, where he took possession of ten guns. He then
divided his army ; one portion with four guns marching up
the left bank of the Betwa, and the other with six guns
crossing that river, and moving on Lullutpore. We were for-
tunate in falling in with both divisions. From Bhairseeah we
also marched to Sironj, and thence to the village of Mon-
growlee, thirty miles to the north-east, where we fell in with
the right division of Tantia's force.

224 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

About this time we were joined by one of Scindiah's officers,
the Sir Soubah or chief governor of the district, from whom
I received much valuable assistance. From his scouts we
obtained intelligence that a body of the enemy was coming
southwards, and our march was so accurately regulated that
we arrived on the ground at Mongrowlee on the 9th October,
about one hour before they came in sight. We at once met
them, and after some sharp firing they fled, leaving their four
guns in our hands.

On the following morning General Michel, with all his
cavalry, marched north to Serai, where we fell in with a column
under Colonel Parke, 72d Highlanders. A considerable por-
tion of his cavalry and horse artillery was transferred to our
force. Our own infantry and guns had been directed to move
due east to Malthone, on the north-west corner of the Saugor
district. From Serai we also moved east, intending to cross the
Betwa and advance through the jungle to Lullutpore. The
river was deep and rapid, and the passage was attended with
some difficulty, and on our attempting to push on a body of
irregular cavalry by the direct route through the jungle to Lul-
lutpore, they were fired on from the thickets, and driven back.
The entire force was therefore moved round to Malthone, and
thence we marched through a pass in the hills to Narhut.

At this time, the second division of the rebel army,
augmented by the men who had fled from Mongrowlee, was
encamped at Lullutpore, twenty-five miles to the north, and
from that place to Narhut was the metalled road towards
Saugor. As we had reason to believe that the enemy would
attempt to turn our right flank, the General determined to
intercept them, and had ordered the march on Sindwaho, ten
miles to the north-east of Narhut, for the following morning.
With this view I had sent men ahead to the surrounding vil-

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 225

lages, with orders to the head men to send in all requisite
supplies for our force on its arrival. About 11 P.M. I was
roused from a sound sleep by two of my messengers, who re-
ported that the advance guard of the rebel force was march-
ing into Sindwaho. I at once went off to the General, and
in half-an-hour orders had gone to commanding officers
directing them to turn out their men without bugle-sounds,
and be ready to march at once. We left the ground soon after
midnight (October 19th), and on arriving at Sindwaho came
face to face with the enemy, drawn up in line at the head
of a long rise of cultivation.

As we came within range they opened on us with their
artillery. We replied with shells, which burst over their
heads, causing great commotion. Meanwhile our infantry
were coming into line in echellon, but before they had time to
execute the manoeuvre, the rebels turned and fled, their leaders
showing the way, as was their us&al custom. Six guns fell
into our hands. The pursuit was taken up by the cavalry and
artillery, and a number of the rebels were cut up. Here and
there they made a stand, and fought to the last, causing us
some loss. Captain Harding of the 8th Hussars was among
the slain. They fled northwards, and we encamped on the
Jamnie river, about ten miles from Tearee, where we halted
for one day, and then marched west to Lullutpore.

This had been the station of a wing of the Gwalior Con-
tingent Infantry, and the ruined cantonment bore sad traces
of the mutiny. Soon after our arrival I received a report
that the rebels were passing southwards by a jungle route a
few miles farther west. This was confirmed by a party sent
to reconnoitre. As it was important that Tantia should not
be allowed to reach the Bombay Presidency, we marched at
midnight, and next day arrived at Narhut, twenty-five miles

226 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

distant, the same place from which we had marched to meet
the enemy at Sindwaho. At midnight we again marched,
and halted a few miles north of Kurai in the Saugor dis-
trict. The rebels were at that time encamped about six
miles south-west of us, and were much distressed by the
rapid moving to which they had been subjected.

On the following morning (October 25th) we again
marched at about 2 A.M., and, taking a south-westerly course,
passed through Kurai. At daybreak, as we cleared the town,
we saw the rebels crossing our front. They straggled along
the track, without any attempt at order, and among the various
groups of horsemen could be seen the uniforms of many
regiments mixed in confusion. Advancing on them, we cut
their line in two. The leading portion went on its way
southwards, but those who had been on our right, as we
emerged from Kurai, turned back whence they came ; and
our cavalry, which was now broken into small detachments,
closely pursued them, slaying many.

Marching in pursuit of the'leaders we came to Bagrode,
and here we lound that they had again been attacked by a
small cavalry force under Colonel Beecher. Several dead
bodies lay about in the fields close to our line of march, and
beasts and birds appeared to have profited by the occasion.
Wolves, jackals, and vultures, were to be seen standing about
in the fields, gorged and lazy. One wretch had fallen near a
furrow, and lay in the way of a cultivator engaged in plough-
ing. Beyond guiding his bullocks round the corpse as he
passed, he took no notice whatever, and the vultures, dis-
turbed for the moment, hopped slowly back to their hideous
banquet.

Tantia had now gained the shelter of the hills in the
Vindyah range, north of Hoosungabad, and the tracks being

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 227

impassable for guns and wheeled carriages, General Michel
was obliged to move in a westerly direction to Bhilsa, a large
town belonging to Scindiah, situated on the eastern side of
the Betwa river, near its junction with the Bess, thirty-two
miles north-east from Bhopal. Here we had an opportunity
of visiting the Bhoodist remains known as the Sanchi Tope,
an engraving of which appeared with a short notice in the
Illustrated London News, March 5, 1870. — "These Topes
were used for the deposit of relics, etc., and the Sanchi Tope
is one of the most remarkable. The date of the Tope itself is
500 B.C., while the gateway is about 500 years later. Of the
four gateways which originally surrounded it, the eastern is
the most perfect. The others have suffered much damage
from weather and other disastrous effects, and two of them
are now nothing more than masses of richly carved blocks
of stone, lying one on the top of the other. Of the eastern
gateway a cast is at the present moment being made by a
party of Eoyal Engineers, under a subaltern officer who has
been appointed Superintendent of the Archaeological Survey
of India in the North- West Provinces, especially told off for
this work by the Government of India. When finished the
cast will be sent to England, and exhibited at the South
Kensington Museum. In the meantime those of our readers
for whom this magnificent memorial of Bhoodist art has any
interest may find in Mr. Fergusson's exhaustive work, entitled
Tree and Serpent Worship, very complete materials for ac-
quainting themselves with its .general features and details."
Bhilsa tobacco is held in high repute throughout Central
India. Here we parted with Scindiah's Sir Soubah, from
whom we had at all times received the greatest assistance,
both in obtaining intelligence of the movements of the enemy
and in drawing supplies to the camp.

228 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

Tantia Topee had in the meantime reached the Nerbudda,
which he crossed to the eastward of Hoosungabad. Descending
the Vindyah by a rugged pass, we also crossed and advanced
on Baitool. Tantia was on our left front heading for Ellich-
poor, but hearing that a force would oppose his progress he
turned west along the valley of the Taptee, crossing that
river at Meil Ghat, and so passed through a large tract of
heavy forest into Nimar, emerging at Khundwah. General
Michel also moved west from Baitool through a wild and
desolate country, in which supplies were not procurable.
While in this jungle, the Banda Nawaub, who had hitherto
been with Tantia, left the rebels, and, coming into our camp
with his family and personal servants, surrendered himself a
prisoner.

From Khundwah, Tantia passed through Niinar towards
Burwanee, and the running was now taken up by Colonel
Parke, with his column, then in the field south of the Ner-
budda. The rebels crossed the Nerbudda near Burwanee, and
headed for Baroda, in the Guicowar's dominions. Colonel
Parke followed in close pursuit, overtaking them at Chota
Odeypoor, where he attacked them and slew many. Tantia
then fled north through the Banswarra jungle, emerging into
the plains of Malwa near Pertabghur, where he was met and
again smitten by a flying column under Colonel Benson, 17th
Lancers. Colonel Somerset, with another column, then cut
in, attacking and driving him north through the Kotah and
Jeypoor territories, whence he was driven into Marwar by a
force from Nusserabad.

Meanwhile General Michel, having arrived at Mhow via,
Mundlaisir, rested his men, and then marched north to Kotah,
where we halted a few days. At this place Major Burton,
the political agent, and his family, had been murdered early

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 229

in the rebellion, and subsequently the Eajah himself was
besieged in his palace by a strong insurgent force, which
had taken possession of the town, which is strongly fortified,
and stands on the right bank of the Chumbul river. But
a column from Bombay, commanded by General Eoberts, was
sent against them. Having crossed the Chumbul in boats,
that officer took possession of the inner fortress in which the
palace stands. The town was then carried by assault. Our
force was encamped near the ruins of Major Burton's bunga-
low. Its blackened walls bore many vengeful inscriptions,
written by the British soldiers after the siege.

The Chumbul flowed in a deep smooth stream, 200 yards
in width, at the foot of a high bank close to our tents. In
the centre of the river were a few green islands of small extent,
formed by alluvial deposit. These were favourite basking-
places for numbers of alligators and large turtle, which afforded
good targets for our rifles, and several were shot. There is
usually a prejudice in India against using the fresh-water
turtle as an article of food ; but on this occasion we turned
them into both soup and pies — very excellent.

The Eajah, having sent us invitations to join a great
shooting party, we embarked one morning on the river in a
number of large boats sent down for our accommodation. In
all knowledge of woodcraft the Indian chiefs are, with few
exceptions, lamentably deficient. Their great idea of " Shikar "
is to go forth into the plain or woodland, accompanied by
many men and horses. They are followed by servants of all
descriptions, bearing emblems of office ; and the noise of this
small army, as may be supposed, is not conducive to sport.
But the arrangements for this day were quite unique.

As we were rowed up the river we had an excellent view

230 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

of the town, with its walls overhanging the water. Farther
up, on the right bank, we observed a large and gaily-dressed
crowd ; and our boatmen and attendant ambassadors informed
us that the Kajah would embark at that point. Screeching
bands of music now struck up, and several boat-loads of
nautch-woinen were pushed out into the stream. Then came
the Kajah in a gorgeous boat, accompanied by courtiers, and
surrounded by other boats filled with armed men. The royal
barge was pushed up alongside of our own, and, after an inter-
change of compliments, we all rowed up the river in a grand
procession. On either side the rocks rose high and steep ;
and I noted many a spot, as we passed, where beasts might be
expected to be lying hid among the masses of stone and bush.
At length we came to a number of men, armed to the teeth,
standing on the left bank, at the water's edge. For some dis-
tance up the stream a fringe of broken rocks was backed by
a perpendicular cliff ; and we were now informed that " the
tiger" had been seen in the early morning to secrete him-
self among these fragments. In order that the king and his
guests might prosecute the chase without possible chance of
injury to themselves, it had been arranged that the boats
should move up the stream for some distance farther, and,
having taken up a position beyond the springing distance of
the most lively tiger, await the appearance of the game. The
tiger was to be driven from the rocks by the armed men before
mentioned.

The procession again moved on, and for the moment the
musicians ceased to blow, but the splash of the oars might
have been heard a mile away, and the noise of voices was
loud and incessant. Presently some one called out "The
tiger ! " and we then saw a very small panther bolting along

'ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 231

the river-side 150 yards ahead of us. Shots were fired by
king and courtiers, but the panther held on till he came to a
fissure in the rocks, when he turned up into the forest, and
we saw him no more. So ended the grand hunting-party, in
which five or six hundred men had been engaged. The Eajah
lamented our bad luck ; we replied that the tiger had still
some days to live. Eemarks complimentary to ourselves and
derogatory to tigers were interchanged ; the bands again
struck up ; the nautch- women commenced to yell ; and we
rowed back to the town, where we parted from our host, and
returned to camp. Poor man ! he had done the best he could
for us according to his lights.

Some of the officers of the force went out hog-hunting ;
but as I did not wish to risk laming horses on the line of
march, I abstained from this sport. However, I went after
deer in company with our Quartermaster-General ; and, at a
short distance from camp, came on three chinkara grazing in
some cultivated ground. Working our cart towards them I
dropped one with each barrel. The third trotted off a short
distance, and then, standing, looked about for his comrades.
Quickly reloading, I again fired, and we picked up the three
antelopes.

As the force was to cross the Chumbul on the following
day, we proceeded to examine the ford, and as we descended
to the river I saw a large alligator basking on a mud bank.
He was broadside on, about sixty yards off, and lay motion-
less, with his jaws apart. I fired, and struck him in the
neck. His head dropped, and he lay quite dead. We then
descended and cut off his head, which we carried away as
a trophy. On our way to camp my companion shot a buck
chinkara.

Leaving Kotah, we proceeded to Nusserabad by easy

232

WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

marches. General Michel was fond of shooting, and when
within a few miles of the halting grounds he and I generally
left the column and rode away across the country in search
of some lake or swamp where we might find wild ducks.
These were very plentiful. Our guns were carried hy men
in rear of the column, mounted on riding dromedaries, who
could keep up with our horses at a canter. We usually
joined the camp in the forenoon, and always had a good bag
of ducks to share with our friends.

Throughout this march I lived in a small tent twelve feet
square, known as a " pal." In shape it closely resembled the
ordinary cottage of Scotland, having a ridge and two gable ends,
in one of which was the door. The side walls were only four
feet in height. It was supported by a long stick under the
ridge, resting on two poles at the ends. This tent was simply
a large bag, and could be struck or pitched in a few minutes.
Its principal fault was want of rigidity in high wind, but this
was counterbalanced by its portability. Here the various
members of the staff camp assembled nightly after dining in
their own tents, and honoured me with their company till
bed-time. The General lay extended on my bed, his Aide-
de-camp reposed in my arm-chair, while round the table in
chairs, and ranged along the edge of the bed, sat the Assistant
Adjutant-General, Assistant Quartermaster-General, Brigade-
Major, Postmaster, Commandant of Artillery, Inspector-
General of Hospitals, and any friends who had dined with
them. The weather was sufficiently cold to enable us to ap-
preciate a tumbler of hot whisky-toddy, and we spent our
evenings very pleasantly, notwithstanding the certainty that
sorrow would return long before the dawning of morn, and
that at 2 A.M. " the general " would sound, to be too surely
followed by the " assembly " at 3.

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 233

Throughout the native states in Malwa and Eajpootana
we were much annoyed by thieves at night, and the dexterity
of these villains was wonderful. With greased bodies they
wriggled along the ground between the sentries, and stole
articles from tents filled with soldiers. Night after night
they entered the tents of the officers, taking away anything
which they could move. I almost alone escaped, possibly
because I was known to be the " Political Sahib," but more
probably owing to the watchful guardianship of a black and
tan terrier at the foot of 'my bed.

While we marched leisurely towards Nusserabad, the
wretched Tantia was kept moving, and nowhere could he find
rest for the sole of his foot. Column after column darted out
from the British cantonments, all acting in unison, and all
bent on avenging Cawnpore. For seven months we had been
perpetually on his track, and it was now certain that his
diminished band of men and horses could not hold out much
longer. Driven through Marwar by the Nusserabad force,
they crossed the hills into Meywar, where they found us in
readiness to take up the pursuit. At this time it had become
generally known throughout India that the royal amnesty
which had been proclaimed was lona fide, and, acting on the
faith of it, about 200 of Tantia's men came in and laid down
their arms. The remainder fled again across Malwa, dispers-
ing as they went, till Tantia, deserted by his followers, sought
refuge with a chief of the Gwalior territory who was in rebel-
lion against Scindiah. This man, anxious to secure the good
offices of the British in effecting a reconciliation between
himself and his own sovereign, betrayed Tantia to a party
sent to arrest him. The latter was sent to Seepree, where he
was tried and hanged.

234 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

General Michel marched his force from Neemuch to Shoja-
wulpoor, where it was broken up, but detachments continued
for some time to be employed in hunting down the predatory
bands which had been brought into existence by the rebellion,
and who now sought shelter in the jungle. My duties with
General Michel being at an end, I was directed by Sir Robert
Hamilton, then agent to the Viceroy for Central India, to
assume the temporary charge of the Political Agency in
Bhopal.

CHAPTEE XV.

Sehore— Guinea -"Worms — Man killed by Tiger — Preparations for the Hunt-
Impatient Sportsman — Pursuit — The Tiger checked— A Charge— A
Struggle for the Mastery — The Tiger slain— Sirdarpore — Prospects of
Sport — Tigress shot at Baug — Five Bears seen — Panther shot — Tigress
at Bingnode : her Death — A Pony speared — Opium Cultivation.

DURING the short period of my tenure of office at Sehore, my
official duties obliged me to remain at my post, and I had
but little leisure for the chase. The country was still in an
unsettled state, and as it had been decreed that a European
force should be located at Sironj, I was employed in forward-
ing men and material for the construction of temporary
barracks at that place. It was subsequently abandoned, as
the troops suffered much from fever, and a number of men
were laid up with guinea-worm in the legs and feet. How
these creatures find their way into the human frame is, I
believe, a mystery to medical men. They appear in all parts
of the lower limbs, causing intense pain, and much swelling of
the afflicted part. The worm, which is sometimes nearly two
feet in length and one-eighth of an inch in breadth, lodges
itself among the muscles and tendons. Shortly before it ap-
pears on the surface of the skin a small blister rises, and soon
after the head of the worm comes out. This must be secured
by rolling it round a small bit of cloth or other substance,
but no forcible extraction should be attempted. The part
must be kept moist and well protected, and such portion of

236 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

the worm as can be easily drawn out, is daily wound round
the cloth till the whole comes away. Should the worm be
broken by force or accident, it will recede into the wound,
where it dies, causing suppuration and great pain before it
is finally got rid of.

A few miles to the southward of Sehore lies a scrub
jungle of some extent. In no part very dense, it contains
many small ravines, filled with long grass and thorny bushes,
affording good shelter to tigers, which occasionally wander
up from the larger coverts, attracted by the cattle from the
surrounding villages. Late one afternoon a shikaree whom
we had stationed at this spot came in and reported that a
villager had just been killed by a tiger. The man with two
companions had been gathering gum from the trees, when
the tiger rushed out on them from a patch of grass, seizing
him in his teeth, and killing him on the spot. His comrades
were unarmed, and fled to the village.

It was too late to do anything that afternoon, but all was
prepared for an early start, and by sunrise next morning we
had ridden out to the jungle, where we met our gun-bearers
with three good elephants. I was accompanied by the civil
surgeon and the adjutant of the local corps. As the country
was very open, and the sun was still low in the heavens, I
urged them not to fire long shots should the tiger rise on the
approach of the elephants. I calculated that we should have
no difficulty in again marking him down. All preliminaries
being arranged, we went off to the spot where the tiger had
been seen, and there, face downwards, lay the body of the
unfortunate man. His clothes were torn, and a quantity of
blood was on the ground ; but the tiger had apparently not
been hungry, for no portion of the body was eaten, and as
it had lain in the jungle all night, we were not sanguine.

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 237

Leaving a few villagers to carry home the dead man, we
moved into some grass jungle, having previously posted men
in different directions on high trees, with orders to keep a
good look-out. The adjutant was on the left, the doctor in
the centre, and I was on the right of the line. We had not
gone far before the tiger, a very large male, rose from a small
watercourse about sixty yards on my right front, and bounded
up the opposite bank. He was too far off to allow of my
shooting with certainty, therefore, trusting that he would lie
up in the next thicket, I reserved my fire. The doctor, how-
ever, had caught sight of him, and, greatly excited, at once
loosed his piece. I saw the shots strike the ground wide of
the tiger, who increased his pace, and went off giving a few
angry growls. We followed him up at once, and again I
implored my companions not to fire unless they were certain
that they could do so with good effect.

Half-a-mile farther on we again started the tiger — this
time he was within a fair range of the doctor, who, however,
missed him, and we feared that even my wonted good luck
would not give us another chance. But the sun was now high
and powerful, and as we knew that there was no strong
covert within several miles, we followed on in the direction
which the tiger had taken. About a mile ahead we came up
to one of our scouts on a tree, who reported that the tiger
had entered the bushes which fringed the edge of a small dry
nullah running out into the plain. Quietly forming up the
three elephants in line, we moved slowly on, and soon after
saw the tiger going off about eighty yards before us. As
he seemed thoroughly scared, I deemed it prudent this time
to fire, on the chance of wounding him. The doctor also
fired at the same moment, and the tiger lurched heavily to one
side and disappeared among the bushes. I had just taken up

238 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

another rifle, and we were cautiously advancing, when the
enraged brute rushed to meet us. He was within twenty-
paces before we saw him, and was evidently inclined to do
mischief, but again we opened fire and dropped him. He rose,
however, in an instant, and again came on, roaring wickedly ;
but, apparently not caring to close with the elephants, he
dashed through our line and went back up the nullah.

We quickly reloaded, and followed him up, carefully ex-
amining every bush and tuft of grass. In this manner we
had advanced to the very head of the nullah, which terminated
in a large green corinda bush. The tiger made no sign, and
we began to fear that he might have slunk away to the right
or left, but, determined to make sure, I directed my mahout
to take me up to the corinda bush. The head of the elephant
had almost touched the foliage, when the tiger, now mad with
rage, sprang at him, seizing him by the root of the trunk in
his teeth, while he buried his claws in the sides of his face.
With a frantic shriek the elephant dropped his head, and
endeavoured to pin the tiger to the ground with his tusks.
It was a moment of intense excitement, and I was seriously
alarmed for the mahout, who, seated on the neck of the
elephant, was in great danger of being thrown down between
the struggling brutes. My own situation too was by no
means pleasant, for I was thrown forward in the howdah, and
I dreaded lest the girths should give way. However, the
" graith " was good, and I kept my position, and as the ele-
phant with a desperate effort shook off the tiger, I found I had
retained my three guns uninjured.

The tiger made off down the nullah before I could again
fire, and it was some time before the elephant, who continued
to dance and shriek with rage, could be sufficiently quieted
to enable us to follow after him. Throughout the struggle,

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 239

my companions, though only a few paces off, were unable to
render any assistance, fearing to fire lest they might hit the
elephant. About 100 yards down the nullah we came on the
tiger, crouching under a bank. He at once charged, and this
time left the marks of his teeth and claws in the head of the
adjutant's elephant ; but he was now less lively, and one or two
shots put in with effect rolled him over. He was a fine beast,
a male of the largest size, with a rich dark skin. He was,
moreover, very shaggy about the sides of the head, and was
altogether a good specimen.

Soon after this I was transferred to the appointment of
Bheel agent at Sirdarpore, in Western Malwa, to which was
added the command of the local corps. The station had been
burnt during the mutiny, and presented a most forlorn appear-
ance. The houses of the commandant and adjutant were
heaps of blackened ruins, and the hospital and guard-rooms
were unroofed. The site of the regimental lines was marked
by heaps of rubbish. It being desirable that we should be
under shelter before the next rainy season, we set vigorously
to work to collect material. Wood had to be cut, and carted
from the jungles, lime to be dug and burnt, and bricks, both
sun and kiln dried, to be made. However, we worked with
a will, and in a few months were comfortably settled down.
While the work was going on I made one or two hurried
tours through the district under my charge, but had not much
time to devote to large game shooting. I saw enough of the
country to enable me to form a very favourable opinion of the
prospect of sport. The extent of ground within my beat was
in parts 80 miles in breadth by 150 in length, and comprised
many fine tracts of forest and mountain.

Having occasion to visit Baug, a small town about three
marches to the southward of Sirdarpore, I sent out my Sepoy

240 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

escort with some of the Bheels of the place to endeavour to
mark down a tiger, and about mid-day I got word that one had
been tracked into an old iron-pit in the jungle. I at once
went out, and on reaching the spot we had a consultation as
to the position which I was to take up to give me the best
chance of a shot. The Bheels were in favour of one tree,
while I set my heart on another ; and at length, yielding to
their supposed superior knowledge of the locality, I gave in,
and climbing up sent them round to start the beast. A tigress
soon appeared, trotting lazily along, and I had the mortifica-
tion of seeing her pass out of range and under the very tree
in which I had wished to sit. Quietly descending, I stopped
the beaters from coming on, and mounting my elephant I went
off in the direction she had taken. I had not gone 200 yards
before I came on her sitting at the foot of a small tree, and
apparently careless of our approach. As I advanced she rose
and disappeared over a small hill in the jungle. I followed,
and on reaching the summit I saw her standing in the hollow
below me. I fired, striking her near the spine, but though
much disabled she succeeded in reaching an old iron-pit, in
which she disappeared.

My men handed me a number of large stones, which I
placed in the howdah, and, directing the mahout to move the
elephant up to the edge of the pit, I hurled the boulders into
the hole. The tigress would not show, and after some time
my men came up with their bayonets at the charge, and from
the spot where they stood could see the wounded tigress as
she lay under a ledge of rock in a corner of the cave. I
descended from the elephant, and while I stood ready to
receive the tigress, if she should charge, the top of a tree,
which had been left by woodcutters, was rolled by the men
over the mouth of the pit, thereby effectually securing us

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 241

against a sudden rush of the wounded beast. She was then
killed by a shot between the eyes, and was with difficulty
lifted out.

I heard of more tigers in this neighbourhood, but had no
time to hunt them, as I was obliged to return to the neigh-
bourhood of the cantonment at Sirdarpore. I therefore pushed
on, and on ascending the Vindyah range, went out in quest of
bears. I fell in with five of these one morning ; two in one
ravine, two in another, and a huge old fellow by himself. I
was very unlucky with them ; and though I wounded two I
bagged none. However, I was consoled in some measure by
securing a fine panther, which I shot from a tree on the rushy
bank of a small watercourse, which ran through cultivated
lands.

Several native chiefs having come to my camp on business,
it was suggested that we should get up a shooting party, and
I accordingly sent out some of my best shikarees in several
directions. About noon next day, a horseman came in and
announced that two bears had been marked down in a ravine
about six miles off, near the village of Eingnode. I sent word
to the chiefs, and they soon assembled with their usual motley
array of followers, armed with guns, spears, and swords. They
also brought two elephants, but were doubtful whether they
would stand a charge. I ordered out my own, which, though
by no means perfect, was tolerably steady.

These being sent forward, we followed an hour later on
horseback, and on arriving near the jungle, I was met by a
horseman whom I had sent out with the markers on the pre-
vious day. This man assured me he had marked a tiger
in some thick corinda bushes, lying on the bank of the nullah
in which I had shot the panther a few days before. I sup-
posed that he must have seen another panther, which his ex-

R

242 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

citement had magnified into the nobler animal, but he per-
sisted that it was a tiger proper, which had retired into the
thicket to feast on a wild pig which it had killed in the early
morning.

Leaving the main body of my companions I went for-
ward to examine the place and fix on the plan of action.
Through a finely timbered and cultivated country ran a small
watercourse, at this season quite dry, but fringed with high
dead grass, and having at one spot, on both banks, masses of
corinda bushes, twenty yards in depth by two hundred in
length. Outside were open fields, from which the opium crop
had been recently gathered.

Having no confidence in the shooting of the chiefs, and
being at the same time anxious to give them an opportunity
of distinguishing themselves, I directed them to advance down
the nullah on the elephants, while I went quietly forward
on foot, and mounted a tree at the farther end of the
thicket.

As the elephants came on, the tigress, for such it was,
showed herself for an instant, and then retiring under a dense
mass of green foliage, lay perfectly quiet. Shots were fired
and stones were hurled, but she would not move, and even
had the strong thorns not been too much for the elephants, I
do not think the chiefs would have cared to go up to the spot
where she lay concealed.

At length I determined to alter our tactics, and shouting
to the others to clear out of the bushes, I left my tree and
mounted another at the other end of the covert. A strong
wind was blowing towards me, and I directed my men to fire
the grass at the far end of the thicket. In a few minutes the
high grass was burning fiercely, but the ground under the
green bushes was bare, and the tigress, having chosen her posi-

ADVENTUKES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 243

tion well, made no sign. The fire soon died away, and as it
was now near sunset I feared that we should go home empty-
handed. Just then, the horseman who had marked down the
tigress came running up to my tree, and implored me to go in
with him on my own elephant, leaving all the rest of the party
outside. He was greatly excited, and having taken off his long
riding-boots and drawn his sword, stood ready to guide me to
the bush in which the tiger lay concealed.

I called up the elephant and went forward, my guide
leading ; presently he lay down on the ground, and peering
under the bushes assured me that he could see the tiger. I
directed him to mount a tree, and as soon as I saw he was
in safety, I ordered the mahout to drive the elephant forward.
This he at once did, and at that instant the tigress charged.
The elephant stepped back till it was clear of the bushes. The
tigress burst out, I fired down, striking her through the loins,
and as she fell over, the elephant turned and fled. It was
soon, however, brought up by the mahout, and we again ad-
vanced at the thicket into which the tigress had disappeared.

But she was now very savage, and as we approached, she
came charging out into the open ground. Again the elephant
spun round and went off, and as I looked over her stern, I saw
the tigress, in spite of her wound, fast gaining on us. Two
more strides, and she would have seized the elephant by the
hind leg, but at that moment I grasped the front rail of the
howdah in my left hand, and firing my rifle pistol-fashion, I
dropped her in the middle of an open field. The flight of the
elephant was soon checked, and finding that the tigress did not
come on, she permitted herself to be driven up close enough to
allow me to put an end to the scrimmage by a final shot.

The whole affair had been witnessed by the chiefs, who,
with their followers, were standing together about two hundred

244 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

yards from the scene of the conflict. I did think once or
twice that I heard the ping of a stray bullet, but if I did, they
sped harmlessly. All hands soon assembled round the tiger,
and loud and energetic were the exclamations of " Wah !
Wah ! " as the opium-boxes were passed freely round.

Soon after we mounted our horses and were on our way
back to the camp, when we came on the body of a dead pony
over which an elderly cultivator stood, rending the air with
his lamentations. He said his pony had been killed by a
spear-thrust from one of the chiefs in my train, and as he
named the man, I directed him to attend next morning,
promising to inquire into his case. I requested two of the
chiefs to settle it, and they adjudicated their neighbour to
pay twenty-five rupees as compensation. In the defence it
was stated that the pony, with the cheerful playfulness of his
race, had come too near the plump and well-fed mare of the
stalwart Rajpoot, who had received him on the point of his
lance.

The land where this tiger was shot was for the most part
cropped with poppies. The opium-cultivation is greatly
attended to by the population of Malwa, and a large portion
of the land-revenue is derived from this source. The poppies
are generally grown on the best ground. The land is fre-
quently ploughed and manured to the fullest extent practicable.
A strong supply of water from wells or rivers is essential.

The ground is usually divided into small beds about eight
feet square, separated from each other by ridges of earth, and
all connected by runnels with a main channel leading from
the water. On the seed being sown, the water is turned on,
and while one man with a pair of bullocks keeps the stream
running from the well, another is employed diverting it into
the different divisions of the field till the whole is irrigated.

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 245

The water is raised either by a rude Persian wheel or "by a
leathern bag worked with a long rope over a wheel fixed above
the well. The Persian wheel is simply a drum, over which
passes a chain of earthen pots attached to a rope : these fill
as they touch the water, and on ascending, empty themselves
into a trough, whence the stream passes on to the land to be
watered.

As the poppies come into flower the fields present a very
gay appearance. Some cultivators prefer one colour — white,
red, or purple — others go in for variety. The irrigations are
repeated about eight times during the growth of the crop.
When the flower falls the work of collecting the opium com-
mences.

Armed with small instruments having three short steel
points, the cultivator and all his household go over the whole
field, carefully scoring each poppy-head. From the wound
thus inflicted a milky juice exudes, and in a few hours assumes
a dark colour, and becomes consistent. This is then scraped
off with a small blunt knife, and the opium thus collected is
carefully stored. Each poppy-head is scored and scraped
three times. When dry, the heads are collected, and the
seed shaken out. Much of the opium is consumed in the
country, but the greater part is exported to China. Previous
to its transport to the coast a high duty is paid to the British
Government. This duty varies according to circumstances.
It is now £60, and has stood as high as £70 per chest of
140 Ibs.

In Bengal, licenses to cultivate opium are granted on the
understanding that the juice is to be delivered at a fixed price
to the Government factories at Patna and Benares. It is
there manufactured, previous to being sent down to Calcutta,
where it is disposed of, at monthly sales, by auction.

246 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

The net average amount of our opium revenue during the
last five years, for which the accounts have been laid before
Parliament, has been £5,781,890.

In the year 1867-68, the last for which the accounts have
been laid before the House, it rose, after all expenses had been
paid, to £7,049,447 — between one-fifth and one-sixth of our
whole net revenue.

CHAPTER XVI.

Sooltanpoor Kavine — Tiger seen — Man wounded — Second visit — Tiger slain
— Tiger shot "by Ward — Tiger shot — Ward's shooting — Good Pistol-prac-
tice— Florican shooting — Hyaena — Panther shot in Dhar — Hyaena-trap —
Mandoo — Tigress shot — Bears at Burmundel — Bears at Buckutgurh —
Dhotreea — Tigress shot — Intense Heat— Bear shot on the Mhye — Ramla
—A Habitual Criminal Act.

FIVE miles westward of the town of Dhar, near the village of
Sooltanpoor, lies a fine ravine which has long been celebrated
as a haunt of tigers. It is the birthplace of one of the count-
less streams which, rising in the Vindyah range, find their
way down to the Nerbudda.

Near the head of the gorge is a dense mass of corinda
thicket, under which runs a clear stream ; and hearing that a
tiger had been seen in its neighbourhood I started from my
camp at Dhar in search of him. I had no regular shikaree
with me, and had to make the best arrangement in my power
with the men at my disposal. On reaching the ground I
selected a tree, close to the edge of the stream, at the lower
end of the covert, and sending the men to beat down from the
head of the ravine, I mounted on a branch and awaited their
approach. Before long I saw a very large male tiger leave
the bushes on my right front, and skirting the side of the
ravine, it passed over a stony ridge into the next gorge. I
quickly descended and followed on the track with some men,
but the ground was very hard and stony, and we could make
nothing of it.

248 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

Just then I was informed that one of the men whom I
had sent to beat had been wounded by another tiger, and on
returning to the covert I found a man slightly bitten in the
shoulder. Neglecting my strict injunctions that all should
keep together, this man had wandered away by himself, and
was coming down the bank by a footpath, close to where I had
been posted, when a second tiger, which had come forward to
the end of the covert, rushed out on him, biting him as
described. His wounds were not serious, and he had only
himself to thank for his troubles.

Not wishing to disturb these tigers that evening, I re-
turned to camp, and arranged for another attempt on them a
few days later. This time I placed men on trees on both sides
of the ravine, directing them to throw stones and drive
the tiger back, should he attempt to break up the side.

I soon heard a troop of monkeys swearing in the thicket
above me. Some of the men on the banks also telegraphed
that a tiger was on foot. My position was unpleasantly near
the ground, but it was the best that could be got, and I
quietly waited for the beast to show. In a few minutes he
walked out and stood on the path close to the spot on which
the man had been wounded on the previous occasion. I fired,
and he spun round and disappeared in the bushes. A few
seconds later he broke cover near the top of the bank above
me, and was going off at a good pace. I had a fine view of
him as he passed along the sky-line, some seventy paces above
me, and firing quickly, I saw him swerve over, and observed
his hind leg dangling from the stifle. He then turned down
the bank, and threw himself into a thick corinda bush, where
he lay quiet. Calling out to the beaters to give me time
to take up a fresh position, I descended, and making a circuit,
climbed another tree lower down the ravine.

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 249

The men then came on in a close body along the top of
the bank, down which they hurled volleys of stones. On their
arriving near the spot in which the tiger had lain up, he made
an attempt to move, but his hind-quarter was quite disabled,
and the men called out to me to come and finish him. I pro-
ceeded cautiously, as, though unable to ascend the steep bank
to where the beaters stood, the tiger might have rushed down
on me. His attention was however occupied ; and on reaching
the men I formed them into a compact phalanx. We then
advanced on the bush, and as the tiger scrambled out towards
us, I laid him low with a shot through the neck.

I subsequently visited this ravine with Captain Ward,
who succeeded me as superintendent of the Dhar state.
I placed him in the same tree, and had the satisfaction of
seeing a fine tiger move down the covert towards him. I was
mounted on a tree on the left bank, and might have fired
effectually, but I wished my friend to get the shot. The
tiger went on, and was passing within a few yards of the
muzzle of his rifle, when he fired, wounding him through the
shoulder. The beast dashed forward, and disappeared over a
mass of rocks, 150 yards farther down the ravine. We fol-
lowed after on an elephant, and finding him much disabled,
gave him the coup de grace. After this, Ward and I shot
together whenever we could find time and opportunity. I
have shot with many men, but I never met with one so sure
with rifle, gun, or pistol. He always carried a Colt's revolver
in his belt, and as he was in constant practice, some of his
shots astonished me.

One evening when out riding, we observed several vul-
tures seated on a hillock. Ward dismounted, and supporting
his right with his left arm, he fired his revolver, remarking
that he would move them. One of the vultures fell over

250 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

dead, the others flew away. Next morning I measured the
distance with a cord, and to the best of my belief, the bird
was shot at 375 yards from the muzzle of the pistol. The
weapon was a medium-size Colt's revolver.

While I was at Dhar I occasionally shot florican in the
grass plains to the east of the town. As the grass was two and
three feet high, I ordered out all the horsemen in the place,
and forming them into a long line, we beat tKe ground care-
fully. With seventy men I could cover a good bit of country,
and when a bird rose, I dismounted and followed him on foot,
generally bagging him on the second rise. On these plains we
occasionally started antelopes. Hyaenas and wolves too were
met with. I had a rifle carried by one of my men, and one even-
ing observing the head of a hyaena peering over the grass about
150 yards ahead of us, I fired and rolled him over dead.

One morning a man sent me word that there was a pan-
ther in his house in the town of Dhar. Knowing that there
were generally panthers about the gardens and sugar-cane
fields outside the town, I at once went to his house, which I
found surrounded by a number of people. The panther was
said to be concealed among a heap of lumber in a dark loft,
so I mounted on the roof and proceeded to remove the tiles.
The open bamboos on which they were supported guarded
me from any sudden charge ; and it was well for me that
they were there, for the panther made a rush at the opening,
but was shot through the head, and fell back dead. I had
previously taken the precaution to clear all the people out of
the lower part of the house, and could therefore fire down
with safety. The panther was about two-thirds grown. He
had probably entered the town at night in quest of a pariah
dog, and b' ing scared by some early riser, had taken refuge in
the loft where we found him.

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 251

Acting on the advice of a brother in Ceylon, I caused an
iron trap for panthers to be constructed. It was like a huge
rat-trap, but was furnished with springs at both ends, and
weighed about 60 Ibs. I caught several hyaenas, and two in-
cautious natives, but though it was on one or two occasions
sprung by panthers, none were caught. One evening, when
camped with Ward near Kode in the Dhar district, we baited
this trap with a dead dog, and set it near a road leading to
the village. Next morning the trap had been dragged away
to some distance, and between the jaws we found the forefoot
of a hyaena.

Soon after this I visited Mandoo, a grand though now
ruined and deserted city on the crest of the Vindyah moun-
tains, overlooking the province of Nimar. According to
Ferishta, Alif Khan (the son of Dilawur Khan), who became
celebrated under the name of Hoshung Shah, removed the
seat of the government of Malwa from Dhar to Mandoo, A.D.
1404. Mandoo lies fifteen miles south-east of Dhar, and had
been irregularly fortified, according to Hindoo accounts, by
a prince named Jey Sing Deo, who, according to Hindoo
fable, was assisted in accomplishing his work by the pos-
session of the Parus Puttur, or philosopher's stone, which
was found during his reign by a grass-cutter. Its properties
were discovered by a blacksmith, who carried it to Jey Sing
Deo, who, after using it to make gold enough to defray the
expense of building Mandoo, is said to have given it to the
priest of his family, who, displeased at receiving a stone, threw
it, before its value was explained to him, into the Nerbudda.
When sensible of what he had done he sprang into the
river, in the vain hope of recovering it, but his efforts to reach
the bottom were in vain. Credulous Hindoos believe that at
the place where this occurred the Nerbudda became and con-
tinues unfathomable.

252 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

The site of Mandoo was very inviting ; the mountain
chosen by Hoshung Shah for his future capital is said to be
thirty-seven miles in circumference. It extends along the
crest of the Vindyah range about eight miles, and is parted
from the table-land of Malwa, with which it is upon a level,
by abrupt and rugged valleys of great depth and width, which
descend from either side of the main gateway, both to the
east and west, to the low country. On the brink of these
valleys, and on the summit of the ridge of the Vindyah
mountains, which form the southern face of Mandoo, a wall of
considerable height was built, which, added to the natural
strength of the ground, made it unassailable by any but regu-
lar attack ; and this advantage, which gave security to property,
combined with the salubrity of the air, abundance of water,
and the rich nature of the ground that was encircled within
the limits of the new capital, caused it early to attain a state
of great prosperity.

Hoshung Ghoree was succeeded by his son, Ghiznee Khan,
a weak and dissolute sovereign, who was dethroned by his
minister, Mahomed Khiljee, to whom Mandoo owed its fame
and splendour ; and the magnificent tomb over Hoshung Shah,
and the college and palaces that he built, give testimony of his
respect for the memory of his benefactor, and of a regard and
consideration for his subjects, which entitle him to the high
reputation he has attained among the Mahomedan princes of
India.

Tor the above description of Mandoo I have drawn largely
on Sir John Malcolm's Memoir on Central India. The glory
of Mandoo has indeed departed, and save by a few Bheels and
a stray Mahomedan or two the place is utterly deserted. On
all sides are ruins of palaces, terraces, reservoirs, and gardens,
all fast crumbling to decay, and inhabited only by owls, bats,

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 253

and wild beasts. The work of destruction is greatly assisted
by birds, which carry the seeds of the banian, pepul, and
other trees. These, dropping into the crevices of the stone-
work, germinate and throw out roots, speedily rending roofs
and walls. I believe some little has been done by the Dhar
Kajah to protect the ruins, but the extent of the buildings is
great, and the tropical growth too powerful, to give any hope
that an impression will be made on the slow and sure work
of time.

I was camped with Captain Blowers in the old city, and
had, as usual, sent my men out into the jungle. About 10
A.M. they sent us word that they had marked down a tiger
close to the gateway of the fort. On proceeding to the spot
they showed us a mass of high grass and bushes, in the bed
of an old artificial reservoir, formed in the jungle by throwing
a bank across a watercourse. The place was quite dry, the
action of the water having cut a deep gap in the embank-
ment. We approached the spot very quietly, and I took up
a position in a tree on the bank of the nullah below. I then
sent instructions to the men to advance slowly towards the
tiger, tapping the trees with their sticks, but without making
any very great uproar. The result was as I had anticipated.
The tigress, — for it was a lady, — came stealthily down the
watercourse towards me, and was laid low by a couple of
shots. My friend was in another tree about fifty yards off.
We had tossed for choice of positions, and he had lost, but as he
did not pretend to be a hunter, it was a matter of no regret
to either.

I had heard of game in the rugged country lying on the
banks of the Mhye, to the north of Sirdarpore, and accord-
ingly I trysted Ward to meet me at Burmundel, a village
about sixteen miles from the cantonment. Near this place,

254 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

in a comparatively open jungle,* were some bears' caves,
situated on the side of a ridge of elevated ground. We
directed our men to proceed to this spot after dark, when
the bears would be out feeding, and to block up the entrance
to the caves with stones, etc. We started early in the morn-
ing on elephants, and on arriving at the place, found three
bears dancing about the caves in a state of great consternation.
On seeing us they went off, but after going a short distance,
they were turned back by some villagers, and again made for
the caves. I met them on a narrow ridge, and as they came
tumbling along after each other in single file, my elephant
became so unsteady that I could not shoot with accuracy.
The bears, however, turned and fled, the largest being wounded
in the foot. Ward at once went after him, and ended a long
chase by slaying him. Meanwhile, the others, making a cir-
cuit, regained the caves, and before we could overtake them
they managed to effect an entrance, and went to ground.

We then moved in a northerly direction to Buckutgurh,
where we found a gigantic old male bear in a corinda thicket,
on the side of a ravine. No trees were at hand, so we stood
together, and as he came out, we made short work of him. We
saw two others, but they got away in a bit of rough country,
and we could not find them again.

We then moved north to Dhotreea, about eight miles.
Here our men marked down a tigress, and we went after her
about mid-day. She was lying on the side of a wide open
ravine, filled with scrub about six feet in height, through
which were scattered dwarf salar trees. It was a very awk-
ward place to work in. The ground was unsuited for an
elephant, and there was nothing to indicate the direction
which the tigress, if started, might be expected to take. The
scrub jungle was too thick to allow us to shoot down on her

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 255

from above, and the only spot from which a clear view could
be got, was the face of the ravine opposite to where she lay.
This position was attended by a slight objection, inasmuch as
the tigress, if wounded, could charge straight at us. We had
just reached this place, when she rose from the base of a large
stone under which she had been lying, and stood for a moment
undecided. I whispered to Ward that we should not get a
better chance, and at once fired. The ball struck her about
the middle of the ribs, and crossing diagonally, came out
before the shoulder. The wound was a mortal one ; but she
wheeled round and dashed down the ravine to our left. Ward
put in another shot, and she fell over, and was dead before we
could get up to her. The heat at this place was terrific ; the
sun of May beat down on the black and scorched rocks around
us, while the hills and scrub jungle by which we were sur-
rounded shut out every breath of air. Ward never paused to
look at the tiger, but set off at once for the nearest water,
which was said to be in the bed of a small river, about two
miles off. Hastily directing the men to get the tigress on
the elephant, and follow, I went after him. I did not over-
take him till he had reached the river, where I found him
drenching his head with water from a hole which the men
had scooped in the sand. He assured me, that had he paused
on the way, he felt that he must have been struck down by
the sun. On our way back to camp a fine young pig was
shot by Ward ; and we improved our banquet by pork-chops
and soused countenance.

The Mhye river lay a mile to the westward of our tents,
and next morning our men were on the banks before day-
break, on the look-out for game. They marked a bear into
some very rough ground, and, posting ourselves together, we
sent them round to drive. The spot where we stood was sur-

256 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

rounded by high grass ; but we got a good view of the bear
as it came out, and dropped it. Eecovering itself, it got
into a small narrow ravine leading down to the Mhye. We
had crossed the river dryshod about an hour before ; but
rain had fallen near the source of the stream, and it was
now coming down in a turbid flood, sixty yards in width.
The bear at once^swam across ; and after some delay we fol-
lowed on an elephant, and our men took up the track. They
picked out the footprints with great sagacity, and after nearly
two miles we came up with the bear and slew it. We had
good prospects of game in this neighbourhood ; but we both
had work elsewhere, and next morning we parted company.

The last-detailed bear-hunt had been witnessed with much
interest by Eamla, a Bheel freebooter, who had given a good
deal of trouble in his time, and had lately broken out of the
jail at Mundlaisir. The thakoor of Dhotreea, a chief who was
well acquainted with his movements, had assured me that he
had fled from the country, and pretended to be much hurt at
my ill-disguised incredulity. Some time after I sent for
Earnla, who came in on safe conduct. He conversed plea-
santly on the subject of his numerous misdeeds, and informed
me that, seated on the hill-side, he had watched our pursuit
of the bear from find to finish.

On my way back to Sirdarpore a Bheel was brought into
my camp minus a hand and a foot. He stated that he had
been thus mutilated by order of a petty chief in the Dhar
state, who, suspecting him of robbery, had directed his limbs
to be hewn off. The operation had been performed with an
adze, and the stumps had been dipped in hot oil, to check the
bleeding. I reported the matter to the agent of the Viceroy,
who ordered the chief to pay the man for life, through my
office, a monthly pension of ten rupees. I sent for both

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 257

parties, and explained the order ; and, with a view to his
longevity, I suggested that the Bheel should reside in my
cantonment at Sirdarpore. He declined to leave his home.

Some time after the chief waited on me, and suggested a
reduction of the pension, on the ground that the man had
grown fat and lusty, and kept a good pony — a state of things
unbecoming one in his station of life. I replied that the
matter had been settled, and could not be re-opened. Event-
ually it was reported that the man had died from the effects
of a drinking-bout ; but I fear that the quality and not the
quantity of the liquor was to blame.

CHAPTEK XVII.

Meet Bonnor on Dohud Frontier — Tiger in Ranapoor Ravine— Plan of Attack
— Instantaneous Death — I join my Friends — Murder of two Bears —
Cooling Drinks— Another Bear— Pursuit — The Bear shot — I return to
Sirdarpore — Bears at Tirla — A Siesta — Drawing the Bear — Mother and
Child smoked out— The Chief of Jucnaoda— Tiger-Tactics— The Tiger
slain.

MY friend Major Bonnor commanded the Bheel regiment at
Dohud, 50 miles to the westward of Sirdarpore, and having
been invited to meet him on the frontier, I marched through
the Jhabbooa country, and was encamped six miles south of
the town of Eanapoor, when I heard of a tiger in a small covert
near my tents. Major Bonnor, with Colonels Buckle and
Baigrie, was then encamped about 16 miles farther west, and
I had arranged to be with them on the following morning.

The spot which the tiger had chosen was in a small ravine
about 200 yards in length by 50 in breadth, and in shape like
the letter Y. The lower part was filled with a dense mass of
creepers, having large leaves shaped liked a camel's foot, and
handsome pink blossoms. The stems twined like ropes from
tree to tree. At the spot where the ravine divided there was
a small tree, into which I stealthily climbed with one of my
gun-bearers. Outside the upper ends I had posted men on
trees, with directions to shout and hurl stones at the tiger
should he attempt to leave the covert. The beaters had been
sent to drive from the low end, and I sat facing a rocky ridge,
which rose between the two smaller nullahs. The position of
myself and gun-bearer was not a very good one, for we were

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 259

not nine feet from the ground, but we could get no higher, so
I had to make up my mind to shoot straight and trust to
luck. On hearing the beaters advancing the tiger passed under
the mass of creepers on my left, and went up the right-hand
nullah, at the head of which he was turned by the men on the
trees. Eetracing his steps, he came down to the spot where I
was posted. I could hear his feet on the dry leaves, but he
was completely hidden by the heavy foliage. It was a
moment of intense excitement. The sound of the footsteps
ceased, then there was a patter on the leaves, and the tiger
glided out immediately below me. He was not eight feet
from the muzzle of my rifle, and in another instant would
have disappeared under the creepers on my right. At that
moment I fired, and the heavy two-ounce ball struck him on
the base of the neck, dividing the spine. Death was in-
stantaneous, and the mighty brute sank down in his tracks.
So suddenly had all muscular power ceased that he did not
even roll over, but lay with his head doubled under his chest,
and his hocks sticking out. Neither tail nor paws moved.
Fearing that he might only be stunned, I at once fired my
second shot, but I might as well have spared my lead.

When the men came up they looked first at the beast and
then at me ; and then, as if in apology for the part they had
taken in his death, they made a sort of shame-faced salaam to
the tiger, and stood on one side. This reverence was, however,
only shown by the local Bheels. The men of my own regi-
ment, who always accompanied me, had long since stifled
their veneration for wild beasts.

As we were lifting out the dead tiger a horseman came up
with a note from Baigrie pressing me to come to them at once,
as they were in a country swarming with game, and required
my valuable assistance. He added, " Come on at once ;

260 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

Bonnor shikars en prince, drinking still hock while the beat
is going on, and the more noisy moselle when it is over."
I sent back a verbal message that I had just bagged a fine
tiger, and would be with them in the morning. On meeting I
learnt that they also had heard of this tiger, and, fearing lest
I should slay it before joining them, they had sent off their
urgent epistle.

We had just finished a hearty breakfast when one of
Bonnor's men came in and reported two bears in a nullah,
about two miles from our camp. Colonel Buckle was busy
with state affairs, so we went off without him. The bears
were lying asleep in some long grass in a bamboo jungle, and
our guides, taking us up three abreast, heaved down stones.
The unhappy beasts had no chance. They made a rush up
the side of the nullah, but the fire was sharp and straight, and
they were killed at once.

The day was hot. Bonnor suggested refreshments, and
commanded Ganymede to appear. I then saw that we were
followed by a man bearing on his head a huge basket. We
sat down under a shady tree, and from out a mass of wet
straw, the rich wines of the Ehineland and Bordeaux were
produced ; as also the beer of Bass, and soda-water of a skil-
ful manufacturer. Spices and limes were also there in pro-
fusion, and the requisite supply of tumblers. For the proper
mixing of the various drinks a large earthenware jug had
been also sent out. We lit our pipes, and spent an hour very
pleasantly, and then returned to the tent.

In the afternoon we were again summoned to the jungle,
where another bear had been marked by our indefatigable
hunters. We set out at once, but the bear, having been
roused by a hasty shot, got away unhurt. Our men how-
ever pursued and headed him, and he was driven back. He

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 261

then came down a slope covered with clumps of bamboos,
and had he held on his course he would have come straight
at us. I was suggesting the propriety of not firing till he
was within a few yards of us, when the bear turned towards
our right and was going off. Eesting my rifle against a tree I
waited till he had cleared a thick mass of bamboo, and as his
head and shoulders appeared, I fired and the bear dropped.
The shot was a good one, for he was about 120 yards from
where we stood ; but my companions abused me for firing
when I had been urging them to refrain. However, I should
not have done so had the bear not turned. My shot had
only wounded him, and as he came blundering down the hill,
we ran in and finished him.

We halted at this place another day, but heard of no game,
and as our respective duties called us in various directions,
we broke up the camp. I did my best to induce Baigrie to
join me, but he thought the Baroda country offered fairer pro-
spects of sport. I think he afterwards regretted his decision.

On my return march to Sirdarpore I sent my men ahead
to mark game on the Vindyah hills, and on reaching my tents,
four miles from Tirla, I found that a couple of bears had
been marked. The grass had been burnt, and the ground was
perfectly bare throughout the jungle.

On the side of a very steep slope, thinly studded with tall
trees, was a bit of rock scarped to the height of seven feet,
and extending some twenty yards along the face of the hill.
Under this rock were some holes, into which the bears had
gone in the early morning. We went very quietly down till
we reached the edge of the scarp, when one of the men point-
ing over showed me the snout and two fore-paws of a sleep-
ing bear protruding from a hole at the base of the rock. At
the mouth of this hole grew a peepul-tree, and the noise made

262 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

by the rustling of its green leaves in the wind prevented the
bear from hearing our footsteps. The body of the beast was
inside the hole, and the only effect of a low whistle was to
make him move his head to the right and left. At length
I cast down a small peeble, on which he made a grab at it
with his fore-paws, and then threw himself back into the hole
with his hind legs protruding. At length he disappeared
altogether, and though we threw down sticks and stones he
would not show.

The afore-mentioned peepul-tree grew up the face of the
rock, and I now directed one of my men to climb out into the
tree, and having tied a stone into the end of his turban, to
shake it over the mouth of the hole. The ruse succeeded ad-
mirably. The bear rushed out, and as he . rose on his hind
legs and furiously attacked the dangling turban, I shot him
through the head, and he fell. We then went down to the
mouth of the hole, and lit a fire of dry grass, wood, and green
leaves. A dense smoke was carried into the hole, and soon
after the she-bear bolted with the cub clinging to her back.
I shot the old one, and then running in, captured the cub,
which we took home alive.

On moving camp to Tirla I was met by the Chief of Juc-
naoda, a sirdar of the Jhabbooa Eajah, who had invited me
to hunt a tiger which had taken up its abode in some grass
lands near his village. The thakoor was a pleasant old gen-
tleman, who spent much of his time in the saddle. He was
very fond of dogs, horses, and all matters connected with the
chase ; but from the constant habit of eating opium he had
ruined his constitution, and reduced himself to a shadow.
Still the old man was game, and always ready to join in any
out-door amusement.

I sent on my men and guns to the place where the tiger

o

ADVENTUKES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 263

was said to be, and as the sun became powerful, I rode over
with the thakoor. We found my own party of twenty men,
and about fifty villagers assembled ; and, riding to a small ris-
ing ground, we proceeded to examine the ground and arrange
the plan of operations.

Before us lay a wide expanse of rough grass and bushes,
having here and there an irregular and steep-banked nullah
running down on a main watercourse, which bounded the
ground on the side next to us. At some distance to our left,
down the bed of the stream, stood a large peepul-tree. Higher
up, on our right, was a mowa-tree, and my choice of positions
lay between them. I decided on mounting the peepul ; and
having told off my own men into three parties, and given to
each a proportion of villagers, I sent them off with directions
to extend so as to form an unbroken line, and to drive the
grass down towards the peepul-tree.

All being arranged, I went off to take up my position ;
but I found the tree too large to climb, the trunk being clear
of branches for a considerable height. The situation was
unpleasant, as the tiger might be expected at any moment.
No time was to be lost, and I ran back to the hillock from
which I had surveyed the ground, and signalled to the beaters
to halt. I then sent word to them to bring the right forward,
and to drive up towards the mowa-tree, into which I climbed,
and found myself in a very commanding position. High up
above me I had placed a look-out, and before long this man
whispered that the tiger was on foot, and coming towards us.
Presently he came quietly out of the bed of the main water-
course, and stood in the long grass looking back towards the
advancing line. In a few seconds he came on again, and
when he was within fifty yards I gave a low whistle, and he
at once halted. At that moment I fired, shooting him dia-

264 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

gonally through the root of the neck, and he fell forward quite
dead. I fired again, but he never moved.

Meanwhile the beaters came on, and I saw a leopard
break away out of shot. As the men approached me, the
chief, who had remained stationed on the hillock with all his
followers, sent a horseman up to my tree to ascertain what
had become of the tiger. I told him it was dead, and at that
moment lying in the grass about ten paces in front of his
horse. Craning out his neck, he caught sight of the tiger — a
full-grown male ; and without another word he wheeled round,
and went off to his master at full speed.

The whole party now came up ; but the old chief, who
had at the least expected a smart scrimmage, seemed quite
sorry to see the beast, which had been for months 'the terror
of the place, so easily disposed of. He shook his head mourn-
fully, and exclaimed, "Wah ! Wah ! ek golee — kya zoolum ;"
literally, "One bullet ! what injustice !" But he was consoled
with the knowledge that his cows would now graze in peace.

CHAPTER XVIII.

Meet "Ward at Dhurrempooree — Move to Kotra— Scenery — Tigers' Tracks —
A lucky Find — The Tigress slain — Two more marked down— Bees —
Ticks— Successful Hunt— Second Day, Tigress slain— Third Day, the
Tiger escapes— Fourth Day, killed this time — Fifth Day, five Tigers
bagged — Calm Beatitude.

ON the evening of the 29th of March 1862, Captain Ward
met me at Dhurrempooree, a town in Nirnar, situated on the
north bank of the Nerbudda river. The stream at this place
is about a quarter of a mile in breadth, swarming with mah-
seer and other fish, and moreover plentifully stocked with
alligators.

The country to the north for some six or seven miles is
partly cultivated ; but the Vindyah range of mountains then
rises with rugged slopes, covered with scrub jungle and trees
of moderate growth. To the south of the river, on the border
of the Burwanee territory, the country, though apparently
level when viewed from a distance, is cut up with innumer-
able ravines, all running down to the Nerbudda. These
ravines, and indeed also the more level parts, are filled with
long grass and dense thorny bushes ; and though the district
is fairly stocked with tigers, panthers, bears, and deer, I was
never able to do much execution among them.

Our intended beat on this occasion lay at Kotra, about
six or seven miles farther down the river, where it is joined
on the north side by the Maun and on the south by the
Deb rivers. Both of these streams almost cease to flow dur-

266 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

ing the hot weather, but large stagnant pools remain in parts ;
and in many places along the beds of the rivers the bastard
cypress grows freely, intermingled with willows and other
green bushes, which refresh the eye amid the general parched-
up vegetation. These bushes are covered by the floods during
the monsoon, when the dried-up beds are swept by mighty
torrents ; but, though the water disappears in summer, the
undersoil is moistened by the percolation through the sand,
and the bushes retain their verdure, forming comparatively
cool retreats for tigers, who, in addition to their ordinary
prey of pigs, nylghae, and porcupines, are attracted by the
herds of cattle which are brought down by their owners from
the more dried-up districts.

We had received reliable information of the presence of
game, and had sent on tents, servants, and " shikarees," that
all might be in readiness on our arrival. We had only one
elephant, but he was a staunch one, though dangerous at
times, and, when employed with the troops on service in
1858, had killed a soldier who had incautiously come within
reach of his trunk. The elephant, together with our gun-
bearers and a native horseman, preceded us from Dhurrem-
pooree before daybreak on the morning of the 1st of April,
and it was still dark when my friend and I mounted our
horses and followed them.

We had proceeded two or three miles along the track
formed by village carts, which is all the apology for a road
which the country affords, when the day broke, and we then
observed, in the very cart-rut in which one of us was riding,
the fresh footprints of a tiger which had passed along in the
early morning. They were not to be mistaken in the heavy
dust, but were in parts obliterated by the tracks of the ele-
phant and our gun-bearers, who had evidently passed the spot

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 267

in the dark. The prints, however, led in the direction in
which we were going, and we quickened our pace, keeping
them in view.

After proceeding about a mile, we came up with our men,
who, on the day breaking, had at once perceived the tracks,
and had sent off the horseman to bring back the elephant,
which had outpaced them. We then dismounted and pro-
ceeded to load, and on the elephant coming up we again
followed the track of the tiger. It continued for some dis-
tance farther along the same road, and then turned north, by
a cross-path, for about a quarter of a mile, after which it
struck into the jungle ; and, the ground being hard, we were
at fault. Leaving our men, we rode forward, and carefully
reconnoitred the country in the direction which the beast had
taken. It looked very hopeless, stretching for miles in flat
thorny scrub, with small open spaces here and there, and
occasional thickets 20 or 30 yards in breadth. Half-a-mile in
advance was a solitary tree, and it was agreed that I should
make a detour, and climb this tree, on the chance of seeing
the tiger, should it be started by Ward, who was to mount
the elephant, and beat up the ground in my direction. We
accordingly returned to the men, and, taking my two gun-
bearers with me, I set off for the tree, which I climbed, and
soon after saw Ward advancing on the elephant, and moving
about among the thickets.

Presently I heard a couple of shots. The report was so
small that I concluded Ward had only fired his revolver into
some covert too dense for the elephant to penetrate ; but soon
after our horseman came up at a gallop, legs and arms flying
in all directions, and informed me that the tiger was slain. I
was not a little astonished, having been deceived by the re-
port of the rifle ; and, descending from my perch, I rejoined

268 , WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

Ward, whom I found standing over the body of a fine tigress.
The beast had probably travelled a long way during the night
in quest of food, and on the day breaking had lain up in the
first quiet spot. Ward came suddenly upon her, and finished
her before she had time to rise. We were much pleased with
this bit of unexpected sport, and making over our guns to our
attendants, we remounted our horses, and rode off merrily to
breakfast, leaving the men to follow with the tigress, which
we had bound on the elephant, after taking off the howdah,
to prevent damage to the skin. The howdah was carried in
by some villagers who had assembled at the spot.

On reaching the camp we were met by our shikarees,
their countenances wearing a peculiar grin, which, from long
experience, I knew meant business. They informed us that
on their arrival they had found fresh tracks, and had tied up
sundry buffaloes on the previous evening in the most fre-
quented spots. One of these had been killed during the night
in the Maun river, half-a-mile above the junction, and the
carcass had been dragged into a large patch of cypress in the
bed of the stream. Markers had been posted on the trees
along the bank, and only our presence was necessary to open
the ball Kefreshed by this intelligence, we proceeded to
breakfast, and soon after the guns and elephant came in.

Our followers, who had preceded us, had suffered a good
deal from bees, several large swarms having been roused by
the smoke of the camp-fires from the few trees at the place
which afforded shade to our tents. The village cattle had,
moreover, been in the habit of seeking shelter from the mid-
day sun under these trees, and the- ground was alive with
ticks, by which our men had been grievously bitten. The
bite of these insects is severe, and is followed by great itching
and swelling, which lasts for two days or more. In such

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 269

places we generally wore long riding-boots all day, but the
feet of the natives were unprotected and they suffered accord-
ingly.

At 11 A.M. we again set off, and at the end of a mile we
arrived at the river Maun. The opposite bank was steep, and
at its foot ran a long strip of cypress some 10 yards in width,
and 200 or 300 in length. On this side the bed of the river
was covered with cypress to the extent of several acres, and
in the centre was a large pool of still water, in which the
tigers (there were two) had repeatedly been seen by our
markers to bathe themselves during the morning. The
country on both sides was cut in all directions with small
but deep ravines, very narrow at the bottom, and filled with
long grass and thorny bushes.

As we knew the tigers were gorged, we concluded they
would not leave the cypress, and we therefore both mounted
the elephant and proceeded to beat them out, previously
taking care that all our men were clear of the covert, and
safely perched on trees. The tigers were soon on the move,
and, guided by the waving of the cypress, which was five and
six feet high at this part, we pushed after them. Presently
both beasts were wounded, but accurate shooting was impos-
sible, owing to the motion of the elephant and the density of
the covert. The tigress was the first to succumb, which she
did after one or two plucky charges ; and soon after, the
tiger, a fine heavy beast, dashed through the pool, and dis-
appeared in the strip of covert on the opposite side. We
slowly followed, advancing cautiously, for the cypress was
varied by rocks and bunches of long grass. Suddenly, with a
terrific roar, the tiger rose and came on open-mouthed ; but
the shooting was good, and the elephant steady, and he was
hurled back, and again crossed the pool to the place where we

270 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

originally found him. We reloaded, and following, found him
very groggy, and put an end to him without further trouble.

Thus ended our first day's work. Three tigers had been
found and bagged. We bound the last two on the elephant,
and returned in triumph to our camp, where we found that,
with the assistance of the village "chamars" (skinners) rny
servant had removed and pegged out the skin of the beast we
had slain in the morning, and was ready to turn his attention
to the last comers. The skins of these were also pegged out
before dinner ; and as we smoked our evening pipe, and lay
back in our comfortable arm-chairs, we discoursed the labours
of the day, and went to bed hopeful for the morrow, our men
having told us that they believed other tigers were in the
neighbourhood, and that another lot • of unhappy buffaloes
had been tied up in the rivers and other likely places.

I forget whether one of these was killed during the night,
but we went forth next morning (Wednesday) after a tigress
which was said to have her cubs in the ravines near the river.
A number of beaters was assembled, and a line formed, while
we took up positions ahead, on foot. The tigress was soon
started, but got off without a shot ; so, making a note of the
line she had taken, we mounted the elephant, and going
round to the bed of the river, moved up along the bank, and
halted at the mouth of one of the small ravines. Our star
was in the ascendant, for, as the beaters again came on, the
tigress appeared on the bank above us, within thirty yards,
and, firing together, we rolled her over into the ravine, where
another shot finished her. Our men were anxious that we
should not disturb the country more that day, as they sup-
posed that other tigers were not far off, so we went quietly
home with the main body of our forces, leaving our shikarees
to make all needful arrangements for the following day.

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 271

On Thursday morning we were informed that a buffalo had
been killed during the night close to the spot where we had
slain the two tigers on Tuesday, and that the tracks led into
the cypress. Thinking the beast would be too lazy to break
cover, we placed additional markers on the banks on trees and
other elevated places, and, mounting the elephant, we entered
the jungle. The tiger was a cunning one ; and on hearing
us he sneaked down the covert for 300 or 400 yards, and then,
leaving the bed of the stream, went up among the ravines.
Our men ran after, and did their best to keep him in sight,
but to no purpose ; and though we searched far and wide, we
could not find him ; so, leaving word for the buffaloes to be
again tied up, we returned to camp.

The tiger came down to the river in the night, again
killed a buffalo, and again lay up in the cypress. We went
at him after breakfast on Friday. He had moved to the strip
of cover on the far side. As we beat slowly down on the
elephant, he again broke shyly and scrambled up a very
steep part of the bank, where four or five small watercourses,
meeting at one point, entered the river by an abrupt fall.
We fired several long shots, but failed to stop him. The
elephant was unable to follow at this place, and we had to
return and make a considerable circuit to ascend the bank,
and then we found we had to turn the head of several ravines
before we could arrive at that by which the tiger had left the
river. We passed round the heads of all its tributaries, care-
fully examining the ground, but found no tracks, from which
we gathered that we had succeeded in heading our game.
The heat at this time was great, and Ward, who was not very
well, began to be knocked up, so, getting off the elephant, he
took shelter under a tree while I went to closely hunt up each
small watercourse by passing up one side and down the other.

272 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

I had carefully examined them all, and had turned away
in despair from the last, when I happened to cast my eye
back, and there, within twenty yards, lying in the bottom of
a small channel some eight or ten feet deep, was my friend,
looking pleasantly at me. I quietly called to the driver to
stop, and kneeling on the seat of the howdah I gave him two
through the shoulder. He spoke at once, and scrambled
along the bottom of the watercourse towards the spot where I
had left Ward sitting. He did not go far, however, and,
following him up, I gave him a final shot. The feet and
claws of this tiger were badly blistered and damaged. The
blisters were probably occasioned by his walk in the hot
ravines on the previous day, and his claws were no doubt
broken as he scrambled up the steep bank this morning.
But for this we might possibly not have got him, for on both
days he seemed to think discretion to be the better part of
valour.

A tiger of this description is apt to mislead an inex-
perienced sportsman, as to the dangerous character of these
beasts. Having seen a huge brute flee ignominiously before
the hunters, he rashly concludes that all tigers will do the
same, and conducting his subsequent operations in accordance
with this erroneous theory, sometimes pays the forfeit with
his life. Such was the sad fate of Captain Gowan, 6th Innis-
killings. Descending to the water's edge, we cracked a bottle
of moselle, and, after the inevitable pipe, moved homewards.
The following day being Saturday, we determined not to shift
our camp, though, having already killed four beasts close to
the same spot, we were not very sanguine about finding
more. Buffaloes were, however, again tied up in the evening,
and next morning one of our men came in greatly excited,
and said that a calf had been killed in the night, and that

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 273

four fresh tigers were in a patch of cypress in the Nerbudda,
close to the junction, where our markers had seen them. We
were not long in turning out, and on reaching the place pro-
ceeded to examine the ground. The tigers were in a covert
some 200 yards in length and 150 broad, thick in parts, but
broken into ridges by the action of heavy floods, and between
these ridges were open spaces of sand and shingle. On the
bank at the angle of the junction was a point from which
a good bird's-eye view could be obtained of the bed of the
river, and round the corner, in the Maun, was the cypress
covert, in and about which we had hunted on the four pre-
vious days.

We arranged that I should stand at the angle, while Ward
beat up the tigers with the elephant. As he approached
the covert the scene became very interesting, and the tigers
moved rapidly from one ridge to the other. I had a perfect
view of the whole proceeding, and as the beasts showed we
fired with various effects. Several, I knew, were hard hit,
but so many were running about the covert that it was im-
possible to say which were wounded.

Presently, with her tail standing out behind her like a
kitchen-poker, the old tigress charged past my post, growling
savagely. I had a good shot in the open, but missed her very
disgracefully, and she went at full speed round the corner
into the Maun river. Meanwhile, Ward was not idle, and as
I watched his movements I observed a tiger enter a ridge of
cypress on the far side of the covert, and close to the stream
of the Nerbudda.

Soon after Ward moved up towards me and said they were
all dead with the exception of the tigress which I had let go.
I asked " how many were dead ? " he replied, " Three." " Then,"
said I, " there is still a fourth in the covert." Ward was in-

T

274 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

credulous, so I came down, and mounting the elephant beside
him directed the mahout to move towards the ridge near the
water. We beat it down very carefully with no result, but I
knew the beast was not far off.

The side of the bank next the river sloped sharply down
some eight or ten feet to the water, and was heavily fringed
with a thick green shrub. I directed the mahout to take the
elephant round and enter the water. This he did, and as we
moved along in front of the bank, in water about five feet
deep, we spied the tiger lying almost hidden by the bushes.
Being anxious to save the skin, only one shot was fired, with
the best aim allowed by the imperfect view. On receiving
the shot, the tiger roared and sprang clean out from the bank
towards us, and was shot in the water swimming at the
elephant's head. He was a young tiger, but a most determined
beast. When we towed him ashore he was found to be
riddled with bullets. We thus had four lying together on the
sand. They were all young tigers and tigresses, but as large
as the mother, and only to be distinguished at a distance by
their imperfect stripes. After a slight refreshment we followed
the old lady into the Maun river, and soon came on her in the
cypress. She died game, but the shooting was too good for
her this time, and she had no chance.

On the death of the four, we had sent off to the camp for
two light carts. These had arrived by this time. Two tigers
were placed in each, and with the fifth bound, on the ele-
phant, the procession moved on the tents. We had within
the week killed ten large tigers, the result of five days' work.
Of these nine were killed within a circle half-a-mile in
diameter. The villagers turned out in considerable numbers,
and rejoiced in their own apathetic way. Had we not come,
many of their cows would no doubt have suffered. They

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 275

seemed to think it strange that so many beasts should have
been disposed of without loss of human life, or accident of
any sort.

The five tigers made a goodly show as they lay in front of
our tent. Loud and noisy was the discussion over the slain,
and many and varied were the accounts given by our men of
the week's work ; while the principal actors, again ensconced
in their arm-chairs, quietly smoked the fragrant pipe, and
quaffed the beatific beverage of Bass, weakened with water,
sweetened with sugar, flashed with ginger, and vulgarly
known as " mug."

CHAPTEK XIX.

Meet Blowers at Baug— Tiger wounded — Following up — We return empty-
handed — Another Tiger— A Snap-shot — The Tigers' Den — Imperfect Ven-
tilation— Spoiling the Slain — Old Bullet-wound — Skin spoilt— Return to
Sirdarpore — Meet Ward and Bradford at Dhotreea — Two Bears shot —
Two more — Large Tiger and two Bears bagged.

FROM Dhurrempooree I marched westward through Nimar
till I arrived at Bang, where my friend Captain Blowers met
me. Though no sportsman, he was anxious to shoot a tiger,
and as they were seldom absent from the neighbourhood, I
hoped he might succeed. My men had been out since day-
break, and about noon sent word that they had taken- the
track of a tiger up to an old iron-pit. On repairing to the
spot we found that the entrances to the excavation opened in
several directions, and that all were more or less obscured by
bushes. On all sides lay an extensive tree-jungle of moderate
height.

Having fixed on our positions in trees lying in the course
we expected the tiger would take, we sent a number of men
round to drive him out. He showed at once, but broke wide
of our positions, and though I put a bullet into him, he went
off at a sharp pace. We took up the track, and followed it by
the blood for some distance, keeping well together, with the
guns in front. As we proceeded we halted frequently to allow
men to climb trees and examine the ground before us, in
hopes of getting a view of the beast, for we knew that at no
time is the hunter in greater danger than when following up,

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 277

on foot, a wounded tiger. Irritated with wounds and the heat
of the sun, the hunted animal will stop in the first convenient
spot, and, wheeling round with his face towards his pursuers,
he will await their approach, crouching among the grass or
rocks, and utterly motionless, with the exception of the last
three inches of his tail, which he twitches nervously, like a
domestic cat when watching a mouse.

But the jungle now became thick and thorny, filled with
fragments of rock, and we reluctantly gave up the pursuit.
Had we succeeded in finding the tiger, I believe he would not
have gone under without serious injury to one or more of us.

On the following day we went out in another direction
after a tiger which had killed and eaten the greater part of a
buffalo which had been tied up for him the previous evening.
He was in an open ravine formed by a sandy river-bed,
having on the right bank a small hill faced with huge masses
of detached rock. Along the base of this hill were some
trees of considerable growth, interspersed with creepers and
brushwood. In the bed of the river lay a patch of willow
and cypress about thirty yards in length. Beyond was some
rough and hilly ground covered with tree-jungle.

We had taken our places in trees above the afore-men
tioned hill, and had sent men round to drive towards us,
when we heard loud shouts, followed by roars from the tiger.
Soon a man came running over the hill, and called on us to
join him, as the tiger had broken back. We quickly came
down, and I had just reached the summit of the hill when I
heard a further uproar, and a cry that the tiger was coming
forward on us. I sprang on a fragment of rock overlooking
the river, and saw the tiger coming up the sandy bed at a
brisk trot, and roaring loudly. From my position I could
only get an occasional view as he crossed the open spaces be-

2*78 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

tween the large trees which grew below me, but, marking an
open bit of white sand over which I saw he would pass, I
stood ready, and as he came in sight I fired down, shooting
him through the back He swerved heavily, and ceased to
roar. Then, rushing forward, he disappeared in the patch of
willows. Calling to Blowers to follow, I ran down the hill,
and we climbed into our old positions in the trees. The beaters
came on upon the opposite bank, from which they threw
volleys of stones into the thicket, hoping to drive the tiger
towards us, but he rose, and crossing over, ascended the face
of the hill, and disappeared among the rocks, close to the
spot from which I had fired. We went cautiously up to the
place, guided by a man perched in a tree, and found ourselves
on a huge fragment of rock which formed the roof of the
tiger's retreat. The entrance, however, was on the face of the
hill, and was not to be seen from where we stood.

The men shouted and yelled, and dangled cloths over the
mouth of the cave, but the tiger showed no sign, and we failed
to make any impression on him by smoke or fire. We worked
at him for upwards of two hours, but he would not move. To
descend to the mouth of the cave would have placed us at too
great a disadvantage, for the foothold was insecure, and a mere
fall among the rocks would probably have broken bones. At
length we heard a faint cry, which some of the men supposed
to come from young bears or hyaenas. After that all was still.
We now held a consultation, and agreed that the wisest course
would be to return next morning and explore the cave. We
concluded that the tiger would probably die, and we should
get him without further trouble. If his wound were only
slight, he would leave during the night.

On the following morning, about 9 A.M., one of our men,
who had been near the cave, reported having observed an un-

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 279

pleasant odour arising from below, from which he inferred
that the tiger was dead. We at once went to the place, and
climbing down the rock came to the main entrance, where a
close inspection of the cave at once explained to us how the
tiger, which lay under a mass of huge fragments of rock, had
been unaffected by the smoke and fire with which we had
assailed him on the previous evening. In the middle of the
cave, resting on his back, lay the dead body of the tiger, a
very large male. He had probably died when we heard the
cry among the rocks below us. The night had been very hot,
and the carcass had become swollen with gas till it looked
positively monstrous. Beside him was a ghastly mess of mas-
ticated buffalo, which he had disgorged in his dying agonies.
I entered the cave with several of my men, who proceeded to
turn over the huge beast. In so doing they pressed upon the
carcass, and the gas escaping from the bullet-holes nearly
choked us. I was nearly stifled, but, holding my breath, I
made a rush at the main entrance and gained the open air.
It required a long and a strong pull at the brandy-flask to
restore my equanimity.

After allowing some time for the atmosphere to clear, we
re-entered the cave, but found it impossible to lift out the
tiger. We therefore resolved on skinning him as he lay. This
operation I left to the men, and we remained outside till it
was completed. On cleaning his skull, I found he had been
fired at on some previous occasion. The ball had struck him
across the face in front of the eyes, passing through the bones.
The side on which the ball had entered was marked by a clean
round hole. On that on which it had passed out a large frag-
ment of bone had been carried away ; but nature was busy
repairing the damage, and the bone was throwing out growth.
I have this skull now in Scotland. It was possibly the recol-

280 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

lection of his former injuries which made him so noisy when
roused on the previous day.

Owing to the time that had elapsed before the skin was
removed I feared that it would go wrong, and I steeped it in
a strong solution of alum. Notwithstanding this I was obliged
to throw it away. Had I stretched and dried it in the usual
manner it might perhaps have been saved. On the following
day we moved -our camp towards Sirdarpore.

We halted at the foot of the hills, in a very dreary and
horrible country, to which we had been led by the hope of
finding game. Colonel Baigrie had visited this spot in the year
1860, and was here charged and severely bitten in the arm by
a wounded tigress. He owed his life to the nerve and good
shooting of his companion. On hearing of his mishap, Dr.
Gane, the medical officer at Sirdarpore, at once went out and
had him brought into the cantonment, where he was carefully
and successfully nursed.

At this camp shade and water were alike scarce. In the
jungle, close to our tents, was a hideous idol, daubed with
vermilion and smeared with oil. It was apparently an object
of great veneration, and had been so plentifully anointed with
oil by worshippers that the ground around it was completely
saturated. Beside it a well had been dug out and faced with
stone, but the walls had fallen in, and the oil, oozing through
the soil, lay in the bottom in a filthy pool. As we could hear
of no game, and were not bent on " striking ile," we beat a
hasty retreat from this inhospitable region. We ascended the
Ghaut by a long and rugged track winding through the hills.
The march was a severe one both for servants and cattle.

I may here remark on the excellence of good Indian ser-
vants. Faiz Mahomed came to me as head servant in the
autumn of 1858, as I was about to start with the field force.

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 281

He remained with me till I finally left India in 1865. Dur-
ing that time he went through a great deal of rough work,
both on service and while accompanying me about the hills
and jungles within my own district. While I was with the
force my tent was always among the first to be pitched and
the last to be struck ; and though men would come in and sit
talking till late ..at night, thereby greatly reducing his hours
of rest, I never heard a word of complaint from him. When
marching on duty, or on shooting expeditions, he would serve
dinner at sunset, and then, packing up all his goods, would
see the carts loaded and start off with them about 9 P.M. The
roads were mere tracks over hills and along dry watercourses,
often encumbered with large stones, but by sunrise my tent
was always pitched on the new ground, and my bath and
breakfast ready for me on my arrival. The length of the
marches was generally from eight to twelve miles. In all
matters connected with the preserving of tiger and other skins
he was very intelligent. During the whole time he was with
me I had neither purse nor keys ; all was under his charge.

No stores of any kind being procurable within fifty miles,
I generally got out a supply sufficient to last for six months.
Wine, beer, oilman's stores, groceries, shot, powder, horse-
shoes, etc., all were under his keeping. His pay was £1 a
month, with feed for a pony, and the usual small percentage
allowed on all bazaar purchases.

Ward was to meet me for some days' shooting on the
Mhye, and I accordingly sent off my camp and joined him
a few miles north of Dhotreea, in the Dhar district. Captain
Bradford, the political agent in Western Malwa, also came
into camp. Ward had been out with his own men, and had
shot a bear, but, wishing to save the country till our arrival,
had done no further mischief. Next morning we went after

282 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

a couple of bears, which had been seen to enter one of a num-
ber of steep and narrow ravines running down to the Mhye.
They were soon roused, and one coming out on our side
was shot by Bradford and me. The other was wounded by
Ward, and went off pursued by my men of the Bheel corps.
We ran up to an elevated spot, from which we got a
good view of the ground, and could see the bear crossing the
ravines with the men in full cry. Now and then a shot was
fired, but the bear still kept ahead, and gained what seemed to
be a patch of thicker jungle. Here, I suppose, he began to
give in, for we saw the men dive into the bush, and soon
after heard several shots. Presently they all came out into
an open space, bearing the slain beast, after the manner of a
number of ants removing the body of a defunct wasp.

Two other bears were marked next morning near the same
place. They had lain up among masses of rock in some open
ground between the ravines. They were dislodged by a volley
of stones, and bowled over as they went off. One, a large
male, attempted to charge back, but the shooting was too good
for him, and he succumbed. Hitherto we had heard of no
tigers, and none of our party having hunted this ground
before, we feared that we should get none. But, as we sat at
breakfast on the third day, two of our men came in ; the one
reported two bears marked down in the ravines beyond the
Mhye, the other the death of one of our buffaloes, which had
been killed by a couple of tigers in a ravine about three miles
to the northward.

Eefreshed by this intelligence, we were soon ready, and
having sent Ward's elephant and the guns ahead, we followed
on horseback, commencing the day's proceedings with the
nobler game. The tigers were said to be in or about a small
dry river-bed, fifteen paces in width, with steep clay banks

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 283

twenty-five feet high. Here and there were thick masses of
high green grass, which flourished in the moist sand. Con-
nected with the main stream were numerous small nullahs
wriggling down through the scrub-jungle on either side. No
suitable trees were near the spots where the tigers might be
expected to break. Bradford and I, therefore, arranged to
stand together, sending Ward to beat down the river towards
us on the elephant. It was not long before we heard the crack
of his rifle, and soon after a fine tigress came out two hundred
yards from us. Hoping that she would soon lie up, we re-
frained from firing, but she held on at a sharp trot, and though
some of our men went after her, they were unable to mark her
down. Meanwhile, Ward had done his work well. He had
slain a very large tiger which he found in the long grass in
the river-bed. On being wounded he at first attempted to get
away into the surrounding jungle, but failing in his attempt
to spring up the steep clay bank, he turned and charged
viciously. Ward, however, shot well, and dropped him as he
came on. He was a very old tiger, light in colour, and on his
grim and scarred visage he bore the traces of sundry conflicts
with his fellows. We proceeded to remove the howdah from
the elephant, and having sent it back to camp by some of the
beaters, we bound the carcass of the tiger on the pad. Had
we tied him on behind the howdah, the skin would probably
have been injured by the friction. These arrangements com-
pleted, we partook of refreshments, and then went off to look
after the bears, over which two of our men had been on sentry
since morning. We found them at the head of a small ravine,
which terminated in an open spot in the jungle. They were
quite concealed among the long grass, and did not rise till we
were close on them. The larger bear showed first, and came
out into the clear ground, where he was at once slain. The

284 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

other fled down the ravine, but was speedily stopped, and they
were soon on their way to camp. We had got one large tiger
and a brace of bears, and were well satisfied with the day's
work. Next morning we broke up our camp, each man
returning to his own district.

CHAPTEE XX.

AUee Rajpore— Shoot with the Kajah — Tigress shot — Tigress killed in
Sankree Tokree Ravine — A Long Shot— Hunt in Mogra Ravine — Tiger
and three Cubs— Cheetah — Move to Jhabbooa — Bugore — Dhokul Sing-
Big Tiger shot — Kullianpore — Tigress shot — Tiger wounded — Four
Tigers at Bugore — Narrow Escape of Dhokul — Camp on Anas River —
Large Tiger wounded : followed up and slain — Boar's Skull — Tortoise —
A Cunning Tiger — Break up the Camp — Rodent Bouquet.

TOWARDS the commencement of the hot season of 1863 I
visited the chief of Allee Eajpore, at the south-west corner of
my political charge. The whole of this country is occupied
by Bheels and Bhillalas, a race said to have sprung from the
intermarriages of Bheels with Eajpoots. They are in a small
degree more settled in their habits than the Bheels, and are
more intelligent cultivators ; but they often suit their manners
to their company, those who live among the Bheels frequently
joining in predatory excursions. The mowa-tree flourishes
over the whole district, and supplies a large portion of the
food of the inhabitants. The soil is light and sandy, and the
irregular patches of cultivation are intermingled with rocky
ridges and ravines.

Being aware that the chief was in the habit of going out
occasionally after tigers, I supposed he had some pet preserve
not far off; and on my suggesting that I should like to
accompany him, he forthwith gave orders for his shikarees
to exercise their intelligence in their own department. Ac-
cordingly, on the day on which I intended to march I sent
off my camp to the Hutnee river, twelve miles to the east-

286 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

ward, and taking with me a couple of horsemen and my gun-
bearers, I met the Eajah at an early hour. He was escorted
by a large following of Mekranees armed with swords and
guns. After riding about five miles we were met by the
shikarees, who had been out since the previous day. They
assured us that tigers were in the neighbourhood ; but they
could give no positive information as to their actual position.
We therefore dismounted. The Eajah, who looked as if he
had spent a severe night, drank water. Such of the party as
were addicted to tobacco lit their pipes, and some worked up
a little Dutch courage by a dose of opium.

After consultation I was informed that a tract of jungle
was to be driven by beaters, while the guns were sent ahead
to intercept the game. I went off with the Eajah, but I soon
saw that every man present who carried a firearm considered
himself a " gun of position," and as such entitled, like Lords
in an English shooting party, to go forward. This promised ill
for sport ; but, being a guest, I resigned myself to my fate,
and, mounting a tree at the place assigned to me, I awaited
the approach of the beaters. The Eajah, accompanied by
eight or nine men, sat in other trees about 200 yards to
my right, while many others, in groups of two and three,
posted themselves according to their fancy. A strong odour
of tobacco pervaded the air, and the noise of coughing and
suppressed talking, accompanied by the bubbling of hookahs,
was incessant. My anticipations were fully carried out ;
we saw nothing ; and at the end of the beat I went up to the
Eajah, and suggested that I should have the arrangement of
the next drive. This being settled, I took the Eajah, with
two of his attendants, forward, together with my own gun-
bearers and the head shikaree. All other men were directed
to go with the beaters.

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 287

We posted ourselves on the side of a rocky hill overlook-
ing a small sandy nullah. "We had not been long in our
places when the beat commenced, and I heard a tiger roar
loudly. Soon I saw a tigress coming down on the opposite
side of the nullah, into which she dropped, and then, turning
to the right, came along the bed of the watercourse till she
was opposite my post. Eaising my rifle, I gave a low whistle,
and she at once halted, offering me a fair shot. The ball
entered the point of her shoulder, and passing diagonally
through, came out behind the elbow on the other side. She
gave one convulsive rush to the front, and fell over. The
Eajah had witnessed the shot from his tree, and seemed much
astonished. As I have observed on similar occasions, when
hunting with Indian chiefs, he was somewhat disappointed at
the sudden close, and would perhaps have been more satisfied
had one or two of his men been clawed a little ; and this not
from any bloodthirsty feeling, but simply to give a little zest
to the day's work. On arriving at my camp, which I reached
about dusk, I found that my own men had followed the track
of a large tiger into a covert near the tents, and had anxiously
been awaiting my arrival. It was then too late to do any-
thing, so we lost that chance.

I had brought with me two of the Eajah's Mekranee
shikarees, who were well acquainted with the country ; and,
as they suggested that a ravine, which lay about five miles
south of our camp, might hold game, we arranged to examine
it on the following day. This ravine, known as the Sankree
Tokree, is a tributary of the Hutnee river. It contains water
throughout the year ; and the huge masses of rock, mixed
with grass and bushes, along its bed, were frequently occupied
by tigers. Being single-handed, I examined the ground very
carefully before commencing the beat ; and at length fixed on

288 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

a tree overhanging the right bank, near the head of the
ravine.

The beaters entered below, and came on shouting and
beating tom-toms. As they advanced I heard a troop of
monkeys swearing, as they always do when a tiger or panther
is on foot. Still I saw nothing ; and, as the beaters were now
nearly within sight of my position, I began to fear that the
game had gone up the side of the ravine unperceived. But
about 150 yards below me was a mass of detached rocks, and
on stones being hurled among them, a fine tigress sprang out,
and after coming a short distance towards me turned up the
opposite bank. She was at least 120 yards off and moving
fast, but a lucky shot took her through the loins, and, unable
to face the steep hill, she turned and came scrambling along
the face in front of my position. Eeserving my fire, I allowed
her to come on, and put a shot in well behind the shoulder,
but just at that moment she gained the shelter of an over-
hanging ledge of rock and disappeared. I was much vexed,
for I feared she had got into some cave. However, I reloaded,
and calling up two or three of my best men to cover my
movements, I descended the side of the ravine till I could see
the tigress as she lay. Taking a steady aim, I again fired, and
she rolled down into the bottom, where she expired.

Next day we moved our tents, and encamped in the
jungle five miles to the eastward, and within range of the
Mogra ravine. My men were soon scattered over the country,
and on the following morning sent word of game. Sending
off my guns, I followed on horseback, accompanied by a
trooper of my escort. The Mogra ravine is one of the best
spots for game in that country, and I have seldom, if ever,
drawn it blank. On this occasion my men reported a tigress
and cubs. I selected a tree close to the bed of the stream,

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 289

and having arranged myself comfortably, sent orders for tlie
beaters to come on. As a tigress with cubs is always inclined
to be dangerous,' they advanced very slowly, keeping up an
incessant noise. Presently my gun-bearer whispered that the
tiger was coming on, and in a few seconds he emerged slowly
from a mass of green willows, and came quietly towards me.
He was evidently annoyed at being disturbed, stopping now
and then and giving a quiet grin, which disclosed his long
white fangs. I allowed him to come within fifteen yards, and
then sent a two-ounce ball crashing between his eyes. He
fell heavily forward stone-dead.

Meanwhile, the beaters advanced, and I hoped that they
would drive out the tigress, but we never saw her. Three
cubs, however, came out — small beasts about three feet long.
These were shot by the beaters. The tiger I had shot was a
large handsome beast, with a rich dark-coloured skin, which
my men there and then removed under the deep shade of
some green bushes by the water- side. I was half inclined to
go in search of the tigress, but sundry native officials were
awaiting my return to camp ; so, leaving my men to follow, I
mounted my horse and rode off with my orderly.

We were passing through a wild bit of country — the entire
surface of the ground being covered with black sheet rock,
thinly sprinkled with short dry grass. Stunted unjun-trees
grew in all directions, and the green of their small dark foliage
formed a pleasing contrast to the leafless trees around them.
We were cantering along the track at a brisk pace when I ob-
served a large cheetah or hunting leopard standing among the
trees near the road. The air was trembling with mirage from
the intense heat, and at first sight I thought it was a royal
tiger, for he loomed large. I hoped that my gun-bearers might
not be far off, and that by heading the beast we might induce

u

290 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

him to lie up in some covert till my rifles arrived. After
looking at us for some time he trotted off, but, on my canter-
ing across, he halted. This sort of thing went on for some
time, and had the ground been more favourable for riding,
we should have gone in at him, for I carried a revolver, and
my orderly a sword and lance. At last, however, he seemed
to think he had seen enough of us, for he made off at a great
pace and disappeared into a rocky ravine.

About this time I had arranged to meet Hay ward, an old
brother officer, who was coming out from Dohud to hunt
tigers with me in the Jhabbooa district. I therefore moved
camp, and joined him on the third day at the town of Jhab-
booa, where we were received with much civility by the young
Eajah. But there was no prospect of game in the immediate
neighbourhood, so we moved north about ten miles, and en-
camped at Bugore, sending off a party of men to Kullianpore,
five miles to the eastward. On the following day towards the
afternoon we were informed that a tiger had been seen in a
jungle about two miles from our tents. The ground in this
covert was level, and covered with trees and long dry grass.
A dry nullah ran throughout its entire length.

Being anxious that Hayward should get the shot, I posted
him in a tree in the place which I considered best, while I
mounted another about sixty yards to his right. The beat
was arranged by Dhokul Sing, a jemadar of the Malwa
Bheel corps, who always commanded my escort, and on whom
I relied to mark down any beast within ten miles of my
camp. He was by caste a Naik, and had been a hunter from
his youth up, betaking himself on all occasions, when off
duty, to the jungle, and seldom returning without some eat-
able bird, beast, or fish. But at the same time his military
duties were not neglected, and it was amusing to see him

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 291

half-an-hour after our return to camp after a long and severe
day's work in the jungle. Having divested himself of his
dust-coloured hunting dress, Dhokul would appear in full
uniform, dark green, and red facings, and drawing himself up
would make a salute, and report his party " All well." On
this occasion he was very eager, and having seen us settled
into our places, he went off, and we presently heard the
beaters advancing towards us. A few minutes afterwards a
»shot from Hay ward's tree was followed by a loud roar. Then
two or three more shots, and savage growls of a tiger evidently
wounded. Soon after Hayward called out that he had
wounded a large tiger, which lay disabled in the bed of the
nullah, but having dropped his loading-rod he was unable to
re-charge his rifle. He therefore suggested that I should come
and give him his quietus. As the ground between us was
thickly covered with grass and bushes, and I knew not the
precise position of the wounded beast, I did not care to come
down ; but at length, on being assured that the tiger did not
seem inclined or able to move, I descended.

I had reached the ground when I heard renewed shouting
from the beaters, and rightly judging that another tiger was
on foot, I scrambled up again, just in time to see it break
away to my right. In the meantime one of my men who
was with Hayward had quietly got down from the tree, and
having recovered the loading-rod, enabled him to reload and
give the wounded beast the coup de grace. He was a very
large male tiger, and we bore him home to the camp, where
we spent the evening in pegging out his skin. Next morning
we were summoned to Kullianpore, where tigers had been
marked in two places. In the first beat, which was over some
rough open ground, a tigress came out and was shot by Hay-
ward. We then moved over to the river, where a large tiger

292 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

was said to have lain up. Below the cypress in which he
had taken up his quarters the covert became a mere strip,
some twenty yards in width, and here HaywarcL took up his
position in a tree, while I was posted in another on the far
side of the bed of the stream. Unfortunately, Hayward had
neglected to secure a proper seat, and had contented himself
with having his face to the quarter from which the tiger was
expected. It is seldom that the shooter, when perched on a
branch, can turn quickly so as to shoot to the right. He
should therefore place himself facing to the right with his left
shoulder towards the ~beat. By taking this precaution he will
secure a wide sweep for his rifle, and a beast will seldom
escape.

On this occasion the tiger passed on the right of Hayward,
who was unable to turn to take aim. From my position on
the opposite bank I saw his dilemma, but could not fire till
the tiger was clear of his tree, and by that time my view was
obstructed by intervening bushes. However, I managed to
wound the tiger, but did not stop him, and he went off down
the river. A palaver was held, and it was settled that the
guns should again go ahead while the beaters came forward
cautiously in a compact body. Hayward therefore climbed
another tree, while I went forward and stationed myself on
the elephant to his right. As the beaters came on he observed
the wounded tiger emerge from the thicket aboiit 120 yards
on his left, and, raising the sight of his rifle, he was about to
fire, when another tiger came out in front of him and was
passing within a few yards. Forgetting that he had raised
the high sight, he transferred his aim to the new comer, and of
course fired over him, thereby losing both. Altogether it was
most unfortunate. We tried to follow up the wounded tiger,
but could make nothing of it. The ground was unsuited for

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 293

the elephant, and we had seen enough of him to know that he
would be unpleasant to meet on foot. We therefore returned
to camp, hoping for better luck next time.

On the following day we remained at home, but early
next morning Dhokul appeared and reported a buffalo slain
near the spot where the large tiger had been shot two days
before. He added that, as the entire carcass had disappeared,
and the ground was much trampled, we might expect more
tigers than one. This day I had choice of positions, and I
selected a tree in an angle formed by a bend in the bed of
the nullah, and about fifty yards from the bank, for, as a
rule, beasts will seldom follow the course of a stream or
ravine round a corner, but will leave the bed and cross over
the angle. In addition to my gun-bearer, who sat beside me,
I posted a man high up in a tree to my front, with orders to
give intimation by signs of the approach of any beast. Hay-
ward was in another tree on my right near the bed of the
nullah. Soon after the beaters entered the covert a very
handsome tigress came out about forty yards on my left
front. She was a fine lissom beast, with a long well-shaped
neck, clean head; and a rich bright skin. I had a fair shot
at her, but though I fired twice she was untouched beyond a
slight graze across the forearm. Bounding away, she went
off into the covert behind us, leaving me very much ashamed
of myself.

Quickly reloading, I sat quiet, and soon after my look-out
man held up one finger and pointed into the grass below him.
Presently he held up two fingers, and two young tigers, nearly
full-grown, came stalking out. I dropped them both right
and left, and then gave each another shot from my second
rifle ; but they got away into the long grass, and I feared lest
they should damage the beaters. Shouting to them to halt

294 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

and crowd into one or two compact bodies, I called up the
elephant, on which I mounted, and having hunted them out
of the long grass, I slew these two tigers. I then, with shame
and confusion of face, explained to Dhokul how I had missed
the tigress, and, as he believed she would not go far, we left
the beaters, and passing outside the covert, took up fresh posi-
tions across the jungle about half-a-mile higher up. Hayward
was again on the right, I in the centre, and as the ground was
more than we could cover, I directed Dhokul to take up a
position on my left. My signal-man I posted as before, and
as the beaters came on he intimated to me that a tiger was
moving towards Dhokul. Soon after I heard the report of
his gun, followed by roars from the tiger, and then all was
still.

After a short time I called out, and received a reply that
the tiger had been hard hit and had gone back. As it was
important that the beaters should not be allowed to walk
blindly into danger, I directed Dhokul to descend from his
tree, and, having passed round behind Hayward and myself,
to get back outside the covert and prevent- them from coming
on. He was further told to bring up the elephant. Alive to
the importance of the order, he came down, and was passing
between me and Hayward when my signal-man called out that
the tiger was coming on. Sure enough, there she was, coming
right up the bed of the nullah at a long trot, and I at once re-
cognised the tigress I had missed in the first beat. I trembled
for Dhokul, for he was fair in her path, and shouting to him
to mount a tree, I fired. Beyond a flesh-wound in the forearm
I did no mischief, and with a savage roar the tigress charged
straight for Dhokul. She was within a few paces of the man ;
another bound, and she would have had him. Screwing my-
self round on the bough on which I sat, I fired my second

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 295

shot. The heavy ball crashed through her skull, and the
tigress fell heels over head, and lay dead below us.

A wah! wah! of approbation came from my men, who
had witnessed the shot, and peace flowed into my soul as I
proceeded to reload. Dhokul took matters very coolly, and
remarked that his " kismet " was in the ascendant, but he also
added that the tiger just slain was not that at which he had
fired, and which he was certain was too badly wounded to
have charged in that style. He therefore went off, and this
time succeeded in stopping the beaters and bringing up the
elephant. We at once mounted, and, on pushing into the
covert, came on the wounded beast. It also was a tigress, but
very old and light in colour. She immediately charged, but
was stopped before she could do mischief. Thus ended the
day's sport, and we had good reason to congratulate ourselves
on its result, for we had bagged four fine tigers.

We had enough to do on the morning cleaning and pegging
out the skins. Though we halted at this place on the two
following days we heard of no more tigers, and accordingly
moved north-west to the Anas river, where we encamped on
the right bank of the stream. A rough tree-jungle, cut up with
ravines, stretched away on all sides, and about a mile below
our tents rose an abrupt hill, having its summit scarped with
white quartz rocks, while the base was fringed with bamboos
and other jungle. At the southern end of this hill was a
small ravine, and at its entrance a buffalo, which had been
tied up, was killed and partially eaten two days after our
arrival. We posted ourselves in trees on the slope of the
south end of the hill, and sent our men round to drive the
ravine down towards us.

We had not been long at our stations before I saw a very
large male tiger coming stealthily up towards me through a

296 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

thicket of bamboos. I hoped he would have come straight
on, but he suddenly turned sharp up the hill. Seeing that I
should not get another chance, I fired, but my view was inter-
cepted by boughs of trees, and though the ball struck the
tiger behind the shoulder, the wound was too far back to take
immediate effect. He growled and rushed to the front, where
he disappeared behind a spur of the hill, after which he
turned and went back through the beaters, one of whom shot
an arrow into him as he went by.

We determined to follow him up on the elephant, but the
hill was so steep that we feared we should never get him up
the face. But the mahout said he thought it could be managed,
and at length, after great difficulty, the huge brute reached
the summit. It was wonderful to see the sagacity with which
he moved, supporting himself at some of the steeper parts on
his tusks and knees, but steadily working upwards. On gain-
ing the summit, we found ourselves in a tolerably level tree-
jungle which had been recently burnt, and the footprints of
the tiger were plainly visible on the white ashes of the grass.
Blood too was plentiful, and in several places we could see
where the wounded tiger had lain down. Dhokul with several
of his men had hitherto moved in front of the elephant,
following up the track, while we kept a sharp look-out in the
open ground ahead. But as, from certain well-known signs,
we now knew that the tiger could not be far off, we directed
them to fall back, while we went slowly forward on the
elephant. Presently we heard a low rumbling sound, which
at first we thought was made by the elephant, but the mahout,
halting, declared it was the tiger. On all sides the ground
was clear of grass, but we could see nothing.

About twenty-five paces to our front was a small teak- tree
which had been bent over along the ground, and which still

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 29*7

retained some of its broad leaves. Immediately below this
tree was a small furrow in the ground, in which, guided by his
growls, we at length caught sight of the tiger crouching for his
charge. But before he could rise, our two rifles cracked, and
though he still came on open-mouthed and roaring savagely,
he was quite disabled, and another shot finished him.

From the above may be seen the very great danger of fol-
lowing wounded tigers on foot. In the present instance the
ground was open below and clear of grass, but so great was
the hiding power of the animal, and so wonderfully did the
black and yellow of his skin blend with the parched ground,
that, but for our elevated position on the howdah, we might
have walked unconsciously into his jaws. Close to where he
fell we found the skull of a gigantic wild boar, which had pos-
sibly formed a meal 'to the beast we had just slain. While
following up the tiger we captured a good specimen of the
land tortoise.

Two miles farther up, the river becomes deeper and more
confined, containing deep pools hemmed in by rocks. Here
we occasionally saw troops of otters, old and young, disporting
themselves in the clear water, and no doubt feasting plentifully
on the fish, which were numerous. Near this spot several of
)ur buffaloes were killed by a very large tiger. His footprints
were enormous, but we were never able to trace him to his
lair, and though on several occasions we hunted out every
covert and ravine in the neighbourhood, we never saw him.
Probably he had some safe retreat in a deep fissure among the
rocks, from which he only emerged at nightfall. Two of my
men sat up one night on a small platform in a tree over the
remains of the last buffalo which he killed. Soon after dark the
tiger appeared, but I imagine there was some jealousy between
the men as to who should have the honour of the first shot,

298 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

for they fired hurriedly and without effect, and the tiger
went off.

Next day we broke up our camp, my friend returning to
Dohud, while I set my face towards Sirdarpore. On entering
my tent at the end of the second march, I was overpowered by a
horrible odour, and taxed the servants with having encamped
over the remains of some decayed carcass. The carpets were
lifted and the ground examined, and a fire was lit in the tent
to purify the atmosphere, but with no effect. At length I
ordered the partition curtain to be shaken out, and in its folds
I found a squashed rat, which had no doubt perished when
the tent was struck three days before, and in the interval had
attained a height which was truly epicurean.

CHAPTEE XXL

Bang — Bhoodist Caves — A Recluse — Four Tigers tracked— Cub shot — Bears and
Bees — Dhokul shoots a Cub — Tigress and Cub shot — Peacocks — Mogra
Ravine— Jungle on fire — Bear shot — A tiger escapes — Dog attacked by
Panther— Tigress shot— Bull killed by a Tiger— Stalking Tactics— Plat-
form-shooting by night — Hysena shot — Tiger killed — Move to Tanda —
Tiger shot— Death of Foorsut— The Bag.

ABOUT the early part of the month of February 1864, 1 visited
Bang, in company with Captain P. Bannerman and his family.
This place, though now only a village, was formerly of con-
siderable importance, and its antiquity is evidently very
great. The larger portion of the modern houses is built with
large flat bricks of very superior quality, which have been dug
out from the numerous buildings occupied by the earlier in-
habitants, but now fallen to decay and covered over with earth
and rubbish. The town is overlooked on the north side by an
oblong fort standing on a spur of elevated ground. It con-
sists of a thick wall of red sandstone, which, together with a
strong gateway, is in tolerably good repair. The Waugnee
river lies on the south side. Its bed is broad and sandy, and
during the hot months the stream ceases to flow. The
surrounding territory is a wild, hilly tract, covered with
thick thorny jungle. The soil is rich in iron ore, and in
many places the old iron-pits may be seen, long since deserted
by the miners, and now the favourite resort of wild beasts.

But Baug is chiefly interesting for the rock-cut Bhoodist
temples in its vicinity. On the left bank of the Waugnee

300 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

river, about two miles below the town, stands a hill of coarse free-
stone rock, the whole face of which, for several hundred yards,
has been deeply excavated. But time and the action of the
weather has brought down a large portion of the face of the cliff,
and the entrances to most of the caves are choked up with debris
and jungle, openings here and there being kept clear by the bears,
panthers, and hyaenas, who are now the principal occupants.
The northernmost cave is still in good order. The entrance
is approached from the bed of the river by rude steps, and
passing in by a small gateway, a spacious hall is discovered,
excavated entirely from the solid rock, and having its roof
supported by huge pillars hewn out in the natural stone. At
the innermost end of the cave are gigantic stone figures, three
in number, carved on the face of the rock. The effect, when
viewed by torchlight, is very grand. With the exception of
numerous bats which cling to the roof, the sole occupant of
this cave was a weird-looking Hindoo recluse, who, when not
begging about the surrounding country, spent his time sitting or
sleeping among the ashes of his fire. This was his home day and
night ; and as he sat with his body covered only with white
wood ashes, and his long hair matted and browned by sun and
rain, he seemed a fit companion for his neighbours in the
adjoining caves. Truly the religious feelings must be strong
which induce a man to adopt such a life.

I had sent out my men at an early hour to mark game,
and had gone out for a ride with Captain Bannerman. When
crossing the river a short distance above the town, I came on
the fresh footprints of four tigers which had passed in the
early morning. The troop consisted of a large tiger, tigress,
and two three -parts -grown cubs. My men came in about
9 A.M., having found nothing, and looked rather ashamed of
themselves when I told them what I had seen. They at once

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 301

set off, and later in the day returned, having taken the tracks
up to an iron-pit. We at once sallied forth, and, standing near
the brink, hurled in stones, but the tigers, had passed on. We
hunted about for some time in the neighbouring jungle, and
got a glimpse of one tiger, but returned home empty-handed.

Next morning, however, we got word of the tigress having
been seen in a strip of out-lying jungle, and having posted our-
selves in trees we sent men round to drive. Captain Bannerman
was not skilled in woodcraft, and seldom handled a gun, but
on this occasion he armed himself with one of my rifles, and
sat in a tree about forty yards to my right. As the beaters
advanced I heard the footsteps of a tiger among the dry
leaves, and soon after I caught sight of one of the cubs making
off along the face of a bank beyond Captain Bannerman. My
view was greatly obstructed by trees, but I made a lucky shot
and dropped the tiger dead. The tigress got away, and we
did not see her.

An adjoining bit of jungle was beaten without success,
but here we came on fresh marks of bears. High up in the
branches of some lofty trees hung the combs of bees, and
though the bark was white and smooth, and the trees clear of
branches to a height of forty feet, they were deeply scored by
the claw-marks, old and recent, of many bears.

Three miles to the south-west of Baug lay a ravine in
which my men reported another troop of tigers, and four
miles farther on was the Mogra ravine, described in the
last chapter. The first ravine I hunted from Baug, I saw the
big tiger, but he went up the side of a hill, out of shot, and
got away. Dhokul, however, fired at and killed one of the
cubs, a small beast, about six feet in length. On two subse-
quent occasions I hunted here, but though the tigress was
often seen by the beaters she always kept clear of my post.

302 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

However, I shot a fine panther, which gave us some good
sport, in a bit of open jungle, where he charged my elephant
with great ferocity.

One morning the tigress was seen to enter a small ravine
about one hundred yards in length, which we had hitherto
deemed unworthy of notice. Creeping quietly forward, I
climbed a tree in a good position, and as she came out I
rolled her over. She was up again in an instant, and slunk
back into the cover, into which I followed her on the elephant.
Presently I spied her remaining cub lying at full length,
broadside on, on a ledge of rock on the side of the ravine. I
fired, and as the ball struck the tiger it bounded straight out
into the air, and, falling on the slope, danced down to the
bottom on its hind legs, like a cat in a child's picture-book.
The wound was mortal, and it fell dead. Soon after I got a
sight of the tigress, which lay hidden by some thick creeping
plants. Not wishing to spoil the skin, I hesitated to fire till
I could be sure of killing her. She suddenly rose, and, rush-
ing off through the bushes, got away, and leaving the ravine,
made off down the river. We followed for some distance,
and it was only after I had almost given her up for lost that
some of my men caught sight of her in a thick bush into
which she had crept. This time I give her no law, and a
shot through the head closed the affair.

On my way back to camp I was mounted on my riding
camel, having Dhokul, who was as usual armed with his re-
gimental carbine of the old Brown Bess pattern, on the seat
behind me. On the side of a hill, near the tents, I saw several
peacocks sitting among the rocks, and, halting the camel, I
fired from his back, sending the musket-ball through a fine
cock at a distance of about eighty yards.

About this time Captain Bannerinan left me, and I moved

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 303

my camp to the Mogra. I found fresh tracks of several tigers,
but I was too early in the season, and the long grass in and
about the ravine was unburnt. I therefore determined to
return to Baug, as it was my intention to hunt the whole
country, in April and May, with some friends from the Mhow
garrison. I went out with some of my men in the afternoon,
and having fired the jungle in many places, I went home. I
had just dined, and was sitting in my arm-chair outside the
tent, when I heard a cry of " Fire ! " and, jumping up, I saw
the hill-side in a mass of flame, which was rapidly advancing
towards our camp. Fortunately a small clear space lay be-
tween us and the long dry grass, and we managed to beat out
the fire without any damage being done.

On my way to Baug I again hunted in the ravine where I
had shot the tigress and cub. We had turned out a bear,
which I shot as it passed under me, but had not fallen in with
the tiger ; and I was preparing to start for the tents when
one of my men drew my attention to a yellow object among a
mass of rock and bamboo high up on the hill-side, about two
hundred yards from where we stood. He remarked that it
resembled a tiger's head, and, sure enough, as we watched it,
we saw the huge jaws gape as the mighty beast indulged in a
good yawn. As I feared that he would make off I quickly
mounted the elephant and went towards him, but found, as I
reached the base of the hill, that the view was impeded by
trees and bushes. Just then the elephant gave a loud shriek.
The tiger rose. I had an unsteady shot, and missed, and he
went off over the hill and was no more seen. I was greatly
vexed, for I believe I lost this fine tiger through my own fault.
Had I quietly posted myself in a tree, and sent men to drive,
I should probably have bagged him. But tiger-shooting, like
other things, can only be learnt by experience.

304 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

That night I was sleeping in my tent at Baug, when my
dreams were rudely disturbed. My three dogs — Bugler,
Boomerang, and Batchelor, — rough-and-ready beasts, half-bull-
dog and half-greyhound, were chained, one at the head, an-
other at the side, and the third at the foot of my bed. Close
to my head, in the corner of the tent, stood my guns and
rifles, four in number. Below the pillow were two five-cham-
bered revolvers, and on my right side, under the thin quilt on
which I slept, lay my drawn sword. The night was very
dark, and some watchmen, who had been sent as a guard by
the village authorities, were sleeping soundly round their
smouldering fire, when I was awoke by a fearsome yelling of
dogs. A dreadful struggle was going on beside me ; the dogs
were plunging about and tugging at their chains, but I could
see nothing. I, however, at once guessed that one of them
had been seized by a panther. Though armed with gun,
sword, and pistol, I feared to use them in the dark, so, spring-
ing up, I shouted loudly, and flacked about with my blanket.
The scuffling ceased, I heard a sudden rush and then all was
quiet save the whining of the dogs. By this time my servants,
who slept in a separate tent at some distance, were aroused,
and came over bearing a lantern. Poor Boomerang was found
with his throat fearfully lacerated, and in the dust outside the
door of the tent were the footprints of a large panther. Had
the dog not been chained, he would no doubt have been car-
ried off and eaten. His head and neck were greatly swollen
for some days, but he soon recovered, and was none the worse.
For several nights I set my iron trap baited with a dead pariah
dog, but the panther did not return.

Towards the afternoon a villager came in, and reported
having marked a panther down in a jungle about two miles
from our camp. I went out, and go ta distant view of the

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 305

beast, but did not fire, and was on my way home when one
of my men, who had followed us by a short cut, came up and
informed us that he had seen a tiger close by. The jungle
was a difficult one to beat, consisting of thorny bushes ten
feet in height, and it seemed impossible to form any opinion
as to the direction in which the tiger might break. I trusted
entirely to the Bheels, and mounted into one of the few trees
near the spot. Before me was a tolerably open space, which
I hoped the tiger might cross. By the shouts of the beaters
I soon knew the beast was started, and presently a fine tigress
came out, and stood facing me at the edge of the thicket, sixty
yards to my front. The chance was too good to lose. I fired
at once, striking her fair in the chest, and, with a savage
growl, she charged straight at me. She was very noisy, anc^
no doubt meant mischief ; but, apparently disappointed at not
finding me on the ground, she dashed on, and, as she passed
below, I gave her the second shot through the back. At the
same time I shouted to attract her attention, hoping that she
might halt and allow my second rifle to come into play ; but
she passed over the ridge and disappeared. I followed on the
elephant, and soon came on her, lying down and very sick.
Another shot finished her.

Next morning I was informed that a large Brahminee
bull had been killed during the night by a tiger, close to the
village, and within a quarter of a mile of my camp. These
bulls are usually turned out in the name of the Deity by
some devout Hindoo. From that moment they are regarded
as sacred, and roam at will through the crowded bazaars and
cultivated lands, living, like some other church dignitaries, on
the fat of the land. I went out to examine the scene of
slaughter, and, under some trees, by a well used for irrigation,
lay the dead bull, with the marks of the huge fangs of the

306 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

tiger on his neck, and sundry claw-marks on his sides.
Immediately beside the well the ground had been irrigated on
the previous day for a young crop. About one hundred yards
off was some green wheat, in which the bull had been feeding
when first attacked, while farther off was a watercourse, used
during the dry season as a road, along which the tiger had
advanced. Following the footprints in the dust and moist
ground, the whole scene was brought vividly before us.

Passing along the watercourse in his nocturnal ramble,
the tiger had seen the bull grazing in the green wheat, and,
standing with his two fore-paws on the side of the bank, had
formed his plan of operations. Keeping under the shelter of
the bank up to the nearest point, he had slipped quietly up
on the cultivated ground, and had then crept along unper-
cieved till he reached the wheat. Crouching along the edge
of the high crop, he had approached his prey unperceived, till
within reach for his final rush. Then came the tug of war.
From this point to the edge of the field the wheat was beaten
down, and here, and in the moist ground beyond, the foot-
prints of bull and tiger were deeply marked. No part of the
bull had been eaten, and we hoped that the tiger, which was
evidently a very large one, would return at night. My men
made a platform for me in one of the trees by the well ; but,
as the moon did not rise till about 9 P.M., we were obliged to
take other precautions. To prevent the tiger from dragging
the carcass, we secured it with strong ropes, and near the
hind quarter, at which part a tiger always commences to feed,
I set my large iron panther-trap, carefully covered with earth
and grass. I did not expect that it could long detain the
tiger ; but I hoped it would do so sufficiently to allow me
to put in a couple of shots by the light of a large grass torch,
which, with some lucifers, was kept in readiness by one of
my men who watched with me.

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 307

This night-work always had a kind of charm for me,
though I seldom brought anything to bag.

I liked to hear the cries of the night-birds, varied now and
then by the peculiar chattering of hysenas, or the distant
growl of a tiger, while the panther would indicate his vicinity
by a series of short grunts, whence, from the similarity of
the sound to the rending of wood, he was known among us as
" the sawyer."

I was in my place at sunset, but, owing to some wedding
festival in the village close by, an incessant tom-tomiug and
drumming was kept up till midnight, when I fell asleep,
having seen nothing. Towards morning I heard some beast
tearing at the carcass, and looking over, I saw what I sup-
posed to be a panther ; but the moon was obscured by
clouds, and objects were indistinct. At length I fired, the
beast rushed off, and we heard him struggling among some
high poppies. At daybreak we descended, and, as I had
feared, found the track of a hysena, which we followed to the
spot where he lay dead. As a rule, I think animals of the
dog tribe tear their food, while cats cut it more noiselessly
with their side teeth. This hysena evidently had resided in
some iron-pit, and the ore had changed the usual dirty-white
of his coat to a deep yellow.

That afternoon a three-parts-grown tiger was marked by
my men near the spot where I had shot the tigress two days
before. Only one small tree stood in the sea of thorny scrub,
and in it I found an insecure footing at a few feet from
the ground. As usual, my men arranged the beat admirably,
and this tiger's jacket was pegged out that night by the side
of those of his relatives. We had good reason to congratu-
late ourselves on the death of these two last tigers, for the
country was close and extensive, and the amount of ground

308 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

which my rifle could cover was very limited. But the arrange-
ments of Dhokul and his men were, as usual, excellent.
From Baug I moved north towards Sirdarpore, and encamped
below the hills, near the village of Tanda. Here my usual
good fortune took a turn, and I lost one of my gun-bearers by
a sad accident.

About 10 A.M. Dhokul came in, having left some of his
men on sentry over a very large tiger, which he had come
upon suddenly that morning. I was not long in turning out,
and, on arriving near the spot, we arranged the plan of attack.
I was accompanied by Lieutenant MacTier, who had joined
me that morning from Sirdarpore.

The only tree which we could find in any way suited as a
position, was one standing near the head of a slope some fifty
yards in length. This tree had, at about eight feet from the
ground, strong shoots growing from the stem. On these I
took my stand, accompanied by my gun-bearer, named
Foorsut. At the foot of the slope a dry nullah crossed from
left to right, and beyond it was a level jungle thinly covered
with trees and bushes. The tiger was to be driven from our
left down the nullah. Having seen me to my place, Dhokul
went off to bring on the beat, and soon after the tiger came
trotting down on the far side of the nullah. Unfortunately,
my shot struck him too far back, and, turning sharp to the left,
he went off at a great pace, while I fired my remaining three
shots at random in the hope of doing further damage. Seeing
the" tiger go off, I did not at once reload, intending to do so
when I descended to follow him up on the elephant. Sud-
denly, a man on a tree cried out that the tiger was coming
back, and, on looking up, I saw him coming towards us at a
sharp trot. On reaching the nullah, he crossed it, and slowly
ascending the hill, stood immediately below our tree. With

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 309

a breech-loading rifle I might have shot him ten times over,
and possibly, as he was coming on, I might have reloaded that
which I had, but I knew that any movement on our part would
probably make him charge, and we were too near the ground
to make such a contingency desirable.

All might have yet gone well had the man kept quiet. In
an evil moment he spoke, saying that the tiger was below us,
The beast looked up, caught sight of us, and at once sprang
up the tree. Getting a momentary hold for his claws on the
trunk, he seized Foorsut by the waistband with his teeth and
dragged him down, and as he fell, bit him three times through
the back of the thigh, inflicting twelve deep wounds. I
shouted loudly, and hurled my hunting-cap at the tiger, on
which he slunk off and went down the hill. Presently the
men came up, and we made a litter of boughs and sent the
wounded man off to the camp, where he was attended to by
the native apothecary who always accompanied my office. I
mounted the elephant along with Mr. MacTier, and we pre-
sently came on the tiger, at which I fired, and on going up
found him dead. I believe he had died from the first shot.
He was a full-grown male, very large and heavy.

The wounded man progressed favourably, and the bone of
the leg seemed uninjured. He was doing well on the follow-
ing day ; but on the morning of the second we observed a
slight twitching of the points of the fingers. Towards 3 P.M.
he fell off suddenly, and by 4 he was dead. This was a sad
termination to what had been a brief but successful "chasse" —
my bag, during the trip, consisting of seven tigers, a panther,
and a bear.

CHAPTER XXII.

The Meet at Muudlaisir— Three Tigers at Burnea— One shot— Panther killed
—Bees at Zerbar— Wild Pig— Tiger shot— Tigress and Cubs at Buluk-
warra — Three Bears murdered — Tigers at Nulwye — One shot — A Cowardly
Mahout — Tigress shot— Panther at Kirnowee— The Mahout chastised-g
Big Tiger at Oochawud — Bear and Cub — Three Bears shot — Tiger Cubs —
Hyaena caught— r- Panther shot — Alligators at Dinner — Tigress shot at
Bowtee— Tigers in three places — Three shot— Camp at Morkutta — Three
more — The Hum Pahl — Bear shot — Precautions against Thieves — Two
Bears shot — Camp at Hutnee River — Two Tigers slain — Measurements
of Tigers— White Ants— Divide the Spoils— Cadell departs— Elephant
in Quicksand — Three Tigers poisoned — Tiger shot — Bear and Cubs —
Bear wounded — Three Tigers shot — Man mauled by Tigress — Return to
Sirdarpore.

ABOUT the 31st of March 1864, our party met at Mundlaisir
for a long-projected shooting excursion. We were four guns,
viz. Captain John Evans, alias " The Bashi," 6th Inniskilling
Dragoons ; Captain Murray, 72d Highlanders ; Captain T.
Cadell, V.C. ; and myself. Previous to this the country south
of the Nerbudda had been explored by Cadell's men, while
mine had devoted their attention to the district north of the
river. By this means we had learnt the position of a number
of beasts, and were thus enabled to march from point to point
without loss of time. At Mundlaisir we met Mr. Nils
Mitander, a Swedish gentleman, who had come out to India to
superintend the erection of an iron-smelting establishment in
Mmar. The afternoon was spent in some final preparations,
and in the evening we took a boat and pushed out into the
middle of the clear stream, where we had a delightful swim.

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 311

Early next morning we were on the march towards a river
which flows into the Nerbudda from the south, about ten miles
above Mundlaisir. Here, at a village named Burnea, three
tigers had been marked down in a large patch of cypress in
the bed of the river, which lay in a country much cut up by
ravines, and covered by thorny bushes of the mimosa. They
were very shy, and at once broke away into the ravines. We fol-
lowed, and after a long hunt, succeeded in finding one, a small
beast, 7 feet 8 inches in length, which was shot by Murray.
We hunted the ground very carefully on the following day, but
saw nothing, and in the afternoon moved east to Kamkhera.

On the way we beat a dry nullah filled with long grass,
and were fortunate in starting a fine panther which had killed
a pony two days before. I had a snap-shot at him, but missed,
and he broke away through a thick thorny jungle to the left.
Here the Bashi caught sight of him, and put a ball through
his body, but he made off, and it was only after a long search
on the elephants, that I observed the white tuft at the end of
his tail protruding from a mass of high grass. Calculating
where his shoulder should be, I fired, killing him dead. He
was a handsome beast, 7 feet 8 inches in length, with a finely-
marked skin.

We moved still farther to the east, and encamped at
Zerbar, where, some of our people having lit a fire below trees
containing bees, we were greatly annoyed. The bees came
down in great numbers, and dispersed the whole camp, sting-
ing many men and animals. Our grooms fled with their
horses to the jungle, while we sheltered ourselves behind the
bamboo screens of the tents. The bees appeared to entertain
special antipathy to certain goats and bullocks, and these
they persecuted without mercy, following them most pertina-
ciously as they rushed for protection among their fellow beasts,

312 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

who escaped comparatively scatheless. In the evening I
went out with Bashi for a walk, and in a ravine about two
miles from the camp we came on a sounder of wild pigs.
Bashi dropped one with a fine shot, and we carried him
towards the camp slung on a pole. Darkness came on, and
we found ourselves struggling through rocks and thorns with
our burden. At length we saw the camp-fires in the valley
below us, and having shouted and fired a shot, we were soon
joined by our men, who relieved us of our porcine load.

Next morning we went after a tiger which had slain one
of our buffaloes. He broke back through the beaters, and
was shot by a half-caste of inebriated habits who had come
from Mhow, having attached himself to Captain Evans's
stables. The tiger was a stout male, 9 feet 10 inches in
length. The two following days were blank, and we moved
our camp west to Bulukwarra.

Evans and Cadell had been obliged to return to their
cantonments on some duty, but they rejoined us at this place
in time to see a tigress brought in by Murray and me. We
heard of her from one of the local police, who volunteered, for
a consideration, to be our guide. Under his leadership we
went out on elephants, and beat an open tree-jungle, having
an undergowth of bushes and dry grass. The tigress was
started by Murray out of a small dry nullah. His elephant
was unsteady, and he missed. The tigress then crossed my
front, and I was fortunate in dropping her. She was up
again in an instant, and came on, but was turned, and took
shelter in some broken ground, from which, with Murray's
assistance, she was dislodged and slain. On going back to
the spot from which she had started we found her two cubs
lying asleep on the gravel, in the bottom of the nullah. These
we brought home alive. From this camp we hunted the

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 313

Boorar river, down as far as Teekree, on the Mhow and Bombay
road ; but though we passed some splendid coverts, and saw
footprints in one or two places, we found nothing. Cholera
was very prevalent at that time on the high road ; we there-
fore crossed without halting, and encamped in the jungle a
few miles farther on towards the Nerbudda.

Still we could find no game, so we moved westward into
the Burwanee country. On the way one of our men observed
three bears as they entered some long grass on the side of a
small ridge, in a bit of open jungle. Having seen them
settled for the day, he sent us word, and on examination of
the ground we found that the whole family might be easily
disposed of. We advanced on them along the ridge, moving
very quietly in single file, each man having his gun-bearer,
with a second rifle, on his left. On coming abreast of the
bears all turned to the right, and as we reached the edge the
three unfortunate beasts jumped out of the grass about ten
yards below us. "We made very short work of them, and, as
our rifles cracked, they all fell in a heap together. We then
marched to Nulwye, a small village situated at the junction
of the Deb river with the Nerbudda, and nearly opposite the
Maun river, where I had made so good a bag with Ward the
year before. On the way Bashi and I rode down a young
gazelle, and captured it alive.

On arriving at Nulwye, we found that our men had two
tigers marked on an island in the bed of the Deb, which at
this season was nearly dry. It was settled that Bashi and I
should beat down the island on the elephants, while Cadell
and Murray took posts in trees. We had hardly entered the
covert when the tigress appeared before Evans. As he raised
his rifle, the elephant, checked by a nervous mahout, backed
suddenly. Evans was thrown off his aim and missed, but the

314 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

tigress, crossing over to me, was dropped with one shot. We
left her lying, and proceeded to beat out the covert. Pre-
sently the tiger jumped up, also before the Bashi. Again the
elephant backed, and again he missed. The tiger plunged
into a mass of creeping plants, and then, turning to the right,
entered a small ravine, and left the river. Cadell and Murray
now joined us, and after searching for some time we again
saw the tiger making off. Murray fired with an explosive
shell, which burst close behind him, and he got away, and was
lost among the ravines. This tiger escaped entirely through
the misconduct of the mahout, and on our return to camp he
was sent for and admonished. He was informed that any
future exhibition of cowardice would be met by instant
chastisement. The elephant, which had been lent by the
Rajah of Jhabbooa, I knew to be good and staunch. The
tigress which we had bagged was 9 feet 1 inch in length.

On the following morning a buffalo was found killed in
the cypress near the mouth of the Maun river. We forded
the Nerbudda on the elephants, and, after posting men to look
out from trees, we entered the covert. After hunting for some
time we came on the tigress, which we shot without much
trouble. She was 9 feet in length, and on opening her we
found four cubs, which would have been born within a day
or two. We removed their skins, which were very prettily
marked. We halted another day at Nulwye, but finding no
more game, we sent off our camp to Oochawud, some miles
higher up the Deb river.

We hunted in the bed of a smaller river on the way, and
started a panther near a village named Kirnowe. The Jhab-
booa mahout again misbehaved, causing Cadell, who was on
the elephant, to miss his shot. He was at once visited with
the promised chastisement, and his mind and body were so

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 315

much hurt that he bolted on our arrival in camp. We were
well rid of him, and the grasscutter, being there and then pro-
moted to the rank of mahout, proved a most efficient substi-
tute. The panther attempted to break up the bank of the
river, but was turned by my men, and retreated into some
close jungle of mimosa. On our advancing on him he charged
viciously, and gave some trouble before he was killed. He
was 7 feet 10 inches in length. Crossing over some hills on
our way to the tents, we saw a gigantic bear, but he was far
beyond rifle-range.

While seated at breakfast on the following morning,
intelligence came in from two of our parties of markers.
One man reported a bear, the other a large tiger, which
was supposed to be the same which had escaped at Nulwye.
The latter, of course, commanded our immediate atten-
tion. He was lying in a fringe of thick bushes on the left
bank of the river, but as his exact position was unknown, we
had some difficulty in fixing on the plan of attack. We ex-
pected him to break away to the left, where the country was
covered with grass and bushes. Here and there were a few
trees, and it was decided that Cadell and Murray should mount
two of these, while Evans and I advanced on elephants from
either flank along the bed of the river. As I proceeded to my
position a panther rose at the elephant's feet, but I did not
fire. As soon as the men in the trees were in position, we
advanced, and the tiger, which probably had a lively recollec-
tion of his previous persecution, left the bed of the river un-
perceived by either Evans or myself. He took the line which
we expected, but, being turned by a shot from the trees, came
back towards me, and, roaring savagely, threw himself into a
dense thicket. As I advanced on him he went off, and lay
up in a thin fringe of willows in the bed of the river.

316 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

Evans then took Cadell on his elephant, while Murray joined
me.

Between our elephant and the tiger was a space of about
100 yards, covered with long green grass and large boulders.
No sooner did the tiger see us advance towards him, than he
charged from a distance of at least eighty yards, roaring as he
came on. Our mahout behaved very well, but the elephant,
which was greatly excited, shook his head and swayed his
body so much that accurate shooting was impossible. We each
fired both barrels, but the tiger came on, and I fully expected to
see him on the elephant's head. The latter, however, wheeled
round suddenly, knocking Murray and me together in the
howdah in a most undignified manner. Fortunately the tiger
contented himself with a demonstration, and, catching up my
second rifle, I shot him behind the shoulder as he went by.
He dashed on for thirty yards, when, reaching the edge of the
covert, he turned sharp and crouched for another charge. The
end of his tail was twitching ominously, when, the mahout
having somewhat steadied the elephant, Murray rolled him
over with a shell, and another shot finished him. The Bashi
and Cadell, who had witnessed the charge, now came up, and
indulged in many pleasant jokes at our expense, imitating
what they called our double-wobble style of taking aim. The
tiger was a fine heavy beast 9 feet 10 inches in length.
On removing his skin we came on a small wound evidently
two days old, and from it we extracted a fragment of the shell
which Murray had fired at Nulwye, and were thereby assured
of the identity of the tiger.

Eeturning to the tents, we had some luncheon, and then
went off after the bear which had been marked in the early
morning. She was lying in an intricate network of small
tortuous nullahs, having steep clay banks, and we had some

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 317

trouble in finding her. At length we caught sight of her, and
she was instantly slain. She was accompanied by a cub, and,
springing down, we hemmed it into a corner and captured it
alive. We took it home to the camp, where it was fastened
by a dog-chain to a peg before the tent. About midnight I
was awoke by Murray calling out that the bear was loose,
and on jumping up I saw it making off to the jungle. Shout-
ing to the servants to loose the dogs, we gave chase. A soft
haze hung over the forest, but the moon being bright, we
were able to keep the bear in view. My trusty Batchelor
shot by me, and in another moment was hanging on the ear
of the bear, which shrieked in a fiendish manner. • We carried
him back to the tents, where he was properly secured. Our
night-dresses, consisting of flannel shirts and wide cotton
drawers, were much damaged by the thorny bushes.

Next morning two bears were marked down on the side
of a hill about two miles from our camp. They lay among
a mass of broken rocks near the summit, which was flat
and thinly wooded. We had ascended the hill, and were
within fifty yards of the spot from which we intended to
fire, when a gun was accidentally discharged. Knowing
that the bears would be alarmed, we rushed forward, and
saw them going down the hill at a headlong pace. Many
shots were fired, and all, I believe, missed. Fortunately some
of our men were below, and, seeing them, the bears turned
along the face to the right. We reloaded, and, running till
we nearly dropped, crossed over the table-land and posted
ourselves along the crest. Eventually we bagged not only these
two bears, but also a third, which was driven up by the men.
I believe each of my companions got one : none came to me.

We then moved farther west into the Burwanee jungles,
bordering on the Sathpoora hills, and encamped under a huge

318 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

banian-tree far from human habitations. Here we were

joined by Messrs. B and W , two gentlemen employed

on the Geological Survey, who were exploring these hills.
Next morning we hunted in the bed of a dry nullah a few
miles south of our camp. A tigress with cubs was said to be
in the neighbourhood, and as we beat up some long green
grass one of the elephants halted and commenced to strike
the ground with his trunk, while he kicked about the gravel
with his fore-feet. Presently two cubs ran snarling out of
the grass, but as we hoped to find the tigress we did not fire.
She was cautious, however, and had gone off into the exten-
sive jungle by which we were surrounded on all sides. We
searched for her on this and the following day, but without
success, so we shot the cubs, and marched north to Dhunora,
where there were some large patches of cypress in the broad
bed of a river. On arriving at the ground about sunset, we
found a buffalo had been killed by a panther. So, deeming it
a good opportunity for setting the iron trap, we laid it in the
sand by the carcass. After dinner we went out with a lantern,
and on going to the spot found the trap sprung and a few hairs
from the belly of the panther between the teeth. We set the
trap again, and found a hysena in it in the morning.

We then beat out the cypress, and started the panther,
which I wounded slightly, but he went off down the bed of
the river. Our men tracked him for about two miles, and we
at length came up with him. He had taken shelter under
the prickly leaves of some young date-trees, and made some
very pertinacious charges before he was finally disposed of.
Farther down we came on the prints of a very large tiger,
which we followed in vain for several miles. Next day we
marched, and encamped at Burwanee.

In the afternoon the Bashi and I went down to the

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 319

Nerbudda to shoot alligators. We obtained a boat, and while
punting across the stream, a large crocodile came to the
surface about twenty yards from us. I fired with a two-ounce
rifle, striking him fair on the head, but he sank, and we could
not recover him. We then hunted about the still water
among the rocks, and presently saw several alligators
swimming about in a quiet pool. A dark object appeared on
the surface, and was immediately fired into by Bashi. On
going forward we found it was the dead body of a woman,
which had probably been cast into the sacred stream by her
sorrowing relatives ; for, like the Ganges, though in a lesser
degree, the Nerbudda is an object of great veneration among
Hindoos. We were much shocked, and left the alligators to
finish their meal undisturbed.

One of our horsemen was sent in next morning from
Bhowtee, near the mouth of the Goee river, five miles to the
westward. He reported a tigress to be lying in the bed of
the river, where she had retired after feasting on one of our
buffaloes. She got away without a shot, but was fortunately
headed by some of our men, and returned to the covert. As
we moved towards her she charged viciously from a distance
of more than seventy yards, but the ground was tolerably
clear, and our elephants being steady, she did not get home.
Though very plucky, she was a small beast, only 8 feet 4
inches in length. Suspecting that we should find more tigers
in this country, we moved our camp westward to the junction
of the Goee with the Nerbudda, and sent parties of men to
scour the country in several directions. In the evening I
went out with Evans, and we got a nice buck chinkara. On
a sandbank by the Nerbudda we saw a large flock of
pelicans.

Intelligence came next morning from three different parties.

320 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

Two miles up theGoee two small tigers had been seen ; the track
of a large tiger had been followed up to a mass of cypress in
the Nerbudda ; while a buffalo had been killed at Morkutta,
four miles down the river. We started soon after breakfast,
having given orders for the camp to be moved to Morkutta.
We commenced with the large tiger in the cypress, and having
forded the river on the elephants, we drew lots for places.
Murray and I were stationed in trees on a high bank over-
looking the covert, while Cadell, the Bashi, and the geologists,
went in on elephants. The covert was very dense, filled with
water-holes, rocks, and deep gullies cut by the action of heavy
floods. The men on the elephants had all the fun to them-
selves, and we had to content ourselves with listening to the
reports of their rifles, varied now and then by the roars of the
charging tiger, who gave some trouble before he died. He
was a short beast, being only 9 feet 2 inches in length, but
very stout and heavy.

Having still much work before us, we lost no time, and at
once recrossing the Nerbudda we proceeded to beat up the
tigers in the Goee. They were lying in some ravines near an
old ruined fort in the jungle, and on being started, passed

near Mr. B , who dropped them both. Though only

young beasts, 6 feet 3 inches in length, they were very
savage, and one of them clawed an elephant severely on the
trunk. The day was far advanced, so we at once pushed on
for Morkutta, where we knew the markers were anxiously
awaiting our arrival. But when we arrived on the ground,
the sun was low in the heavens, and we feared that night
would overtake us before we had accomplished our work. A
consultation was therefore held, and we agreed to rest content
with our day's sport. We accordingly adjourned to the tent,
sending men to tie up another buffalo for the tigers, and on

ADVENTUKES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 321

their return they reported that they had hardly left the spot
before the unhappy beast was slain. This was very satis-
factory, as we knew the tigers would gorge themselves and lie
up in the cypress.

Our men were out early next morning, and having care-
fully examined the bank, assured us, on their return, that the
tigers had not left the river. About 10 A.M. we went out to
the covert, which was within half-a-mile of our camp. An
open bed of gravel extended for forty yards from the foot of
the high sloping bank, and between this and the water was
a strip of cypress, ten yards in width. At the lower end,
towards our camp, the covert became wider and contained
some high willow-trees. Murray and Evans were posted in
these trees ; I was on another on the side of the high bank
overlooking the cypress ; while Cadell and the geologists
entered the upper end of the strip on elephants, and imme-
diately started the tigers. They were three in number, one
gentleman and two ladies. Several shots were fired by the
party on the elephants, and one tigress was there and then
killed. The other two came rushing down the strip, giving
me a fine view of them as they went by. But, though
wounded, they did not fall to my shots. Passing down the
covert, they were fired on and turned back by Evans and
Murray. The elephants were now closing in on them ; again
I fired from my tree, and they were met by a sharp fire from
Cadell and his party. Presently all three lay dead, and were
soon on their way to the tents, where we spent the afternoon

in preparing the skins. Here we parted with Messrs. B

and W , who went off to explore the hills.

At a short distance below our camp was the " Hum Pahl,"
or " Deer's Leap," at which point the province of Nimar ter-
minates, and the ranges of the Vindyah and Sathpoora moun-

Y

322 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

tains are merely divided by the river. The name of the
" Hum Pahl" is derived from the circumstance of the river
being here obstructed by large masses of basalt, rising about
ten feet above the ordinary level of the stream, and giving
passage to the river through three very narrow channels,
across each of which, it is supposed, an antelope could bound.
Below this point for several miles the river is fringed with
dense masses of cypress, in which we had hoped to find tigers,
but our men, after a careful search, could find no fresh tracks.
We therefore forded the river, and encamped on the opposite
bank at Dhurrumrai. At this period the south-west monsoon
was blowing up through the gorge with great force, and we
were much annoyed by the fine alluvial dust in which we
were enveloped night and day.

To the westward of our camp lay a very rugged ravine,
the sides of which had been rent asunder by some grand
natural convulsion. The rocks were divided by fearsome
chasms such as would delight the heart of Gustave Dore.
Into this ravine a patriarchal bear was marked by our men,
and, after some trouble, he was dislodged from his cavern and
shot by Cadell. Finding no more game here, we moved west
and pitched our tents at Dhie.

Owing to the intense heat we always dined in the open
air, and as bed-time approached our beds were carried out
by the servants, and we slept with our four cots ranged round
the dinner-table. Among the Bheels in the hills I had no
fear of nocturnal thieves, but Murray, who had derived his
ideas of native honesty from the civilised inhabitants of the
plains, always took especial care to secure his guns at night.
For this purpose an iron chain was passed through the trigger-
guards, and the guns were thus attached to a large arm-chair
beside him. One morning about daybreak I saw the Bashi

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 323

steal from his bed, and quietly unscrewing one of the trigger-
guards, release a rifle, which he hid under his mattress.
Murray, on waking, looked as usual at his guns, and,
finding one missing, raised a great outcry. We kept up
the joke till breakfast-time, when his weapon was restored
to him.

A Bheel now came in, having left some of his friends on
sentry over two bears in the hills about five miles to the
southward. The heat was very great, but on being told that
by making a circuit we could reach the place by a footpath,
we mounted our horses and went off, having ordered the camp
to be moved westward to the Hutnee river. Our guide led us
a dance of at least ten miles through a very strong country,
and our men suffered greatly from the want of water. The
bears lay on a hill-side covered with long dry grass and
huge stones, and we had some difficulty in fixing on positions
for the guns. The beat, however, was successful, and both
bears were slain. They were fine large beasts, and as we had
no means of transport, we prepared to skin them on the spot.
In the bottom of the ravine was a single green tree, and,
anxious to avail ourselves of its shade, we carried the bears
to the edge of the hill, and sent them rolling down into the
nullah. For our own consumption we carried water in
leathern bottles, but our men were obliged to go off to a
water-hole two miles distant, where they slaked their thirst,
while we busied ourselves in skinning the bears. It was late
before we reached our camp, where we were comforted by a
bath and change of raiment.

Two miles higher up the Hutnee is joined by the Sankree
Tokree ravine, and here one of our buffaloes was killed in
the night by a tiger. The tracks led to a mass of rough
grass and bushes in the bed of the Hutnee, and we beat

324 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

this place out very closely with the elephants, but found
nothing. We then took positions in trees, and sent men to
drive down the ravine. They started a big tiger, which
went up the side, steering clear of our posts. Expecting that
he would have crossed over the intervening jungle, and gone
down into the cover which we had first beaten, we went back,
and having placed Evans and Cadell on trees, I was proceed-
ing with Murray to beat up the covert towards them, when
my elephant became greatly excited, and commenced kicking
violently at the grass with her fore-foot. At that instant a
tigress rushed out, but the elephant was so unsteady that I
missed her with both barrels. Catching up my second rifle,
I was more successful, and dropped her with a shell behind
the shoulder. Another shot finished her.

While this little bit of by-play was going on, the big
tiger which we had previously started, and which had ap-
parently been travelling leisurely, was seen by Evans's gun-
bearer to steal down into the bed of the river, where he
entered a long strip of cypress on the far side. Wishing to
cross this strip so as to get quietly down between him and
the jungle, Murray, Cadell, and I, moved over on the ele-
phants. But the tiger, which had been creeping towards us
under cover of the cypress, rose suddenly with loud roars, and
as he sprang on some masses of rock, I at one time feared
he would leap into the howdah. We instantly poured in a
volley with good effect, and, falling back, he went off down
the covert. We had just reloaded, when he emerged eighty
yards lower down, and was passing over some bare ground on
his way to the jungle above, when we again fired, and he fell
over in the open, where he lay roaring. As we made up to
him, he rose and scrambled back to the cypress, whence he made
one gallant charge before he died. We returned home well

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 325

pleased with our day's work. The tiger measured 9 feet 4
inches, and the tigress 8 feet 7 inches.

In this chapter I have given the measurements of beasts
from a memo, lately received from Cad ell, who took them
down at the time. Many men have talked to me of tigers
twelve and eleven feet long, and in some countries they may
attain that size, but, speaking from my own experience, I can
only say I have not fallen in with them in Malwa or Mmar.
I have seen tigers nearly ten feet long, whose skins could
easily have been stretched, when fresh, to eleven or more feet,
but the breadth would have been greatly diminished and the
beauty of the skin impaired.

On taking up the bear-skins which we had got on our way
from Dhie, we found that they had been completely destroyed
by white ants. These horrible little animals had been busy,
and the hair was eaten off in large patches. We found that
the only safeguard to protect skins when pegged out was to
cause a man to beat them night and day every half-hour with
a cane. White ants, when at work, cover the object to be
eaten with an incrustation of mud, underneath which they
carry on their operations. They will not work when disturbed,
and the concussion of the blows from the cane is enough to
keep them away.

Here, much to our regret, we parted from Cadell, who was
obliged to proceed into the Sathpoora hills on duty. Before
he left we divided the spoils by lot. Having picked out the
four best skins, we tossed for choice, and so on till all were
divided. After which exchanges were effected, by private
bargain, for such as were supposed to have any particular in-
terest attached to them. Passing down to the Nerbudda by
the bed of the Hutnee river, CadelTs elephant got into a
quicksand, and was extricated with some difficulty. On such

326 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

occasions, trees, boughs, and bundles of grass and brushwood
are thrown to the sagacious animals, which they force down
with their tusks and trample them into the sand.

The Bashi, Murray, and I, moved north, via Dhie, towards
the Mogra ravine, which we reached in two marches. On
riding into the camp we were met by Dhokul, who came for-
ward with a look of deep dejection stamped on his expressive
countenance. He informed us that a cow having been killed
by a tiger a few days previously, the exasperated owner had
poisoned the carcass. A tigress and two half-grown cubs
returned to feaSfc, and there and then died. The Bheels had
hung the three bodies on a tree close by, where we found
them emitting a noisome effluvium. These were the tigers
whose tracks I had seen on my last visit to the ravine, when,
in firing the jungle, I had nearly burnt down my tent. We
were vexed on finding them poisoned, but could not blame
the poor Bheels, who were only protecting their cattle. The
father of the family was still to be accounted for, and he,
having yielded to the temptation of one of our buffaloes
during the night, was marked down in the morning by our
men, aided by a Mekranee named Morad.

We posted ourselves in trees across the ravine, and our
men, accompanied by a number of the local Bheels, went off
to drive down towards us. The Mekranee was on the left,
and from my tree I could see the tiger passing up towards
him. He fired, as did also Evans, and the tiger, badly
wounded, rushed growling into the bottom of the ravine
immediately below my post. I sat very quiet, and presently
saw his huge head and neck protrude from some green
willows. I had a pot-shot at him, and dropped him dead.
This tiger, when first started, had charged back among the
beaters. One man was cut by his claw on the shoulder, but

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 327

his evil passions not being then roused, he came forward
without doing further mischief.

We then moved our camp to Baug, where we pitched the
tents under a large banian-tree opposite the fort. In the
evening, while sitting outside in the full enjoyment of a pipe,
we saw two panthers on the wall of the old fort, on which
they had mounted by a breach leading into the jungle.
Taking rifles, we went forward, but by the time we had arrived
within range the panthers had disappeared. From this camp
we visited the cave where, with Blowers, I had shot the tiger
two years before. Much of the surrounding jungle had
been cleared away, but the bones of the tiger still lay in the
cave, and one or two were taken away as souvenirs. A bear
and cubs were marked down below the Bhoodist caves, and
were all slain without much trouble ; but during my visit in
February I had apparently exterminated the race of tigers, for
my men could neither see nor hear of any. At Tanda, near
the foot of the Ghauts, a large bear was seen to enter a rocky
ravine, but as we attempted to approach the spot it became
alarmed and went off. Shots were fired, but without effect.
Up to this date we had bagged every bear, tiger, and panther,
at which we had fired since leaving Mundlaisir. Much of
the credit was no doubt due to our shikarees, but our good
fortune had been very great. Personally, I had received great
assistance from my gun-bearers, of whom Futtah, a Serjeant in
the Bheel Corps, was invaluable. Futtah was a Bheel of the
Vindyah range, quiet and unobtrusive, but possessed of great
intelligence both on parade and in the jungle. He was, more-
over, an excellent shot, and very steady and plucky on an
emergency.

Another march carried us into my house at Sirdarpore,
where we rested for a couple of days, during which time men

328 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

were sent out to examine the grass-jungle near Jucnaoda.
They reported a tigress and two half-grown cubs, and having
posted ourselves in trees, they were sent forward by the
beaters, and the two cubs shot. The tigress crossed a bit of
open ground clear of the guns, and got away among some
small ravines. We mounted the elephants and gave chase,
having been joined by Jowan Sing, the son of the Thakoor or
Chief of Jucnaoda. Failing to find the tigress, Murray and
Evans went forward and mounted in trees, while the Thakoor
and I beat up the jungle towards them. As I pressed my
elephant into some long reeds the tigress bolted out to the
left. I had a snap-shot at her as she went over a ridge, and
disabled her hind leg, but she went on and disappeared into
the next nullah. Halting in the bed of the main stream, I
sent the Thakoor to beat down on his elephant. As he came
forward, the ground became so rough that the elephant could
not advance, and to my horror I saw him directing the beaters
to go on and hurl stones into the nullah. In vain I shouted ;
my voice was drowned in the din of tom-toms, and in another
moment I saw the tigress charge up the bank towards the
men, who turned and fled. Deprived of the use of one hind-
leg, her ascent was greatly retarded, but she struck down the
last man and bit him behind the thigh. At that moment the
Thakoor fired, wounding her mortally, and she scrambled back
into the nullah, where she died. Fortunately the man was not
very badly injured, though he had some severe flesh-wounds.
We sent him off at once into the regimental hospital, where
he was skilfully attended by our doctor, who set him on his
legs again. By this time the rainy season had nearly set in,
and my friends returned to Mhow, having greatly enjoyed
their excursion, which had extended over nearly two months.

CHAPTER XXIII.

Predatory Habits of the Bheels— the International Court— Mode of Procedure—
Naikras of the Punch Mahal — Camp at Powaghur — Peculiar form of Oath
—A Cobra— Three Dogs killed— Move to Ruttun Mall— The Route-
Green Pigeons and Jungle-Fowl — Stag shot — Major Bonnor breaks out in
Poetry — Move to Dohud — Three Bears shot — Tame Tiger — Their fondness
for Water — Murrel — Return to Sirdarpore — Cheetah shot — Gazelles —
Business combined with Pleasure — An Amiable Tigress.

THE country to the north-west of my charge was occupied by
a wild and turbulent race of Bheels, who resided in the strong
jungles in the northern parts of Jhabbooa and the adjoining
British district of the Punch Mahal, lately ceded by Scindiah.
To the north of these lay the petty chiefship of Banswarra,
and the Bheels of the three countries had long been engaged
in raids either on their neighbours or on the more peaceable
inhabitants under their own chiefs. Rightly or wrongly, it is
the custom of the country to ascribe all such acts of violence
to external foes, and on the occurrence of any foray or case
of cattle-lifting in Jhabbooa, the chief invariably reported the
matter to me, praying for redress. His communication passed
from my office to that of the British officer in charge of the
Punch Mahal, or the officer in political charge of Banswarra,
by whom it was generally returned with an intimation that
the persons charged were not only brave, but also virtuous,
and at the precise period of the alleged inroad were actively
engaged in the peaceful operations of husbandry. This reply
was forwarded to the complainant, and the matter Bested there

330 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

till some of his people having effected a raid over the border
on their own account, similar communications would pass with
the same unsatisfactory result.

In many of their manners and customs the Bheels greatly
resemble the old Scottish Highlanders. They are very
clannish, and have great respect for the chiefs of their tribes,
while the patience and pertinacity with which they avenge
plunder or bloodshed, and the zest with which they enter on
any predatory expedition, would have done credit to the most
accomplished reivers and caterans of our own land. But it
was necessary that the benign influence of the Paramount
Power should be felt in these wild countries, and, to this end,
international courts were held on the frontier, when all dis-
putes were examined into and settled by the British politicals.
The peculiarity of the procedure consisted in the Bheels
themselves being constituted judges and arbiters in the various
cases. Some time previous to the assembling of the court,
lists of claims on both sides were exchanged through the
British officers, and on the date of meeting being fixed all
parties were duly warned to attend. All were directed to
come unarmed, and all came under safe conduct, being assured
that they would be safe from arrest for any imputed crimes.
On the assembling of the court, previous to calling on the
first case, a scale of compensation was mutually agreed upon.
Buffaloes about fifteen rupees, oxen twelve, cows eight, and
sheep and goats one or two rupees. The life of a man was
fixed at one hundred and twenty rupees, while — tell it not in
Gath — that of a woman was only valued at sixty. Wounds
were assessed according to their gravity.

I met Colonel Buckle on one of these courts at Dohud,
fifty miles west of Sirdarpore. Our object was the settlement
of the claims against our respective districts. The agents of

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 331

the various native states attended, and the Bheels assembled
to the number of about seven hundred. The first case being
called on, the plaintiff and defendant came forward. They
were told to name two men each, as arbiters, from the Bheels
assembled. These four were then directed to hear what both
parties had to say, and, in the event of their finding for the
plaintiff, to ascertain the amount of his loss. To ensure free-
dom from interference by other parties, a constable was told
off to remain by them, and they then moved off. The
arbiters were authorised to call up from the Bheels who were
present any witnesses they might require. The next and
subsequent cases were disposed of in the same manner.
From time to time the arbiters came up and made known
their decisions, which were then and there entered on the
general sheet. The great advantage of this course of pro-
cedure was, that in nearly every case the arbiters were fully
acquainted with all the particulars of the matter under inves-
tigation. The feeling of honour among thieves was strong, and
it was heightened by the certainty that an unjust award would
inevitably be followed by active reprisals on the property of
the judges themselves by the injured plaintiff or defendant.

These courts were always attended by the most beneficial
results, and for some time after they were held, life and
property, on both sides of the frontier, were comparatively
secure. By no other course could restitution be fairly accom-
plished, as plundered cattle and other property were> on
being swept over the frontier, at once divided among the
plunderers, by whom they were speedily sent off to a dis-
tance to their friends. Before the court broke up, a debit
and credit account was made out for each chief whose
Bheels were concerned. Those who had to pay to other
states were called on to pay the money into court at once.

332 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

Lists of the decisions were given to all, and the settlement of
the awards and penalties within their own districts was left
to the chiefs themselves.

The heavy jungles in the country lying between Allee
Eajpore and Guzerat were occupied by an aboriginal race
called Naikras. Partaking of many of the Bheel character-
istics, they are more wild and uncivilised. The unhealthy
nature of these malarious forests is evident from the wretched
appearance of the Naikras, whose sole clothing, among the
male population, often consists in a cord round the waist,
under which a narrow strip of cloth is passed. The hair is
worn long and uncontrolled, and lies on the head in a thick
and filthy mat, tanned by the sun to a russet brown. They
are armed with the universal bow and arrows, swords, and a
few matchlocks.

Some disturbance being anticipated among these wild men,
Colonel Buckle moved his camp to the jungles near the moun-
tain of Powaghur, and as a party of the Guzerat Bheel Corps,
under Major Bonnor, was to join him from Dohud, the latter
officer invited me to co-operate by joining their camp. I
accordingly moved across the frontier, taking with me my
usual escort of a serjeant and twelve troopers of the Central
India Horse, and twenty-five men of the Malwa Bheel Corps.
We spent some days encamped in these jungles, and, during
our stay, the Naikras who had threatened to give trouble
came in and were promised a settlement of their grievances,
on which they swore upon drawn swords, and imitation foot-
prints of tigers, that they would abstain from disturbing the
peace of the country. The above form of oath was meant to
imply that they hoped they might fall by the sword, or be
eaten by tigers, if they broke their promises there and then
solemnly made.

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 333

We had gone out one morning to shoot partridges and
jungle-fowl near the camp, and were accompanied by a num-
ber of dogs of various kinds. Passing through some bushes,
I heard a terrier barking angrily, and, rushing in, I found her
facing a large cobra da capello, which was coiled with head
erect and hood extended, by the side of a rat which it had
just killed. Hearing the terrier bark, the other dogs ran in
from all sides, and in another moment the whole were worry-
ing the deadly reptile. Catching up a stick, I beat off the
dogs, and then shot the snake. The dogs seemed none the
worse, but I was certain that some of them must have been
bitten. About twenty minutes afterwards we returned to the
tent, where a dog was presently seized with convulsions, and
fell apparently in great agony. His mouth and tongue be-
came perfectly black from the virulence of the poison, and he
was put out of his misery by a pistol-shot. Another dog was
similarly struck down. By this time we had got out some
spirits of ammonia, which we administered, but without effect,
and this dog also died. A third was then attacked, but it
had probably been bitten last, and the poison of the snake
being partially exhausted, we managed to keep the dog alive
till sunset, when it died. We were much grieved by the
death of our faithful companions.

Leaving Colonel Buckle at this camp, Major Bonnor re-
turned with me towards the Euttun Mall Hill, a fine wooded
mountain in the south-west corner of my district. On the
way we passed through a very wild and heavily-timbered
country. The valley along which we marched was flat and
sandy, but in many parts our line of route was flanked by
hills formed of huge detached boulders of gray granite, piled
over each other to the height of 200 feet ; they had ap-
parently been left by glaciers. On either side of the narrow

334 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

path was jungle-grass ten feet in height. The Naikras in tin's
country were very troublesome in 185*7-58 ; and the closeness
of the jungle having greatly impeded the operations of the
troops sent against them, several clearings of 100 yards in
breadth and many miles in length have been made along
the principal tracks. As the district is now entirely under
British rule, it is to be hoped that these and other bene-
ficial measures may tend to civilise these wild men.

On this march we shot many green wood -pigeons and
jungle -fowl. Both, when cooked, were excellent, and the
feathers of the latter have since been in great request by
ladies for their hats, and by salmon-fishers for their flies.
We halted two days at the Euttun Mall Hill, spending our
time in its wooded glades in quest of sambur. I had
wounded and lost a fat hind, and was posted in a bit of
very close covert by the Bheels of the hill, who had assembled
under their chief to do us honour by driving the jungle.
A stag passed at full speed about fifty yards to my right,
crashing, as he went, through the thick underwood. I fired,
but without much hope ; and, at the end of the beat, was
preparing to go on, when it struck me that I might as well
examine the ground over which the stag had passed. On a
close inspection of the dead leaves, I found a few hairs which
had been cut by my bullet, farther on a speck of blood, then
larger quantities, and a hundred yards farther the stag him-
self, lying shot nearly through the heart. He was skinned
and cut up on the spot, after which a bottle of Moselle was
produced from the depths of the capacious basket in which
Bonnor invariably carried his refreshments when shooting.
On descending the hill that officer detailed the events of the
day in some spirited verses of heroic metre, but I regret, for
the sake of my readers, that I cannot here furnish them with

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 335

a copy. On the following day we saw several sambur, in-
cluding one very fine stag, but the only shot which we got was
at a hind, which I missed in a disreputable manner.

We then moved north towards Dohud, where we spent a
day or two in quest of bears. Two were found in a ravine a
few miles from the cantonment, and were both slain. We
were taken up to another brace, which we ought also to have
bagged, but one of these, though wounded, escaped. The
other fell dead, and my companion loudly vaunted the
marvellous effects of his rifle-shell. I said little, but as we
were a long way from camp we directed the men to skin
the bear as he lay. One bullet-hole only was found, and
under the skin on the far side lay my two-ounce conical.

Major Bonnor had at Dohud a tame tiger, which was
allowed to wander about the house till his size rendered him
formidable. He was very playful and good-natured, except
at feeding-time. His favourite pastime was to go down with
us to the lake, where he would swim out with the dogs,
enjoying his bath intensely. The lake was full of large fish
of the rnurrel species, many of which were shot by the men
of the corps, who sat in trees overlooking the water, and
killed them as they rose to bask on the surface in the mid-
day sun.

Some time after my return to Sirdarpore, a man of the
Bheel Corps, who was out with Futtah in search of antelopes,
came and informed me that they had seen two tigers in some
grass lands a few miles east of the cantonment. I was very
incredulous, as the place was not one in which tigers were
likely to be, though I knew that the spot was occasionally
frequented by panthers. I went out, however, with Blowers,
and having taken up positions in trees, sent beaters round to
drive towards us. Presently two hunting cheetahs came

336 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

over the hill, and crossed the river at some distance from
Blowers, who fired without effect. They then went off over
an open country, cultivated here and there with crops of
millet. My men pursued them on foot for several miles,
keeping them in view, and eventually turning them back
towards the river, where they lay up in some high grain. As
the men advanced, several jackals broke away, but just as
they reached the end of the field, the cheetahs bounded out.
I fired, and wounded one ; however, they went on, and passing
through some tall hemp, swam over a deep pool in the river,
and went across the grass lands. Here they were headed by
a party of my men. The wounded beast, being unable to
keep up with his companion, halted, and, creeping up to a
small tuft of grass, lay down. We went up to him, and as
he lay ready for a charge, I fired and turned him over. The
cheetah, from his great length of limb, stands very high, and
an imperfect view of him in the jungle will often lead to his
being mistaken for a tiger.

Chinkara or gazelles were found on the hilly ground north
of the cantonment, and I frequently went after them with
Futtah. On these occasions we started off on my riding
camel, which I drove, while Futtah, who sat behind me,
carried my rifle. On sighting the deer, I would either dis-
mount and stalk them, or send Futtah, who was a good
marksman, and, like all his race, an excellent stalker, to take
the shot, while I, moving off on the camel, assisted him by
attracting the attention of the deer. We seldom went home
empty-handed, and often had a couple of bucks slung to the
saddle on our return.

After the rainy season the plains were covered with grass
three feet in height, and here we found florican in consider-
able numbers. But the extent of grass was very great, and

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 337

the birds could only be started by having a number of beaters.
I therefore exercised my men occasionally at light infantry
drill over this ground. I could generally muster about two
hundred, and these I formed in a single rank, and extended
them by bugle-sound in one long line across the country. I
accompanied them on horseback, my gun being carried by
one of my men. Buglers marched along the line, and on a
florican rising from the grass they would sound the " Halt,"
and mark the spot where he alighted. I then rode up, and on
dismounting to shoot sounded the " Advance " or " Retire " as
might be necessary to raise the birds. When required, the
line changed front to the right or left by bugle-sound. In
this manner I combined business with pleasure, halting now
and then by the bank of some stream to allow the men to
smoke and otherwise refresh themselves.

In the jungle north of Sirdarpore I observed a singular
instance of amiability in a tigress. We had been after her for
some days, but she had always managed to keep out of our
way. Buffaloes were tied up for her in several directions ; and
one morning, on going to look after them, we found that the
tigress had passed within a yard of a calf without injuring it.
The track was plain, leading down a narrow path to the spot
where the bait was tied in the bed of a stream, and the foot-
print of the tigress was distinctly seen over that of the buffalo,
which had apparently moved on one side to allow her to
pass.

CHAPTEE XXIV.

Excursion to Rajpootana — Bradford's Encounter with a Tiger — Prompt Prac-
tice— A "Wolf — The Jowra Gunsmith — I meet Hayward — Trout-fishing —
Alligator shot — A runaway Elephant — Native Fishermen — Turtle —
Bustard — General Game — A Tiger shot — Camp at Mandul — Murrel-fishing
— Shoogramghur — Pig-shooting — Return toNeemuch andSirdarpore — Hot
Season Expedition — Meet Evans and Froom — Tiger shot — Panther shot —
Move to Hum Pahl — Tiger killed — A Facer — Panther in Mogra — Bear
missed — Jeeree Ravine — Two Panthers shot — Camp at Baug — Panther
shot — Maun River — Tigress shot — A Rifle smashed — Panther killed — Good
shooting — Move to Munawur — Two Panthers slain — Man wotmded — Camp
at Kotra — Nylghae— Cheerakan — Fossils — Move to Sooltanpoor — Death of
Tarrachund — Dutteegaum — Bear wounded— End of the Campaign — Con-
cluding Remarks.

FINDING that a claim to three months' leave had accumulated,
I applied for permission to join my friend Major Hayward,
who was then employed in settling boundary questions in
Eajpootana. Early on the first of January 1865, 1 left my own
camp, which was pitched at Budnawur, in the northern part
of the Dhar territory, and riding into Eutlam I was met by
Captain Bradford, the political officer in Western Malwa, with
whom I spent the forenoon. Since our last meeting he had
been nearly killed by a tiger, and had undergone amputation
of an arm. While out shooting with a party from Goona, he
was seated on a low stump when he was charged by a wounded
tiger. He sprang down and made a rush backward, hoping to
be able to throw himself into a pool of water close by. But
tie tripped and fell, and the tiger, seizing him by the arm,

ADVENTUKES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 339

crushed the bones between his teeth. With wonderful
presence of mind and fortitude Bradford lay still, and the
tiger was driven off and shot by his companions. The
nearest medical aid was at Auggur, sixty miles distant, and
thither a horseman was at once despatched. Meanwhile, a
litter having been made, the wounded man was borne in the
same direction. Dr. Beaumont, the medical officer at Auggur,
was fortunately a man of intelligence and decision. Taking
his instruments with him, he mounted his horse and rode off
to meet his friends, with whom he fell in twenty-five miles
from the cantonment. The heat at this time was intense, and
observing symptoms of mortification setting in, Beaumont
there and then took out the arm from the shoulder-joint, and
saved the life of his patient, who now shoots, rides, and plays
cricket, with as much energy as ever.

Soon after breakfast we heard an outcry, and running out,
saw a wolf with a kid in his mouth crossing the plain near
the tents. On being pursued, he dropped the kid, and retiring
a couple of hundred yards, sat down. I got an old rifle from
one of the servants and went after him, but it had apparently
been loaded with native powder, for the ball dropped at fifty
yards from the muzzle. In the afternoon I rode on twenty-
four miles to Jowra, where I was hospitably entertained by
the Nawaub. He showed me a breech-loading gun, every
part of which had been made from an English pattern by one
of his own native artificers. The finish throughout was un-
commonly good.

Next day I rode to Neemuch, sixty miles, and on the fol-
lowing morning joined Hay ward at his camp, about ten miles
from the fortress of Chittore. We frequently went out on
fishing excursions, our party consisting of five, including two
ladies. We caught a number of bright, silvery little fish,

340 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

somewhat resembling trout, which took fly and minnow very
readily. We also got some mahseer. These rose fairly in
the streams to a small salmon-fly, but they were more fre-
quently taken by a lump of flour paste, to which cotton wool
was added to give consistency. I have since heard that these
fish will frequently take a hook baited with the "goolur" or
wild fig.

Observing a large alligator basking on a sandbank on the
far side of the river, I made a successful stalk and shot him
dead. He was nearly twelve feet in length, and desiring to
hold a post-mortem examination on him, we proceeded to
bind him on an elephant. The sagacious animal had not,
however, been broken in to alligators, and the tail of the huge
reptile having been allowed to dangle against his side, he
swung round suddenly, and having shaken off his load, fled
with the mahout in the wildest terror. Fortunately, the
country was open, and the man kept his seat. He returned
late in the afternoon, affirming that the elephant had only
been brought into subjection after a dance of twelve kos —
Anglic^ twenty-four miles ! ! The elephant was styled from
that day forward the " Bara kos ke bhagne wallah," or runner
of twelve kos.

One morning we came on a large party of native fishermen
encamped on the bank of the Bunass river. Their operations
were principally conducted at night with large casting-nets.
On arriving at the fishing ground they busied themselves
in preparing rafts composed of masses of long green reeds.
These rafts were about ten feet in length, and three in breadth
and depth. Each was calculated to support one man. While
fishing, they moved in two files about twenty yards apart,
while two rafts closed up the rear. Each man had a large
casting-net lying ready coiled at his feet. He propelled his

ADVENTUKES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 341

raft very noiselessly with a long bamboo. On a given signal
all put down their sticks, and with much dexterity cast their
nets simultaneously into the space between the rafts. By
this means large numbers of fish were nightly captured. The
smaller ones were kept alive during the next day in netted
enclosures sunk under water, while large fish were attached to
the bank by a long cord fastened round the tail. At sunset
all were drawn out and killed. They were then packed on
ponies, and sent off thirty or forty miles during the night to
the cantonment at Neemuch.

A number of murrel were shot by our own men, who fired
on them from trees and overhanging banks as they basked on
the surface. While fishing for mahseer with paste we were
much annoyed by river turtle of great size, which came readily
to the baits, and generally broke our tackle. I succeeded in
bringing one of these to the top, and as he rose, Futtah, who
was seated on a rock above me, put a bullet through him from
my rifle. The pool was deeply tinged with blood, but the
beast sank, and, as usual, my tackle suffered.

We frequently found bustard in the plains, and I shot
several fine specimens. On one occasion I counted nineteen
together, but they were very wary, and we got none of them.
I generally found that they could be approached most easily
under cover of a horse or camel, and sometimes, when riding,
they would allow us to come within a few yards before taking
flight. As we moved north we came on a fine antelope
country, and many good bucks were brought in. Large bags
of geese, ducks, and snipe, were also made. One morning,
when encamped near the Bunass river, our men marked down
a tiger, and we went out after him. We had no shooting
howdah, and after the little affair with the alligator, we had
no confidence in our elephant, so trusted to finding trees from

342 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

which to shoot. The jungle, which consisted of thick "kakra"
and thorny " bair " bushes, was bounded on the left by the
deep still reach of a river running down at a right angle to
the Bunass, which was not far distant. The natives of the
place assured us that the tiger, when started, would come
down the bank of this river, and insisted on our mounting on
certain trees which they pointed out. But, on inquiry, I
found that the covert for which he would probably make lay
considerably to the right, and from my knowledge of the habits
of the animal I was certain he would take the direct route,
and so pass far out of shot. I therefore insisted on posting two
intelligent men on trees in this direction, with instructions to
keep a sharp look-out, and, should the tiger come towards
them, to cough and tap with their sticks so as to turn him on
the guns. As I expected, the tiger was no sooner started than
I saw him making off to the right, but the men worked him
very well, and he returned to the bank of the river, where
Hayward slew him from his tree. Being shot in the cold
season, his skin was in very fine order, so having bound him
on the elephant, we sent him off to camp, while we went
down to the Bunass, where we spent the afternoon in trout-
fishing. Some good mahseer were brought into camp by
natives who had shot them with barbed arrows, to which fine
lines were attached.

After this we marched in a north-westerly direction, and
encamped at Mandul. Here there is a fine artificial lake,
covering many hundred acres, formed by an embankment
sixty yards in width faced with cut stone, and covered with
trees of large growth, under which we pitched our tents. The
lake was alive with ducks, geese, and water-fowl of all kinds,
and we saw many large murrel basking in the sun. Some of
these we shot, but they sank in deep water, and could not be

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 343

recovered. From the village we procured a number of lines
thirty yards in length. To each of these we attached a large
hook baited with a frog, and tied them to pegs along the edge
of the embankment. During our stay at this place we thus
captured about a hundred good fish. The northern and
western sides of the lake were fringed with tracts of high
reeds, which we beat for wild pigs. We saw several, but they
all escaped. In a green bank I came upon a number of holes
tenanted by a large colony of otters, who, judging from the
number of fish bones, fins, and tails lying about, had prose-
cuted a very successful fishing.

Marching north, we encamped at Shoogramghur, where
the chief has a preserve swarming with wild pigs, which he
was in the habit of shooting from an ambuscade, his men
having baited the place with grain for some days previous to
this very royal sport ! Being anxious to procure a few pairs
of large tusks, we obtained leave to hunt in this jungle. The
covert consisted almost entirely of cactus bushes, in which
we found pigs in great numbers, but the heavy boars kept
out of our way, and we only shot a couple of small pigs for
the pot. By this time my leave was drawing to a close, and
from this camp we retraced our steps to Neemuch, where I
parted with much regret from my friends. Hayward, I am
sorry to add, has since died of fever. We joined the regiment
at the same time, and have spent many pleasant days together.
Two days' hard riding brought me back to my own house at
Sirdarpore. On my way I slept at Jowra, where I was again
the guest of the Nawaub, who shortly after died of cholera.
He was one of the most intelligent rulers in Malwa, and was
much regretted by all who knew him.

On my return I at once made preparations for an expedi-
tion in Nimar, and proceeded to Allee Eajpore, where I was

344 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

joined by Evans and Froom of the 6th Dragoons. We moved
down towards the Hutnee river, and found a large tiger in
the Sankree Tokree ravine. Profiting by our former experi-
ence, I placed Froom on the high ground between the ravine
and the Hutnee. On being started, the tiger at once went up
the side, and he shot him dead. I was posted on the far side
of the ravine, and on descending into the bottom was nearly
overpowered by the heat of the sun, whose perpendicular
rays, untempered by the faintest breeze, beat down upon my
head. The tiger, which was a full-grown male, had fallen in
a spot whence he could not easily be lifted, so we were com-
pelled to skin him as he lay.

We then moved down the Hutnee towards the Nerbudda,
and on the way started a panther out of a patch of green
reeds. On. being wounded he returned to the covert, and was
only discovered after a long search, when he was found dying
under an overhanging bank, completely hidden by the long
grass.

We hunted a large extent of very fine covert in the Ner-
budda without finding the print of a foot, and resolved on
moving up to the Hum Pahl, but the intervening country
being quite impassable, we were compelled to go round by
Dhie. On the south bank of the river, at a short distance
below the Hurn Pahl, one of our buffaloes was killed, and
on going out we found the tiger among some small patches of
cypress interspersed with pools of water. We moved in to
the attack on our elephants, and this tiger was also shot by
Froom, without any assistance on our part. This was his
first expedition after tigers, and we were obliged to speak
seriously to him regarding the prompt manner in which he
disposed of our hardly-found game! This tiger was then
bound on an elephant, and I prepared to mount my own, on

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 345

which Evans was already seated in the howdah. Elephants
are usually mounted by small ladders hung on the side of the
pad, but as these are apt to get torn off by bushes, we gener-
ally mounted by the crupper, assisted by the elephant, who,
on a hint from the mahout, lowered his quarters, while he
stretched out his hind-leg for us to step upon. Unfortunately,
on this occasion, the forefeet of the elephant were on high
ground, and as he lowered his hind-quarter to allow me to
mount, the howdah was tilted back at such an angle as to
pitch over the rifles which lay on the seat. The Bashi
managed to retain two, but the third, an extra heavy double
rifle, went over, and falling from a height of about six feet,
struck me on the cheek and mouth, nearly driving my teeth
down my throat. I suffered greatly at the time, and feel the
effects of the blow to this day.

We then moved north to the Mogra ravine, where the
tigers had been poisoned last year, and we found to our
regret that no others had taken their place. But we beat the
lower part of the ravine, and turned out a panther, which was
shot by Evans. Higher up we started a large bear. It came
out to Froom, who, possibly remembering our admonition re-
garding the tigers, missed it very creditably, and it went its
way. Crossing over the hills towards the Jeeree ravine, we
hunted some fine ground, but found nothing, and we then
began to fear, what was indeed the case — viz., that we had
nearly cleared every tiger out of the country.

In the Jeeree ravine, however, we found a panther, which
passed below me at a great pace, and went on to Evans, who
bowled it over with a fine shot. Lower down, in the same
nullah, we started another very large panther, which was also
shot by Evans. Being wounded, we went towards him, and
he made a somewhat vicious charge, when a final shot put an

346 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

end to him. This was a very old beast, light in colour, and
much scarred about the face. Many of his teeth were broken
and decayed. We passed on to Baug, and found a panther in
some cactus bushes a short distance below the caves. He lay
near the top of a very high bank, and as one gun was to be
posted above, we drew lots. The position fell to Froom, who
was rewarded for the toilsome ascent by getting the panther,
which he shot in good style as it went up the bank. We
hunted all the old iron-pits round Baug, but found no marks
of tigers ; and the only addition to our bag was a large blue
bull, which started up suddenly from a nullah, and was
dropped as he went off.

From Baug we made a long march to the eastward, and
camped in the Maun river, in a country which I had not
hitherto visited. There was only one tree which offered good
shade, and the ground below it was so infested with cattle-
ticks, that we were continually obliged to wear our long
riding-boots. But our hearts were gladdened on the following
morning by the arrival of Dhokul, who with his men had
marked a tiger and a panther into the bed of the river, a short
distance above our camp. The tigress, for such it was, had
taken up her quarters for the day among a mass of shingle
and willows, on a bit of ground which had been swept by the
stream in high floods. Men having been posted in trees to
look out, we went at her on the elephants, and I presently
caught sight of her crouching among the willows, and evi-
dently supposing she would escape our observation. This
idea, if entertained, I speedily dispelled by a shot behind the
shoulder. Bashi also fired, and wounded her, but she doubled
back and got away down the river. Our men on the trees
now came into play, and she was observed by them to make
for some small patches of cypress. We followed her up at

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 347

once, but so well had she concealed herself that the elephants
had passed within a few feet of her before she was observed.
A shot brought her charging into the open ground, where she
was slain.

We then went after the panther, who was lying among the
rocks in a small but rocky Tavine running down to the Maun.
On being started, he made a rush up the bank, and dis-
appeared under a huge fragment of rock. Bashi and Froom
having posted themselves, I went above on an elephant, and
commenced to heave down big stones. My left wrist having
been partially disabled in my encounter with the bear in
1857, I am unable to grasp my rifle with that hand, and in
shooting, the gun merely rests in its position by its own
weight. A stone having fallen near the panther, he gave a
sharp growl, and the elephant suddenly stepping back, I was
thrown forward against the rail of the howdah. One of the
knobs which divide the spare guns struck the trigger, and the
rifle, which was heavily loaded, went off. The force of the
explosion pitched it clean over, and being only loosely held in
my right hand, it fell on the rocks below, breaking the stock.
Just before this mishap, fearing lest they should be in the
way, I had insisted on a number of our men leaving a tree
which stood a few paces off, and into which they had climbed
to see the fun. But for this percaution, one of them would in
all probability have been killed, for the ball, on leaving the
rifle, passed through the branches.

A few more stones served to dislodge the panther, but he
bolted out with such a sudden rush that he got away up the
ravine unhurt. Two of my men had been posted higher up,
and as the panther came opposite to them, he halted on a
ledge of rock. The men, who were armed, one with a single-

348 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

barrel smooth-bore gun, the other with a Brown Bess carbine,
fired together, and the panther fell dead. The two balls, at a
distance of about sixty yards, had struck him behind the
shoulder, within a couple of inches of each other, and on
examining the slain beast, we thought the shooting was a
credit to the men of the Malwa Bheel Corps.

Finding no more signs of game at this place, we deter-
mined on hunting the Maun river very carefully as far as
Munawur, as we thought we should probably find something
in the large patches of cypress which covered its bed. We
therefore sent off the camp to Munawur, and next morning,
mounting our elephants, we moved down the broad bed of the
stream ; while our men, keeping along the banks on both sides,
carefully examined the ground for footprints. We started
one panther, which, on being wounded by me, crossed over to
Evans, who shot him dead. After this we saw nothing save
jackals and the footprints of hyaenas, till we had nearly
arrived at the end of our beat, and were within half-a-mile of
the village. A few detached bushes stood out in the waste of
shingle, and as they passed these, some of the men heaved in
stones, and a fine panther bounded out. As he was too far
for accurate shooting, we reserved our fire, and the panther,
leaving the river, went slowly up the sloping bank. When
he reached the sky-line we saw him halt for a moment, and
then, with his long tail whirling in the air, he charged to the
front and disappeared. The growls of the panther were
followed by loud human shrieks, and on going forward, we
found a man of the Bunjara tribe who had been sharply clawed.
He was on his way to the village bearing his child on his hip,
and followed by his wife, when the panther met him suddenly
on the footpath, and charged as above described. Having

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 349

directed him to get his wound attended to by my native doctor,
we went after the panther, and after going some distance took
his track back to the river, where he had lain up in a close
thicket of young mimosa, whence, after some trouble, he was
dislodged and slain.

We found cholera was rife in the village, so we moved at
once and encamped at Kotra, near the mouth of the river.
At this place we drew the cover blank, and could hear of no
tigers. We halted two days, on each of which Futtah shot a
nylghae. One of these he had wounded at some distance from
the camp, and finding he had no more ammunition with him,
he succeeded in driving the bull towards the tents. We were
quietly seated, when he rushed in, and, catching up a rifle,
went off at his best pace, calling on us to follow. Away we
went, and, after a long chase, we overtook the bull and brought
him to bag. The marrow-bones of these antelope are very
excellent, and we saved them for ourselves, giving the flesh to
the men. But though the bull was shot late in the afternoon,
the heat was so great that they went bad before dinner-time
next evening. From this camp we moved north, and pitched
in the jungle at the foot of the hills. We only found one bear,
which I wounded but did not get, and we then ascended the
mountains and halted at Cheerakan. In the ravines at this -
place we collected a number of fossils. In the marl and earthy
limestones we found many univalve and bivalve shells, bucci-
num, ammonites, etc., and in many places the ground was
strewed with specimens of the sea-urchin.

But we found no game, and ascending into Malwa, we en-
camped at Sooltanpoor. In the ravine in which I had formerly
shot tigers alone and with Ward, a bear was found, but he
escaped into the mountains. Several parties of our men had

350 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS.

been sent out to villages a few miles off, and on the following
morning, at daybreak, as we lay on our cots in the open air, I
saw one of them carried in on a litter. This was Tarrachund,
a corporal of the Bheel Corps, who had been seized with cholera
the night before. He was attended to at once by our doctor,
but he was beyond human aid, and died about mid-day after
great suffering. His body was at once carried out and burnt,
and, aware of the importance of getting away from all traces
of the disease, we shifted our tents that evening and encamped
on fresh ground. Next day we returned to Sirdarpore, and
then moved out six miles to Dutteegaum, where we watched
some bear-caves in the evening. A small bear was fired at
and wounded, but he escaped among the rocks, and we lost
him. This was the last beast which we saw. Our expedi-
tion, though a pleasant one in many respects, had not been
very successful, but this was fairly accounted for by the num-
ber of wild beasts which we had killed in the same district
during the two preceding years. My men, too, were so
thoroughly up to their work, and so persistent in their efforts
to show sport, that hardly an animal escaped them.

In the preceding pages I have endeavoured to show, from
my own personal experience, the various circumstances under
which, in a somewhat difficult country, the chase was success-
fully prosecuted, and many wild and savage animals were
slain, with but a small percentage of damage to human life or
limb. To " old shikarees" I have little to teach, but those
who are learning their work, or may be induced hereafter to
vary the tamer sport of Europe by a campaign in the East,
will, I think, find in my narrative some hints worthy of their
notice.

ADVENTURES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 351

The record of my doings might no doubt have been more
acceptable to the general reader had it been more varied with
matter other than mere slaughter, and had the tale of blood-
shed been more frequently relieved by accounts of the geo-
graphy, scenery, and natural history, human and bestial, of
the country ; but all these have been well described elsewhere,
and by abler pens.

THE END.

Printed ly R. CLARK,' Edinburgh.

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