UC-NRLF 25 Sfil HlGaiNBOTHAM & CO, VADRAS & BANGALORE. e>— * ^ 4U£^?«Lj WILFRED PARTINGTON LEAVES FROM AN INDIAN JUNGLE • Hot weather— the nmUday halt. LEAVES FROM AN INDIAN JUNGLE GATHERED DURING THIRTEEN YEARS OF A JUNGLE LIFE IN THE CENTRAL t PROVINCES, THE DECCAN, AND BERAR. BY A. I. R. G WITH TWENTY ORIGINAL ILLUSTRATIONS BY THE AUTHOR. BOMBAY : THE TIMES PRESS, LONDON : THE "TIMES OF INDIA" OFFICE, 121, FLEET ST., B.C. 1903. PRINTED AT THE TIMES PRESS BOMBAY. CONTENTS. I. — AN INDIAN SUMMER'S DAY. II. — TOLD BY THE DOCTOR. III.— TEAK AND BAMBOO. (The Sdmbar.) IV. — MELURSUS DIABOLICUS. V. — PAKHAL NADDI OF THE PALM TREES. VI. — THE MAN-EATER OF BELKHERA. VII. — ON THE COTTON PLAINS. VIII. — A NIGHT BY A JUNGLE POOL. IX. — BY TAMARIND AND MHOWA. X. — UNDER THE JAMUNS. XL— REMINISCENCES OF JUNGLYPUR. XII. — ROUND THE CAMP FIRE. XIII.— IN THE SAL FOREST. 197 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. FRONTISPIECE — Hot Weather — The Mid-day Halt. I. — At Home. II.— That fatal pause. III. — A dark mass broke the silvered water. IV. — At the head of a deep glen. V. — Stood, with heaving flanks. VI. — There came a sudden shock. VII. — Bursting from the prickly covert. VIII.— He clung to the rock. IX. — Stood, pricking my ears — X.— The Lord of the Herd. XL— A Jungle Pool. XII. — A corner in the sandy way — XIII.—That perfect stag. XIV. — Too patent to a panther of experience ! XV. — Like a yellow meteor — XVI.— There * * * * Stood a monster stag- XVIL— Stalking Chinkara, XVIIL— The Poachers. XIX.— Buffaloes in Sal Forest. XX. — Splash their leisurely way across — ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. The acknowledgments of the writer are due to the Editors of the Indian Sporting Times, the Indian Field, and the Asian, whom he has to thank for their courtesy in permitting him to make use of such of these articles as have previously appeared in their columns. To the management of the Times of India, Bombay, he is especially indebted. It is largely due to their help, particularly with regard to the reproducing of the illustra- tions by their photozincographic department, that he has been enabled to carry out his ideas. INTRODUCTION. Prefatory remarks to these Jungle Sketches would be out of place were it not for the fact that some sort of apology, some foreword, seems necessary in bringing for- ward yet another publication on Indian sport. The subject is a well-worn one, and must be so tired of by most readers, that to meet the weary sigh of — " What ? More nullahs — more beaters — more shots clean through the heart ? " — -that may greet his essay, the writer feels that he must advance a detaining hand, and hasten to plead as follows : — Teak, bamboo, jamun, sal and others — these leaves have been gathered by a wandering shikari on the banks of forest streams, in the moonlit machan, under the banyan's grateful shade, for those who love the jungle ; and in their quiet colouring there is no place for a record of expensive ' bags ' or tall yarns. All they aim at is to present, in a style true to Nature, the silent charm of their native hills and plains, and the comings and goings of the fauna that inhabit them. They are scattered here in the hope that to some they may prove reminiscent of the attractions of shikar in a manner devoid of the objectionable diary style and those wearisome stereotyped accompaniments that have only an irritant effect — especially on seasoned skikdris of wide experience, who shoot much, but are silent as to their performances. 11 To this end the recital of a somewhat limited experi- ence has been kept, as far as possible, in the background, an effort being made to bring out rather those apparently unimportant details, the light and shade, so to speak, that, apart from the mere gratification of a hunting- instinct, go so far to form the pleasurable whole of a hunter's wanderings. It is also hoped that, aided by the illus- trations, these l leaves ' may give a nearer and more detailed view of some of India's jungles and sport to those who have not visited the country; If, however, it is a guide-book, a compendium of knowledge, that the latter require, they should turn to the well-known works of famous authors on Indian shikar. The writer is aware that the illustrations — especially some of the animal figures — fall below artistic standards ; but the animals, feebly depicted though they be, will not be found posing in those conventional ' Indian ' surroundings which exist solely in the fertile imagination of the untravelled artist, or may have been elaborated by him on the rough suggestions of those who possess the necessary local knowledge without the power of expressing it in a useful way. No care has been spared to make the sketches true to Nature, and to present wild beasts as they are actually found at home ; and, for this purpose, scenes have been revisited for the express purpose of securing truth in the smallest details. All the landscapes ^TQ facsimiles of actual localities as they exist at the present moment. Photographs have been avoided, as only high-class work on a large scale would serve the purpose of the writer. Ill From those who, like the exasperated Frenchman, " abhor the beauties of Nature," some indulgence is craved. There is a place for everything ; and what would be but sickly sentiment in the more strenuous walks of life comes naturally enough when we enter the silent vistas of untrodden forest and become susceptible to those elemental influences, old as humanity itself, that still exercise some sway over the most civilized mind. The critical reader should therefore allow the rustlings of these leaves to draw him within their quiet shade, forgetful of the fact that his guide is neither ' mighty hunter ' nor boasts much wider experience than is sometimes afforded by the earlier years of 'a soldier, therefore seldom rich.' ERRATA. A few obvious errata have crept in while this publica- tion was in the press — some minor errors in punctuation here and there. p. 26, for ' spurf-owl ' read spur-fowl. p. 39, line 21, should read — . . . . After that, the tree ! Interposed by, etc p. 54, line 24, for lines read Lines. p. 1 01, line 31, after Pipalda insert are. p. 107, line 30, for herd read head. pp. 117 et sequitur, for Cantonments read Cantonment. AT HOME. AN INDIAN SUMMER'S DAY. MORNING. " Koel ! Ko-yel ! " from the feathery tamarinds. The faint breeze accompanying an Indian dawn has died away, and a burning March sun is climbing into a hard :blue sky, casting hard blue shadows across the smooth, white, tree-bordered road of the little Cantonment. " Tok — tok— tok — tok ! " from the glossy new pipal> leaves hammers the little barbet, all head and beak — if you can see him — punctuating each monotonous note with a sidelong nod, now right, now left. Soon Nature will lie wrapped in the noontide silence. The hot weather has come once more, and the exile girds up his loins for resistance, passive though it may be, till relieved at the bursting of the next monsoon rains. The punkah has recommenced its weary flap ; and many an unhappy individual, uncheered even by that priceless thirst which is now his right, is settling into a quiet hypochon- dria. But to the shikdri come no discomforting thoughts. Let the sun do his fiercest, and the " brain-fever-bird " his worst, while parched leaves eddy in the scorching blast ; they only remind him that his time of promise is nigh. Unfold the map ; visit each old haunt afresh ; mark as likely those yet unvisited ; welcome the men returned with hopeful news ; settle the route, and overhaul rifle and gun. Hurrah! for April jungles and all they hold in anticipation ; there are compensations for an Indian summer after alL Leaves from an Indian Jungle. NOON. Hot dry jungle crackles under a vertical sun, and the dust of the forest road lies away in a long grey riband behind the rythmic hoof-beats of our third change of horse-flesh as a long ride draws to its destination. Ahead, quivering in the heat -haze, a dip in the low woody hill country, indicative of a line of river, with those glimpses of dark green groves along its banks. Mother Tapti at last I The track curves down to cross a tributary stream, and we walk the good mare across its shingly bed, under the low branches of gnarled and hoary mango trees, up which spring and whoop the grey apes that we have disturbed at their midday drink. Far up-stream the fresh green of jdmun covert ; down-stream great rocks, with some peafowl scuttling away from a little water-hole. A likely place indeed! We ascend the far bank slowly in deep shade ; then off on a final canter. Jungle thins, and gives place to a narrow clearing, its diminutive fields lying reaped and bare ; the barking of village curs is heard, and a humble Korku hamlet stands on its knoll, overlooking a fringe of dark trees that border the river below. Our hoof-beats bring out one or two of the jungle men, who, grinning in a friendly way, point to a bend up-stream. There, roman- tically situated in the deep shade of a spreading many- trunked banyan, is the little 8o-lb. tent. A mandwa, or thatched, open-sided shelter, has been erected adjoining it, 'neath which on snowy napery tiffin is ready laid! We sink into the inviting arms of a long cane-chair. 44 Yes, my excellent Abdul, you may remove my boots ; but, before all, bear swiftly hither a chalice brimming over with nectar such as the sahtbs do love ! An Indian Summer's Day. " Al-hamdu-l-illah! but that's well worth a thirty-mile ride! " Two tigers located here, did you say ? and the men away preparing for my honour's hunting ? and the luke- warm tub is ready ? The gods be propitious indeed ! " NIGHT. The glare of a long hot weather day is past, and the misty river breathes cool airs that stir the lighter foliage. An excellent dinner, prepared by the faithful " Bulbul Amir, 5> is just over, and a long cheroot glows peacefully as the grateful smoke curls slowly aloft. Cicadce and crickets maintain their ceaseless songs, and from the mar- gin of the pool beyond that dark bank rises the occasional croak of a wakeful frog. We are set out in the open, away from the now heat- retaining trees, and may gaze straight up into the serene, star- pricked arch of the sky. The moon is up, turning the jungle into fairy-land, and its inhabitants, that have hidden in silence during the heat of day, are now abroad, wander- ing in search of food and water throughout this wonder- ful tropical night. The nightjars that sail mysteriously about during the crepuscular hour, uttering a strange cry of " Chyeece— chyeece !" have taken up their nocturnal call, and "Chuckoo — chuckoo — chuckoo !" continuously to each other across the broad shingly river-bed. Very faintly, so far down-stream is he, may be heard the distant braying of a chital stag. Even the presence of aboriginal man seems but to add to the sense of contented peacefulness, a soft if it be summer, under the bamboos higher up. If it is seldom that you see me, you must blame your eyesight ; and remember that on our hills to move is to be seen, to stand motionless is to hide, and that of this our race is well aware. " To see without being seen " is the motto for our jungles, and I have often stared right in your face, your eyes all but meeting mine, as you passed on, noting in wonder the numerous traces of my horns and hoofs. The memory of my first big fight ? Ah, it seems as yesterday ! I had been away from my khora the previous day, having wandered some distance during the preceding night. I remember when night fell, and the evening glow gave place to a moonlight almost as bright, I descended the 2o Leaves from an Indian Jungle. sheering mountain side, and, winding down a tremendous open grassy spur that sunk swiftly to the hazy depths of J^mgarh below, paused ere entering the path of teak scrub, half way down, with its heavy heads of green and thick leaves — for the season was early November. Hark ! a faint roar rose from the glen. I stood listening with tense nerves, and then recognised a rival's voice : indignant, I hastened my descent. Reaching and passing up the bottom of the ravine, I again clearly heard the hoarse challenge, and halted. " Dhank ! " my lusty young voice burst forth in fierce accept- ance, and with hastening steps I clattered over the boulders and sprang up the bank. A fringe of thick coppice sur- rounded the large akhdra of our glen, and through this I forced my head and shoulders and glared forth into the arena. There, facing the moon, whose cold rays fell on his -wild eyeballs and bristling mane, stood a hoary old stag. Throw- ing up his muzzle he gave vent to a hoarse, whistling, broken-voiced bellow, displaying in that motion a throat and chest livid with deep scars. The tips of his thin, sharp- pointed horns — for he was past his prime— gleamed dully against the dark background, where the indistinct forms of some hinds mingled with the shadows cast by the trees. The scene roused me to an unutterable fury, and I slowly emerged from the copse and faced him. He turn- ed his bloodshot eyes on me ; and thus we glared at each other, every hair erect, tails stiffly raised, and wide-opened eyepits glistening with the sickly-smelling secretion of the rutting season. A sudden silence fell— the jungle seemed to wake and hold its breath — a nightjar " Chuck, chuck, chuckoo'd" in the distance — we each paced forward slowly. — and then, with one swift rush, our antlers crashed together ! Round and round, now back, now forwards, as one or the Teak and Bamboo. 21 other gained some momentary advantage, raged the furious battle : the earth was torn up under the spurning of our widespread feet ; saplings snapped under our mad, blind rushes ; sticks and leaves flew as though a whirlwind caught them up. At length we paused for breath, horn to horn, leaning against each other, open-mouthed, eyes showing white, and blood clotting our manes or dripping on the dried leaves below. Then at it again, forced to our knees, heaving up again, resisting and boring, horn grating on horn, scoring the ground deep with the mighty thrusts of our hind feet, till, almost despairing myself, I felt my antagonist weaken. But with indomitable fury the veter- an resumed the onslaught. At length, his gasping breath whistling in his parched old throat, and contesting every foot with untameable purpose, I gathered up all the reserve of my vigour, and with a huge effort bore him backwards ; on the edge of the steep fall came the last blow, his footing slipped, and, driving a sharp tine deep into his labouring chest, he rolled down into the river-bed, accompanied by a shower of earth and loose stones. Staggering to the edge I looked down. There stood the old warrior, muzzle to the ground, and ears drooped in the humiliation of defeat; and, as I gazed, he slowly turned, and with a bubbling groan tottered away into the black shadow of a great mango tree that arched the ndla lower down. Then, flinging back my bloodstained antlers, one deep, exultant bell, in which were concentrated all my pent up feelings, rang through the forest and died away on the silent night— " Dhank !" The next morning, as I took my accustomed way up the khora, and paused ere facing the steep slope to my favourite form, accompanied by a few hinds, my eye caught a swift 22 Leaves from an Indian Jungle. movement in the now dry ndla-bed ; we had sighted each other simultaneously, and it was in vain that the tiger flat- tened his belly against the yellow sand, for my deep voice gave forth a sharp warning, and, with answering barks of alarm, the hinds crashed through the crackling carpet of leaves, and stood stamping their fore feet, while nothing escaped their large ears, which were spread to catch any suspicious sound, as they moved them first in this direction, then in that. With a baffled look on his cunning face the tiger rose, and disappeared round a bend in the ravine. Some days after this I saw a sahib, accompanied by two Korkus, coming up the glem They were walking up the bed of the stream and pointing to the pugs of the tiger : something made me move my head as I gazed down on them from among some dry bamboos on the top of an overhang- ing bank, and in an instant a Korku clutched the sahib's sleeve and, directing his attention to me, whispered, " Burr a dhdnk /" but I, ever wary, had risen and withdrawn from view. Suddenly a sambar's bark rang out from the ndla — at the time I noticed nothing peculiar in it except that it sounded weak — and then another. In a moment of curiosi- ty I stepped forward to investigate this strange occur- rence. One of the Korkus had his hands up to his mouth, and the sahib had disappeared. Again came the bark, apparently from the Korkus, and I turned to plunge into the jungle ; as I did so, a rifle exploded among the trees to my right, and I was felled to the ground. Being on the edge of a steep fall, I rolled some distance ere I could regain my feet and stand up, paralysed with a numbing pain. Steps rushed towards me through the loud leaves, and, with an effort, I tottered down-hill and gained the thicket bordering the stream, as the Korkus rushed up to turn me, waving their arms and shouting. With a frantic Teak and Bamboo. 23 plunge I passed them, and, crossing the bed of the nala with a clatter, disappeared among the trees, just as a second bullet buried itself with a thud beyond me in the bank. A few steps more and I came to a standstill, feeling faint and sick ; then, seeing a small side nala, I crept a short distancs up it, and had barely squatted in its sheltering grasses, and pressed my head to the ground, when my enemies came in sight, and, passing close by my hiding- place, their eyes fixed intently ahead, rapidly receded up-stream. There were now two sahibs, one of whom was gasping out as he ran — " A perfect monster ! — a forty-five incher !" Their footfalls grew faint in the distance, and at length I was able to creep from my nook, and, with horns laid back, stealthily retrace my way, and take a jungle-path that led me finally, limping, halting, out of that glen and into the next. Proceeding thus, my fears and the smart of my wound ever pressing me on, I drank at a pool, and, going stronger, had put some miles between me and the scene of the disaster before I crept under the thick tangle of a woody hillside and laid me down. My hurt was painful, but had long since ceased bleeding, being caked with leaves. Lying thus, the rapid twilight closed in, the pink glow died from the opposite hillside, and a single star trembled in the deepen- ing sky. A big owl sent its weird quavering cry floating over the hushed forest, and was silent. The sleepy croak of a frog rose on the still air ; and the jungle sank to rest. When the waning moon rose, about midnight, I staggered to my feet, and crept stiffly down-hill to the cold raw valley, where the surface of a pool lay silver between black rocks. Wading in, I stood deep in its cooling waters, licking my wound clean. 24 Leaves from an Indian Jungle. After a deep draught and a roll in the damp sand I felt better, and stood listening. It was indeed good to live again — to feel once more the grand unbroken solitude of my native wilds— to smell the resinous perfume of the salai trees stand- ing in their ghostly array up the hillside— to see the hills slumbering under the moon, and hear the jungle stir in its sleep — the distant call of some wakeful night-bird, or the rustle of a dried teak leaf, as it floated, twirling, lightly to the ground. I did not fully recover from this day's trouble for many long weeks and lost condition. It was difficult to get at the wound and keep it clean of flies and maggots, I thought deeply also on the hind's bark that had work- ed so nearly fatally on my curiosity, and have since learn- ed that the cry of our species can be fairly well imitated by the Korkus, who hold a leaf of the pa Ids totheir mouths and blow on it : this I have from my old pal Bhalu, the black one, whom I found the other morning digging out an ants' nest. We are good friends, and it is only during the mhowa season that our interests clash. Bhalu is quick-tempered, and when we see his shaggy coat moving at midnight under the mhowa trees and hear him sucking and slobbering over the luscious flowers, we know better than to poach on his preserves, although, after all, his angry demonstrations are little better than a pretence, and laughable at that. He keeps us merry too on moonlit nights, when he and Mrs. Bhalu fall out and wrangle, and the gubars, the tiny owls, wake to chortle and hideously chuckle as they sit demurely side by side in the branches overhead. One more adventure, Sahih, and I have done. It concerns those vile little foes of ours from whom there is seldom escape — the wild dogs. When I tell you that forest reserva- tion has so increased their numbers that for every one Teak and Bamboo. 25 during the old days there are now ten, and remind you that each pack, numbering about a dozen individuals, often more, must be fed and fed well> you will begin to understand the enormous losses inflicted on the herds of deer during a single season. Increasing numbers have even altered the wild dog's retiring nature, and he now boldly appears where he would not have dared show himself a few years ago. Sahib, you are steadily driving us from our home in these hills. Why is the grass never fired now, and why left to die down season after season till ifc cumbers the earth with such a mildewed and powdery carpeting as none but the rankest herbage may penetrate when the rain comes down? The bison are going, and we follow ; and at no very distant time these hills will stand yet more desolate, deprived of all that once gladdened their solitude. I could tell you many another tale— of Dadu and Khatu, the Korkus, shikaris in the old days, but now — well, flesh is scarce in these regions, and in response may be to a knowing look from the " Jamadar sahib " they take their long banduks from the thatch and enter the bandi. Sambar, whether stag, hind or fawn, is good ; but a fat young bison- cow — Wah! But the wild dogs ! It was at the end of the fierce summer drought, when the first premonitory storms had grumbled for some time over the hills, and great violet-black masses of heavy rain-clouds came trailing up from the south-west. A fitful wind, mois- ture-laden, blew up the khora, and the cool grey morning tempted me to loiter under the trees, which, in anticipation of their approaching function, had put forth a fresh head of green young leaves. 26 Leaves from an Indian Jungle. A light pattering sounded behind me. I turned in surprise to see the lean head of an old wild bitch quickly withdrawn in the grass ! Then came a yap, and a scamper- ing in the jungle ; then another yap ; and, paralysed with fear for a moment, I laid my antlers craftily back, and crept away at right angles. In vain ! A long line of my fierce little hunters were extended in a fan, and, overlap- ping me, were swiftly closing in ! Turning, I lumbered up the kkora, and, breaking into a panic-stricken gallop, glanced behind to see the horrid, mute line of leaping, skulking red forms pouring from the woods in grim earnest. What a chase ! Climbing over spurs— dashing down the far side — scattering the clucking spurf-owl — bursting through the brittle jungle ! Once I sought to turn aside, but their flank was thrown swiftly forward, and headed me back. Realising that the easily loping brutes behind were driving me as they listed, I grew desperate and made a sudden dash for a side glen : the scraggy old bitch I had first seen came up with a rush, and her jaws closed like a vice on my belly ; then, as I frantically plunged through some bamboos, was torn away, the blood pouring from the red gash. On I clattered over the boulders, among which there now began to trickle a thin muddy stream, and, turning a bend, the fresh smell of rain-soaked earth struck my nostrils, as, carrying on its breath a distant peal of thunder, the first wild rush of the monsoon struck the groaning forest ! Large drops of rain met me as I laboured at a wearying gallop up the deep-cut ravine, and at length sighted the refuge I had sought — a deep pool under a little ledge of basalt, over which now poured an ever-thickening stream of red, earth-stained water. Teak and Bamboo. 27 Into this I plunged and turned in time to meet the leader of the pack, whom- I struck under the water, my sharp fore foot cutting deep into his entrails : the rest surround- ed me in an instant, finding their tongues for the first time, and bursting into a chorus of savage, whining yelps. Twice was I borne down, madly striking right and left with ant- lers and feet, and rose again, my cruel tormentors literally covering my bleeding form. The deepening, swirling pool was churned into yellow foam, the sharp snouts of the dogs sowing here and there as they swam ashore, and whined from the rocks, leaping out again to seize or be struck under. At last down came the spate with a booming roar ; and we were all caught up and hurried headlong down- stream : my foes were swept away like corks, and I, with difficulty feeling ground, breasted the raging torrent an instant, and then dragged my harried body up the bank. Yes, they were all gone, save a few that had followed down the opposite bank. Yet, what was this ? The drowned and battered carcase of one of them yet hung from my chest, his bared fangs closed in the grip of death ! Shaking myself free, blind with a furious fear, I impaled the dead body, and pinned it to the bank again and again — then I crawled under the lashing trees, and disappeared in driving sheets of rain. * * * * * Seat yourself on that rock, Sahib, and let your gaze wander over my forests spread out below. That distant mist rising beyond those low grey-blue hills marks the deep-sunk valley of the Tapti- ; before you the rolling sea of jungle stretches unbroken to the horizon, and beyond it to the sources of the Narbada ; while -at your feet the bamboc- tangled mountain-side descends well-nigh sheer to that broad shingly river-bed two thousand feet below, rising 28 Leaves from an Indian Jungle. again to those lofty flat-topped sentinels boyond. The untir- ing voice of the green barbet floats up from the valley — "Koturu — koturu!" A jungle-cock sends his five clear notes into the calm evening air. The warm sky is full of the sunset gold. And here I leave you. Farewell ! and " Dhank i" MELURSUS " DIABOLICUS," Ursus labiatus^ alias Melursus ursinus as he is now called, the common "Sloth" bear of India, appears to be an animal of varied accomplishments and strange contradictory charac- ter. Scarcely any two of the sportsmen to whom we are indebted for information regarding the habits of Indian game appear to be of one mind with respect to the temper and general bearing of this interesting quadruped in such dealings as he may have with man. A quiet, inoffensive vegetarian, say some,— although this would hardly agree with the experiences of the forty and two children torn by the bears introduced to them by one Elisha,— apoor old blundering buffoon of the woods, fleeing from a shadow, receiving his death wound with quiet resignation, and remonstrating with plaintive ululations alone : a nasty- tempered quarrelsome brute, say others : a persevering enemy that will not leave his victim the semblance of humanity, says the native. It appears however that the character of this bear, with respect to man, depends largely on locality. On the Central India plateau he is an object of great dread to the native, more to be feared than any tiger or panther. Instances of his totally unprovoked attacks on human beings are here frequent. A belated villager, some poor creature squatting in the woods to gather the fallen flowers of the mhowa tree, the traveller pausing by some jungle pool — any of these will do. The face and head of the victim are almost invariably chosen as his objective by this infernal 30 Leaves from an Indian Jungle. brute, and he will not usually leave the poor flesh until it is difficult to tell to whom it once belonged. That this picture is not too highly coloured may be proved by anyone travel- ling in those parts. Gruesome objects, jawless, scalped horrors, are at the present moment to be seen in the ham- lets of the forest region referred to. These are instances of the somewhat incomplete handiwork of Melursus. Fewer accidents occur to the sportsman through the agency of bears than by that of felines. This is to be attributed to various reasons. Melursus is not so quick, and his armament is inferior to that of tiger or panther : the ground he chooses as his resort often abounds in points of vantage for the hunter on foot : his black coat will not permit him to hide in a handful of twigs — all this, added to the fact that some of our books on Indian sport make light of and poke fun at him, induces the ordinary sports- man to undertake operations against the sloth bear with- out, perhaps, that seriousness which would accompany his actions when tackling more dangerous game. However, it is a dangerous thing to underrate one's adver- sary ; and nasty, sometimes fatal, accidents have before now occurred to sportsmen, who have discovered too late that the so-called sloth or " Honey " bear can on occasion wake up, and attack with remarkable vigour, inflicting wounds as severe, though not so dangerous, as those dealt by the felidce. She-bears of this variety, with cubs, are apparently the offenders inmost cases of unprovoked assault, although it is the writer's experience that, when wounded, bears have been more aggressive as a rule than similarly wounded felines. Bear stories are so common, and have figured so largely in tales of Indian sport, that in sympathy with the reader one must at the outset cry-— " Halt ! " But the narrative of Melursus Diabolicus. 31 an extraordinary escape the writer had when once fairly in the clutches of one of these black, hairy, yelling brutes is too tempting to pass by. As has been hinted at, there was a time when he held but scant respect for Melursus ; but up to that date it had not been his privilege to make acquaintance with the sub- family " diabolicus? It was during a singularly ill-chosen expedition to a certain district of the Central Provinces, that once bore a great name as a hunting-ground, that camp was pitched not far from a rocky range of sandstone hills named " Chitra- Katra." Thither the writer found himself riding out at dawn one morning in the merrie month of May. The men had gone on overnight, and were to watch the hillsides from before daylight for the bears which I was assured I should find. I should hasten to make it plain that, being a " family man," my methods of shikar have to be tempered with a due regard to the avoidance of a too intimate or personal acquaintance with wild beasts in their live and kicking state. A " foot " shikari, of the tree-and-rock- roosting species, I had hitherto gone scatheless through episodes— some tame, others exciting, all happily without harm to any of the people accompanying me — which had imbued me with a cock- sureness that ordinary prudence was all that was required to justify me in assuring those anxious for my welfare that no risks could or would be run. On reaching the foot of Chitra-Katra hill not long after sunrise, a distant whistle and vigorous beckoning brought me scrambling happily to the top, where I was informed that a large she-bear with a cub had been seen loafing about, and had, just before my arrival, disappeared behind some rocks- half-way down the hillside. Creeping along, I met the other shikari^ and was joined by two of my men with rifle and gunr 32 Leaves from an Indian Jungle \ It appeared that there were some caves below those rocks, I then went cautiously forward, and found myself on top of a long terrace of perpendicular sandstone, about twenty feet high, running along the face of the hill. At the foot of this cliff came a narrow ledge, and below this again a sloping face of smooth rock that, becoming ever steeper, at length dropped over the edge of a cliff. At the bottom of this lower cliff was a mass of big boulders, and thorny jungle crept up thus far from the surrounding woods. I had previous experience of she-bears, which I had known to come viciously charging up fifty yards of rocky hillside for nothing at all but the sound of a human voice • so I stood quietly there to elaborate some scheme by which the old lady might be " drawn " without compromising anybody's safety. As I did so, I heard a bear snuffling and grunting, about a hundred yards off, nearer the foot of the hill; so I ran on tiptoe along the rocks to find that the beast, which had evidently become suspicious, was making off into the jungled plain below. I followed the noises for about half an hour without coming up with the bear, then lost them, and returned to the hill, rating the shikaris for not having marked the game down with greater accuracy. Since only one bear had been seen, and the hill and caves had been watched from before dawn, it was natural to con- clude that that bear was the one I had heard going away, and that the caves were vacant ; so I came climbing up in a slanting direction and joined the men; after which we all clambered on to the narrow ledge before described, and began looking for marks along it, out of curiosity to see the place. I had quite given up all hope of any sport that morning, and was ruminating on the shockingly gameless condi- tion of the country in which I had already wasted a useless Melursus Diabolicus. 33 fortnight. I went slowly along the ledge, followed by the shikaris and men, looking into little recesses below the perpendicular face of sandstone, and under the impression that there was no hiding-place sufficient for a bear. The shikaris, local men, were now of opinion that there was no cave here. After a time there came a corner, round which curved the ledge we were following, and passing this I suddenly found myself in front of a large low- roofed cave. At the far end of this antechamber, into which the morning sun shone brightly, were two dark apertures leading into tne bowels of the hill. On the sandy floor of the entrance to the cave were the fresh ingoing marks of a bear, and none leading out ! We had halted, I suppose, for a few seconds, and I had let fall a word or two, in a low tone, to the effect that a bear was there all right and it was no place for us. Next to me was the local Gond shikari, and behind him a young Jat non-commissioned officer of my regiment ; while another of my men had been posted on the terrace above us to act as a look-out. Our position was a sufficiently hazardous one from the nature of the surroundings, as will be noted by a glance at the sketch of the episode — itself copied from a photograph secured during a subsequent visit to the scene of disaster. It did not take long for a mental appreciation of that situation to form itself, and the next moment we were quietly retracing our way. Round the corner whence we had come was a little room for expansion, so to speak, where the precarious ledge widened slightly, and formed a kind of niche or platform, overhung by rock. For this vantage ground we were now making ; and, had we reached it, I think that bear might, 5 34 Leaves from an Indian Jungle. with a fair amount of certainty, have been defeated and precipitated into the depths below. But unfortunately there was a " but " in the case: scarcely had we taken one step in retrogression when a horrible subterranean disturbance occurred in the depths of the cavern we had just left. This accelerated our movements somewhat ; but they were as nothing compared to the rapidity of the eruption that was going on behind us, and in less than no time a dis- gusting outcry belched forth from the dark opening in the face of sheer rock, and a furious bellowing announced that the brute was on us ! So close were we to our little haven round the corner that my own man had already arrived ; but for those in rear of him — time was up ! The G6nd leapt like any ape up some narrow cleft just ahead of me ; while for me there was nothing but a swift whip round to face this horrid trouble, my rifle not even permitted to reach my shoulder. To right — a blank wall of smooth cliifside; to left — a swift descent to the unknown over the edge of a slope scarcely less sudden than that of an ordinary church steeple ; and in front— a raging, roaring, mass of black hair shooting towards me with the speed of a runaway motor-car ! Bang! goes my rifle right into and touching the brute's back — and next moment I am in some strangely slow- moving nightmare, one of the most vivid of its kaleidoscopic memories being the peculiarly smooth-brushed appearance of Melursus* forehead as her jaws close on my right thigh, and seem to remain there for ages ! Then, curiously enough, I am upside down ; and every- thing whirls round and round in a freak-like dance ! Through clenched teeth I remember breathing some des- perate remark such as " Done for this journey ! " There came a sudden shock. Melursus Diabolicus* 35 With fingers gripped tight in some harsh long hair, or clutching at elusive rock-slopes, we bump and whirl swiftly downwards— instinctive ideas of the cliff awaiting us darting through my whirring brain ! To a certain extent a species of unconsciousness then seems to have supervened ; for it appeared to be long after this that there came a sudden shock, and a numb sensation seized my back and side. In a kind of mist I saw the shaggy body of the bear hurled far from me into space ; and then there came a distant deep thud and, after it, a faint rattling crash—ah! my poor dear rifle, that was you ; was it not ? Slowly I became conscious that I was clutching some- thing : things seemed all anyhow. Yes; it was a little tree that was gripped in the strength of despair, and I was hanging on to it, head downwards, on the face of the cliff itself ! My Jat orderly's voice soon sounded in my ear. " Oh, Bhagwdn ! Bhagwdn /*' I heard him pant, " he is saved !" The plucky fellow had crawled down that awful slope, having in the first place, ere ascending the fatal hill, luckily enough removed his shoes. And now he managed to seize one of my hands, I was somehow drawn upwards, and, getting on to the curve of the slope, was assisted up to the ledge, where I sat down. My first thought, I must confess, was "Bear!" and a weight seemed suddenly lifted off my chest as I realized that the brute would find it impossible to reach me again. After that a feeling of resentment supervened, bitter and cruel in its intensity, and, as my eyes fell angrily on the jungle below, I eagerly stretched out a hand for my weapon. But alas (had I not heard its splintering crash in that terrible fall ! 36 Leaves from an Indian Jungle. Then it was that my gaze fell on one tiny, solitary tree — less than a sapling — that clung to the cliffside. And I thought of bears no more, seized with a silent amazement at that miraculous escape ! That little branch, no thicker than a man's ankle, but of wondrous toughness, rooted in some mere chink in the rock, was the only break in all the smooth face of sandstone around. There was no other tree within many yards ! Ever since its chance seed germinated in that minute niche had it grown towards the fulfilment of a noble mission ; and behold to-day the realization thereof ! Flourish there, little lonely tree ! Swing in naught but caressing breezes from thy sun-kissed root-hold ; and would that they might all be moisture-laden ! Increase and multiply thy grateful spreading boughs! But this is not thy destiny— for 'tis only an obscure little jungle plant called " Bhiria* whose name I would set big on a scroll of honour. Remembering now that the bear had seized me, and that I seemed to have no right leg at all when I crawled back to safety, I glanced down. * * * « * It should be noted that absolutely no sense of pain had ac- companied my late adventure. It was therefore with a kind of humourous incredulity that I stared at what met my astonish- ed gaze — the thin shooting breeches hanging in gory tatters round a limb that was soaked in blood from groin to ankle ! Off came the breeches, and the marvel only grew. One, two, three, four great holes in my leg — my own good right leg! It seemed incredible. I wiped away what obscured the wounds, and felt their gaping edges with at first gentle then bolder fingers. I gauged their depth with probing fingers, lifting up in my curiosity a Melursus Diabolicus. 37 flap of tunnelled muscles ; and still no pain of any kind ! I uncorked my water-bottle of clean boiled water, and direct- ed its stream from some height into the ragged apertures ; examined them again, cleaned them out, and bound the leg round with a pocket handkerchief and strips of pagri cloth— and I never felt fitter in all my life ! The Jat, Mulloo, was meanwhile regaling the party with a vivid description of the catastrophe, and his solemn round eyes and broad-mouthing speech so tickled me, as he explained, with very illustrative gestures, how I had fallen forwards and, fixing rny hands in its shaggy coat, mounted that howling, horrified bear, before, accompanied by our satellites the hat, rifle, and little bear, we had gone revolv- ing down, that I leant back and roared with a laughter that went a long way in allaying the fears of the faithful fellows attending me. The only now practicable way off the hill vtzs past the cave again, and down a rough mass of boulders, and suffi- ciently arduous it was indeed. Meanwhile the shikari, who had gone down to pick up the pieces of my rifle, brought up the carcase of the bear cub, with my bullet hole in its forehead. The little brute, clinging to its mother's shaggy shoulders, had intercepted or at least set up the bullet considerably. Whether the she-bear got any of it is not known. She went slowly off round a spur of the hill, halting twice en route, say the men. Camp, six miles off, was reached at last on a stretcher made of two poles and a pagri. Here to my concern it was found that most of the perchloride of mercury mixture I had brought with me had leaked from the glass- stoppered bottle ; but a little was left, and, making up the solution, I washed and syringed out the wounds, now feeling faint from pain. 38 Leaves from an Indian Jungle. A day of " Loo, " or roaring hot winds, was succeeded by a calm cool night, and I was carried ten miles farther. By this time my back had stiffened from my fall of the morning, and it was impossible to obtain rest for a moment, nor could I, though incessantly sitting up and lying down again, draw breath without pain. To ease the back I tried to turn on my side ; but at that such a cramp seized the lacerated muscles of the thigh that the horrified bearers of my bed almost dropped me at the sharp expletive which rose involuntarily to the sky. All next day was spent at a roadside bungalow : the wounds had glazed over, and it was necessary to open them up and dress them again, which at last I forced myself to do with my penknife. At night came torture at the hands of the little native assistant surgeon summoned to treat me. A night of morphia-induced slumber, and twenty-five miles more on the bed, brought me to a small civil station, a friend in need and comparative rest — comparative, for here came chloroform and an operation. Though a mauling from a bear is not so dangerous as one from a carnivorous animal, there was considerable apprehension of pyaemia setting in : but the fact of being in hard condition averted that from the outset. In one single bite the bear, seizing the leg sidewise, had made all her four canine teeth almost meet. In that wound practically all the muscles of the lower part of the thigh were involved; and a considerable portion of them,, forming a dangerous flap, had to be subsequently removed by the surgeon's knife. One fang penetrated to and almost severed the very tubing in which runs the femoral artery. Two months on one's back, surrounded by hospital smells, afforded scope for thought ; and in reviewing the affair the following points suggested themselves. Melursus Diubolicus. 39 In the first place, the unlucky position that placed me at that bear's disposal was one of sheer deception. Secondly, as the bear had some yards in which to get up a rattling pace, and a sharp curve round which to approach me, completely under cover until within a few feet, it was impos- sible to stop her in time. Indeed, had I brained her, she must have got me once somewhere, being straight head on to me and coming so fast. The only thing that could have averted a catastrophe would have been a projectile of suffi- cent energy to at once overcome and arrest //^energy of, say, 25olbs. travelling at 25 miles per hour, and it is not possible to carry a one-pounder Vickers-Maxim everywhere ! So far, we see, all the luck was on the side of the wild beast ; but when she seized me it was my lucky star that rose. The bear caught me where I could best afford it — the big muscles in front of the thigh. Again, the precarious foothold saved me. Our impact and my fall on her back upset the brute, and our rapid descent of the slope prevented her from losing her grip and seizing me again ; it would doubtless have been my face and head then I After that, the tree interposed, by a truly extraordinary piece of luck, in the small of my back — the only place to stop my whirling descent; it saved me doubly, for had I possibly escaped death by falling, the bear, finding me still with her, would undoubtedly have polished me off in her own hideous way. The melancholy forebodings of a " dot-and-carry-one " action, and those horrid-looking boots with the ultra- Parisian heels, were fortunately not realized; and the leg is almost as good as new. But the lesson has been worth the learning. Bhalu may be a vegetarian: but to pre- suppose a general mildness of temperament thereby seems misguided, and hardly good enough. PAKHAL NADDI OF THE PALM TREES. The literature of hog-hunting is already so completer and has been dealt with by such past masters in the sport itself as well as in its portrayal, that the subject is to be approached with the greatest diffidence. All that can be said on this grand, engrossing, hunting topic must needs savour too much of what has gone before ; and yet reminiscences of bygone days at " Junglypur" would be incomplete without some reference to what the old place afforded us of this very quintessence of the hunter's sport. Hog-hunting played a great part in the woodland sports of Ancient England, if we are to judge by the preponderance of the "boare,"the " wylde swyne," in the hunting pic- tures and poetry of a certain period of those olden days. The lines of Chaucer and of other contemporary poets testify to the hunter's joy in partaking of what was evidently con- sidered the "blue riband" of that old time shikdr — his pride and boast of conquest over the " fearsome tuskyd beaste." In the lay of " Syr Eglamoure of Artoys " (dated 1570) we have a wonderfully spirited account of hog-hunting three hundred and thirty years ago, which will show pigstickers of to-day that there is little "new under the sun : — " Syr Eglamoure wened well to do, With a speare he rode him to, As fast as he myghte ryde. Or yf he rode never so fast, The good speare aionder brast, It wolde not in the hyde. Pakhal Naddi of the Palm Trees. 41 (from which we fear that Syr Eglamoure had failed to keep his hogspear keen, as all good pigstickers should.) That boare dyd him wo ynoughe, His good horse under him he sloughe, On foot than must he bide ! However, Syr Eglamoure had a second weapon on which to fall back— hys good swerde— and so probably fared bet- ter than would the hog-hunter of the present day, when— " On foot than must he bide. " Shakspere's Venus foretells the death of her Adonis should he encounter with the " boare"— — with javeling's point a churlish swine to goare, Whose tushes, never sheathed, he whetteth still, Like to a mortall butcher bent to kill. His brawnie sides with hairie bristles armed Are better proof than thy spear's point can enter o # « Being irefull on the lyon he will venter, So when we are told that pigsticking in India was evolv- ed from bear-spearing, that that its superiority was not discovered till the supply of bears had run out, we cannot restrain an exclamation of doubt. It does not seem likely that the earliest Indian pigstickers would have required such guiding towards a sport of their ancestors ; besides which, hog-hunting was already recognised and indulged in by the chiefs of Hindostan. Long years though they be since the " wylde swyne " dwelt in English copses, those fortunate enough may still enjoy his pursuit in this land of their adoption. We whose lines were cast awhile at " Jungly pur " were lucky enough to get the sport first hand from Nature — so to speak — at our very doors ; and, above all, without that rauch-to-be- deplored expenditure which has gone far to bring pigstick- ing towards the level of Indian racing. 6 42 Leaves from an Indian Jtingle. Our hog-hunting cost us nothing— no two thousand rupee racehorses — no heavy tent club mess bills. But we got our Pig I As the rider* canters over the level cultivated plains four miles due west of Junglypur, there rises to meet him, ovef long stretches of cotton and millet, a line of nodding, slen- der-necked date-palms, their drooping plumes hanging above the tangled coverts of a little stream known as "thePakhalNaddi." The name of this beautiful piece of1 pig covert is perhaps derived from the word pakhdl, meaning a bhistts water- bag ; and a happy 'simile it is, for the stream watering it may aptly be likened to a never-failing massak. Through^ out the driest hot-weather season its springs well forth in the midst of a parched and dusty plain, and break away ifl a deep cool stream, meandering over a muddy bed from pool to pool, the still dark depth of which reflect the grace* ful overhanging forms of shady boughs. This covert is extremely thick, and of the kind known s6 well to Deccan hog-hunters as a tindhthund, where the undergrowth is largely composed of dwarf date bushes, intermingled with lantdna and Tcarunda, and where impene- trable masses of dense green creepers, encouraged by the moisture-soaked soil, swarm tumultuously up the highest palms, flinging thick canopies of verdure over their drooping plumes, and smothering the underwood in an all-pervading embrace. Hard by, irrigated by little channels led off the main stream, are several betelnut, sugarcane, and other gardens, affording a cover scarcely less secure than the palm ndla itself; the whole, in sooth, forming a retreat calculated to lull the most suspiciously inclined porker with soft dreams of high feeding and undisturbed peace. Pakhal Naddi of the Palm Trees. 43 We first essayed our luck with the denizens of the Pakhal Naddi not long after our first arrival at Junglypur— now many years ago— and since few of us had ever before been able to indulge in the glorious sport, our methods would have horrified anyone accustomed to an orderly tent-club way of conducting affairs ! Most of us had yet to blood our virgin spears, and it was on this our first day " every man for himself and the devil for the hindmost." We were accompanied by a motley rabble of dogs, both small and great— hounds and mongrels, terriers and long- legged lurcher-like brutes, which one of our number termed his " greyhounds. " All the same we had no sooner enter- ed a scrubby fallow patch en route to the Pakhal Naddi, one early morning, than the fun began. Aroused by the annoying yap-yapping of a diminutive fox. -terrier at his ear, a good boar rose from a grass patch, and made for an adjoining bit of garden cultivation; where- at a hubbub arose that baffles description. Strong men yelled, spears flashed in dangerous proximity to neighbours' ribs, bushes crashed, hedges burst asunder, greyhounds were trodden on, ridden over, and wailed vociferously, and the main body of the pursuers, gathering strength as it went, hustled off after the pig; while, in quite another direction, a somewhat timorous individual, who had been persuaded to accompany us on the ground that it was the right thing to pig-stick, was to be seen, pale as death, balancing precariously on the neck of his country-bred mare, as he was swept away over the yet misty fields into, apparently, the " ewigkeit." What an uproa.r there was in that garden patch where the perplexed pig took refuge as the storm of hoofs swept o'er him ! Full of little irrigation drains, tall castor-oil plants, ' and various other garden products, it was not long ere 44 Leaves from an Indian Jungle. stirrup-leathers were torn from saddles, and excited sports- men deposited in more or less damp spots with a celerity that spoke volumes for the efficacy of the entanglements. " Where is he ? where is he?" gasped a hunter who was pale with hurry, and at whose belt hung various knives and other lethal weapons. " Where is he ? " we bellowed, in English and the vernacular, to the scandalised and horror-stricken tender of the garden land, who stood on one leg, with his hands joined despairingly, as we swept through the lush vegetation. A howl, and a small white terrier flung from out a bush, put us on the track once more, and this first of " first spears " was scored by a lucky jab downwards, as the boar rushed with a vicious lunge right and left between our horses' legs, "' Ware blind wells!" we yell, and the chase is resumed, to finally merge into a furiously struggling mass of stamping hoofs, angry grunts, and upraised spear- shafts, where the harried pig, gnawing a fetlock or two and desperately fighting to rise, gives up the ghost with evident relief andr in the spirit, is fled from the horrible inferno which, in the body, he could not escape. Our local "cowboy " now dismounted, and, despite remon- strances, " killed " the already dead boar several times over, by shoving a large species of knife into the limp carcase. Being the first time we had worked the Pakhal Naddi the ground was more or less unknown to us, and a good pig' got away, unseen, in the direction of the Chandrabhaga — a river that comes down from the hills about a couple of miles to the west, and which was the nearest haven of security for pigs driven from the Pakhal. There now ensued a long period of inaction and patient waiting. In time, however, the faint popping of kawit bombs and the crack of blank cart ridge sounded nearer, mingled with the music of the kerosine tins ; and after a while the bushes Pakhal Naddi of the Palm Trees. 45 parted, close to where I had been posted with another spear — H. — and an enormous grey pig emerged, halted, eyed us an instant, and with a " humph !" of churlish disgust turned, and trotted coolly along the covert side, to disappear again into its shelter as he made off up-stream. He was shortly followed by a fine black boar, a shade bigger if any- thing, who pursued the same casual tactics with even less hurry. However, they must have put on the pace after this, for a few seconds later, two natives, who had been cutting brushwood quite two hundred yards away, rushed from the ndla in suppliant attitudes ; and we understood thereby that the pigs were taking a line straight away through the ndla for the now familiar Chandrabhaga. Cross- ing the stream at a little clearing therefore, H. went up the far side, while I trotted up mine : the others had taken up unlucky positions and could not be seen. Near the head of the sindhtbund, where it ceased and the ordinary dry samalu-bushed watercourse began, I halted and awaited events ; but my luck was out, for the boars did not come out so far up, and I shortly spied two rapidly moving objects half a mile away, and made out H. riding a big pig single-handed. To gallop across the shingle, and set the mare going in this direction, was the work of a moment; and, my mount being fresh, I rapidly approached the scene of action, just too late however, for, as we forged alongside, H. scored first spear— a bit " abaft o' the mizzen " though, and the boar, the heaviest I had yet seen, and evidently our black acquaintance of a few minutes before, jinked across my front. Gallantly the little mare responded, and, with a bound for- ward, the spear point entered behind the small ribs, high tip, and stood out from his brawny chest. None of us were rich in spears in those early days, so, fearing a smash, I let 46 Leaves from an Indian Jungle. go ; and the pig, with the magic wand swaying from his flank, charged H., missed his horse, stumbled, recovered desperately, stumbled again, and fell on his knees, to sink slowly with a sigh on his side, and roll up the whites of his game little eyes— dead. Meanwhile a more animated scene was being enacted nearer covert. A big boar, so fat that he had only cantered a short distance into the open before lying up in wrath under a bush, had been attacked ; but, in spite of several severe wounds, had cut one horse, and regained the shelter of the thick nctla. As we arrived on the scene, he had just made good his retreat down-stream, leaving a beater nursing his thigh, down which there trickled a thin red stain ; while, further on, a rider, more rash than the rest, had fallen, horse and all, over a steep bank, and had just been propped up, gazing vacantly into space. However, a bottle of soda soon pulled him round. An uproar arising still further down-stream we hurried thither, and found the old pig, weak from loss of blood, standing behind some thick bushes. Edging round, I found him facing me down a tiny path in the jungle, his small eyes blazing with fury, and drew up the mare and lowered the spear point none too soon, for instantly making up his mind, and acting on his resolution like the good pig he was, out he came. Had he been fresher I fear there would have been good reason to bewail the folly of trying to take a charge at the halt, as it was only by thrusting downwards, with all the strength at my command, that I kept him down as he passed under the mare's belly, and crack ! went the stout bamboo shaft, snapping in two just above the blade, as a rustle behind told us he had regained his sanctuary. Pakhal Naddi of the Palm Trees. 47- This boar was never found, although we had the covert hunted through for him next day, and so must be added to- the list of 'wounded and got away.' The beat, being resumed, was carried out to the end of the palm grove. Partridges whirred by in numbers ; a jackal came slinking out and loped away across the open ; and, at the last moment, a big sounder of sows and squeakers broke, and sped off in a long line northwards. This brought our morning's sport to a close, and, canter- ing down past the pan gardens, there — a welcome sight — stood the tent,, with the white figures of servants flitting about, preparing the breakfast to which we were soon doing ample justice amid the popping of soda-water and the gurgling of well-earned "pegs." Cheroots and a chat, and the opening meet of the Junglypur Tent Club broke up,, as we drove off home the four miles to Cantonments. Many a capital morning or afternoon did we enjoy here — and many a blank day, too— the proceedings often graced by the presence of the ladies of the station. The sport that we had been led to believe was to be had with the pig in other parts of the surrounding country never eame up to our expectations however. In spite of capital bits of cover here and there,, a very mistaken policy had filled every hamlet with licensed guns, and it was only regular strongholds like the Pakhal Naddi that could defy the systematic poaching of village shikaris and profes- sional netters. As I have already hinted, one day's hog-hunting reads very like another ; so,, in perplexity, one turns from the difficulties of prose to the snare of blank verse. It is. by no means the first time that the metre of Longfellow's ' Hiawatha * has been murdered in adaptation, so apolo- gies are perhaps superfluous. 7 48 Leaves from an Indian Jungle. The last time I saw the old ' Pakhal ' four good pigs were laid out in a row by the Mess tent. Under the soft drooping foliage of the big tamarind trees by the ruined fakir's tomb, the good horses were being rubbed down, preparatory to being led home. The declining sun touched the surrounding fields with gold. As we finished our ' pegs, ' lit up cheroots, and got into the dogcart, I took a last look at the long line of gracefully- posed palms, now standing out black and sharp against the flaming western sky, in the quiet evening air. A moment later we swung round a bend in the road ; and, with a sigh, realised that the Pakhal was a memory of the past I PAKHAL NADDI OF THE PALM TREES. In the Plain beneath the Mountains, Mountains seven, wild Satpuras, wells a rivulet — the Pakhal — Pakhal Naddi of the palm trees. Palm trees nodding o'er the copses j copses full of creeper tangle j tangle drooping ever downwards, drooping, green, to kiss the surface, surface of dark, placid Pakhal ! Darksome are those slimy thickets, thickets of the Pakhal Naddi. Waning moon not long since risen, yellow o'er the eastern levels, shimmers faint on winding covert, covert sleeping soft, where crickets, crickets, cicadae, are trilling. O'er the fields a solemn silence, silence of the coming gilding, green and golden, of the morning, to eye-rubbing, yawning, waking, stirring, waking Mother Nature. Trembles higher star of morning ; grows soft light ere first false dawning ; stir the birds, cry " Chee !" in brambles j dim lie fields beyond the brambles — bare reaped fields beyond the brambles — Where the grey and fleeting shadows, prowling jackal, foul hyaena, slink before compelling fingers, first pale fingers of the morning. From the trees beyond the river flutes the koel — koel fluty ,• scream they, early flying parrots j stream they, arrow-like, o'erhead to join their fellows mid the her trees. Partridge wakes — "Ka-teetur; tee- tur ! " Antelopes, capricious moving, yellow flanks turn towards the morning. Far o'er furrow, through palati~— dry-stalked, cotton-picked paldti — comes a slowly moving darkness j Pakhal Naddi of the Palm Trees. 49 darkness growing ever nearer, twining, halting, crackling, snuffing j darkness of suspicious bodies, bodies of suspicious darkness, looming ever bigger, nearer, till the snouts of snuffling ' dookers] ' dookers ! ' — pigs they, wild, of jun- gle- snufF and gruntle slowly onwards. Piggies full of sweet potatoes, stolen sweetstuffs, luscious juices ! luscious they — the cane-stored juices, slobbered canes of luscious sugar, crunched up by the teeth of piggies in that field beyond the river ! Lean sows grunting to their hoglets, small brown hoglets squealing answer j youthful boars assuming graces, graceless pranks they ne'er had tried on were he present — Grey-Boar, master ! Sterns retreating, tails a' twitching, passes on the champing sounder, sounder of the jungle ' dockers, ' seeking shelter mid the Pakhal. Entering the prickly covert, covert closing tight behind them, covert smiling in the sunshine, level rays of dawning sunshine, showing ne'er a sign of piggies, innocent it smiles. Of ' dookers ' what does it know? Peaceful Pakhal ! In the distance sounds a thudding, cantering of useful ' tattoos ' j ponies carry sahibs to hunting, canter on till, dust subsiding, sees them drawing rein o'er yonder, under tamarinds so shady, where the hunters — Arab— Waler— switch their tails, by syces tended. Thither, too, the scouts repairing. Shortly see hog-hunters issue — (champing curb-chain, glancing spear- tip)i cross the fields o'er, pass the ford by, some to right and some to left hand (and a couple with the beaters). Roosting like some mangy vulture in the branches of a babul — thorny tree that wild acacia — sits a figure — stands a figure — ape-like gibbers mid the branches, branches of the thorny babul j pointing, beckoning — beckoning, point- ing, joins dusk hands before the sahib, points into the Pakhal's ihelter. " There he lies, the horrid sooar ! " Oh ! the rascal— Ah ! the villain— " may his destiny be blasted, " and his female relatives all, " nose-clipped hussies, may they shamed be! " See ! The swine came from the sugar, " sugarcane of my own planting, " trampling — crushing — masticating, " night-long ravages in champing ! " When the sahibs were changing horses, " burst he all my fence asunder, " passed he thence into that thicket — «' thicket of the Pakhal Naddi. " Where yon mango tree's dark shadow " falls aslant the prickly palm-brake " lies he daily — cursed ' dooker ! ' " See ! I call my fellow-toilers " (hasten Bapoo ! hurry Rama !) Leaves from an Indian Jungle. " and, to aid your honour's hunting, " join with them your beaters yonder." In the thickest of the covert, e'en at midday, fall but rarely, chequered patterns of a sunlight filtering through the verdure arching, glancing rare on placid pool-face. There the branches — very scratchy — of the prickliest sort of sendhi, trailing downwards, form a bower, sweep the earth with lowered lance- points $ 'neath this haven, ploughed and furrowed, soft-tossed earth — the moistest, coolest resting-place for grey-boar's tummy ! Grey-boar stretched out on his tummy, hind legs trailing, snout soft ' nuzzling,' snuff on sniffand sidewise ' nuzzling,' turning up damp soil luxurious — comfort for a hairy tummy ! Not too near that nagging party — Jean sow nagging, hoglet squeaking — peaceful dreams of nightly visits, long night visits to the sugar, sugarcane or sweet-potato, carrot yellow, onion juicy. Not one earthly care he careth ; not one enemy he feareth finger's snap for. Panther, Tiger, when they mark him, cat-like, make as though they failed at all to see him ; feign some previous engagement ! Grey-boar, therefore, scarcely stirreth sleepy eyelid, ear slow twitching, when a distance-mellowed clamour — throb of tom-tom, howl of beater — wafts so faintly on the breezes, breezes balmy of the morning ,- but, in somnolence, contemptful, grunts he, on his side reclining — " Nasty little shrill mosquitos ! how you bother with your pinging 1" 'Length the beat, a corner turning, comjng near the likeliest covert, swells out to a diapason, swells the dusky throats of beaters. Pops the squib ! bang — bangs ! blank cartridge, rattle empty tins from Baku ! thwack with bamboo, poke with bam- boo, Hoo the '(Looker*— Ha ! the 'dooker ' — rout him out, the tusky 'dooker! » See ! On down-curved wing comes whizzing driven partridge, bush-quail screeching j wheels scared nightjar ; shrieks the lapwing ; halts the lobbing hare, Upsitting, hearkens to the din behind him. Then the bushes, gently shaking, part, and void the motley sounder : lean sows grunting to their hoglets, hoglets hurrying swiftly after, hurry past the prickly arbour — Grey-boar's green and shady harbour. Grey-boar, on his side extended, hind legs draws up, eyebrow raises, raises up his mighty headpiece, meditates in formidable bristly-whiskered indignation — " What a most unseemly hooting ! " tins a' rattling, horns a' tooting ! I Pakkal Naddi of the Palm Trees. " (Hoo ? the ' dooher '—Ha ? the 'docker'}— " why the devil such a hurry ? " Gone ! my swift stampeding sounder, fled the hare and flown the partridge ! (Sudden sounds a shriller screaming — " Oh ! I see him— Ah ! I see him.") " Really this is too outrageous ! " What about a dart among the ** dusky shins of" yelling beaters ? '' Bangs a sudden bomb behind him — stinging, reeking, vile saltpetre — helps to make for him his mind up. Grey-boar surly walks from covert, leaves his enemies a bouquet — scarcely that of rose or lily — odour of the bristly ' dooker J ' ; passes down those aisles o'er arching Pakhal Naddi of the palm trees. Where a little knoll uprising, bush-encumbered, palm-frond studded, gives a view towards the westward — westward to the Chandrabhaga — shingly-bedded Chandrabhaga — lurk the hunters, hidden almost, flashing spear-tip, hidden almost $ hidden quite the Arab, Waler, ears a"1 twitch and bits a' champing, waiting grace of Pakhal Naddi. Hark ! The distant throb of drum- ming ! (tighten chin-strap, grasp the spear- haft) anxious watch yon covert, prickly covert-side of prickly Pakhal. See him there ! our brother-hunter— Rufus of the scanty top-knot, cunning rider, rider leary— keeping fairly near the exit, easing gee-gee, lest it weary, slipped off earthward from the saddle, stands dismounted by his gee-gee. See him ! watch him ! wily Rufus gathers up his reins so artless j artless Rufus, so nonchalant, places casual foot in stirrup ! Where's he broken ? Rufus leary, foxy brother — awfully wily — we know what your little game is — going to tell us when you're mounted Grins he, unabashed, the culprit, grins a grin, and points a lance-tip. There they go ! the motley sounder, lean sow lobbing, young boar trotting, snouts set straight for Chandrabhaga—* shingly, bushy Chandrabhaga ! And behind them, breaking covert, bursting from the prickly covert, looms a shape ! Ribs sudden thump- ing, thumps the heart, and throbs the tern- pie- Shades of Sooars — what a whopper ! Black as night that brow umbrageous ! grizzly-grey those 'chaps ' outrageous ! — and that mighty head, dividing ploughshare-like the thorns deriding. Steals he strangely, smoothly, forward, (twinkling legs screened all by grasses)— halts ! And never sidewise turning, roves his little keen set optic, right and left his twinkling optic. Softly ! softly ! brother hunters (reins so ready, spurred heels twitch- ing). Prithee ! note that plain so stretching, Leaves from an Indian Jungle. full two miles before us stretching : grace awhile ! The grey-boar trotteth to his doom on plain far stretching. Grace awhile ! Till grey-boar trotteth just too far to regain Pakhal, not too far to gain the Chandra — two miles hence the Chandrabhaga — ere we catch him. Wait ! Now RIDE ! 'Neath strong hoofbeats furrow fly- ing- rushing wind in ears roar-roaring— dart we from that knoll uprising, bush-encumbered, palm frond-studded, dart out on that plain far stretching. Now the hunter, Arab, Waler, neck and neck shall prove their mettle. In a moment fly to meet us prickly bush and hedgerow thorny ; just a pull to steady Arab, bounds into the air our Waler, hedgerow thorny's far behind us ! When the blood so madly courses, to the lips a yell it forces j yell of rushing, tearing gallop- howl of glorious exultation in this tearing, fighting gallop. Grey-boar, lobbing there before us, looming ever nearer, nearer, hears that yell of exultation ! hears that rushing, tearing gallop ! slackens in his lazy lobbing— halts ! And never sidewise turning, roves a sudden glittering optic. Just too far the kindly Pakhal ! rather far, dear Chandrabhaga ! Grey-boar, swiftly meditating, scarcely he an instant waiting, springs out stoutly once more west- ward— westward for dear Chandrabhaga ! But that deadly instant's pausing brought swift hunters straining nearer, till that grisly back, see-sawing, scarce a spear's length vantage drawing, seems to threaten with its bristling fierce, and truculent see-sawing : so, awhile, the hunted, hunters, straining — racing — fly on forwards. But the pace too good to last is — See J His bounds seem getting shorter $ every leap his loins stretch longer $ angry boar, like lightning turning, propping hoofs the light dust spurning, crosses, like some swift torpedo, foaming bows of rushing cruiser — Then it was that spear-point harmless sped into the furrow — bloodless — and the Arab's knees, thud-thudding, ' gainst old Grey-boar's side struck thudding. On his side comes Grey-boar angry- down goes Arab — soars the rider ! turning turtle, mighty toss takes ! Lucky he ! That Grey-boar rising, stubborn, fierce, on plain arising, marks a second foe — or truly shared he fate of poor Adonis ! Flying, spurring, closely after, comes the swiftly pounding Waler — much too solid to knock over ! — rushes neck-stretched, thudding Waler, rush to meet her, Grey-boar foaming — red his furious glinting optic — bristles upright, grey ' chaps ' foaming, onwards — upwards — bounds at Waler. Pakhal Naddi of the Palm Trees. 53 " Hough — hough — hough !" the Grey- boar foaming ! True bites spear-point, point of shoulder passing — like a stroke of lightning — such the force of that mad impact — glances far and deeply through him j but the speed of such an impact, Grey-boar up the haft it hurls him j cleanly keen, tush slices stifle—* stifle of the sturdy Waler j cracks stout bamboo, splinters spear-haft, foaming Grey-boar's left behind us — standing sternly ominous, and grimly, like some tide-set rock the surges rushing over leave behind them. So it comes — last fierce finale, reins all tugging — wrenching — wheel- ing ; dry lips panting — wide eyes staring — spurring back on Grey-boar reeling — " Hough — hough — hough ! " brave boar ! still fighting- grunting — charging — tushes tossing fiercely upward ! Let 'em all come ! Till at last — foes ever facing — comes some strangely weary faintness, dies the light from eyes courageous, sinks to earth boar — grey and glorious J 000 Home o'er brown fields quietly jog- ging— passed hot gallop— passed fierce kill- ing— let us ponder on this killing. " How he must have felt that killing, ' grim old Grey-boar ! brave old Grey- boar ! " rather I the kindly bullet — " sudden, thudding, numbing bullet— " than that chill blue lance's probing. " Ugh ! the gory lance so probing. " Cruel fate thine ! poor old Grey-boar " (falls o'er eyes a misty feeling.) " Not a bit, dear boys \ — believe me, " in a tearing, fighting gallop, " when the end comes — comes it glori- ous ! " for in such a fight uproarious, " where is dread anticipation ? " dead to pain is all sensation ! ** Just one rushing — slashing — roar- ing— *' howling — maddening exultation — " then Oblivion. Drops some Cur- tain. " At its brightest, life's lamp broken. " But the flame that's so extinguished, " naught /'/ knows when — how — extinguished !" Therefore, give us, good old Pakhal !- dear old palm- fringed Pakhal Naddi ! — Boars in plenty — gallops glorious, many such a fight uproarious — Pakhal Naddi of the Palm Tret* ! THE MAN-EATER OF BELKHERA. Hidden away in a corner of the little-known province of B , and about one hundred miles due west of the capital of the Central Provinces, lies the Httle station of — let me call it — " Jungly pur." Lying in the terai of the Satpura mountains, Junglypur faces the steep wall-like ramparts of this range of hills at a distance of some five miles. Behind, to the southward, lie extensive, level, and fertile plains of cotton-producing fame. In the old days the jungle almost surrounded the little Cantonment, flowing down from the hills over the terai country, unbroken save for a few patches of rough cultiva- tion. In those times game of all kinds was very plenti- ful, and within easy reach of the station. It is on record that an officer of one of the native infantry regiments at Junglypur bagged a tiger in a field of tur on the spot now occupied by the rifle range ; while a party of sportsmen shot three tigers before breakfast in the then dense coverts of the Chandrabhaga river, which issues from the hills six miles to the west. In the jungles along the lofty Bairat ranges bison used to be plentiful, and sambar and bears were everywhere abundant. Panthers of course were common, and in those good old times they were even known to enter the native bazaars, and sometimes the Lines, in search of dogs, goats, or other prey. Time has of course altered all this, its effects being felt even in an out-of-the-way place like Junglypur, and much of the charm of its situation has in consequence departed. The ploughshare has bitten deeply into the once jungle- The Man-eater of Belkhera. 55 smothered lands ; roads have opened up the erstwhile impenetrable depths of the " Melghat," as the hilly forest region lying within the Satpura range is called ; improve- ments in firearms have thrown a large quantity of muzzle- loading muskets in the way of the natives of those tracts ; and game has greatly diminished in numbers. However, when I was quartered at this queer, little, old- fashioned station, some years ago, there was still a fair amount of shikar to be had — if one cared to work pretty hard for it, and had sufficient patience to put up with a somewhat disheartening proportion of blank days. In this connection I refer to " big game:" antelope, chinkdra, and such smaller game were really plentiful, and not difficult to get at. I will however pass over a. description of the sport ob- tainable in the vicinity of little Junglypur, confining myself to the story of the Belkhera man-eater, a recital of whose misdeeds and bold ferocity may prove more interesting. It is an accepted fact that a large number of man-eaters in Central India and the Deccan are panthers. No man who has even a short experience of panthers and tigers will deny that the former animal is the more dangerous of the two. The tiger is, as a rule, a gentleman. The pan- ther, on the other hand, is a bounder. The tiger is not infre- quently a blunderer ; but Felis pardus knows exactly how to combine the two attributes of dashing pluck and almost unerring discretion, which are his by inheritance. The panther moreover — his habits leading him to the vicinity of villages — is much more familiar with man, and in consequence holds him in greater contempt than does the tiger, whose acquaintance with the biped is generally confined to a yelling band of demons and a terrifying explosion from some tree-top. It is therefore not surprising to find that, 56 Leaves from an Indian Jungle. where their numbers are nearly equal, the spotted cat is a greater connoisseur of human flesh than is his striped congener. During the time that I was a resident of Junglypur there was usually one man-eater at least at his fell work in the Melghat and surrounding hilly districts, and he was pretty certain to be a panther. A favourite ground for these opera- tions was the low hilly country bordering the Tapti river, whence the attack would be conducted, and toll taken in the small Korku villages situated on the rich and cultivated strips of alluvial land on its banks. One such man-killer was credited with a bag of twenty-seven victims, including a misguided native shikari, who sat up for him in a tree, but was, in his turn, cleverly stalked. All that his friends found of this unfortunate were the soles of his feet and a coil of blood-stained hair. At last this dreaded marauder was shot by a plucky little Korkuni as it was dragging her husband out of his hut in a field at night. In the neighbourhood of a hill village named " Asalwara, " not far from the old fort of Narnala, another man-eating panther made his appearance ; and after eight grass-cutters — members of a gang who had come up from the plains to ply their trade — had been mysteriously made away with, he was wounded by a brother-officer of mine and disappeared. From this it was concluded that he had died of his wound. However, man-killing began not long afterwards on the banks of the Tapti once more. From my own observations I have formed a theory that, unlike the tieer, who once a man-eater is often always a man- eater, the panther, with his superior cunning, is not so in- cautious as to enter on such a career in too exclusive a man- ner. He probably exercises the greatest circumspection in choosing his human victims, only taking advantage of them The Man-eater of Belkhera* $7 when satisfied by patient observation that he can do so with comparative impunity, and spreading his depredations in the human line over wide areas. Between times he must, therefore, fall back on his normal habits — feeding on jungle- pigs, village goats, cattle, &c. These habits it is, prob- ably, which make it so difficult to tell whether the real offender has been brought to book. One evening in the cold weather a Korku appeared at my bungalow, and informed me that a man from his village, Belkhera, had been caught — by tiger or sher, of course — while cutting bamboos up the precipitous sides of the Mahadeo khora. He was quite sure that it was a tiger : had seen it looking at him from some rocks, and its "pugs" were so big — spreading out his hands as he spoke : so I was equally certain that it was a panther. Belkhera is a small Korku village four miles from Jungly- pur, and at the foot of the hills. It is situated on the banks of a large ndla that runs up for nearly four miles into the heart of the mountains. At the far end of this long deep glen is the aforesaid Mahadeo hhora, or ravine. Nothing, therefore could be attempted that night, especially as there was no moon. Next morning, however, I rode out to Belkhera, before it was light, and the first streaks of dawn found us half-way up its long glen. It was bitterly cold, and the deep-sunk valley was drenched in heavy dew. The little jungle track lay alternately over the trap boulders of the shrunken stream and through long patches of red rausa grass. To the right and left the hillsides soared almost sheerly up, clothed with bamboo thickets, and thickly dotted with innumerable salai trees, which at this season were shedding their autumnal* tinted leaves. High over the surrounding spurs the curious pyramid- shaped peak of the Ch6r Pahar ( Robbers' HU1) & 5 8 Leaves from an Indian Jungle. jutted into the sky. Further on, rising to a height of about 3, 500 feet, were the twin hill-tops of Jhakra, and under them lay the precipice-girdled Mahadeo khora. It was here that the panther had seized the woodcutter on the previous day. At last we arrived at this ravine. The scene of the tra- gedy was pointed out, and I crept quietly forward to recon- noitre the spot. It was possible that the panther might still be near his victim's body. The unfortunate man had been seized and strangled, with- out so much as a cry escaping him, while engaged in chop- ping male bamboos out of a small thicket of these plants,* and his body appeared, by the tracks, to have been dragged along the hillside into the bed of the steeply-falling ravine, and then carried further up it. We now arrived at a place over which pours a small cascade during the rainy season ; and here the tracks ceased. I had ascended this ravine once before, and was therefore able to make a guess at the most likely place for the panther to lie up in. This was a deep pocket in the smooth-worn rocks, over which hung the roots of an old banyan tree that clung to the cliffside higher up, sheltering a small pool of stagnant rain-water. Wearing cotton-soled stalking boots as I was, there was little difficulty in climbing up to this spot without a sound, and slipping back the cartridges into the breech of my rifle, I crawled forward and peered round the corner. The place was deserted ; and not a sound disturbed the silence, except the rustle of some dried leaves as a small brown squirrel ran up the rocks. The green scum on the surface of the water had been disturbed, however, and the rock at its edge had been freshly wetted. I was proceeding to examine this, when a stone fell from the cliffs up-stream, and an exclamation from one of the JCorkus caused me to glance up. A large panther was in the He clung to the rock, The Man-eater of Be Ik her a. 59 act of clambering up another dry waterfall. He clung to the rock just at the top, and was glancing back before spring- ing out of sight beyond it. At this moment I fired. The brute slipped, recovered, clung again, and, an in- stant later, disappeared before a second shot could be put in. We had a difficult climb out of the ravine ; but I felt sure I had hit the panther, and that I should find him not far away ; and at last we stood looking down on the spot where he had clung and disappeared. With due precautions this place was examined, and, further on, a few drops of blood were found. They led us up and on to a little game- path, continued here and there for about a hundred yards, and then failed. Two hours afterwards we gave up the search in despair, and returned to the pool. There, neatly tucked away in the knotted roots of the banyan tree, were the remains of the miserable woodcutter. All his clothes had been stripped off him, and the legs, backs of the thighs, and all soft parts having been eaten and torn away, the corpse present- ed the most ghastly appearance. The head was stiffly bent backwards ; the teeth projected in a frightful grin. Even in life the poor Korku is no beauty. The throat of this poor creature bore marks of extra fero- cious treatment, and was simply covered with deep, gaping wounds. A peculiar feature of his injuries was that he had been partially scalped ! As may be imagined, I lost little time in getting away from this dreadful spectacle. That afternoon I returned, with a number of men, and very thoroughly beat the surrounding ravines and jungle ; but with no greater success. It could only be hoped, therefore, that the man-eater had taken himself off to die in some distant spot. 60 Leaves from an Indian Jungle. Almost exactly one year subsequent to the above events, I was again informed of a human *' kill " near the ill-fated Belkhe"ra. This time the victim was an old woman. She had been seized half-way up the main glen, near a place named " Bera Pani." Be"ra Pani was a kind of rendezous for grass- cutters, where they collected their grass bundles to be carted down to the village. This poor old lady had come up the valley with a party of Korkus, who had scattered in search of grass. Her son, a child of ten or so, was with her. Son and mother separated during their work. At mid-day the hoy heard the sound of a fall, and a kind of gurgle, but thought it was his mother throwing down a heavy bundle of grass and then clearing her throat. There were grasscutters all over the hillsides, who called out to each other occasionally, and from the ravine hard by, down at Bera Pani, came the cheerful tin- kling of bells as the bullocks stood grazing near the carts. In the late afternoon the boy carried his load of grass to the carts, but his mother did not appear. Becoming anxious after a while, he went up-hill again in search of her, and came on her grass bundles, then on her sickle. Further on he saw blood-smears on the grass stems, which so terrified him that he bolted like a deer back to the B6ra Pani, scream- ing, " Tiger ! tiger ! ! " In a moment the cry had spread to the grasscutters yet on the hill, who rushed huddling together, and were shortly afterwards chattering and gesticulating round the mother- less boy. After a while half-a-dozen men banded together, and, armed with sticks and hatchets, followed the tracks of the kill and drag, shouting and beating trees up a side nala. First they came on the woman's sari, then on the body itself — one leg eaten. The panther was slinking off The Man-eater of Belkhera. 61 up-hill, having been actually seated tearing at his prey when disturbed. One of the Korkus, having been employed by me previously on my excursions in these hills, had the pre- sence of mind to persuade his companions to leave the body as it lay and send for me. A bungle however was made, and I did not get the news until next day at 2 o'clock. Shortly after 4 o'clock I was walking up the Belkhera glen. As I turned a corner I came on a number of the vil- lagers, among whom sat two native policemen, solemnly taking down the evidence of the panchdyat which had just been held on the corpse of the ill-fated woman. Here I learnt that during the night the panther had returned, and •dragged the body of his victim far up the hillside. Of •course, as usual, it was a bdgh — an enormous tiger with paws so big, &c. — but I had discovered the pugs of a large panther close to the stream by this time. After a talk, in •order to discover how the land lay, my Pathan orderly and I, led by a guide, proceeded to climb the hill, followed by men with kulharis (small hatchets) and rope. The man-eater had removed the corpse about five hundred feet up the hillside ; and being guided to the spot and ascertaining, by creeping quietly in, that he was not in the immediate vicinity, I found it poked away under a small bamboo clump. Its appearance was still more horrible than that of the Korku killed the previous year, but some- how not so revolting, the remains bearing small resem- blance to humanity. The entire lower half of the body had been devoured, with the exception of the shins and feet ; the knee-joints had been crunched apart like the knuckle- bones of a chicken, and lay twisted out of all semblance to human shape ; one arm had been chewed ; and the other lay extended, with the pewter bracelets still encircling the withered old wrists. 62 Leaves from an Indian Jungle. The nape of the neck, the shoulders, and throat were fearfully mauled, and bore witness to a ferocity of " savag- ing " that must have been quite unnecessary, considering the helpless weakness of the poor old victim. As I looked down at these poor relics I suddenly noted, for the first time, that this victim, too, had been partially scalped ! Was it then that my poor shot last year was indirectly responsible for at least another human life ? Had that panther escaped to claim at least this other victim ? The sun had sunk over the opposite hillsides, so I turned with relief from such discomforting thoughts to superintend the building of the machdn in which I was to spend the night. Not a single good tree was to be found : all were either stunted salai or other small wood. However, the difficulty was surmounted by cutting three long poles in the neigh- bouring ravine ; and, lashing them upright to supplement the flabby boughs of the nearest salai tree, a rough plat- form was erected at a height of some fifteen feet from the ground. Some bran was scattered round the remains of the old woman, which had been dragged away from the shadow of the bamboos and tied firmly by the arm to a sapling. It was rapidly getting dark when the men moved off ; and my orderly and myself were left sitting, listening to their footsteps dying away in the fallen leaves. As a rule I sit alone for panthers ; but on this occasion I preferred the company of my orderly, which, as events .proved, was a fortunate decision on my part. It was a dark night : that is to say, we should have no moon until about four in the morning ; and then only a thin and waning sickle. I had fitted my night-sight to my gun, The Man-eater of Belkhera. 63 in which I had placed a couple of cartridges loaded with slugs. This night-sight consisted of an ordinary visiting card, into the end of which a V-shaped cut had been made. When this card has been fastened to the top rib of one's gun by a couple of rubber rings, the bottom of the V fitted against the barleycorn, or foresight, and the ear-like flaps raised, I know of few better aids to accurate shooting by night, provided there is some glimmer of light. Aim is taken by getting the object between the flaps of the white card V. My orderly and I got into our greatcoats and rugs — for it was to be a cold night — and settled into the semblance of two stone figures. When the last faint flush following sunset had died away, the jungle grew very dark and intensely quiet. A few stars showed themselves over the head of the hill that reared up blackly into the vault of the sky far above us. Down in the valley behind night-birds called at rare intervals. In the machdn however all was still. Not a sound came from the hillsides. About half an hour after this a distant rustle was heard up-hill. Then it stopped. A few minutes later Abbas Khan touched my foot. Some heavy animal was coming quite boldly down the hillside. Then came a faint deep breath close under the tree in which we were sitting ! My heart thumped heavily. I opened my mouth to breathe less noisily. There was something moving stealthily near the foot of our tree ; but only the faintest of sounds came when a stone turned slowly. We were right between the animal and the spot where the corpse lay bound to its sapling. Would it pass under us and give me a chance on the patch of bran ? Hours seemed to pass ! 64 Leaves from an Indian Jungle. A stick cracked in quite another direction on the other side of the grisly " kill." Very slowly I turned myself in that direction, and strained my eyes on to the faintly yellow strip of bran with that mis-shapen dark blotch in the centre of it. All movement appeared to have ceased. Probably the panther was sitting, waiting, watching, and would presently creep forward to seek his abominable food. In this state we sat on for an apparently immense period of time. I noted that the Pleiades, instead of hanging over the dark crest of the Chor Pahar, were now high above my head. A large green-coloured star had just risen over the trees in the distance. I slipped a supporting hand under my doubled-up and aching knee, gently altered its position, and sat on patiently. Was the corpse down there moving ? No ! Yes, it was, though. How beastly ! As I intently watched it, it seemed to roll over ! I could, in my fancy, see its dull white eyes gleaming in the starlight, the head raised despairingly to watch, helplessly, the approach of its destroyer. I began to -think of Forsyth's story of " Padam Singh and the man-eater ; " of the half-eaten corpse that raised its dead hands to point out the shikari shivering in his tree ; and how those hands had to be pegged to 'the ground before the tiger would return to the kill A small sound, as of tiny teeth, made itself audible in the stillness of night ; a little champing of minute jaws, and then a little squeak, and the eating ceased. Some mongoose, or jungle-cat, was at the corpse I With a shudder of disgust I turned slowly back to my original position. The Man-eater of Belkhera* 65 Very faint noises came and went in the surrounding jungle ; some dried twig or leaf falling to the ground would set the pulses beating expectantly. I was awaiting a creep- ing object to show itself on the light- coloured patch of bran. Would it come ? Was that a slight dragging sound in the grass ? The beast that had come down the hillside must have been the pan- ther ! Some indistinct and faint — very faint — noises per- suaded me that the creature was wandering round us in the dark surrounding jungle. I had heard it under our tree. Perhaps it was sitting somewhere near, watching, feline fashion, ere crawling up to complete its meal. I was very drowsy. Perhaps I had been asleep for a moment or two. This would not do. 'Yet it was sleepy . . . awfully sleepy . . . work. Suddenly behind me came a shock, a gasp of terror ; the tree rocked ; there was a scraping sound ; my orderly had disappeared ; and then I heard a soft thud at the foot of the tree. Bang ! bang! went both barrels of my gun into the air, and I raised a tremendous shouting, instinctively grasping the situation. Before I could reload, something simply rushed up the tree and fell across my legs into the machdn, right across the muzzle of the gun. It was the Pathan ! Had I been reloaded, nothing could have saved him — I had snapped both triggers against his chest, making sure it was the panther! The poor fellow was trembling in every limb — as well he might. For a few moments we were both too dazed to speak, but I had reloaded the gun, shoved my loaded rifle into his hands, and we sat facing the only accessible side of the machdn. Behind us the hillside descended so steeply that no living creature could invade us from that direction. 9 66 Leaves Jrom an Indian Jungle. After a while we heard the crackle of leaves at a consider- able distance in the jungle ; and then a barking deer or khdkar set up a sudden and incessant barking, that became fainter and fainter as the little creature retreated down the glen — probably before the panther, which was apparently going off that way. We now took a couple of the poles forming the flooring of the machctn, and tied them with the orderly's pagri so as to form a slight barrier to any second attack on our exposed side. I then held a whispered consultation with him. He had escaped without a scratch ! His story was that he was nodding drowsily, when something struck and caught both his legs below the knee, and dragged him out of his perch f As he fell, he turned, and gripped a limb of the tree, but was slipping down, with an immense weight on his legs, till his hands came to a fork of the trunk. Here he held on with all his strength; his right gaiter was ripped clean ofi^ the beast let go its clutch, he heard its claws tearing the soft bark, and then it dropped to the ground. Next instant he had somehow regained our shelter \ Although the first attack of this fearless brute had failed, and our position had been strengthened, our feelings may well be imagined ! It was pitch dark in the shadow of the trees. I touched the open face of my watch. The hands- felt to be indicating one o'clock in the morning. There were still four-and-a half hours of night before us, during which we were liable to be stalked — practically helpless our- selves, but clearly apparent to every sense of this practised1, creeping murderer. Once more the hours dragged on in silence. Two large owls set up a most horrible low moaning among the trees to the right. The air became damp and very cold. The Man-eater of Belkhera. 67 Morning could not be far off. A faint breeze rustled the tree-tops, and some bamboos creaked uneasily. Until now not a sound had been heard to indicate the return of the panther, but at last I fancied that the faintest sound of breathing had been borne to my ears. Every sense was instantly at acutest tension. My orderly was breathing through his nose. I leant slowly back, and, press- ing his knee, uttered a faint sh — sh ! The topmost branches of a neighbouring salai tree qui* vered. Was it the wind ? No ; the air was now quite stilk There was something shaking that tree. Its branches moved again — just the tips that were outlined against the faintly luminous sky. What with the cold and the suspense, I seemed to be shak- ing the whole machdn. My throat was painfully dry. The effort to swallow made a fearful noise. I wanted to cough. Something whitish or greyish seemed to be climbing close to the trunk of the salai tree : it moved ! "Mdrof " breathed the Pathan. I gently, slowly, raised the gun to my shoulder, shaking with anxiety, and straining my eyes in the darkness. Nothing could now be seen. It must have been imagination T The tree quivered again ; a faintly whitish patch was very, very slowly elongating itself, and becoming more distinct. I got it well between the ears of my night-sight ..... Bang! As the sound of the shot went rolling and reverberating through the hills, something sprang lightly off through the grass. * # # * * Dawn was surely breaking ? Objects stood out more distinctly, and the faintest greenish hue appeared in the sky. The dark outline of the old woman's cadaver became 68 Leaves from an Indian Jungle. clearer: its upraised hand with the stiffened fingers seemed stretched out in mute appeal against the indignity of tbe cord that bound it to the tree. Just a hand, a glistening, bedewed head and trunk, and, lower down — Ugh ! The faint crow of a jungle-cock came across the grey depths of the valley. t)a\vn had come, and the man-eater had escaped again. ***** About six weeks later, I was coming down from the hills on my way home from an unsuccessful search for sambar ; having ordered my mare to Belkhera. As Abbas Khan and I descended the foot-hills and approached the village, we became aware of some unusual stir among the huts, from which there arose a ceaseless screaming — some death, no doubt. I had placed my foot in the stirrup, and was vault- ing into the saddle, when a Korku came running up. Once more had the panther taken toll of Belkhera ! A buffalo-herd had been seized, while grazing his cattle near the little river, not far from the village. The buffa- loes had driven off the brute, and the man had been res- cued ; only however to expire in the village, whither he had been borne. The panther had retreated into the hills. 4 I asked to see the victim of this latest outrage, and was led down the central "street " of the Korku village. The cow- herd was lying on a charpai, just as he had died ; some vein in the neck had been severed ; and, in spite of a rough bandage, a dark patch of blood was congealing on the ground under the string bedstead. There were the usual deep holes in the throat and on the nape of the neck, and — the Belkhera man-eater's mark was there ! A long strip of skin and hair had been torn off and hung from the dead man's scalp ! The Man-eater of Belkhera. 69 All this time the female relatives of the victim were mak- ing the most dreadful, and — to their mind — highly com- mendable noise as they sat around. One could scarcely make one's self heard; sol retreated to a distance to en- quire more fully into the circumstances of this last attack — the boldest of all. The patel of the village suggested that I should once more make use of the body of the panther's victim. " The whole neighbourhood was terrorized, " said he, " and the villagers dared not enter the ramnah for grass, save in compact parties. Their very means of exist- ence was threatened. The sahib must really rid them of this scourge ! " To this, however, there was an impediment : the relatives of the dead man would not permit the body to be removed. I sat down and waited, while a fearful pandemonium of altercation ensued, through which I could make out the shrill voices of the female relations haggling over a question of backsheesh. Finally it was settled that I might have the use of their corpse until dark : after that nothing would induce them to permit it to remain out — the sher might return and eat of it ! We walked up the river bank and reached the scene of the catastrophe. The body of the cow-herd was laid down just where he had been caught, and I prepared a hid- ing-place in which to watch until dark, when the villagers were to turn out, with drums and torches, and take the corpse away. But now events took an unexpected turn, as they not infrequently do where panthers are concerned. It was fated that the end of this notorious evil-doer should be brought about in a singularly tame and commonplace manner. 70 Leaves from an Indian Jungle. My orderly rushed up and informed me that the panther had not gone off into the hills. He had found its tracks leading into a little patch of scrub and samalu bush in the river- bed ; and, c< ringing " this covert, could find no traces of exit. Therefore the panther might be there ! At any rate, a silent beat could do no harm. The village was only a few hundred yards away ; and a goodly body of beaters was shortly ready, all armed with bamboo lathis. I posted myself on the river bank about a hundred yards up-stream, and the beat began. A few seconds later a large panther walked quietly out of a cactus bush, and sat down directly below me, looking back over his shoulder. My rifle was raised, and next moment the man-eater of Belkhera had paid the penalty of his crimes. 72 Leaves from an Indian Jungle. and my mother started up, with twitching nose and cocked ears, as two lank grey forms halted suddenly, a field's length away, in an open space in the low scrub. A mo- ment later I was flying after her, as she leaped scud- ding across the plain, bounding into the air at every few strides. Oh ! the exhilaration of that first wild rush over the flying brown earth ! We left the scrub jungle far behind, and, crossing a wide dry ndla at reduced speed, on a sudden wheeled and halted, and I trotted with dilated nostrils and cocked tail to my mother's side. She bent a swift look of pride on me. " Shabash, little one, the fleetest and sturdiest of all I have borne ! Did skulking wolf delude himself with thoughts of an easy prey?" So saying, she led the way towards a large herd of our kind, who were scattered over open ground, not far from a field of tall green cotton ; some lying drowsily ruminating, others capriciously graz- ing or moving slowly about, while one or two does gazed penetratingly down wind. On the edge of the cotton field stood one of whom I had not yet seen the like. Whereas we were sombre yellow-brown creatures, this one was glossy black — black with pure white belly and throat. More- over, long, gnarled, spiral horns sprung from his head, and ended in sharp points, and, as he turned and paced with lordly mien towards us, his horns laid back over his haunches, nose disdainfully in air, and tail curled up over his back in the arrogance of his pride, I knew that I looked on the lord of the herd — the finest of our race. As he passed us by superciliously, my mother whispered — " Your father, my dear, a fine fellow doubtless, but foolish, headstrong, and reckless, as are most of his sex. What he would do, or how he would fare without us, his wives, to keep a watch on prowling enemies, I know not. Look at On the Cotton Plains. 73 him now ! " — this as my parent dashed out from the herd and rounded up a skittishly inclined young doe, driving her back to us, his sharp horns lowered in feigned attack. " Thus my first lord died. He left us, to fasten a quarrel on a stranger, but in some inexplicable manner their horns seemed to interlace, and in a twinkling three Pdrdis sprang from hiding, and captured him while madly struggling to break the mysterious bonds." " And the stranger, mother ?" I bleated. " Beware of such strangers," she grunted. We were a large community at that time, and, when on the move to the evening feeding-grounds, our scattered line might have stretched over the breadth of two fields. As for the cries of the night watchers, perched on their tall machans, they fell on deaf ears — who yet denied us our bellyful save to move us on to some neighbour's field? The high crops fell, and were gathered ; the great stacks ofkadbi rose round every village; and we roamed over wide plains, stretching uninterrupted save for some round- topped mango grove, or the dark line of trees marking the place where a village rose round its ancient mud gharri. Chill dawn would find us grouped in some gram field, the sharp acid rime of which appeals to the salt-craving inherent in us ; or belly deep in the broad belts of pale green wheat. And so the seasons passed. The dry weather came with its fiery sun, when we, ante- lope, collected nearer the sandy bed of the river, winding its now thin stream from pool to pool. Then the rainy season • when other herds joined ours, from the level black cotton- soil tracts, and we ranged in our gathered hundreds on the drier rising grounds, all save the bucks standing out 10 74 Leaves from an Indian Jungle. conspicuously against the dark wet earth, as some gleam of sunlight caught our yellow skins. Never shall I forget a day succeeding a heavy fall of rain, when I had lingered behind my mother (I was not now so tied to her side), and found myself separated from her by an expanse of tenacious wet soil. As I stood undecided, there came a laboured panting, and a yell of excouragement, as a village dog, urged on by his owner, snatched fiercely at my flank ! With a bound I escaped him, and toiled frantically over the soft mud, into which my sharp feet sank deeply. Again I felt, with despair, the hot breath on my haunch — when suddenly the ground became harder, I drew away from my pursuer, and, gaining the grassy slope of a rising ground, finally shook him off, baffled, in spite of his oiled feet ; he now halted with lolling tongue, and, turning, slunk back whence he came. With the rain the crops rose, and in a few weeks the plains were clothed in green jawdri and wide fields of cotton, save for the ground reserved for the later sowings of wheat and gram—jawdri that soon reared its great stalks high above the heads of the workers in the fields ; that formed a pleasant covert for us, who now wandered in small and scattered bands, scarce troubling to change our quarters, so abundant and accessible was our food. But with the fawdricame the Bhois. Cunningly disposing their tall nets along the edge and angles of the high millet, they would endeavour to move a herd of antelope so as to entangle them in a cul-de-sac; and their patience and skill were nearly always rewarded by some foolish one of our number. The first time I was introduced to this danger was when my sprouting horns were only a few inches in length. We were all lying amid the stems of a wide field ofjawdri, On the Cotton Plains. 75 the thick green heads of which sheltered us from the pecu- liarly intense sun of late September. It had been very still ; when a slight breeze set the tall corn whispering, and brought on its breath the strange acrid odour which I had noticed as being peculiar to men. So pronounced was it that I instinctively sprang up, and was followed by the whole herd, which, after a moment's hesitation, moved off through the thick covert. In the best of company, I of course brought up the rear of the herd, together with several youngsters of my own age ; behind us, as befitted him, paced the lord and master buck — ever the last to fly from danger. Our timid vanguard of watchful does had almost reached the edge of the jawdri patch, when a sudden flurry arose, and they leaped, bounding and bucking, in all directions. As I followed the lead of my excellent mamma, in whose sound judgment I had perfect faith, I saw my sterner parent trot straight on, with a curl of his lip. He was not going to share the universal panic— and on he went. Then a sudden yell burst out behind him, and he gave one mighty leap out of the field, struck something yielding, intangible, and yet arresting, and came a tremendous cropper, firmly entangled in a long net, as a chorus of -shouts rose from the netters. As I darted after the herd, which had escaped to right and left, I have dim recollection of a furious thrashing of hoofs and a grunting, gurgling bellow, followed by much loud guffawing and elated chattering. I don't think they killed him just then. They usually make their victims walk home with them. It is such a nuisance to carry them you see, and matters can be simplified by sewing up the victim's eyelids ! It was not many hours after this that we caught sight of a fine buck gazing fixedly at us in the distance, as we 76 Leaves from an Indian fungle. all stood packed together in an open bit of ploughed land. He paced in our direction, then halted and stared again at a respectful distance, for I may mention that my late parent had a pretty wide notoriety for savage exclusiveness-. After following behind us awhile, this buck ventured on closer inspection, and, somehow tumbling to the hang of things, began to assert authority. He actually had the effrontery to chase me from my mother's side and catch me a dig in the ribs. Toward the other youngsters his bearing was superciliously indifferent. Life thus proceeded without much to mark its progress, save that my horns grew apace, and that the new master of the herd watched me with an ever-increasing ferocity ; till, one day, he fell to the muzzle-loader of a native shikari. We had strayed incautiously near a worli, or landmark, when there came a flash and a bang, and my enemy sank to- the ground, as the figure of a Bhil rose from behind the smoke, and ran towards him. As we fled leaping over the fields, there arose that same old gurgling bellow ; and that was the last of my father's successor. Two days after this, a very fine buck took charge of us ? and the first hour of office in his new capacity was devoted to driving me from the herd with which I had been con- nected from my infancy. He succeeded, although I was stubborn ; and I at length departed, in dudgeon, with a slight horn wound in my flank. I may remark that my unnatural mother viewed me thus driven forth without apparent concern — another youngster now trotted by her side. Wandering morosely over the moonlit plain, I fell in with three other bucklets of my age, and on comparing notes we found that our condition was identical : each had the same story to tell, and we agreed to join our fortunes On the Cotton Plains. 77 and face the world together. During the next few months others in the same plight joined us ; thrust forth to seek our fortunes, a fellow-feeling drew us together. In the course of our wanderings we had left the old country far behind, and one day found ourselves approaching a long line of trees that marked the straight undeviating stretch of a trunk road. It was a glorious cold weather morning. The air was cold and crisp. White rime lay on the yet misty fields, and the road, with its shading line of acacias, stretched away east to the dim grey horizon, where the early beams of the sun shot up into the clear green sky from behind a far cloud bank. As we moved about, nibbling a frond of fern-like gram here and there, a distant rumbling arose, and a thin curtain of dust among the trees ; then the cheerful jingling of chains and harness, as a Battery of artillery came along at a smart trot opposite us. In obedience to a long-drawn-out word of command, they slowed to a walk and passed along the smooth road, the early sun glancing from steel and chain. Further on a short halt was made, and, seizing something from a syce, a figure left the road and came towards us. As we stared at the novel sight on the road, little puffs of smoke arose among the men and a hum of voices. The khaki-clad figure was getting near. I alone had heard of the dreaded sahib, and was well into my stride before the first bullet buzzed angrily over our heads off a stone. Then there came a second, and behind me a dull " plop ;" and one of our number pitched on his head and lay kicking feebly. None of us waited to see any more after that ! Nightfall found us again in the neighbourhood of the road, which, like the villages of the plain, possesses a strong attraction for us when night has cast her cold dark mantle over the land. 7 8 Leaves from an Indian Jungle. Perhaps it would be the tinkle of bullock carts ; or the flicker of a roadside fire, lit by belated villagers returning from a distant market ; or the steady rtib-a-dtib-dub of a village tom-tom rising on the still air. It is comforting, when the night comes down, to gather nearer the goings of man ; and few of us lie far afield during the hours of dark. I had picked up some useful wrinkles while a youngster with the herd, and now every day brought its experience. We learnt what to shun, and what was harmless. Bullock carts laden with chattering natives might pass and repass us closely ; but let one inch of a suspicious or skulking body show itself for an instant, and we were off. One afternoon a fine buck joined us, youngsters, which is unusual — but a long scar showed fresh on his haunch. And a sulky beast he was ! We had occupied the centre of an extensive cotton field that afternoon, and were most of us standing about, too lazy save for a chance nibble at the young leaves of the cotton plants. All to be seen of our morose friend were the points of his long horns, which protruded from the palati stalks. A figure emerged from behind some babul trees and strolled casually and confidently in our direction. It was certainly not a villager, but its advance was so careless, so artlessly guileless, that it had approached fairly close, and was passing on, when something prompted our long-horned acquaintance to rise and display all his black and white glory, as with proudly poised head he regarded the intruder in astonishment. I now recognised the figure of a sahib, and led a swift flight, the big buck bringing up the rear ; when again came that dreaded sharp crack, and the laggard gave a lurch, but, pulling himself together, turned at right angles, and limped swiftly down the furrows of the cotton, On the Cotton Plains. 79 a broken foreleg swinging crimson splashes against the brown stalks. And thus we separated. This episode afford- ed me a fresh insight into our enemies' wiles. Some time after this I annexed a herd of does in a curiously accidental manner. One morning, having become separated from our little coterie of bucklets, I had to canter from a village dog, and, further on, emerged, from a palm- fringed nala to find myself almost among a herd of eight does, owned by a buck not much bigger than myself. Halting suddenly, I gazed at them ; then, noticing a cousin among the does, took a few steps forward to greet her — when the master of the herd pushed his way up to me in a most offensive way. Although his mien was threatening, and the pose of his thick neck extremely choleric, I put a stiff upper lip and firmly curled-up tail on the situation ; and awaited his attack. When a couple of paces off he halted, and we stared at each other, legs braced well up and eyepits distended : then he quivered with rage ; and, licking his lips, fixed me with a glare, advanced a step or two with studied delibera- tion, suddenly lowered his horns, and rushed fiercely at me. I met his charge with firm resistance, and our heads came together with a crack ! It was now a question of sheer weight and strength ; and, bracing my muscular hams, I yielded not an inch. After some prolonged but ineffectual efforts on the part of my antagonist, he suddenly bounded back in surprise and annoyance ; and we again stood facing each other, nostrils dilated, and flanks heaving. Again and again he attacked me, with the same result, to his increasing chagrin. Round and round he fenced, and shoved, and slipped ; at length, being extremely short of wind, he halted to think, and, having pondered, was moving back to the herd with what dignity he could manage. 8o Leaves from an Indian fungle. But I had not quite done with him yet, and he only just saved his bacon as I engaged him and forced him back : then with a fierce effort I bore him to his knees, and, as he leaped back, exposing his side, made a rapid rush, and a despairing grunt left his panting throat as my horns took him in the flank. After this it was a mere pursuit ! He never faced me again, as I chevied him over the fields. Then, the fire of conquest burning in my eye, I left him disconsolately gazing from a respectful distance, and stepped proudly towards my does. When the moon rose late that night, it disclosed the dethroned one still following us ; but by morning he had disappeared. I was now the master of a herd — the ambition of every right-minded buck — and life passed, unmarked by episode, except when I had to fight for my property, or when I added to its numbers. Some two years must have passed thus ; and by this time I was, I flatter myself, one of the finest bucks in the country-side. My horns were over 24 inches in length, and were strong and thick ; my colour a dark brown- grey, for I am of the caste that never assumes the intense black of the smaller breed — and my bulk and weight have stood me in good stead. The country where I found myself finally settled is within fifteen miles of a small military station which lies nearer the range of hills to the north, and it is visited now and again by sahibs. Thus far I had escaped being fired at, by observing the simple rules which every wideawake buck should have at his command ; but of late times I too have had my experiences in this line. For the guidance of other bucks I should observe that one should be particularly wide- awake on Thursdays and Sundays— it is on such days On the Cotton Plains. 81 that most of my narrow shaves have occurred. They have been so many now that I can recollect few of the circum- stances connected with them. One day I saw a sahib standing in the distance. He wore a white hat with a spotted blue pagri, and was accom- panied by a native in khaki, with whom he was in deep consultation. I was so tickled that I did not take particular care of myself, and the apparition approached : then, after turning once more anxiously to the native, whom I dis- tinctly heard say " Ap ki khushi" it bent its back, and, assuming a stealthy gait, crept towards me. It had not gone far when it suddenly remembered something, and, retracing its uncomfortable way, took something from the native and put it with a loud click in the rifle. Then it resumed its broken-backed approach. Fascinated by this weird method of " stalking," I stared and stared, till the figure rose and fumbled with its gun : then, as it was possible that it might be pointed somewhere near me when it exploded, I moved off. Bang ! and a fragment of an express bullet, ricochetting off the hard ground, rushed shrilly by me. Bang ! and another bullet whispered high over my head ; and in the distance a line of women, picking cotton, stood up with frightened faces. I glanced back. My sportsman was gaz- ing sadly after me ! I have seen him do so many a time ; and, later, I came to know him well. Many a dull half hour has he enlivened ! I look for his white topi on Thursdays and Saturdays as a relief to the monotony of my existence. Once he brought a very fat sahib with him, who wounded me ; but I got away, and am all right now. My last adventure was of a different type. One Thursday I was making across a field some way behind my does, when a slight movement caught my eye ; it was the topi of a 82 Leaves from an Indian Jungle. sahib, and he was lying behind a little mound. Of course I was off at my best pace, until I had put 300 yards between us : this I always considered perfect safety, so I wheeled, and stood to have another look. Something shone dully behind the mound for an instant, then tipped suddenly up, and, simultaneously, " chip !" came a slight report — a mere crack — and a searing pain cut along the lower edge of my belly. It was only a graze ; but the frightful force with which the bullet twanged off the ground, far beyond me, with a peculiar high-pitched pinging sound, and the absence of the usual smoke from behind the mound, told me of a new destructive force, and one to be terribly feared. I am getting on in years now, and, I suppose, in spite of my watchful does, shall some day fall to the sahib with that strange new rifle. And a worthy spoil shall I make. A 25-inch head ; a fine glossy coat, which I have defended unscarred through hundreds of hard-fought fights ; a buck worth bagging ! And, if I fall, may it be fairly ! Stalk me fairly, Sahib ! Don't come skulking after me in a bullock cart ; don't wait for me by the tank in the hot weather; and, should my' head ever grace your walls, do not forget the many days of quiet sport I have afforded you on my wide rich plains, the glamour of which will surely return to you, even amidst the stirring memories of more exciting days. Shoot none of my immature brethren, Sahib ! If you must kill for food, take a few of my yeld-does ; I can spare them — else, how think you will the country raise bucks like me ? A NIGHT BY A JUNGLE POOL. Evening shadows were lengthening apace, and the last mellow shafts of the declining sun bathed the jungly hill- side in a warm glow, and threw into relief the heavy heads of the scattered mango trees under which we passed — a silent party of four — as we wound in file down the little wood* cutter's path, through the long yellow spear-grass, leading to the already hazy bed of the stream, some hundreds of feet below. It was past seven o'clock, and an hour since I had left camp, with the intention of passing the night of the full moon at a solitary pool, deep in the heart of a great ravine, several miles from any other water, and, in this parching Indian hot weather, the last resource as a drinking-place of all the game within a long distance. The ravine into which we were descending forms the head- waters of a large tributary of the Tapti river, and is a deep and fiercely raging torrent in the rainy weather* Like most of its neighbours, it has a short course over more or less flat- topped plateaux from whose edge it plunges over a precipice of black basalt into a deep glen winding a couple of thousand feet below, in a tangle of miasmatic vegetation. Shrinking up quickly through the cold season months, the commencement of the hot weather sees but a few scattered pools in all its mountain course, and a couple of months more of fierce sun exhausts all moisture, save a solitary puddle or two in such spots as are favoured by peculiar geological conditions for the retention of water. All that now remains of the verdure of the rainy season is a mass of dead scorched creepers, festooning the bare 84 Leaves from an Indian Jungle. trunks and leafless branches of forest trees, only a few of which throw out a thick head of sappy young leaves at this period. The general appearance of these jungles is that of English woods in October — thin on the steep exposed slopes of now parched and beaten-down spear-grass, dense and thicketty in the ravines seaming their sides. Along the dry boulder- strewn bed of the stream rises a fringe of larger, taller trees, opening into little occasional bays or natural clearings ; and the entire forest is carpeted, often knee-deep, with the great dried and fallen leaves of the teak and other trees. In such ground not a step may be taken in silence. On the other hand, game which might otherwise have escaped notice betrays itself here by the loud crackling of the leaves. In those parts game is scarce and wary, and to anyone who would condemn me as a poacher, I would recommend a few days in the dense and hard-to-work jungles of which I speak. If you cannot come to your game, why not let it come to you, which is after all the raison d'etre of beating or driving ; besides this, there is a certain great charm in a night vigil, such as I hope to describe, understood that you don't smoke heavily, or open sodas with a noisy gurgling every half hour, and then go to sleep condemning it all as a fraud. We had taken the precaution of " stopping " this pool for the past two nights, by the simple expedient of a couple of jungle men and a smouldering cowdung fire placed a hundred yards or so up the glen. My Korkus reported that on the second night they had spent most of their time in a tree, as a tiger had shown extreme impatience at being baulked of his water, and had prowled round and round within a short distance of the pool, giving vent to his dis- appointment in low growls. A Night by a Jungle Pool. 85 I thought I knew this tiger — a shy, wily game-killer — who had evaded many a carefully devised beat, and who had been the cause of much bad language and disappoint- ment for the past two years at least. But here we are ! An abrupt descent over large .piled-up boulders, and we are soon at the water's edge, which lies below a flat out-cropping ledge of black trap-rock ; sand along the north side, and the steep fall of a precipitous bank lining the far shore. Here, some fifteen feet up, is our hide, on the summit of a jumble of great rocks, and hedged around with jamun bushes — unnoticeable and natural to a degree. My orderly called my attention to the fact that a herd of sambar had been down during the day, since the Korkus had left in the morning. They had not been able to with- stand further the claims of a fierce thirst ; although they are able to let a couple of days at least elapse between drinks. The sambar is very partial to water however, especially for the sake of a good wallow in the mire. There were also traces of other animals, pigs, and, strangely enough, a bear. He must have been hard up to stir after the hot sun had risen. Then of course there were numerous marks of the little four-horned antelope and barking deer. These nearly always choose noontide to slake their thirst, tripping with daintily-picked and fearful footsteps to the cool damp sand that fringes the forest pool. We examined the ground carefully for the tiger's marks, so as to try to obtain a hint from which direction to expect him, but the hard withered grass and fallen leaves afforded no information. As the last glow of dying day fades from the peaks above us, the night chorus of goatsuckers strike up their refrain of "Chuckoo — chuckoo — chuckoo !" and many small birds come and sip, and flit about, rejoicing that the torrid fervour of the 86 Leaves from an Indian Jungle. day is past. Abbas Khan and I mount to our hiding-place, and the Korkus, having deposited their burdens, and bear- ing their little gourd water-bottles, disappear up-hill, where we long hear their feet crackling the great dry teak leaves, in the warm still air. The rug is spread, havresack and water chdgal put ready to hand, rifles and binoculars disposed handily, a few extra cartridges laid in that little niche in the black rock— and we are ready. What a charm is in this delicious quiet, this heavy scented air, and the curious .cries of the jungle breaking the profound silence ! The little barbet has changed his day " coppersmith " note for the no less mono- tonous and everlasting nocturnal one of '* Ouic — kur-kur !" and, as the shadows deepen, a large fluffy mass sails noise- lessly overhead, and settles on the gaunt arm of a dead tree; answering a distant call by a deep " Whoo 1" I was lost in a reverie, watching the orange disc of the full moon lift over a shoulder of the hills, when the extreme right-hand corner of my eye caught a grey shadow hesitatingly approaching among some rocks in the dry bed, of the stream, and the glasses revealed a hyaena, nosing about near the place where we had come down off the hill. He then stood, cocking his strange pointed ears in our direction for some time, but finally limped up right under our rock — a fine big fellow, with a good coat. By leaning over we might have almost touched him with a stick. After drinking he went off down-stream. Later, a little barking deer came rustling in the teak leaves on the far side of the nala, and, down to the edge of the water ; and another, further off, moving here and there, kept up his funny little yap of " Aow ! * * * Aow !" Higher rose the moon in a perfectly cloudless sky, and the gentle breaths - of air died away until every stick and blade of grass stood A Night by a Jungle Pool. 87 out sharp and clear in the brilliant light. Small bats wheel- ed and circled with soft whirring wings over the dark pool, ever and anon kissing the glassy surface in a downward swoop. Why is it that moonlight should throw such mys- tery over the woods ! The slightest sound appears to be a loud and startling uproar, and the occasional scratching indulged in by Abbas Khan as if it would be sufficient warning to all animals for miles. Curious small noises come and go in the dry leaves, and two tiny, owls cause quite a stir, as they softly alight on a slender teak pole, which has a few huge dried leaves attached to its topmost twigs. The mind too is gently influenced by the quiet scene, and wonders how there can be such things as rage and strife. Why should life not glide thus peacefully on, with- out jar, in calm beatitude ! The ear catches a far distant gentle stirring in the car-^ peting of dry teak leaves, now dying away, and then agairi increasing, coming1 nearer, stopping, recommencing. The sounds come from the lower portion of that long steep spur? which runs from the little level vale of yellow grass right up to the soft mauve distance of crag-encircled plateaux far above us. The colours of the sleeping landscape, though restricted to blues, greys, and palest yellow, are still marvellously diverse in tone : there the rich soft blue-black of some deep ravine : here the sharp dark branches of a gnarled tiwas tree in high relief against a pale background of long with- ered grass. The crackling of leaves is more pronounced now, and the binoculars are raised to the dark line of forest where it touches the grass land. Nothing shows for many long minutes. 88 Leaves from an Indian Jungle. At length a tall black object is spied moving slowly for* ward, and after a while it steps into a patch of moonlight, which falls through the twisted boughs, and appears to view — a fine old sambar stag, with newly-sprouted horns in velvet. A tall salai tree is before him, and here he pauses and raises his muzzle ; then, leaning sidewise, scrapes his rough hide luxuriously against the bark. Tiring of this exercise, the stately measured walk is recommenced, and he feeds slowly o(T, over a little glade, and gradually disappears in the labyrinth of ghostly yellow trunks. He is probably one of those who drank at our pool to-day, and so is indifferent to water for the next forty-eight hours or thereabouts, though he may turn up in the hour before dawn for a roll and mud-bath. The sound of his wandering steps in the leaves dies gra- dually away, and all is again still, save for the eternal " Chuckoo — chuckoo !" of the nightjars, and their prolonged cry of " Hoo — hoo — hoo !" as they flit and sail from tree to tree, rock to rock. One of the most exciting bits of this night work is the waiting to see what it is that for the last half hour has been moving towards the pool through the tell-tale leaves, and which now emerges, and halts — a dark shapeless mass — on the edge of the jungle. Perhaps it were hardly interesting to record how sever- al sounders of hog — boar, sow, and many little squeakers- approached, wallowed, drank, and finally trotted off, grunt- ing satisfaction, to where their favourite roots were to be had for the grubbing ; how a pair of jackals arrived, and while one danced a remarkably fantastic fandango in a sand- hole, how its mate discovered some brooding danger and, the signal given, how the pair disappeared, with many a A Night by a Jungle Pool. 89 suspicious halt and backward stare — all this in the efful- gence of a full tropic moon. I took out my note-book, and pencilled little notes. I smoked gently ; for I hold that — except under certain cir- cumstances of position and wind — when tobacco smoke can be detected, the natural perfume of he who smokes not would be no less noticeable. Many a night had I passed in this alfresco manner ; but never a one when all so combined to please, and when I had such chances of observing unsuspicious wild creatures. I was lying back on the bed of boughs, grass, comfort- able rug and cushion, when a long cold trailing thing passed over my hand, and away from under my hips, leav- ing the hairs of my head in a state of electric separation. When the slight rustling had receded well into some rocks, I again drew breath, and quickly removed my haversack of cold roast fowl and other delicacies to another spot. Whether of a deadly species or not, I object to snakes hunt- ing for murghi in my pockets ! It was now well past 2 a.m. and I felt drowsy, especially as the tuneful breathing of my faithless disciple sounded like a lullaby in my ears. Perhaps an hour or so had passed in this borderland of dreams, when a sound struck on my ears that instantly roused us both ; it was the sudden, sharp, rending, trumpet sound of a sambar's bell. Dhdnk ! There it came again, from up the glen, and continued at intervals, apparently retreating slowly for some minutes, when all was again quiet ; then another bark, louder and much nearer, and the crashing of leaves and jungle, as the sambar apparently moved rapidly up-hill. Pulses beat quicker now in keen anticipation, for this kind of thing has but one meaning. 12 90 Leaves from an Indian Jungle. Two figures, dark and stiff, peered over the lip of the rock, the glint of moonlight on a double-barrelled "577. There came the deepest of guttural sighs from the big, black boulder under the far clump of bamboo. The moon shone on, and the watch ticked loudly in my pocket, and we waited — weary work, with all senses at highest pressure. Five minutes must have passed thus. Ah ! — a stone turned then — and now the moon's rays fall on the white face and chest of a tiger, as he moves out of the blackness, and comes gently forward : a rather small and lightly made brute, but with twice the grace and ele- gance of the beef-eater of the plains. He comes to a sudden halt, moving his head slowly from side to side. Perhaps a slight human taint reached him, but it apparently escapes notice, for, pausing but a little while, he passes straight to the water ; the powerful should- er-blades work under his glossy coat as he crouches like a great cat ; and down goes his head to lap. Gently, ever so gently, the rifle comes to the shoulder, and the white card V on the muzzle stands out well in the moonlight. A sudden star of bright sparks, a struggling and a rolling, and then a " Woof T as bang goes the left barrel at a vanishing streak of faint grey which flashes up over the dark rocks and is gone. Caution and quiet were now unnecessary, and as we dis- cussed the pros and cons of a hit or miss, I treated myself to a well-merited whisky and soda, and turned in for a snooze. I slept till awakened by the words repeated in Hindustani : " Hazur, the fate of the tiger has come to pass I" — my orderly being, as befitted a pious Moslem, a firm believer in £/swa^— and, sitting up with the fresh A Night by a Jungle Pool. 91 breeze of dawn fanning my check, felt rather grubby after the long warm hours of night in this close ravine. The men were washing their mouths, noisy native fashion, in the far pool, and grey jungle-cocks called defiance from every side. Little parties of them and of the sombre spur- fowl pattered in the leaves round the head of the pool. Sitting thus, a movement in the limbs of a tall tree beyond the nala attracted my attention, and shortly two dark lithe objects appeared, chasing each other up and down the long branches, against the beautiful green flush of the young day. At length they scurried up to the top- most twig, whence one, detaching itself, sailed with a steady downward flight straight over my head, and, curving upwards again like a hawk, alighted softly on the gnarled trunk of a kowa tree ; its mate, answering its curiously harsh cry, followed suit, and, as they disappeared in the grey twilight, it struck me that I had lost a chance of adding a flying squirrel to my collection. Their flight was won- derfully easy and graceful, and they must have covered about fifty yards clear from tree to tree. A sluice in the clear waterT and a bite of food was followed by the matutinal cigarette, as the hair and splashes of blood on the boulders were examined ; and then a start was made. The tracks led up-hill into an extremely thickly- jungled little khora. We passed a spot where the tiger had rolled in agony, while his erratic course and the bits of white hair from his chest on any stumps or rocks in his way showed us all was well. As the men picked up the easily read trail, I kept a sharp look out ahead, rifle at the ready ; and so we crept along, under some bushes, round a rock here, through a tangle of small bamboos there, until at last there he lay on his side, thirty yards away, apparently quite dead. 92 Leaves from an Indian Jungle. Turning silently, to the men I motioned the Korkus back, tipped a wink to Abbas Khan, and took the little white patch under the forearm. Over the smoke a huge tawny form rose up, looked in our direction, and then all was a chaos of gleaming teeth, viciously laid back ears, and fly- ing leaves, as we darted behind a thick tree. Round he came ; rolling, falling, rising, doing his best to get at us, when another bullet caught him in the back — and all was over. When the shivering Korkus had come off their trees, we turned the tiger over, and saw that last night's bullet had struck full in the chest, but, owing to my raised position, had merely run along not far below the skin. It was subsequently found lodged below the stomach. To my surprise he measured nine feet as he lay. An hour later, as I passed slowly up the precipitous spur leading to the plateau and camp, and took a breather ere climbing the little mural precipice which skirts the flat tops of these hills, my eye fell with grateful recollections on the glint of the little pool, now a thousand feet below in the yet dark glen, which had afforded me one of the pleasantest nights of my life. BY TAMARIND AND MHOWA. Although all the signs of an Indian " hot weather " surround us, the sun is not yet high enough to assert his stern authority, and long shadows still lie across the stretch of withered jungle-grass which now clothes the deserted fields surrounding the ruins of Pipalda. On that knoll once stood the village, under its shady tamarind trees. The great trees are still there, but the crumbled mud walls and the track of the path leading past the old mhowa tree to the water-hole in the neighbouring ndla, whence the inhabitants drew their scanty summer supply of the precious fluid, have long since disappeared ; for it is many years since Pipalda, together with three or four other hamlets, was declared ujar, deserted, to make way for the growth of this little bandi, or forest reserve, some eight or nine square miles in extent, set apart by a paternal Government for the supply of grass and small timber to the surrounding cultivated tracts. These little bandis lie scattered about a certain district not very far from — Nagpur shall we say— and in years past have yielded the most extraordinary amount of game, chiefly tigers and spotted deer, for the sheltering of which they are ideally adapted. Whether they will ever recover from the terrible famine year of 1900 — when the ungulata actually invaded villages in search of fodder and water, and were knocked on the head in great numbers by the famishing country-people — remains to be seen, and appears doubtful ; but in days not so very long ago they formed a kind of sportsman's paradise. 94 Leaves from an Indian Jungle. Composed for the most part of waist-high lemon-grass, studded with copsewood, amid which here and there rises the handsome, oak- like, sweet-flowering mhou