HOOTING I|SI THE N AND ULWAR ARROWE HJU.L, CO. CHESTER. IF Prof. C. A. Kofoid *&m .; TIGER-SHOOTING IN THE BOON AND ULWAR. WITH LIFE IN INDIA, BY LT.-COLONEL J. C. FIFE-COOKSON, \< AUTHOR OF "\VITH THH ARMIES OF THE BALKANS," " BAYLERBAY," ETC. WITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS BY E. HOBDAY, R.H.A., FROM SKETCHES BY THE AUTHOR. LONDON CHAPMAN AND HALL, LIMITED. l88 7 . LONDON : 1'RIKTTKD BY GILBERT AND RIVINGTON, LIMITED, ST. JOHN'S HOUSE, CLERKENWELL ROAD. . PREFACE. IN my opinion there is no sport which is equal to tiger-shooting. A keen fox-hunter may ask whether it is better than a good run with fox-hounds. I consider that it is so most assuredly. I could give numerous reasons for the choice, the chief amongst which I may mention. In tiger-hunting the scene of the chase is in the beautiful and wild Indian jungles, pervaded as they are by a feeling of solitude and romance. The skin of the tiger, a valuable trophy, is the reward of success. Besides, if the sportsman has only one or two companions, he experiences the enjoy- ment of an individual share in the management of the hunting, but this is denied to all fox-hunters, except such favoured individuals as the master or huntsman of the pack. Some one may ask whether elephant and bison shooting, or pig-sticking, is not as good or better sport. I would reply that I do not think it is. The tiger is the most cunning animal in the jungle, and your wits are pitted against his intelligence and instinct, while the element of danger is certainly not wanting in most of the plans of hunting him. Elephant-shooting has been prohibited by Government. Both elephants and IV PREFACE. bison can be easily approached by means of good trackers, although shooting them is no doubt exciting work. Somebody might inquire whether I would rather go with one friend and one or two elephants, or prefer to join a large party where there are half a dozen guns and say twenty elephants. Here again tastes will no doubt differ. Just as some may prefer bison-shooting or pig-sticking to tiger-shooting, others might like the society of a large party of sportsmen, and might choose to join them, although at a sacrifice of their share of personal con- trol and management of the expedition. But I would by all means prefer to go with one friend. In this case we would please ourselves as to where we would shoot and what we would do. We would hunt the tigers ourselves instead of becoming mere shooting- machines acting under the instructions of the chief of a large party, who is always chosen on starting in order to secure unity of action, and who makes all the arrangements. Besides, the greater the number of guns the less is the feeling of solitude which forms such a charm in jungle life. Of course, if you were all alone, with nobody except your native servants and attendants, that would be the other extreme. You require a com- panion to converse with when in camp and on the march. Two guns command the ground better than one PREFACE. V where game is being driven, and support each other when approaching dangerous game on foot. At least one of the two should know something of jungle-craft, so as to secure the best results which circumstances permit. Unnecessary risks are often incurred through inexperience and want of knowledge of the habits and character of the animal pursued. In my opinion, no account connected with the habits of wild animals is likely to be of interest and value to a sportsman or naturalist unless it is. both truthful and accurate. With regard to such of the occurrences, described in the following pages, as took place when I was not present, I have related them exactly as they were told to me by my companions in the jungle, upon whose authority I can implicitly rely. The English reader is wise to accept all Indian stories with caution, unless the authority for them can be vouched for ; but, on the other hand, if they are from a reliable source, it is a mistake to reject a story merely because it is somewhat improbable, lest truth be driven to shrink back for fear of being mistaken for falsehood. I remember hearing a good story in fact it was rather too good to be true which will serve, however, to illustrate this subject. A sportsman whom I will call A. had despatched a wounded tiger in a cave, but in order to do so he was obliged to approach the animal so close that he ran a great risk of being killed. A companion, B., was present, and witnessed the occur- VI PREFACE. rence. Shortly afterwards A. and B. were dining at a table d'hote together when A. related the incident, and described the manner in which he had killed the tiger. It at once became evident that no one believed him. Some laughed, and bantered him on drawing the long bow. Others looked rather grave and offended at what they considered was an attempt to hoax them. A. now turned with confidence to his friend B., who had been present at the death of the tiger, and asked him if he recollected the circumstances just related. " No ! " laconically replied that mysterious and disappointing individual. A. of course felt himself convicted, though not guilty ; his own chosen witness had turned against him. He could say no more at the time ; but as they walked home after dinner A. said to B., " You surely do not mean to tell me that you did not remember how I killed the tiger?" " Of course I remembered all about it, my dear fellow," replied B., " but did not you see that no one else believed you ? And do you suppose I wished them all to think that I was as bad as you ? " I will now proceed to the narrative of my adven- tures. If you will follow my descriptions, 1 will try and take you with me in imagination into the beautiful Indian jungles, hoping that you may share some of the pleasure which I experience when I recall to mind those stirring scenes in the luxuriant forests of the Boon and the wild hills and valleys of Ulwar. J. C. FIFE-COOKSON. WHITEHILL, Co. DURHAM. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. TO DEHRA DOON. PAGE To India The drill season The leave season A tiger acci- dent I decide on the Boon A companion I start Dak gharries A little comedy The Siwalix Game in the Doon The Mohun Pass Hunting a cobra Fatalism Arrival at Dehra My guns Native servants " I be getting bad now ! " A disciplinarian Horses We choose the Eastern Doon Procuring an elephant Risks in tiger-shooting Coolie transport Tents F. M. arrives i CHAPTER II. IN THE JUNGLE. Beautiful scenery Features of the Doon Climate Com- parative altitude Entering the jungles Deserted villages Effect of epidemics Viceregal shooting-party Run- away elephants Too thick for beating We kill a python Extraordinary muscular powers Habits of Python molurus A handsome skin Native excuses Search for a tiger Porcupines Deer-shooting F. M. departs Another camp ahead Ghastly spectacle Heavy thunder- storm I join W. W.'s python : how killed ... 20 Vlll CONTENTS. CHAPTER III. AMONG THE DOON TIGERS. PAGE W.'s reports Tigress kills a bait A machan W. waits for her She comes Our first operations Our position Preparations Evening in the jungle Sunset Tiger in the distance He approaches A tiger's caution The sportsman's dress Encouraging signs Difficulty in getting bullocks Extraordinary ideas of natives Native protects snakes Native saves a scorpion ! To inflict needless pain, cruel We try again Tiger approaching Has he gone? He appears I wound him We look for him The search renewed Elephant's warning A leopard's kill Khubber of a tiger Natives tracking Skinning a tiger Measuring Curing Native skin- dressers 40 CHAPTER IV. AMONG THE DOON TIGERS (continued}. We shift camp W T ild elephants Beauty of the jungles Position of camp We visit the kill Waiting for a tiger He comes Demonstrative monkeys Tiger feeding Tiger passing camp We wait for him Wounded tigers Himalayan trout I fish the Suswa Fishing in the Ganges Immense mahseer Mahseer- fishing Our food in camp W. kills a tiger We skin him Hardness of fore-arm A good shell Vultures' instinct A stand-up fight Native congratulations Prey of Doon tigers Man-eaters rare Deer-shooting Firing usually unde- sirable Singular incident Snap-shot at a tiger Our plans Looking for W.'s tiger We find her Narrow escape A chance lost We obtain bullocks ... 70 CONTENTS. IX CHAPTER V. AMONG THE BOON TIGERS (concluded}. fAGS Return to Jogiwala Adventure with a cobra The Suswa Camping on the bank Placing bullocks Tiger kills a bullock We follow his tracks Finding the kill Wait- ing for the tiger Returning in the dark Ticklish work Our next move I wait for the tiger Delicious evening The robin as a brigand Jungle signs A singular object A large tiger Strange appearance A tiger stalking Time to fire Watching again Change of place Rain threatening Unsafe tree Tiger passes me at night The rains begin A farewell beat The tiger at home Return towards Dehra Leopard in a house . 104 CHAPTER VI. AT MUSSOORIE, AGRA, AND DELHI. I go to Mussoorie Its description Lovely night-seen^ Life at Mussoorie Ladies at hill-stations Leopards I wait for one Provider for the poor ! The leopards viewed Can they be cornered ? Activity of leopards The leopard's lair A " Lai Janwar " I beat for it A snap- shot Musk-deer Sport near Agra Narrow escape from cobras Life at Agra The tat Riding suits the climate Moonlight picnics The Taj Its loveliness and grandeur A Rajah's entertainment Camp of exercise Delhi Lord Napier of Magdala Death of Lord Mayo Lord Northbrook at Agra My second charger, " The Brigand " How I cured a puller A shying tat A good excuse How I cured him Winter in the N.-W. Provinces Making ice Cholera Remarkable coincidence Ex- planation suggested Immunity prophesied ! . . . 137 X CONTENTS. CHAPTER VII. TO ULWAR. PACK An invitation accepted The State of Ulwar Rifles : what calibre How tigers are lost Mr. Sanderson's opinion Sir Samuel Baker's opinion For elephants Disadvan- tage of heavy rifles An eye-opener The Express Twelve-bore shell Always harden projectiles Shells unsuitable for 8-bore The Express for stalking A second rifle Uniformity an advantage Twelve-bore cases procurable A shot-gun Shot and ball guns Battery recommended My battery in Ulwar Pin-fires for tiger Powder B. M.'s battery Our tents Baggage transport My servants The shying pony March to Deeg At the palace Fight between lizards Cannibalism Bat and kite Habits of kites A successful ruse Utility of vultures Flight of vulture and albatross Ex- planation suggested Locusts Arrival at Ulwar State jewels We enter the hills . ., . . . .166 CHAPTER VIII. AMONG THE ULWAR TIGERS. Beginning operations At Sirawas Tiger kills a bait Prepara- tions We beat him out Following up We move to Natosir Our plans I wait near a pool My position A tigress kills the bullock I shoot her Natives in machans Use of phosphorus B. M. wounds a tiger We follow up Approaching wounded tigers Good tracking 193 CHAPTER IX. AMONG THE ULWAR TIGERS (concluded}. We move to Kusulgurh Shooting from oodies Our pros- CONTENTS. XI PACK pects Bullock already killed B. M. waits I wait Luminous eyes Hyaena comes B. M. shoots small game He finds the tiger Gun-bearers usually lag We march to Itankwari A chance encounter Signifi- cant crows We reach the camping-ground Khubber of a tiger We hurry to the place Three tigers driven out Following up Wounded tiger shows fight Effect of elevation A dog's manner Another wounded tiger How can I shoot him ? I fire Flight of my gun-bearer The third tiger found Division of trophies Return to Agra . . . . . . . . .216 CHAPTER X. AT CALCUTTA, SIMLA, LUCKNOW, AND NYNEE TAL. Too late for shooting My plans I proceed to Calcutta The climate Characteristic punkah coolies Dengue fever I pass the higher standard I proceed to Simla Athletic doolie-bearers Marching by torch-light Quartered at Lucknow Flying foxes Gaiety The nearest hill-station Staff college examination I start for Nynee Tal Dak gharrie incidents I reach Nynee Tal The lake A swim for life "Furious " riding Mahseer in the lake The examination A fishing expe- dition Visit from a panther Fishing Migration of fish I return to Lucknow Result of examination I return to England .....,.. 238 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. PAGE Activity of leopards Frontispiece Killing a python ...... .30 My first shot ....... .60 Tiger stalking bullock .122 The Taj . . i5 2 The palace at Deeg 185 Wounded tiger shows fight . . . . . . .230 " It is coming, Sahib !" 234 A boating accident . . . . . . . .250 Uninvited ! 255 N.B. The representations of the Taj and palace at Deeg are taken by permission from two beautiful photographs by Messrs. TJ.TMivt-. rnnA QV> orVU e^rA f^ol&ifto Bourne and Shepherd, Calcutta. TIGER-SHOOTING IN THE BOON AND ULWAR. CHAPTER I. TO DEHRA BOON. To India The drill season The leave season A tiger accident I decide on the JDoon A companion I start Dak gharries A little comedy The Siwalix Game in the Doon The Mo- hun Pass Hunting a cobra Fatalism Arrival at Dehra My guns Native servants " I be getting bad now ! " A disci- plinarian Horses We choose the Eastern Doon Procuring an elephant Risks in tiger-shooting Coolie transport Tents F. M. arrives. ON the roth of January, 1871, I started in the troopship Serapis for India with the 65th Regiment, of which I was then adjutant. We disembarked at Alexandria, were conveyed by rail across the Isthmus, and re-embarked at Suez on board the Malabar ', another of the large troopships engaged in the Indian transport service. B 2 TIGER-SHOOTING After a favourable passage we landed at Bombay, and proceeded to Agra, where we were to be quartered. For some months afterwards the regimental staff were very busy owing to our recent arrival in India. Every one was at first unaccustomed to the new mode of life, and ignorant of the Indian military regulations and orders. In addition to this, it was the season called the cold weather. It was therefore the time during which all the drilling and musketry instruction of the troops are carried out in India, so that altogether we had our hands quite full of work. The hot weather was, however, approaching, during which all drills cease, and only such short parades or roll-calls take place as are absolutely necessary for the discipline of the troops. It is also the leave season, when as many officers as can be spared are in turn allowed to go away. A few of them are lucky enough to obtain six months' leave, and those who are so fortunate generally go to Cashmere, which is fairly accessible from Agra, as the railway extends a great part of the way. The remainder of the officers are allowed in turns what is termed a " privilege leave " of sixty days, and IN THE BOON AND ULWAR. 3 I was amongst the number. As I was the adjutant, I thought myself lucky to obtain so much. I was eager to make a beginning at tiger-shooting as early as possible. I had not had time, however, for many inquiries as to where to go, and how to find tigers. I was still undecided as to how to set about it, when my attention was drawn to Dehra Boon by the report of an accident which appeared in the papers. It stated that some one was out shooting deer in the Doon, when, owing to the thickness and height of the grass, he almost walked on to a tiger which was lying asleep. It sprung up, and, imagining itself attacked, instantly struck him down and bounded away. If the tiger had seen him coming, it would probably have got out of his way, as it was not a wounded animal. The tiger was too close, and the occurrence too sudden, for the sportsman to have any chance of using his rifle in self-defence. The occurrence gave rise to some conversation at the time in the North-West Provinces, and old Anglo- Indians said that such accidents were by no means rare in the Doon, owing to the height of the grass and the extent of the jungle. The Doon had consequently rather a bad name amongst sportsmen. Yet this very B, 2 4 . TIGER-SHOOTING fact was calculated to protect these jungles from being too much disturbed, and thus to preserve the game. At any rate, there could be no doubt that there were tigers in the Boon, although I was told that it was difficult to kill them owing to the thickness and extent of the jungle. The climate was much cooler than that of the plains. It was also very accessible from Agra, being on the road to the hill-station of Mussoorie. There would be another advantage if I went to the Boon, viz. that Mussoorie is close at hand, and I would be able to go there when obliged by the rains to quit the jungle. I had heard of one or two places in the plains where I might have expected to find a few tigers, but my leave was limited, and I wished to avoid as much of the hot weather of the plains as I could. I therefore decided to proceed to Behra Boon. F. M., a brother officer in my regiment, agreed to accompany me for a time, and intended to spend the remainder of his leave at Mussoorie. The hot weather is considered as commencing in the middle of April, so far as the troops are concerned. I was not then able to get away at once on leave, but was still detained by duties until the beginning of May. IN THE DOON AND ULWAR. 5 I then took the train for Saharunpoor, the nearest station to Dehra, but about forty miles distant from it. F. M. had already proceeded to Mussoorie, as he was able to start on the 1 5th of April, and he was to join me in the Boon. From Saharunpoor I proceeded in a dak gharrie to Dehra. Dak signifies post, and the meaning of travel- ling by dak gharrie is consequently to post along the road in a gharrie ; by doolie dak would mean to travel in a similar manner, only in a covered litter carried by coolies. To "lay a dak" is to place relays along a road. The gharrie is a box-like vehicle with small wheels. It rather resembles a bathing- machine, both in shape and also in colour, which is usually grey. During long journeys the traveller usually lies at full length upon his bedding, which it is the custom to carry about everywhere in India. For this purpose the space between the seats can be bridged over, but in short journeys the passenger sits upright, the seats being arranged as in an English cab. The vehicle is thus only large enough for two persons if they lie at full length, as they do, during a long journey. There are windows, consisting of frames, which con- 6 TIGER-SHOOTING tain a number of flat bars of wood upon the venetian- blind principle, so that they can be opened to admit the air while excluding the heat of the sun. The doors are in the middle of the sides of the vehicle ; they open and shut by sliding in horizontal grooves. The wheels are made small, no doubt in order to give them as much strength as possible, though it of course increases the difficulty of draught. As these convey- ances form the means of travelling beyond the limits of the railways, it is evident that they must frequently be expected to carry very heavy loads of luggage, in addition to the passengers. The roads are often very bad, and thus increase the strain upon the wheels. The chief roads upon which the dak gharries travel are divided into stages, and at the end of each stage the horses are changed. They are small, weedy animals. When the horses which have drawn the gharrie are unharnessed, they require little leading towards the well-known stable. The same comedy probably now happens which usually occurs at the beginning of each stage. The horses show every sign of disapproval at being " put to." They lay back their ears, squeal, and threaten to IN THE BOON AND ULWAR. 7 kick. It is perhaps necessary to double up at the knee and hold one of their forelegs while they are being yoked. As soon as all is ready the native grooms let go. The driver cracks his whip and shouts ; yet the horses resolutely decline to move. They edge sideways, and turn half round, as if not aware of the direction in which they are required to go. Some of the natives endeavour to lead them forward, pulling at their heads and shouting, others seize and try to turn the wheels, or push against the back of the gharrie to get it under way. During this time the driver is busily applying his whip to the refractory team, while employing every conceivable imprecation and threat, in the hopes of inducing the animals to move. He also endeavours to goad them into compliance with his wishes by making any insulting insinuations against the honour of their ancestors and relatives which his ingenuity can invent. "Chalo bhai !" (Go on, brother !) screams the driver, as he hits the horse on the off side a hard whack with his whip ; the animal jerks its head nervously from side to side once or twice, but shows no signs of moving. 8 TIGER-SHOOTING " Ar-r-r-reh ! JJ cries in a loud tone of indignant re- monstrance, a native who is pulling at the rein of the horse on the near side, endeavouring to drag it forward. This animal is throwing up its head and showing the white of its eye with every appearance of ill-tempered obstinacy. Its attitude also confirms this view of its state of mind ; it is leaning back in the traces, as if on the point of fairly sitting down on its haunches, while its forelegs are firmly and resolutely planted in front of it. The natives who have their shoulders against the wheels, and those pushing behind the vehicle add to the general din by raising their voices in loud exhorta- tions to each other to make renewed efforts. At last the horses appear to become convinced by the arguments so forcibly addressed to them that there is no escape from their task, and that it is on the whole more difficult and troublesome for them to stand still than to go on ; in fact, that their only chance of a quiet life is to start without further delay. Perhaps they are also influenced by visions of their stables at the end of the stage, with the food and rest which there await them. Suddenly they go off with a rush at full gallop, fleeing from the driver's whip, IN THE BOON AND ULWAR. 9 which makes them one or two parting visits, as a routed foe flies before the sword of his pursuer. They no longer require urging along, but appear eager to make up by extra exertions for the time they have wasted. The efficiency of the daks varied considerably upon different roads. On some the horses were better, and the gharries less liable to break down than on others. The dak upon the Saharunpoor-Dehra road was above the average, and the road was a good one. Thus we quickly traversed the flat, well- cultivated country lying between Saharunpoor and the foot of the Siwalix Hills, which bound the Boon on the south- west. This range extends towards the north-west from the Ganges for about 200 miles in a direction parallel to the Himalayas. It has a breadth of from eight to ten miles, and consists of a mass of thickly-wooded hills, intersected by ravines and watercourses, with precipi- tous banks. In the hot season these nullahs are dry, but during the rains they are filled with rushing torrents. The Siwalix Hills are from 400 to 600 feet high, and the greatest altitude is 3041 feet above the sea-level. 1O TIGER-SHOOTING There are pine-forests on the higher crests, indicating a cooler climate, while the lower portions of the range are covered by thick forests of sal and sain. The game in the Siwalix and the Boon includes the elephant, tiger, bear, leopard, and hog, besides sambur, chetal, and many other varieties of deer. Hyenas, monkeys, and numerous other animals are also to be found there. As we approached the Siwalix, dark clouds began to collect from all sides, and a thunderstorm soon burst with heavy rain, which had the desirable effect of greatly cooling the air. I took shelter in a dak, or traveller's bungalow, at the foot of the hills until the storm was over, and then proceeded on my way through the Siwalix by the Mohun Pass. The scenery is very picturesque. The road winds round the hills and skirts along the edge of the water- courses, so that the gradients are diminished as far as practicable. Still they are so steep in some parts that the horses have to be taken out and the gharries dragged up by gangs of coolies, with ropes, for a portion of the way. We were proceeding up a very steep incline in this IN THE DOON AND ULWAR. 1 I manner when a loud cry suddenly arose from the coolies of " Samp ! Burra samp, hai ! " At the same time they ceased pulling, and the gharrie came to a standstill. I looked out of the door and saw a very large cobra gliding across the road about thirty yards in front of the coolies. It had evidently descended a hill on the left, and intended to continue its course down a steep bank on the right into a dry watercourse. I jumped out of the gharrie and called to the men to get stones to kill the snake. Nothing could be found, however, which would serve us as missiles except some lumps of hard clay, called kunkur, which is used for repairing the roads and lay in a heap ready for that purpose. Seizing some pieces of the kunkur, we hurried after the retreating cobra, but it just disappeared over the edge of the bank the moment before we could reach the place. I feared that it would roll to the bottom in a moment and escape, as the slope was very steep and smooth, without grass. But although the snake had been alarmed and was evidently trying to get away at its best speed, yet it appeared to dislike the jar and shaking which it would 12 TIGER-SHOOTING receive in descending quickly the steep slope below, where it must fall rather than climb down. No doubt this was the reason why it had reached down to a tree- root, a yard or so below the edge of the bank, and had coiled itself once round the projection, thus trying to shorten the distance which it would have to descend, and putting off as long as possible the inevitable fall. It was just revolving round the root when we reached the edge of the bank above it, and we immediately gave it a shower of the kunkur. It slipped off the root, instantly rolled to the bottom of the bank, and disap- peared in a bed of leaves on the edge of the water- course. The snake was said to have been struck by one of the missiles, but I could not see whether it was injured or not as it was rolling down the bank, while it re- mained in view. We now hurried round to the bottom of the slope by a track fifty yards distant, and came to where the snake had disappeared in the leaves. I was just directing one of the natives to bring a branch so that we might rake it out, when another coolie exclaimed, " Laga, Sahib, merghia" (It was hit, Sahib, and is dead). IN THE DOON AND ULWAR. 13 Saying this, and before I could stop him, he jumped into the middle of the leaves, although his feet and legs were bare. He scraped through the leaves with his naked foot and quickly kicked out the snake, which, fortunately for him, was quite dead. It is remarkable that the native sometimes shows such a reckless disregard for danger, and will court unnecessary risks, although he might not be considered generally as characteristically courageous. I crossed the Siwalix without further incident, tra- versed the Boon forests by the broad and good road to Dehra, and arrived at the dak bungalow there as it was growing dark. Before proceeding to describe my expedition in the Boon, it is necessary to explain briefly how it was pro- vided with regard to three very important matters, namely, my weapons, servants, and camp equipment. My battery consisted of : A twelve-bore pin-fire rifle, by James Bougall, of Bennett Street, St. James's. I used with it four drams of powder and hardened shells. A twelve-bore pin-fire shot-gun, which I not only used as a fowling-piece, but also, in default of anything better, as a second gun for tiger-shooting. When employing it for this purpose I loaded it 14 TIGER-SHOOTING with three drams of powder and spherical ball. It was very light, kicked badly even with this small charge, and was, no doubt, very inaccurate for work at ordinary ranges. Still it was necessary to have some weapon to fire in a tiger's face if I was shooting on foot, the animal charging and my Dougall unloaded. After my expedition in the Boon I procured another twelve-bore rifle by Dougall to use for this purpose, as second gun. I also had with me in the Boon a single-barrelled breech-loading small-bore rifle. It was unfortunately not an express and consequently it was of little use. I had engaged native servants on landing at Bombay. They were of the particular class who await the arrival of regiments there and accompany an officer up country to his first station. They speak a little English, and are therefore very useful as inter- preters to a newly-arrived officer who does not know a word of Hindustani. But these servants do not settle. They stay with their master a few months and help him to buy furniture for his bungalow, and a variety of other articles which he finds necessary, such as country clothing, &c. They manage to make a handsome profit in commission, which is called in Hindustani, u dustour," literally meaning " that which IN THE BOON AND ULWAR. 15 is customary," they consider it as much theirs by right as a Government regards its custom duties. The system is so thoroughly understood and recog- nized in India, that I have known a native bearer or head-servant, of irreproachable character, come and complain to his master, who has just paid a bill to a native merchant, that the man had declined to give him the " dustour " to which he was entitled ! Having made as much profit as they can during the first few months of an officer's service in India, they give up their situations and return to Bombay, in order to take service under another newly-arrived officer, who still has all his purchases to make. If they do not resign they gradually become careless, lazy, and cease to work, so that it becomes necessary to dismiss them. The head-man of those who came with me called himself a " butler," doing the work both of bearer and khitmutghar, according to the Bombay plan. Thus he attended me both in my bungalow and at table : he also did the cooking, &c. He was accompanied by another native called Kulloo, who did most of the outside work. Both the butler and Kulloo were Christians, like 1 6 TIGER-SHOOTING many of their class of servants to be met with at Bombay. The butler said to me when I engaged him, "I be Christian now, same as master!" During the time he was in my service, he would occasionally come to me on Sunday, and say, " Master be let me go church now ; if not I be getting bad now ! " I never was quite sure whether his real object was to go to church in order to improve his moral tone and prevent himself from " getting bad," as he quaintly expressed it, or to indirectly and diplomati- cally assure me that he was not bad yet, and therefore that presumably he was "good now," or merely to obtain a half-holiday to be spent after the manner of the natives in gossiping and smoking a hubble-bubble with boon companions in the bazaar. Perhaps he may have been influenced by each of these motives in turn. He was a great disciplinarian, and used to keep the inferior native servants in order. If a punkah coolie broke a chattie or jar he would come to me and say, " He tell me now and I be isthruck him ! " My horses were always looked after by the usual native attendants, a sice or groom to each and one grass-cutter for two horses. IN THE BOON AND ULWAR. IJ As yet, however, I had only one horse, and I was still looking out for another ; he was a handsome little Arab, though rather old. I rode him as charger on parade ; being adjutant I was a mounted officer. I left him at Agra when I went to the Doon. On arriving at Dehra I had established myself at the dak bungalow, and I at once set to work to make inquiries regarding the shooting and in preparing for a start. I learnt that the Eastern Doon was by far the best for tiger-shooting, as it was wilder and less disturbed than the Western Doon, being covered by forests and swamps ; I therefore decided to go there. I wished, if possible, to get an elephant for shooting purposes during the expedition, and I heard that a native merchant in Dehra had a good shikarie or hunting-elephant, which he kept for trade purposes, but at that season of the year he had no work for it. It was said that he would be glad to lend the elephant to me if I would defray the cost of feeding it and paying its attendants. I gladly accepted the elephant upon these terms, and I found during my expedition that the high character given to the elephant and its driver was c 1 8 TIGER-SHOOTING fully deserved. Although it was not probable that I would find a single elephant of any use for beating so thick a jungle, yet I had heard that an elephant was of great service in carrying the sportsman when following up a wounded tiger and for similar work. The most dangerous part of tiger-shooting consists in following up a wounded tiger on foot, as he will certainly kill a man if he gets a chance, and the sportsman cannot tell, if there be plenty of cover, at what moment he will rush out of his ambush upon his pursuers. The same tiger, if unwounded, would probably try to get out of the way of any man whom he saw approaching. Yet, if a man suddenly comes upon a tiger lying in the long grass, it may fancy itself attacked, and may strike him down with a view to escaping, as had no doubt happened in the recent accident. A tiger, otherwise peaceably inclined, will also show fight if it believes itself to be caught in a corner. Of course a man-eater is dangerous in another way in addition to those already mentioned. He probably stalks or lies in ambush for his victim, who only learns of the animal's presence when it makes the fatal rush. IN THE DOON AND ULWAR. 1 9 I hired about fifteen coolies to carry my baggage and supplies. I preferred this arrangement to camel transport. The coolies can be used as beaters when the camp is stationary. They could also be sent on messages, to bring letters from Dehra, or such luxuries as eggs, butter, &c. I had with me two shuldaries, or small hill-tents, one for myself, and one for my servants. As the heat of the Boon is moderate, it is not necessary to use the larger tents which are required in the plains. Of course the smaller ones are much more easily carried and better suited for coolie transport. I was now joined by F. M., who gave me glowing accounts of the charms of Mussoorie society, and we proceeded to enter the Eastern Doon. C 2 2O TIGER-SHOOTING CHAPTER II. IN THE JUNGLE. Beautiful scenery Features of the Doon Climate Comparative altitude Entering the jungles Deserted villages Effect of epidemics Viceregal shooting-party Runaway elephants Too thick for beating We kill a python Extraordinary mus- cular powers Habits of Python molurus A handsome skin Native excuses Search for a tiger Porcupines Deer-shooting F. M. departs Another camp ahead Ghastly spectacle Heavy thunderstorm I join W. W.'s python : how killed. " YE banks and braes o' bonnie Doon," wrote Burns, and made the fame of the beautiful stream immortal. I will now attempt to describe its Eastern namesake, a scene which for wildness, grandeur, and beauty may claim immortality in its own right. It is a valley which is bounded by the great Ganges and Jumna, covered with luxuriant forests, and lying at the foot of the gigantic Himalayas. Dehra Doon has the shape of a parallelogram. It IN THE DOON AND ULWAR. 21 is forty-five miles in length from north-west, where it is bounded by the Jumna, to south-east, on which side the Ganges is its limit. It has a breadth of fifteen miles between the Himalayas on the north-east, and the Siwalix on the south-west. The crests of the Siwalix bound the view on the south-west, although they rise but little above the level of the Doon. The ground slopes gently down from them into the valley, which therefore lies between the summits of the Siwalix and the foot of the Himalayas. The valley is for the most part level, but here and there it is undulating or hilly, owing to the spurs and outliers of the two ranges. The ground is slightly higher from the Mohun Pass to Dehra, and as far as Rajpore, at the foot of the Himalayas. The slight ridge thus formed through the centre of the Doon, and upon which the road from Saharunpoor to Mussoorie runs, forms the watershed between the Eastern and Western Doon. Thus the small river Suswa, which rises to the eastward of this line, flows into the Ganges, while those streams which rise to the westward of the ridge run into the Jumna. The Himalayas tower along the north-eastern edge of the Doon. Their character is here exceedingly bold, 22 TIGER-SHOOTING precipitous, and grand. The Himalayas and Siwalix, as well as the valley, are covered by thick forests. The Doon jungles form part of those which extend along the base of the Himalayas for hundreds of miles. The climate of the Doon is extremely healthy during the hot dry weather of summer, but after the rains have commenced in the latter part of June it becomes fatal to Europeans. It is said that all those Englishmen who have disregarded this fact, and have attempted to remain in the Doon jungles after the wet season has set in, have either died of fever at the time or have carried away with them the remains of a jungle fever of very virulent type, from which they have suffered for years afterwards. The Doon is very much cooler than the plains. The sportsman can be out all day on foot in the hottest weather without feeling serious inconvenience. A sun- helmet must be worn, and thin clothes such as would be used in very hot weather in England. I found a flannel material to be the best, healthiest, and most comfortable. It is soft and elastic, is of an ordinary coloured pattern, and looks like cloth. I had a suit of it made in India by the native tailors. IN THE BOON AND ULWAR. 23 Even in the plains it is always much cooler in the jungles than in open ground, where the sun beats fiercely upon the fields or on the roadways and build- ings of a cantonment. Then the proximity of the Doon to the Himalayas has no doubt a considerable effect in lowering the temperature, and a cool breeze often blows from the mountains. Besides this, the altitude of the Doon is considerably greater than that of the plains. Dehra is 2323 ft. above the sea-level, while the following are the heights of some places in the plains : Saharunpoor, 902 ft. ; Delhi, 800 ft. ; Agra, 650 ft. The height of the hill-station of Mussoorie above the sea is 7433 ft. It has about the same temperature as the English climate. Sun-helmets are not required there. Ordinary round hats of English pattern are worn. Thus if we compare the heights of Dehra and Mussoorie with that of Agra, which is one of the hottest places in India, we find that Dehra is 1673 ft. higher than Agra, and Mussoorie 6783 ft. higher than Agra, so that when we have ascended from Agra to Dehra we have approximately passed through one 24 TIGER-SHOOTING quarter of the difference in height between Agra and Mussoorie. So that when we have ascended to Dehra Boon we expect to enjoy, as regards temperature due to altitude, one-fourth of the advantages over the climate of the plains which we would have gained had we gone to the hill-station of Mussoorie. As I have already explained, the actual gain in coolness by going to the Boon from the plains is much greater than this, owing to the proximity of the hills and the density of the jungle. A broad, unmetalled road extends from Behra through the Eastern Boon to Hurdwar, where the Ganges penetrates the Siwalix range. Having com- pleted our preparations, we started one morning by this road and marched to Hurruhwala, a village seven or eight miles distant from Behra. Here we encamped. There are a few native villages even in the wilds of the Eastern Boon, and the remains of former ones are met with occasionally. Most of the inhabitants of the deserted villages have no doubt been destroyed by fever, and the survivors have been driven away by the same cause. In some parts there are openings in the forests, IN THE DOON AND ULWAR. 25 spaces which are now covered with grass-jungle, or tangled bushes and tree-jungle in various stages of growth. The ground in these places has been cleared and cultivated for a time by the natives, who have again permitted it to relapse into jungle. The question may occur to the reader : Why have the natives been killed or driven out of the villages by disease in later times if they or their ancestors have previously been able to live there ? A probable explanation of this is that in former times the migration of tribes and population or other causes led to the formation of the settlements in these jungles. The combined efforts of a large number of cultivators would no doubt succeed in diminishing the malaria and improving the climate of the locality by clearing a considerable extent of jungle and admitting the sun's rays to dry the ground. After an epidemic, which seriously diminishes the number of inhabitants, the survivors stand a much worse chance than before of resisting the malaria. So much less land is needed for cultivation in order to support the reduced numbers who remain, and there are also fewer hands to till the soil. Thus a portion of the land formerly cleared is allowed to relapse into 26 TIGER-SHOOTING jungle. The forest closes in again around the village. The sun no longer dries so much ground, and conse- quently malaria increases. On arriving at Hurruhwala we summoned the native shikaries and questioned them as to whether there were any tigers in the neighbourhood. It appeared from their replies that a tiger occasionally wandered into the locality, but that there was a much better chance further on. We learnt that sportsmen and shikaries from Dehra often went out shooting in the vicinity, but that they did not penetrate into the more remote portions of theDoon. This was quite sufficient to explain that we would find the shooting better at a greater distance from Dehra. We therefore determined to shift our camp next day about seven miles further along the road, and to halt at the village of Luchiwala. Before we started next morning a large shooting- party passed along the road towards Dehra. It had been prepared for Lord Mayo, who was then Viceroy, but his Excellency had been prevented from accom- panying it by business. A number of his friends and visitors, however, formed the party. I was told that there were about forty elephants. IN THE DOON AND ULWAR. 2J There were several ladies in the howdahs with the sportsmen no doubt on very trustworthy elephants, or perhaps they always kept to the road while the remainder of the party were shooting. It depends entirely upon the elephant whether even the howdah is a quite safe place in tiger-shooting. Some elephants are so staunch that they will not only stand a tiger's charge, but take a great deal of punish- ment and yet remain firm. Others will turn and bolt the moment they are charged. The motion of a runaway elephant is never agreeable, but in a tree-jungle the occupants of the howdah have a most unpleasant and dangerous time of it. At any moment the howdah may be smashed to pieces by a branch, or combed bodily off the back of the elephant, for in its flight the terrified animal disregards what it is carrying, and dashes under branches which are only high enough to allow room for its own passage. The tiger sometimes adds to the excitement by snarling and snapping at the heels of the fugitive elephant ; while the fact of a " bobbery " tiger being close at hand does not render the prospect of being combed off the elephant more agreeable. This shooting-party, with a long line of elephants, 28 TIGER-SHOOTING had beaten through the Eastern Boon from the Ganges, yet such was the thickness of the jungle that they had only seen three tigers, and had not succeeded in killing one. I believe that they did not even get a shot at one. They had killed some deer. On arriving at Luchiwala we summoned the native shikaries to see if they could give us " khubber," or information regarding any tigers. They said that there was one which had killed a bullock near a village a few miles distant in the jungle the week before, but that they had not heard anything more of it since. It was known, however, that the animal occasionally harboured in some rocky banks and nullahs of no great extent near the village. We accordingly arranged to go there next day to beat the cover with the elephant, and to make inquiries at the village as to whether any- thing more had been seen or heard of the tiger. Next morning we went to look for the tiger. F. M. and I occupied the howdah on the elephant. The shikaries accompanied us on foot, together with my native butler to act as interpreter. We also took the coolies, as they might be required for beating. We were passing through a part of the forest where IN THE BOON AND ULWAR. 2Q the trees were high and there was no undercover. On the ground there was only a little short grass in places. The elephant was about twenty yards in front of the natives when they suddenly raised a loud cry, and pointed in front, evidently much excited. I hap- pened to occupy the front of the howdah at the moment. I did not understand what they said, but I looked round, expecting to see a tiger, or at least some deer. I could not see any animal, however, and was on the point of turning round to ask for an explanation when suddenly the elephant stopped, and began to move backwards. I looked on the ground, and there saw a large python about five yards in front of us. It appeared to be gorged, as it was moving very slowly and lazily. I was puzzled to know at what part of it to aim. I was afraid of missing the head, which was rather a small mark to fire at, particularly as it was moving and I feared that to shoot the snake in the body would have no effect unless I could break its spine. I there- fore fired at the neck, and succeeded in putting a solid bullet from my twelve-bore into it. The serpent instantly stopped and coiled itself up, burying its head in the centre of its folds. 30 TIGER- SHOOTING F. M. and I then dismounted, but we did not know how we were to kill the snake, as we did not wish to injure its skin by firing into it if this could be avoided. We therefore cut some long sticks off the trees, and prodded it till it put its head out from amongst its coils ; we then succeeded in felling it. Even when it was apparently dead the power of muscular action appeared to remain with it for a con- siderable time, as it does with an eel. I ordered several of the coolies to stretch the serpent out, so that we could judge of its length. Some of the natives accordingly took hold of its tail, while others held a rope attached to its neck. They found con- siderable difficulty in stretching out the snake, as its muscles interposed considerable resistance. However, thev at last succeeded, and we were about to measure j i the reptile when its muscles again contracted ; the two parties of coolies found themselves quite unable to resist the force exerted, and were drawn suddenly together, the snake having succeeded in winding itself up again. It was a python or rock-snake, of the species which inhabits, the continent of India, and also Ceylon (Python molurus). - IN THE DOON AND ULWAR. 31 These creatures climb into the trees like many of he smaller species, and live a good deal amongst the oranches. Like most snakes they are fond of water, and they are good swimmers. They lie for hours under water, with only their noses raised above the surface in order to breathe. At the Zoological Gardens, London, they are often observed to remain entirely under water, with not even their noses above the surface, for half an hour at a time. They are therefore amphibious, and resemble the crocodiles and turtles, which cannot breathe under water, but require to take in fresh air from time to time at the surface. Pythons seize their prey when it comes to drink. They are not poisonous, but kill by constriction. At the moment of seizing an animal with their jaws, they envelop it in their folds, and then squeeze it to death. It is said that a python defends itself fiercely if molested. But when we attacked the one just killed with sticks, it had already been shot in the neck, and thus perhaps partly disabled. Besides, the moment it put its head out we felled it, and allowed it no time to assume the offensive, or to develop humours. I had the serpent taken back to camp and skinned. 32 TIGER-SHOOTING It measured nearly seventeen feet. The skin was dried and temporarily cured by one of the native shikaries. On leaving the Boon I took it to some very good native skin-preservers at the village of Rajpoor, at the foot of the Himalayas, on the road to Mussoorie. They cured it permanently, and gave it a beautiful gloss. It was a very handsome skin. I was not destined to possess the trophy long, however. When I was returning from Mussoorie to Agra I left Kulloo to bring my heavy baggage to Saharunpoor in a bullock-hackerie, or cart. He was to get the python-skin as he passed through Rajpoor, and to bring it with him. On arriving at Agra, however, he reported to me that the skin had been lost. His account was that it was with the baggage in the cart when they were starting from Dehra early one morning before day- light, but that on arriving at the next camping-ground he found that it had disappeared. He suggested that some pariah-dog must have taken it in the dark. It could not have been done during daylight, he said, as he always kept such a sharp watch on the things. Of course it had been stolen. The story of the pariah-dog was absurd ; no dog could have carried off IN THE BOON AND ULWAR. 33 the skin, which, when rolled up, was about the size of a sheep, and was a considerable weight. I was greatly annoyed, more so than if I had lost a number of tiger- skins. For tigers 1 could always kill if I went after them, but I would probably never have another chance of killing a large python. I dismissed Kulloo, the servant, who had charge of the baggage. After killing the python we proceeded to beat the nullah for the tiger, but without success. We also made inquiries at the village, but we were told that no traces of the animal had been seen since it had killed the bullock the previous week. We had just finished beating the nullahs when we came upon some porcupines, which were running about a bank amongst some bushes, and we shot three of them. As the native shikaries said that the chances of finding tigers would be better if we moved further on, I decided to shift camp again. But I arranged to employ the two following days in trying to stalk some deer, which the shikaries said were in the habit of coming into the open glades to feed towards evening. On the first day I succeeded in shooting a doe D 34 TIGER-SHOOTING spotted deer (Axis maculata), which supplied the camp with venison. It was driven out of a small clump of bushes, on the edge of an open glade, by the shikaries, and rushed past me at a distance of about thirty yards. I hit it behind the shoulder, and killed it instantly. It went head over heels half a dozen times, like a rabbit. My companion, F. M., now said that he preferred to spend the rest of his leave at Mussoorie, and that he proposed to return there at once. He arranged to start on the following day. At the same time I learnt from the natives that another Sahib who was shooting in the Doon was encamped some miles to the south-east, towards the Ganges, near the village of Jogiwala. I therefore determined to proceed there, in order to confer with him. As I was a complete novice in the jungles, I felt certain that any information and advice which a brother sportsman could give me, was sure to prove of great value. Next morning F. M. started for Dehra on his way to Mussoorie. Towards evening I again went out after deer, but this time without success. IN THE BOON AND ULWAR. 35 As I was passing near a little rivulet which runs through the forest not far from the Dehra-Hurdwar road, I came upon a ghastly spectacle. My attention was drawn to a spot in the bed of the stream behind some bushes, which grew on the bank, by the heavy flapping of wings as a number of vultures and adjutants rose above the undercover and settled upon the neigh- bouring trees. I went round on to the gravelly water- course, expecting to see the remains of some animal which had been killed by a tiger or leopard, but instead of this I found the body of a coolie. He was lying on his back upon the coarse brown blanket which he had worn in life, and was already more than half devoured by the birds. When a native is attacked by a painful malady as he travels through the jungles, he is very likely to stop on the banks of some shady stream to quench the thirst caused by his fever, or to secure shelter and a resting-place where he may lie down in peace, perhaps never again to rise. It is not always owing to natural causes that such cases occur. There are natives in India who are pro- fessional poisoners. They attend the great native fairs, such as that held periodically at Hurdwar. They find out D 2 36 TIGER-SHOOTING some native who has a little money with him, get into his company, and arrange to return part of the way home with him. When they arrive at a lonely part of the road they poison and then rob him. That night a very heavy thunderstorm swept over the Doon, accompanied by much rain, and as there had been another a week before when I was approaching the Siwalix, I was in some doubt as to whether the wet would be sufficient to make the Doon unhealthy. I considered, however, that the May sun would soon dry the ground again, and that the climate would not be seriously interfered with. The air was agreeably cool and pleasant after the storm. Next day I marched to Jogiwala, a village about nine miles further towards the Ganges. It lies about a mile from the left or north-east bank of the Suswa, and at that part the Dehra-Hurdwar road runs along the right bank of this small river. I therefore left the Dehra-Hurdwar road and marched to Jogiwala by jungle tracks. I found the camp of which I had heard near the village. It belonged to Captain W., of H.M.'s 55th Regiment. He had been in the Doon for about ten days after tigers, but had not yet killed one. His IN THE BOON AND ULWAR. 37 experience of the jungles had been considerable, espe- cially in Central India. I had intended to scrupulously avoid intruding upon his beat, and after obtaining his advice I proposed to withdraw to another part of the Doon. W., how- ever, invited me to join him, and I gladly availed myself of the opportunity which this gave me of ac- quiring from him a knowledge of jungle-craft which would enable me to successfully carry out not only the present but also future expeditions. The skin of a large python was stretched out to dry under a tree near W.'s camp, being held in its position by little wooden pegs driven through its edge into the hard ground. I asked W. how he had killed the snake, and he gave me the following description of it : He said that the serpent was over seventeen feet in length. W. had been out after tigers one day and was walking through some open and rather swampy jungle, when he observed a track on the ground leading into a hole, which penetrated the grass and was evi- dently made by some kind of animal with which he was not acquainted. On questioning the shikaries they said it was a large 38 TIGER-SHOOTING snake. W. followed up the track, which led to a place where there were two holes in the ground. They seemed to be of no depth, but to pass under the surface and to be connected with each other. The next thing to be done was to see if the owner was at home. W. cut a long straight branch off a neighbouring tree, and sharpened, one end ; he then pushed it into the hole, and after working it about held it quite steady to see if anything was moving inside. Presently he felt something pressing against the stick. W. then again worked the stick backwards and forwards, when the snake put its head out of the other hole, but quickly drew it in again. They now held a consultation as to how the reptile might best be captured. If it were to leave the hole and glide off into the long grass, they could never expect to see it again, and W. would probably not be able to stop it by a single shot. They had brought some rope with them for pre- paring seats in the trees, in which to wait for tigers. They made a running noose in this rope. W. and a shikarie held it over the hole, one standing at each IN THE BOON AND ULWAR. 39 side ; a coolie was also sent to the other hole to work the stick about. Presently the python put its head out again, and they rapidly drew the noose tight round its neck. It tried hard to get back into the hole, but the sharp- pointed branch prevented it from succeeding. They then struck it on the head with a stick, after which it appeared to be quite dead, and they got it out of the hole. As they were obliged to leave it for a time, in order to search for traces of the tiger, they took the precau- tion of tying the rope, which was attached to its neck, round a tree, in case the reptile should not really be dead. On returning, after an unsuccessful search for the tigers' tracks, they found that the serpent had only been stunned, and had come round again. It hissed at them and was apparently " full of fight," but it could do no mischief, as it was tied to the tree. They then killed the snake and removed it to camp. 4O TIGER-SHOOTING CHAPTER III. AMONG THE DOON TIGERS. W.'s reports Tigress kills a bait A machan W. waits for her She comes Our first operations Our position Preparations Evening in the jungle Sunset Tiger in the distance He approaches A tiger's caution The sportsman's dress En- couraging signs Difficulty in getting bullocks Extraordinary ideas of natives Native protects snakes Native saves a scorpion ! To inflict needless pain, cruel We try again Tiger approaching Has he gone ? He appears I wound him We look for him The search renewed Elephant's warning A leopard's kill Khubber of a tiger Natives tracking Skinning a tiger Measuring Curing Native skin-dressers. I WAS delighted to hear from W. that there were plenty of tigers about, and that we had a good chance of getting some. He informed me that a few days before he had sat over a kill near a village some miles to the north-east of our present camp. When W. first arrived at the village he had sent for IN THE BOON AND ULWAR. 4! a local shikarie, who told him that a tiger frequently haunted a certain cool glade in the jungle on the banks of a little rivulet. He accompanied W. there, to see if there were any traces of recent occupation, and they found the remains of a deer, which had apparently been killed by a tigress the day before. Besides her tracks they found the footprints of a cub, which had evidently accompanied her. W. decided to sit in a tree near the kill that evening. As it had been only partly eaten, he thought it was nearly certain that the tigress would return at night to make another meal, and she might then be shot. Tigers which prey on deer and jungle animals do not, as a rule, kill oftener than they are obliged to do by hunger. As a rule, I believe, they kill something every two or three days. A tiger will make a good meal off his victim the first night. He will return to the carcase on the second night and finish whatever is left. He will frequently go back even on the third night to see if anything remains and to pick the bones before taking the trouble to capture another animal. W. at once arranged for a machan, or platform, to be made in a neighbouring tree, from which he could watch the kill. A charpoi, or native bedstead, was 42 TIGER-SHOOTING procured from a village, and fastened among the branches. It consists of a wooden frame upon four short legs, the space in the centre being occupied by a rope-netting for a person to lie on. A rug and a pillow were added to make it comfortable, while a screen of branches was woven around, so as to effec- tually conceal it. The native shikaries are very skilful in making machans, as they use them a good deal themselves. A tree had been selected down wind of the kill and of the line by which the tiger would probably approach. There appeared to be little doubt in the present case from which side it would come. The kill lay within fifty yards of the little stream before mentioned. It was in a thick tree-jungle, without undercover, except that there were one or two patches of grass and low bushes in the bed of the rivulet. If the tiger were near at hand, it was no doubt in one of these, while if it were further away it had probably hidden itself from the mid-day heat in some very thick undercover about half a mile distant on the further side of the little stream. The position of the tree was chosen on the side of the kill furthest from the stream. W. got into his tree an hour or two before sundown. IN THE BOON AND ULWAR. 43 It was a very hot bright day, and he did not expect that the tiger would move earlier. In cloudy cool weather a tiger may begin to move at 2 or 3 p.m., especially in the Boon, where there are shady and ex- tensive tree-jungles, and where it is much cooler than in the plains. W. waited patiently till the sun went down. Darkness came, and yet no tiger. It then became so pitch dark in the shade of the dense tree-jungle that it would have been quite impossible to see a tiger if it had come. An hour or two later the moon would rise, and it would then be possible to shoot by the faint light which would penetrate the foliage. W. intended to remain in the machan all night. He had no elephant upon which to return to camp, and it is advisable to avoid a tramp through the jungle after dark. W. felt drowsy, and he decided to take a nap, so as to be able to watch all the better when the moon should rise. He told the shikarie, who sat in a corner of the machan, to wake him as soon as there was enough light to shoot by, or if anything of importance should occur. W. had evidently slept for some time, when sud- 44 TIGER-SHOOTING denly he was roused by the shikarie, who touched him. The moon had risen, and there was enough light to shoot by. The shikarie pointed towards the kill. W. took up his rifle and peeped over the screen of leaves. There he saw the dark form of the tigress coming from the kill towards his tree. It was now within five yards, and if W. had moved quickly he might have obtained a hasty shot at her. In another moment she passed under the tree. W. turned round and looked over the opposite side of the machan, but the tigress was then hidden from his view by the stems of some trees, and the feeble light also made it difficult to see the animal. Presently she descended a bank, and disappeared altogether from view. W. had not taken a quick shot at the tigress, as he thought that it was only moving round, and would certainly go back to the kill to feed ; he would then have obtained a steady shot at her. Tigers are fre- quently lost in this way. This one had no doubt intended to return, as W. expected, but on passing to the other side of his tree it had probably winded him, and moved off. IN THE DOON AND ULWAR. 45 After this unsuccessful attempt upon the tigress, W. had shifted his camp to its present position, in- tending to return before long and look for her again, after she had had a rest and time to forget her suspicions. Under the guidance of a local shikarie W. had already been out once or twice after tigers in our present neighbourhood ; but he had not been suc- cessful, although he had seen plenty of tracks. He was now awaiting the arrival of another shikarie, who had been away, but was expected to return next morning. Next day the new shikarie came. He promised to take us that evening to a place where a tiger very frequently passed in commencing his night's rambles. It was in the habit of coming out of a thick part of the jungle, and of making its way first to the river Suswa to drink. As there were two of us, w r e would be able to cover the ground much better than one would have done. There must always be a great deal of uncertainty in this mode of hunting tigers. Even if the animal were to pass on the particular evening at the time when we were on the watch, there was nothing to prevent it 46 TIGER-SHOOTING from taking a rather different line to its usual track, in which case, we would, after all, not get a shot at it. It was a very hot May day, and there was little chance of a tiger moving before the evening. We left camp at three o'clock, and were at our posts by four. We agreed to fire only at a tiger, bear, or leopard. We occupied single trees, which stood in the middle of a clearing nearly square in shape, about half a mile in length and breadth, on the bank of the Suswa. This space had been cultivated, but afterwards aban- doned, and was now covered by thick grass and rushes about five feet high, except in one or two small spaces, twenty or thirty yards square, where, owing to the nature of the ground being sandy, it was bare. The grass was intersected by tracks made by wild animals, and looking like ordinary footpaths. We chose for our positions trees about a quarter of a mile apart, which stood in the middle of two of these bare spaces, where a number of jungle-tracks converged, and where we found old footprints of tigers. About thirty yards from my position there was a small nullah or watercourse. It was dry now during the hot weather, but no doubt contained a stream during the rains. It was about nine feet broad and six IN THE DOON AND ULWAR. 47 feet deep, with steep banks ; in fact, it was like a large ditch, only that its course was not quite straight. It extended to the river, the direction which the tiger was expected to take. The shikarie accompanied me to give advice, as I was a novice, and he sat in my tree rather above me. W. was alone. We had not thought it worth while to have machans or platforms prepared, as we intended to leave when it became too dark to shoot, and we would therefore not be long enough in the trees to make such preparations desirable. When it is possible to do without machans it is better not to have them, as there is then less chance of disturbing a tiger if he happens to be lying up in some thick place within hearing. It is a good plan to take a cushion to sit upon, however ; it adds much to com- fort. Without it the sportsman is liable to get stiff and uncomfortable, which is apt to prevent him from keeping quite still. I had chosen a thick branch to sit on, and had my left shoulder slightly turned in the direction from which the tiger was expected to come, as it is always easier to shoot obliquely to the left than to the right. 48 TIGER-SHOOTING My tree was rather bare, but the shikarie broke some branches off the further side of it and wove them in amongst those in front of us, so as to form a better screen. Still no doubt the tiger could have seen me had he stared carefully into my tree. But these animals, as a rule, do not look up, unless their attention is attracted by some movement or sound. By degrees the sun sank towards the horizon, the shadows lengthened, the heat diminished. It was a perfectly still evening there was not a breath of wind. Peafowl could now be seen winging their way towards the river to take their evening drink. Their loud com- plaining cry resounded occasionally through the other- wise silent jungles. A doe spotted deer emerged from the long grass by one of the jungle-paths, and stood twenty yards from my tree. It moved as unconcernedly as if there were no such animals as tigers and panthers in the jungle. And yet the beasts of prey use the same tracks as the deer and other animals, so that at any turn the tiger and its victim may find themselves face to face. Then the tiger, if so inclined, makes a rush, and before the deer can turn round to fly it is seized and borne to the ground. Presently the deer moved IN THE BOON AND ULWAR. 49 on, and disappeared in the direction of the river, no doubt also to enjoy its evening drink. At length the sun disappeared below the horizon. Instantly a loud humming was heard on every side. It was the buzzing of myriads of insects which awoke amongst the foliage, where during the day they had remained torpid and sheltered from the sun's rays. On such a hot day a tiger generally begins to move either just before or just after sundown, so that it was now the most likely time for one to come. Presently I thought I heard a slight sound, though very faint owing to distance. It was like the humming of a bee, but only lasted for one or two seconds. After an interval of a minute or two it was repeated. The shikarie touched me, and, pointing in the direc- tion of the sound, whispered, " It is a tiger, Sahib, and is coming this way ! " There was something of triumph as well as subdued excitement in his manner, as if he would say, " You see, I have not brought you here on a wild-goose chase." The noise was repeated at intervals and became louder and louder, varying, however, according to the direction in which the tiger happened to have his head E 5O TIGER-SHOOTING turned at the moment that he uttered his growl, and whether there was any intervening belt of trees or other obstacle to sound between the animal and my position. In the meanwhile the light was rapidly failing, and I was in a state of uncertainty as to whether there would be enough left to enable me to see the tiger by the time it would arrive on the scene, if it should pass within shot. As the animal approached it became more certain that it was advancing straight towards my tree, and I could also calculate with tolerable accuracy that the light would, in all probability, be sufficiently good to shoot by. The tiger advanced to the edge of a patch of high grass, about 100 yards from me, and I there heard it call. I expected at every moment to see its striped yellow form emerge from the grass and stride over a small patch of open ground which lay in front of it. When, to my horror, I heard it next in the nullah ! Sooner than show itself outside the grass it had turned sharp to the right without quitting the cover, and had made its way into the little watercourse which I have previously mentioned. I still hoped and thought it probable that it either intended to cross the nullah, IN THE DOON AND ULWAR. 5! and would show itself on the opposite bank, or that it would emerge from the nullah, which was rather rough and narrow inside, and continue its journey on the bank. But I was doomed to disappointment ; the tiger passed my tree within thirty yards, though com- pletely hidden from view. It remained in the nullah till it reached the thick grass at the further edge of the bare piece of ground in which my tree was situated. The shikarie said it was no use waiting any longer. It was rapidly getting dark. We descended from the tree, rejoined W., and returned to camp. It had not occurred either to the shikarie or to W. that the tiger might pass along the nullah. We had found old tiger-tracks leading over the open ground close past my tree. In any case there was no other tree except the one I occupied, and that did not afford to any one in its branches a view of the interior of the nullah. Why had the tiger turned into it ? It was tortuous in its course, narrow and rough. Footprints, both old and more recent, showed that the tigers usually passed boldly over the open space which I was watching. A tiger before emerging from cover usually halts at its edge and scrutinizes any open ground over which he E 2 52 TIGER-SHOOTING is about to cross before he shows himself upon it. Probably this tiger did so, but the fact that he did not see or wind us is, I think, shown by his having con- tinued to give his call at intervals while passing along the nullah. Yet, although his suspicions were not actually aroused, I think that instinct warned him to be more cautious than usual, and thus made him prefer the nullah to the open ground. The dress of the sportsman in India is of consider- able importance. In order that it may be as little visible as possible it should be of a dull neutral tint. For shooting on foot in some parts of Central India, I have known a lustreless reddish-brown shade preferred. If standing on the ground, the sportsman then looks like a portion of a clay bank, or sandstone rock, so far as colour is concerned. For my own part, I much prefer a dull grey slate colour, not too dark, because I think it passes better as foliage whether the sportsman is on the ground or in a tree, and is therefore, more generally useful. The entire dress, from head to foot, should be of the same colour, including the sun-helmet and puggaree around it. The sportsman thus attired, with his ruddy-brown IN THE DOON AND ULWAR. 53 complexion the result of health and exposure to the weather and his beard of jungle growth, half covering his face, presents an object which attracts the eye very little either in the jungle or on open ground. White is one of the most unusual and conspicuous colours in the jungle. Especial care should be taken to display no collar, cuffs, or pocket-handkerchief. If a white collar is worn the coat collar should be turned up so as to hide it. It is a good plan to wear flannel shirts of some neutral tint ; not only are they more healthy for any one taking strong exercise, but they are easily washed, and the difficulty about white shirt cuffs is also got rid of. This is of great importance, as the arms must be moved in raising the rifle, and the motion makes white cuffs more conspicuous. If a white shirt is worn the cuffs should be carefully folded back under the sleeves or otherwise completely covered up. The pocket-handkerchief should be kept in an inner pocket if possible, as it is apt to work up to the top of an outside breast-pocket. A Norfolk jacket is the most comfortable and serviceable garment for Indian shooting. It should have an erect collar protecting the throat sufficiently to render a linen collar unnecessary, or hiding the linen 54 TIGER-SHOOTING collar. A waistcoat can be worn underneath in cold weather. Although we had been unsuccessful, yet we had met with decided encouragement. The first evening that we had tried the plan of watching the paths leading down to the river, a tiger had passed within range, although we had not obtained a shot at him. Judging from this, and from the number of footprints which we found in various places, we were convinced that there were numerous tigers about. We decided to try again next evening, in the tree- jungle bordering the open space which had been the scene of our first attempt, on the eastern side towards the Ganges. We had each day been making efforts to obtain some bullocks as baits for the tigers, but hitherto without success. The plan of using them is to tie up about half a dozen of these animals in as many likely places, and send a shikarie round each morning to see if any have been killed during the previous night. If one should be killed, then a machan is constructed in an adjacent tree, in which the sportsman can await the return of the tiger next evening to the carcase. The natives were very loath even for a liberal re- IN THE DOON AND ULWAR. 55 muneration to give up their bullocks for the purpose. This was hardly from feelings of genuine humanity, as the natives do not properly understand that sentiment, but because the taking of life is distasteful to them. They will abandon a disabled horse or other animal to die of hunger on the roadside, and be attacked by the vultures before it is dead, sooner than put it out of its pain by killing it. They do not reflect that the sacrifice of one bullock might lead to the death of the tiger, and therefore to the preservation of many other bullocks from destruction. As the natives go about with bare feet, and fre- quently sleep on the ground, they are very liable to be bitten by cobras and other deadly snakes which live in the thatched roofs of their cottages, or in holes in the mud walls or ground in the vicinity. Yet they are even averse from these snakes being killed ! I remember one of my brother-officers discovering that there were some young snakes in a hole near the cottages of his native servants. The ground was baked hard by the hot weather, and my friend called for some boiling water to pour into the hole, either to kill the snakes inside or drive them out, so that they might be despatched. He found his servants quite 56 TIGER- SHOOTING disinclined to assist him, and he was obliged to exercise his authority in order to carry his point ! I remember one morning, when I was dressing for .parade, I saw what I thought was a scorpion. I drew the attention of my bearer, who was standing close to it, and had probably already seen it on the light- coloured wall, and I asked him if it was a scorpion. " Yes, Sahib ; it is a snake," said the man in a depre- cating manner, taking up the scorpion by the middle, between his finger and thumb, so that it could not reach him with its tail to sting him. He then quickly dropped it out of the open window near which he was standing before I could guess what he was going to do, and order him to desist. Of course he was afraid that I would kill it, or worse still, make him destroy it ! Cows are held very sacred, and their protection is enjoined by the Hindoo religion. Peafowl, pigeons, nylghaie, and monkeys are also considered sacred in various parts of the country. The infliction of more or less pain upon animals is involved in all field-sports, and it cannot be considered cruel unless it is unnecessary. What fox-hunter, for instance, would admit that fox-hunting is cruel ? He would not perhaps go so far as to affirm that the foxes IN THE DOON AND ULWAR. 57 liked it. He would rather argue that if foxes were not hunted they would be killed off at once as destruc- tive vermin. Therefore if the foxes could be consulted as to whether they would prefer to be always killed, or .preserved and occasionally hunted, there can be little doubt as to which they would choose. The following evening we again issued forth at about three o'clock, and took up our positions in the forest near the river Suswa. We occupied trees a quarter of a mile apart, so as to watch some of the paths leading to the stream. As the sun got low I heard a tiger calling on the river- bank. Whether he had crossed from the other side of the water or approached it by some other pathway I could not, of course, tell. Presently the sound was repeated, and it was evidently louder. Again and again it reverberated through the woods, and it became certain that the tiger was now moving from the river towards my position : probably by the pathway which I was watching. This track passed within ten yards of me. The jungle consisted of high trees with only small patches of undercover in places. One of these, a cluster of thick bushes about twenty yards square, bordered the 58 TIGER-SHOOTING pathway in the direction from which the tiger was advancing, and its nearest edge was about twenty-five yards distant from me. Its height was such that it completely hid from my view the path and ground on its further side. Nearer and nearer came the sound. Was I at last to have a shot at a tiger, or would some accident like that of the day before deprive me of it, even at the last moment, leaving an impression that fate was somehow against it ? The tiger advanced steadily by the pathway until it arrived at the further side of the patch of bushes before mentioned, and I there heard its call for the last time. When I had first heard the tiger near the river it was about a quarter of an hour before sundown, and I judged that it would now be about sunset. There was still plenty of light to shoot by, though it was much darker within the forest than outside. I now expected to see the tiger come forward on the pathway past the end of the bushes nearest to my tree. Still he did not make his appearance, but remained perfectly silent and quiet. Not even the snapping of a stick or the crackling of a dried leaf was to be heard. I waited for a quarter of an hour more. There was evidently something wrong. We had not heard the call IN THE DOON AND ULWAR. 59 of the tiger again, nor had he come forward. I began to fear that I had lost him. In our present position the wind was in our favour, but we had recently walked along part of the footpath by which he had approached, and perhaps he had thus winded us. At any rate it ap- peared probable that his suspicions had become aroused in some manner. Perhaps he had noiselessly returned by the way he came, or had altered his direction on the further side of the bushes, and had thus passed behind them, round my right, into some denser undercover which lay at a little distance in that direction. It was now fully twenty minutes since I had last heard the tiger just behind the clump of bushes, and he would then be about thirty or forty yards from my tree. During the interval it had become almost dark, and the light was now so bad that I was sure I would not be able to see the sights of my rifle if the tiger came. I was almost inclined to give up all hope, and to commence a whispered consultation with the shikarie, but I was prevented from doing so by observing the intent manner in which he still watched the pathway near the edge of the bushes. At last on looking down I saw in the dusk the 6O TIGER- SHOOTING shadowy form of the tiger. His head was turned away, he was looking half lazily, half suspiciously, round under the trees, and lashing his sides with his tail to keep off the gnats. He was standing on the footpath just clear of the edge of the bushes at a distance of about twenty-five yards from me. I took advantage of his head being, turned away to raise my rifle. I brought it to my shoulder slowly and carefully so as to avoid snapping a twig or brushing against a leaf. I could not see the sights nor even be certain that the barrels were not pointing too much up or down. I was obliged to trust that the hand would follow the eye as it may be hoped to do, more especially when there is time for a deliberate and steady shot. Aiming at the usual place, just behind the shoulder, I pressed the trigger. The report of the 12 -bore rang loudly with its echoes through the stillness of the woods. The smoke hung heavily before me for a second, and I then saw the tiger throw himself partly sideways and partly backwards into the patch of bushes. A tiger, when hit, usually answers the shot by a sharp short growl, but he had not made this sign. Still I could now hear him in the bushes, apparently , IN THE BOON AND ULWAR. 6 1 stumbling and rolling about. I was therefore certain that I had hit him, and so was the shikarie, who said triumphantly, " Laga, Sahib ! goli kaya hai " (" He is hit, Sahib ! he has eaten the bullet ! "). For five minutes the sound of the breaking and crushing of the bushes continued ; it then ceased, and I hoped we should find him dead. At any rate he was most certainly hit, as an unwounded tiger would not have remained rolling about, but would, after being fired at, have at once made off through the jungles as fast as possible. It had been arranged that on the sound of a shot, the elephant, which was posted for the purpose about half a mile distant, should be brought up by its mahout to take us out of our trees, beginning with the one who had not fired the shot. Thus we would avoid walking through the jungle in the dusk, with a wounded tiger about. In the event of no shot being fired, I was to have joined W. when it became too dark to shoot, and we were to return to the elephant together, accompanied by the shikarie with a lighted lantern. I now had to wait a certain time, which appeared to be an age, so impatient was I to look for the tiger. 62 TIGER-SHOOTING At last I saw the glimmer of a lantern approaching through the woods. It was now quite dark. Presently the large form of the elephant came in view, and it was brought up alongside my tree. I then joined W., who was already in the howdah. I described briefly what had occurred. We decided in spite of the darkness to look at once for the tiger in the patch of bushes, as he might be lying dead there. If we did not find him we would follow him up next morning. We beat regularly through the patch of bushes with the elephant, casting the light of the lantern into every corner of the little piece of cover, and yet to my disappointment there were no signs of the tiger. We then descended from the howdah and examined the place where the animal had been standing when I fired, also the patch of bushes, to see if we could find any marks of blood, or of the bullet having struck the soft soil ; but we did not discover either. There could be no doubt that he had been wounded, so the haemorrhage must have been internal. We returned to camp expecting to find the tiger next day lying dead within two or three hundred yards of the place where I shot him. IN THE DOON AND ULWAR. 63 We started early next morning and made a most careful search of the adjacent jungle, without finding the tiger, however. We followed his tracks for a short distance out of the patch of bushes into which he had jumped on being hit, but we soon lost the trail on some hard ground. In the direction taken by the tiger there lay some very thick and extensive grass and bush jungle, within a quarter of a mile of the place where he was wounded, and no doubt the animal had succeeded in reaching it. Once before we arrived at the thick jungle we thought we had come upon the tiger. We were approaching the edge of a small dry nullah a few yards wide, when suddenly the elephant made a peculiar noise with its trunk, signifying uneasiness or alarm. It is made by filling the trunk with air and then giving it a sharp rap on the ground. The sound produced is rather like a tap on a kettledrum. This looked as if the tiger was in the little nullah, not far off. As we passed along its bank several vultures suddenly rose on the edge of the tree-jungle where the thick grass commenced. We went to the spot 64 TIGER-SHOOTING expecting to find the body of the tiger, but we discovered instead the remains of a spotted deer, which had been killed by a leopard, as proved by the footprints around. No doubt the animal had been lying in the nullah near where the elephant had shown signs of uneasiness, and had slipped away unseen as we approached. We eventually were compelled to abandon our search for the tiger, and to return to camp disap- pointed. We might perhaps have looked for it again next day had it not been that a shikarie arrived from a village which lay some miles further north, to say that a tiger had killed a deer in that neighbourhood the previous night. We determined to go there and try for it. From what I have seen, I consider the Boon shi- karies are very inferior in the art of tracking to those of Rajpootana. W., who had considerable experi- ence of Central India, also said that the shikaries there were much more skilful in this respect. It may be to a certain extent owing to the Boon jungles being so thick that tracking is often impossible ; still, it is remarkable that the Boon shikaries show themselves so much at a loss on open ground. IN THE BOON AND ULWAR. 65 On the other hand, the Boon shikaries had an intimate knowledge of the habits and movements of particular tigers, which was in accuracy and complete- ness far beyond any which was shown by the shikaries in Rajpootana, and this may be owing to the fact that the Doon shikaries live in villages in the midst of the jungles. Our shikarie was undoubtedly very keen. He had most skilfully placed us so that on each of two con- secutive nights, and those the only ones when we had watched, a tiger had passed within shot of our posts. This he had managed without the guidance that a kill affords as to where a tiger may be looked for, but simply from his knowledge of the habits of the animals in his vicinity, the directions which they would pro- bably take in approaching the river to drink, and commencing their nocturnal wanderings. Even if we had found the tiger on the second day after I shot it, we would probably have been too late to save the skin if the animal had died on the same night that it was wounded. In India during the hot weather decom- position begins very soon after death, especially in the case of beasts of prey like a tiger, which feed on meat. If decay has commenced in the least degree, the task F 66 TIGER-SHOOTING of skinning becomes very unpleasant work, and must either be handed over to natives, who are often not very skilful or careful in performing it, or abandoned alto- gether. The hair will also be apt to fall off, and the difficulty of preserving the skin so as to be perfectly free from an unpleasant odour becomes greatly in- creased. If a tiger has just been killed, it is a simple enough matter to skin it, and unless there is at hand a reliable shikarie or native who can be trusted to skin the tiger in a satisfactory manner, it is much better for the sportsman to do it himself. The process is as follows : The tiger is rolled over on to its back, and the skin cut with a sharp knife from the point of the lower jaw, along the belly, to the tip of the tail. The skin on the inside of the legs is then severed from the feet up to the line of cutting along the stomach. The feet are also cut open from the centre to each toe, and all the flesh and gristle removed. The animal's skin is peeled off with a knife, great care being taken that the skin may be left as free from fat and flesh as possible. It is then thickly painted over with carbolic acid, especially about the feet, lips, IN THE BOON AND ULWAR. 67 or any part where it is difficult entirely to get rid of fleshy matter. The skin is then stretched out with the hair downwards, and is held in that position by means of small wooden pegs driven through it into the ground. Care must be taken to prevent the natives, if possible, from singeing the tiger's whiskers, which they some- times do, owing to a superstitious belief that it pro- pitiates the manes of the tiger, which might otherwise haunt any one who has taken part in the destruction of the animal. They are also apt to steal the claws, which may be sold or worn as charms. The only proper method of measuring a tiger is to do so before it is skinned. It is not fair to measure the skin after it has been taken off, as it is possible to stretch it very much by pegging it out tight on the ground. If its length is increased in this way it will have a tendency to diminish in breadth. It is because the tiger is sometimes not itself measured, but only the skin after being taken off and stretched out, that such immense tigers are often heard of as killed by not intentionally untruthful sportsmen, although no doubt there are individual tigers which are larger than ordinary. F 2 68 TIGER-SHOOTING It is not a good thing for skins to be placed in the fierce heat of the summer sun's direct rays, as it bakes them quite hard, and they are then awkward to carry. They should be pegged out on the bare ground in a dry place under the shade of a tree. Hot dry winds are invaluable for preparing skins. Damp is often fatal to them. Wet, cloudy weather may prevent a skin from being dried until it has actually gone bad and is lost alto- gether. If it is in danger owing to damp weather, it may be saved by the timely appearance of the sun, and may then be submitted with advantage for a time to the strongest influence of its rays. Carbolic acid in considerable quantities should be taken by the sportsman on a shooting expedition, for the purpose of temporarily preserving the skins. Arsenical soap should also be carried, in case the supply of carbolic acid should fail. The soap is more portable ; there is not the risk of its being lost through a bottle breaking, as is the case with the carbolic acid. This is an accident not at all unlikely to occur in shifting camp. Natives are very careless sometimes in loading and unloading baggage. At the first opportunity the sportsman should send IN THE BOON AND ULWAR. 69 the skins to a professional skin-preserver for their final treatment. They will then be quite safe from acquiring an unpleasant smell at some future time. They will be rendered perfectly soft, and their beauty fully developed. Great care should be taken to find out a really good skin-dresser, as some of the natives use salt or other substances which have the disadvantage of collecting the moisture from the atmosphere, and thus prevent the skins from ever being in a really satisfactory condition. I sent all my skins to an excellent native skin-pre- server at Raj pore, near Dehra. 7O TIGER-SHOOTING CHAPTER IV. AMONG THE DOON TIGERS (continued). We shift camp Wild elephants Beauty of the jungles Position of camp We visit the kill Waiting for a tiger He comes Demonstrative monkeys Tiger feeding Tiger passing camp We wait for him Wounded tigers Himalayan trout I fish the Suswa Fishing in the Ganges Immense mahseer Mahseer-fishing Our food in camp W. kills a tiger We skin him Hardness of fore-arm A good shell Vultures' instinct A stand-up fight Native congratulations Prey of Doon tigers Man-eaters rare Deer- shooting Firing usually un- desirable Singular incident Snap-shot at a tiger Our plans Looking for W.'s tiger We find her Narrow escape A chance lost We obtain bullocks. NEXT morning we shifted camp, as had been arranged, to the new ground, which lay several miles to the northward. We sent our servants and baggage by the nearest jungle-track, and passed through the forests by a dif- ferent way, on the chance of getting some sport during IN THE BOON AND ULWAR. 71 the march. As the ground which we were leaving had been disturbed, it would have done no harm to shoot any deer which we might have seen in the vicinity, though after proceeding a mile or two it would not have been permissible to fire, as we were approaching our new district, and the unusual sound of shots echo- ing through the forests would have been apt to make the tigers shift away to some other locality. On the march we came upon the tracks of a herd of wild elephants which had passed during the previous night in the direction of the Ganges. Our way lay through one of the most beautiful parts of the Boon forest. The dense foliage made a perfect shelter overhead, and screened us from the severe heat. Here and there the sunbeams penetrated through some small opening, played upon the waving branches under- neath, and streamed into the deepest recesses of the undercover. Beautiful birds flitted about under the leafy canopy, appearing to revel in the cool shade which it afforded. There was the yellow of the gorgeous oriole, the blue of the bright kingfisher, the modest but beautiful garb of the paradise flycatcher (Terpsiphone paradisi)-. white, with crested black head, and delicate black 72 TIGER-SHOOTING markings on the wings, its long, pliable tail-feathers floating out behind it during flight. Towards evening deer were to be seen feeding in some of the open glades. The larger birds, which had hidden themselves in the darkest and most secluded retreats to avoid the heat during the day, now began to show themselves. The graceful peacock, with his brilliant plumage, and the bifronted hornbill (Buceros bicornis)) about the same size as the sacred bird of mythology, but forming a striking contrast with it owing to its dingy black plumage with white markings, and its hideous, unwieldy-looking horny head and beak. We found our camp ready pitched near the village, which was surrounded by grass-jungle and cultivation, except on the south, where the edge of the forest approached to within two hundred yards. Our tents stood on the ground between the village and the tree- jungle. There was a gentle fall in the ground along the edge of the forest, so that the level of all the tree- covered ground for some distance to the southward was slightly lower than the site of the village. There was no undercover in this part of the tree- jungle, and there were open glades here and there covered with short grass and scattered trees. IN THE BOON AND ULWAR. 73 Some very thick jungle lay about half a mile to the eastward, and it was there that the tiger had killed a deer two days before. It was late, and we were too tired and hungry to go and see the kill on the evening of our arrival. But next day, at about three in the afternoon, we proceeded there with the village shikarie, and we intended to sit in the trees on the chance of the tiger passing. The shikarie assured us that a tiger frequented one particularly thick corner, and that it would be well worth while for us to watch that portion of the jungle on the chance of his showing himself. We found that all the flesh of the deer had been eaten and only the bones remained. The tiger had probably fed for two nights upon the carcase, and the jackals had about finished what remained. I was placed in a tree where I could watch the kill. It was thought possible that the tiger might return to it again, as these animals frequently do, to see if there was anything left for a third supper. W. watched in a part of the jungle nearer to our camp, accompanied by the shikarie. Where I was posted the jungle consisted of high trees at intervals, with extremely thick undercover of 74 TIGER-SHOOTING bushes, which limited the view to about twenty yards, and it was only in one or two directions that I could see so far. As soon as all was quiet a jackal made its appearance. It ran past the kill, looking backwards and forwards, with its ears pricked, and appearing to be uneasy. It then ran up to the kill and pulled at a bone for a moment or two, but presently disappeared altogether. It had hardly gone when I heard the note of alarm of a muntjac, or barking deer, on the further side of the thick patch of cover, about one hundred yards off. This was followed by a great commotion in the same direction, made by a troop of monkeys in the tree- tops on the edge of the thick patch in which I was watching. I had already learnt sufficient of jungle craft to recognize these signs, and to know their probable meaning, viz. that a tiger or leopard was moving in the direction indicated. Presently, from the same quarter, I heard something breaking and crushing through the bushes. There was also an unmistakable sound of a heavy body being pulled along the ground. It was, no doubt, the tiger which had killed another IN THE BOON AND ULWAR. 75 deer or other animal, and had dragged it into the same thicket again. The important question was whether he would approach sufficiently near to my tree to show himself and give a shot. On he came, the monkeys following overhead in a state of the greatest excitement, throwing themselves from branch to branch, and chattering loudly. I had begun to think that he was making for the same open space where he had deposited the last kill, and would thus show himself, but suddenly he stopped when only hidden from my view by a dense thicket of bushes about ten yards broad. The sound of the kill being dragged had now ceased, and after a time the monkeys appeared to have become weary of their impotent rage, for they withdrew to a little distance, returning, however, from time to time to renew their demonstrations of anger. During the lulls in the noise made by the monkeys, I could hear the kill being pulled about on the ground, and a sound, apparently of the tiger gamboling round and rolling on the carcase, as is the habit of these animals. This activity of the tiger was always productive of renewed excitement on the part of the monkeys. 76 TIGER-SHOOTING Then followed the peculiar noise made by the tiger eating, which at a distance of twenty yards I could distinctly hear when the jungle was still. It was like the snipping of a large pair of scissors cutting cloth. It had now become dusk. As the tiger was evidently not going to give me a shot, and was only about twenty yards distant, I thought it better to with- draw from the jungle while I could still see to use my rifle in self-defence on an emergency, although it was already too dark for shooting on foot as a matter of choice. I therefore left my tree, keeping to the jungle- track by which I had arrived, as it led clear of the spot where the tiger was enjoying his repast. I returned to camp. W. had not seen anything. We had just finished dinner that night when we heard a tiger in the tree-jungle on the lower ground, a quarter of a mile distant. He was moving past our camp from the direction of the cover where I had been on the watch, and was approaching another thick jungle half a mile west of our position. Early next morning we heard him passing back in the opposite direction, and again calling as he went along. As soon as we could turn out we went over the dip in the ground into the tree-jungle bordering the camp, IN THE DOON AND ULWAR. ' 77 and examined the tracks of the tiger, which showed very plainly in some sandy places. We found several older tracks, some leading through the tree- jungle, and others crossing an open glade just beyond. On in- quiry from the shikarie we learnt that this was the usual way for the tigers to pass in going from one patch of thick cover to the other. We therefore determined to watch this line in future instead of sitting in the thicket where I had been the night before, and where it was very improbable that a shot would be obtained owing to the difficulty of seeing for any distance through the undercover. Accordingly that evening we watched in the tree- jungle and open grassy glade beyond, but no tigers passed our way. W. decided to watch at the same place next evening, while I arranged to fish the Suswa from near Jogiwala, to where the Suswa joins the Ganges. I took my guns with me, to be carried by coolies while I was fishing, and kept a sharp look-out when passing through the jungle where I had wounded the tiger a few days before. It is necessary to be careful in similar cases, and it is difficult to say how far a wounded tiger may straggle 78 TIGER-SHOOTING away from where he was shot, or in what direction he may finally aim : it may be quite different to that in which he started off in his first surprise. In a case of this sort some years ago an accident happened which nearly proved fatal. Two sportsmen wounded a tiger and next day went out snipe-shooting a considerable distance away and in a different direction to that at first taken by the wounded animal. Suddenly the tiger, which had a broken foreleg, rushed out of the long grass and seized one of the sportsmen, mauling him seriously before it could be shot by his friend. No doubt a badly-wounded tiger soon dies of hunger, as he can no longer procure food. The Suswa contains mahseer and a fish which is called the Himalayan trout. It is not the least like the English trout, but is a sort of carp, bright-looking, about the size of a herring, with string-like appendages on each side of the mouth. The largest do not exceed 3 Ibs. in weight. The flesh is soft, very pale, and almost tasteless. I fished with the fly, and killed a quantity both of small mahseer and trout, but none over a pound in weight, until I arrived within a quarter of a mile of the IN THE BOON AND ULWAR. 79 Ganges. In this part the Suswa, together with some small streams which join it, are called the Song River. The Suswa itself was of a shallow character, but near the mouth of the Song there were many deep holes and channels. I fished over this water with the fly, but no longer killed anything, nor did I see any of the small fish which were so plentiful in the shallower water above. I attributed this to the large mahseer in the deeper water. I thought it probable that they would come in from the Ganges, and would prey upon and drive away the smaller fish. I therefore went back to one of the most likely- looking holes. I exchanged my flies for a gimp spin- ning-tackle, such as is used for pike, which I happened to have with me; on this I put one of the trout so that it would spin, and keeping well out of sight I sent it into the middle of the pool. The instant it touched the water it was seized. Not a moment elapsed before I had tight hold of a good mahseer, which I landed and found to weigh about eight pounds. 1 tried the rest of the deep water with the same bait, but without success. So TIGER-SHOOTING On reaching the Ganges I found it very muddy and thick. The Ganges in this neighbourhood is one of the best of mahseer streams, and Raewala, a place a few miles below the mouth of the Song, is a well-known resort for fishermen. The mahseer is a species of carp, and the name is composed of the two words Maha Ser, meaning large head. Its flesh is white, flabby, and rather tasteless ; but in India, away from the coast, where there is no other fish to be had, it is acceptable for the table. The largest are found in the Ganges, Jumna, and Brahmapootra. When I was at Mussoorie I was shown an immense head which a Mr. Mackenzie informed me had belonged to a mahseer weighing 72 Ibs., the heaviest he had killed in the Boon. But the largest I have ever heard of was killed with rod and line in the Boon by Mr. Horatio Ross, of Mussoorie, and weighed 105^ Ibs. Several other gentlemen saw it hooked, landed, and weighed. - Happening one day to be in the shop of Messrs. Farlow, fishing-tackle makers, in the Strand, I was speaking about mahseer-fishing, and they showed me a letter from Mr. Ross, saying that IN THE BOON AND ULWAR. 8 1 the fish had been killed on their tackle, and giving the particulars. It was taken on a phantom about the size of a smoult. Only the smaller fish are usually killed on the fly ; that is to say, those under twelve pounds' weight. Phantom baits and spoon are used, and I have heard of good work having been done with live bait. A mahseer usually makes a strong rush when first hooked, but does not fight gamely to the last like a salmon. As they are in heavy water they run out a good deal of line, and 150 to 200 yards is the best length for it ; very strong tackle is necessary. A rod about sixteen feet in length is most generally ap- proved. It is fitted with stiffer tops for trolling and more pliable ones for fly-fishing. I now returned to camp direct through the jungles by tracks known to the shikarie who was with me. We found the fish which I had killed very acceptable as a change of diet, and I got some more whenever we were afterwards near the river. Our food usually consisted of venison, black par- tridge, and quail, also peafowl, wild ones in the jungle, not living, as they often do further south, in a semi- G 82 TIGER-SHOOTING domesticated state about the villages, and regarded as sacred by the natives. We took the opportunity of shooting deer and small game in the vicinity of a camp after we had disturbed the neighbourhood, and when we were about to move to another. In this way we avoided disturbing the tigers before we tried for them. I used to send a coolie into Dehra once or twice a week for our letters, and also for butter, eggs, &c. To go and return took him three or four days. The natives in the villages procured for us from time to time a good supply of delicious wild honey. The chupratie as cooked by the natives was our only substitute for bread ; in appearance and taste it is something like a tough pancake. Besides these articles we had with us a good supply of soup, milk, jam, butter in tins, and of course plenty of tea, coffee, and sugar. I found that a very good sweet could be made by covering a hot chupratie with butter and jam. It made a nice change in diet from the meat and soup. On reaching camp I was delighted to find that W.'s perseverance had been at length rewarded. He had killed a magnificent tiger, one of the very largest and IN THE DOON AND ULWAR. 83 heaviest description. He had met with this success in the following way : He had gone down at about three o'clock in the afternoon to watch the open glade on the far side of the high tree-jungle which lay on the south of camp. This, it will be remembered, was in the usual path followed by the tigers, one of which we had already heard and tracked when it had passed. W. had chosen to watch the open glade in pre- ference to the wood, as he was able to command more ground, and he thought it just as likely that the tiger would pass over it as through the wood. There was only one tree in it, however, which was well situated, but at the same time it was by no means a safe one. W. had to stand about twelve or fourteen feet from the ground, and a tiger could easily reach him by making a slight spring. Tigers can get at a man a good deal higher than this by jumping against the tree and gaining a mo- mentary foothold. If the tree slopes at all they have been known to partly bound and partly scramble up the stem for a considerable distance. Cases have also occurred where the tree has grown out of a bank and the tiger has sprung from the higher ground and torn the sportsman from his position. G 2 84 TIGER-SHOOTING Tigers do not regularly climb trees, although there is no reason why they should not do so. All the cat tribe can climb if they like. Nor do tigers look up into the trees unless their attention is attracted by some sound or movement. On the other hand, leopards habitually look into the trees and also climb up them. Cases have been reported of a wounded leopard climbing up and pulling the sportsman out of a tree. However, W. decided to occupy the tree. It was very bare and destitute of cover. He therefore felt sure that if the tiger should look up it would easily see him. Altogether it was a very unsatisfactory tree ; yet he had chosen it because it commanded a track by which the tigers usually entered the open glade from the tree-jungle. This was shown by former footprints. W. had not been in his tree more than an hour when he heard the low, complaining growl of a tiger in the tree- jungle, and a few moments afterwards the splendid animal wandered slowly out by the pathway which W. was watching and stood in the open glade at about twenty yards' distance, with its side turned towards him. W. slowly raised his rifle, but the motion caught the IN THE DOON AND ULWAR. 85 attention of the tiger, which instantly turned its head and stared intently at him. But W. was now quietly taking aim, and as he was motionless the tiger was no doubt unable to make out what the object in the tree was, or whether it had not been mistaken as to some- thing having moved amongst the branches. W. fired. The tiger fell to the ground, growling and scuffling, W. reserving the second barrel in case it should charge. After the tiger had struggled for a minute or two it became evident that it was paralyzed. W. reloaded the barrel which he had discharged, and then taking a steady aim, killed the animal with a shot in the head. The elephant was then brought down and the tiger carried to camp on its back. W. awaited my return before beginning to skin it, as he wished me to see the animal and to be present when it was measured. Its length was 10 feet i inch ; it was a huge beast of unusual thickness and power. W. took off the skin and stretched it carefully out. The tiger's forearm was of immense size, owing to the layers of sinew and muscle, which even after the skin had been removed felt to the touch as hard as bone. W. had been shooting with a 12-bore rifle. We 86 TIGER-SHOOTING found that the hardened shell which he had first fired had struck the massive forearm of the tiger, and after penetrating it had passed through the body, entered the other forearm on a lower level and there burst. This is a good example of what a shell ought to do. The first thing to be done next morning was to get rid of the carcase. It was dragged by some of our coolies three or four hundred yards to leeward of camp, and there left upon the open ground. W. and I looked on, and W. said to me, " There is at present not a bird to be seen which feeds on carrion, and }^et in half an hour the carcase will be covered with them." And so it was, for I watched what went on, as I had never seen it before, and I take a great interest in any- thing relating to natural history. I went away for five or ten minutes, and then returned. There were one or two jackals already at the carcase. When they saw me they trotted in a very lazy manner towards the jungle, as if they did not really fear that I would injure them. As I walked away again, I saw them returning to their meal. There were also one or two crows to be seen flying down from the trees and hopping about the body. When I next came to see what was going forward, about twenty minutes later, the carcase IN THE DOON AND ULWAR. 87 was covered with every sort of carrion-eating bird, so thickly, in fact, that there was not room for them all to feed at the same moment. They hustled and tumbled on the top of the body, striking at each other with their beaks to clear room for themselves. They were so busy at their banquet that they hardly took any notice of me, and allowed me to approach pretty close. The jackals had now been driven off by this dis- orderly crowd of ravenous and struggling birds. I could still see them occasionally about thirty or forty yards off, in the direction of the jungle, running about and looking wistfully towards the carcase as if won- dering when the vultures would become gorged and again give them a chance. But this was by no means likely to happen soon, as a stream of vultures and adjutants the latter are gigantic storks could be seen arriving from far away towards the Himalayas. Some were just settling near the carcase, while others wer* mere specks in the distance. At intervals for the last quarter of a mile they let their legs hang down to stop their momentum through the air, occasionally sway- ing about sideways for the same purpose. They all appeared to be coming from one direction : probably 88 TIGER-SHOOTING some other carcase, large or small, had caused them to collect there. They had finished devouring it, and were thus free to turn their attention to this one. How do these birds find their food ? Some think by smell, but most believe that it is by sight. If you wish to keep the vultures off an animal which you have killed in the jungle, and which you are obliged tem- porarily to leave, you cover it with leafy branches. The tiger follows the same plan, if possible, of hiding his kill from view, and usually drags it under some bushes or other shelter which will screen it as much as possible. I think that, as a rule, the vultures do not s.ee the carcase itself at first, but that their attention is attracted by the commotion among the other smaller carrion-eating birds. The vultures and adjutants soar round in circles an immense height above the ground, and when they see the crows and kites flying down at a particular spot, they well know what they may expect to find there. In the evening I again looked to see how the vultures were getting on at the carcase. They had about finished it. There was nothing left but bones. Most of the vultures could be seen sitting in the tops IN THE BOON AND ULWAR. 89 of the neighbouring trees in a state of repletion, and evidently disinclined to the exertion of flying away. A few of them still remained on the ground and appeared to be so gorged as to be unable to fly ; they allowed me to approach within twenty yards. One or two of these birds still pecked at the remains of the feast in a perfunctory manner. Their ill-humour appeared to be as great as ever. I witnessed a regular " stand- up " fight between two of them. There was just a little flesh remaining on one of the bones, and a vulture, perhaps a late arrival, was finishing it, but one of the gorged vultures which had been sitting on the ground at a little distance, walked up with the evident desire of trying to eat a little more. The vulture in possession left his now rather odoriferous banquet for a moment, and turned to meet the other. The two birds approached each other until they stood close together, facing each other with their heads stretched back as far as possible, partly, no doubt, in order to protect this vital part, but also to gain greater force in striking with their beaks. After a few feints like a couple of boxers beginning a round, they set to work in real earnest. It was at once evident which of the two would win the fight. 90 TIGER-SHOOTING The vulture which had not yet fully gorged itself was able to strike two powerful blows in the same time that the gorged bird struck one in a feeble manner, and the latter appeared as if he was well aware that he must be beaten, but merely " stood up " to his opponent as a point of honour, in the same way that a small boy will sometimes stand up to a bigger one who has been trying to bully him at school. After several unsuccessful attempts to strike each other on the head with their formidable beaks, the partly gorged bird landed a heavy blow on its oppo- nent's throat, and knocked it completely over on to its back, a fair knock-down blow. There it lay for a second or two with its legs, working in the air, then rolled over on to its side, struggled up on to its feet, and waddled off, the victor having already returned to its meal. During the day a deputation of the villagers came to pay us a visit of congratulation and to thank us for having killed the tiger. It was a well-known animal, and had taken many of their cattle. The party consisted of several of the head-men of the village, and some girls carrying flowers of jungle growth. IN THE BOON AND ULWAR. 9! We improved the occasion by asking the head-men to assist us in procuring, on payment, some bullocks, as baits for the tigers : since hitherto all our efforts to obtain any had proved unsuccessful. They promised us that they would do so, and assured us that they would undertake to get us the animals without fail in the course of one or two days. We accordingly deter- mined to remain at our present camping-ground to receive them, although we had now disturbed the ground, and would of course have had a much better chance of getting another tiger elsewhere. Owing to the large quantities of deer and wild hog in the Boon, the tigers there interfere comparatively very little with the cattle of the villages, though some of them take a bullock occasionally if it comes in their way ; a large heavy tiger, such as W. had killed, would be especially likely to do so, as his greater weight and strength, and smaller degree of activity would render him more suited to that means of pro- curing food than to catching deer. It is no doubt, also, owing to the abundant supply of animals upon which the tiger preys that a man-eater is so rarely found in the Boon. Not only is their prey plentiful, but it is easily caught, owing to 92 TIGER-SHOOTING the denseness of the jungles. A tiger need only move silently along one of the jungle-paths through the grass, which are used by all the wild animals,, and before he has gone far he will probably meet a deer face to face at some corner ; or at any rate he will soon see some which he will be able easily to stalk unperceived by his victims, owing to the thick undercover. During the time I was in the Boon I never heard of a man-eating tiger. Some rumours reached us from a village in the Western Boon that there was a man- eating leopard in its vicinity, but the place was so far out of our way as to make it impossible for us to visit it in the time at our disposal. I am inclined to doubt the story. If there were no man-eating tigers in the Boon at that time, it was still less likely that there would be a man-eating panther, an animal which is smaller and less suited to prey upon the human species. A man-eating panther would attack women and children usually. Next day I went out on the elephant, under the guidance of the village shikarie, to beat for deer in some open glades in the jungle, a few miles distant. It was in the opposite direction to that in which we had IN THE BOON AND ULWAR. 93 decided to move next, so that it did not matter about the firing, as we were about to shift camp, and the ground around us had already been disturbed. The clearings were covered with grass from four to six feet in height. It would have been impossible to shoot on foot, but from the point of vantage of the howdah everything could be seen where there was a bare patch, or an open jungle track or path. I first shot a buck spotted deer, which was crossing a glade in the forest. When I entered the open space it looked round, and then stopped for a moment to stare at the elephant. This curiosity cost it its life. I hit it behind the shoulder ; it staggered a few paces and fell dead. I next fired at and apparently missed a hog-deer (Cervus porcinus)) which jumped out of the long grass just in front of the elephant, and quickly disappeared round some bushes. I then shot a buck four-horned antelope (Tetraceros quadricornis) } which also sprang up close before the elephant. Continuing to beat the long grass, a very singular incident occurred, which it is difficult to explain. I fired at and wounded a hog-deer, which darted 94 TIGER-SHOOTING out of the grass in front of the elephant. It was so hard hit that it could only waddle away at a pace hardly quicker than a man could walk. It managed to reach a bend in a jungle-path through the high grass, and next moment it was hidden from view. I quickly descended from the elephant, and, drawing my hunting-knife, ran after the deer. I had advanced about fifty yards beyond the point where I had last seen it, when, to my astonishment, I came suddenly upon the heart of the animal lying upon the ground, and a few yards further on lay the animal itself, quite dead. It was, of course, impossible that the bullet could have caused such a disruption as this, and apparently the only explanation is to suppose that the animal had been seized and torn open by some beast of prey, probably a wolf, which, happening to be close at hand, had been attracted to the spot by the smell of blood, and had retreated, unseen, on becoming aware of my approach. I now remounted the elephant, and continued beat- ing the long grass. Suddenly up jumped a tiger, close to the elephant's trunk. He gave a loud " Wough ! wough ! " and instantly disappeared in the long grass ; IN THE BOON AND ULWAR. 95 but I could mark his course by seeing the cover waving above him as he passed. I therefore took a chance shot at the moving grass. On examining the place where he was passing when I fired I could find no blood, nor had the animal answered the shot by a growl, as it usually does when hit. The tracks led on just the same, and I concluded that I had not touched him. I beat the remainder of the grass very carefully, with the elephant, on the chance of there being another tiger in it, or that, after all, the one I had fired at had been wounded, and had not gone far. I saw nothing more, however, and returned to camp. It was a great piece of luck having come upon a tiger at all. I might have beaten the likely ground for weeks with a single elephant without having seen one in such thick cover as the Doon jungles. We had arranged that on the following day we would go to the place where W. had waited in a machan for a tigress just before we joined our camps. It will be remembered that the tigress had come to the kill which W. had been watching, but had managed to effect its retreat without being fired at. 96 TIGER-SHOOTING We now wished to see whether there were any fresh tracks or traces of the animal, and to be guided by the result of our observations as to whether we would make some new attempt to circumvent it. As the place was near the spurs of the Himalayas, a long distance from our present camping-ground, we might find it desirable to shift our camp, so as to be nearer to our work. If, however, our explorations should show that it was not worth while to remain any longer in the neighbourhood, we intended to return, as soon as the bullocks were obtained, to the vicinity of Jogiwala, from which we had lately come. We had now been over nearly the whole of the Eastern Boon, and had found most tigers in the Jogiwala district; we therefore thought it would be our best chance to try for them again before we were driven away by the rainy season. There were two reasons which appeared to account for this part of the Boon being so good for tigers. In the first place it was the most distant from Behra, and therefore least disturbed. Secondly, a large salient bend of the Siwalix range at this point stretches out towards the Suswa, and its slopes begin to rise from IN THE BOON AND ULWAR. 97 the bank of the river. Thus this is the nearest part of the Siwalix to water in the Eastern Boon, if we except the vicinity of Hurdwar, where the Ganges cuts its way through the range. We set out next morning, as we had decided, and went on the elephant to a spot about a mile distant from the place where W. had watched at the kill. Here we left the elephant, as we deemed it advisable to run as little risk as we could of disturbing the tigress. We had brought my coolies with us, for since we were about to shift camp to another locality, we intended to beat a patch of thick jungle, a favourite resort of the spotted deer, on the way home, if we should not find occupation in pursuing the tigress. We left the coolies with the elephant. We had made a considerable detour, so that we might have the wind in our favour in approaching the haunt of the tigress, and now as we advanced a gentle breeze blew in our faces. We followed the course of the shallow rivulet near which the tigress had been previously seen. It ran between earthen banks, over a bed of alternate mud and gravel. The channel was about three yards wide, and the water, which was a few inches deep, covered H 98 TIGER-SHOOTING the bed for half of its breadth. We were moving up-stream. At first our course lay through some extremely thick tangled jungle, which would have been almost impass- able had we not followed the bed of the little stream. Then we reached the tree-jungle, almost destitute of undercover, where the tigress had previously been met with. At last we arrived within a quarter of a mile of the position of the former kill. The wind coming from that direction brought us tainted air which we could hardly now attribute to the effect of the former kill, as by this time it would be quite dried up and inodorous. Yet the smell was distinct in the pure and heated atmo- sphere. We suspected that there had been a fresh kill, and after proceeding about two hundred yards further, we found that this was the case. The horns and some of the bones of a spotted deer lay on the ground. It had apparently been killed about three days before, and the footprints of both the tigress and her cub were still plainly to be seen in places where the ground was soft and sandy. This was very encouraging. To W. it was espe- cially so, as with his knowledge of the jungles and IN THE BOON AND ULWAR. 99 his former observations of this tigress and her habits, he began to think that she might be lying up not very far away, especially as she had a small cub with her. The question was, where could she be? There were some thick patches of undercover a quarter of a mile distant, but in this part of the forest the ground was completely bare with the exception of two or three patches of bushes, each about five yards long, which covered some mudbanks in the bed of the little rivulet. W. proposed that we should look in these, and I went to inspect some of them while he examined the others. I stepped into the bed of the stream, and was walking past one of the patches of shrubs when my eye was attracted by a slight movement of some small object close to the ground under the bushes, and about two yards from me. The thickly-woven mass of bushes and creepers extended to the ground, leaving only one opening a few inches in diameter through which I could see. Within there was very little light, but on looking carefully I made out something which I at first thought was a snake. Presently, however, it moved again, and a little better light fell upon it through the leafy covering. I now saw that it was apparently the tail of some animal, H 2 1 00 TIGER-SHOOTING as it was not touching the ground, and was curled up- wards at the end. The colour was made up of slate and black bars alternating, and it had a dark extremity. Like a raw hand in jungle matters, I called out to W., telling him what I sa.w. Instantly the tail disappeared, and I heard some heavy animal burst out of the bushes on the further side, gallop through the water and up the sloping bank ; but it was hidden from my view by the branches. It sounded like a bullock cantering. W. and the shikarie were rapidly approaching along the bed of the stream, but they had been prevented from seeing the animal by a slight intervening ridge in the ground. We now hurried to the place where I had heard the animal ascend the bank, and there we found the fresh footprints of a tigress and her cub ; they led out of an opening of the patch of bushes in the watercourse, where I had seen what must have been the tail of the tigress. It was probably lucky for me that by chance I had approached the bushes on the opposite side to the opening ; had I come in front of it the tigress might have thought herself caught, together with her cub, in a corner, and have knocked me over in escaping. IN THE DOON AND ULWAR. IOE She had evidently been alarmed when I called to W., and this had made her leave the bushes. I should have passed on and have brought W. to the place quietly ; we could then have taken up a position together on the bank commanding a view of the place, and had her dislodged by a volley of stones. Thus we ought to have got her. We now thought it a bad job, and that there was nothing for it but to go. The tigress had been again disturbed, and it was of no use making any further plans about her. W. handed his rifle to the shikarie and looked at the tracks of the tigress, slowly following them up a gentle slope. On arriving at the top 6f the bank, about twenty yards from where we stood, he saw to his sur- prise the tigress near the kill on the open ground, about twenty-five yards from him. She was standing side- ways, but had her head turned towards him, and on seeing him gave an ominous snarl. In fact, she looked very sulky at being disturbed, and had perhaps stopped to cover the retreat of her cub, which was not to be seen. W. stepped back, keeping his eye fixed on the tigress until he was below the crest of ground. He 1 02 TIGER-SHOOTING then turned round and hurried back for his rifle. W. told me what he had seen, and we both then approached the brow as quickly and quietly as we could. We had agreed that W. was to fire first at the animal's head, and that we were then to be ready to stand a charge. But we were doomed to a further disappointment. On reaching the crest of the slope we found that the tigress had disappeared. We followed her tracks for some distance until they led into thick cover. This affords a good example of its being necessary that a sportsman, when in the jungle, should always have his rifle in his hand. If W. had had his rifle with him when he saw the tigress on looking over the top of the slope, he could hardly have failed to bag her by the shot in the head. W. was shooting with a 12-bore, which is light enough to be always carried by the sportsman, and he had handed it to the shikarie, as he thought that it was hopeless to expect to see the tigress again when she had been so thoroughly disturbed. We may thus see what a disadvantage it is to shoot with a rifle heavier than a 12-bore, which, owing to its weight, must be con- stantly carried by the gun-coolies, and only taken in hand when an actual encounter with game takes place. IN THE BOON AND ULWAR. 1 03 We now returned to the elephant, and proceeded next to beat the thick patch of jungle, which the shikarie had assured us was a favourite haunt of the spotted deer. I was posted in a tree at the end of the cover, while W. remained in the howdah, and came along in the line of beaters. Unfortunately, nothing was seen ; the beat proved entirely unproductive. We then returned to our tents, where we found, as some set-off to our want of success, that the bullocks which had been promised to us had arrived. We there- fore determined to shift camp next day. IO4 TIGER-SHOOTING CHAPTER V. AMONG THE BOON TIGERS (concluded}. Return to Jogiwala Adventure with a cobra The Suswa Camping on the bank Placing bullocks Tiger kills a bullock We follow his tracks Finding the kill Waiting for the tiger Returning in the dark Ticklish work Our next move I wait for the tiger Delicious evening The robin as a brigand Jungle signs A singular object A large tiger Strange appearance A tiger stalking Time to fire Watching again Change of place Rain threatening Unsafe tree Tiger passes me at night The rains begin A farewell beat The tiger at home Return towards Dehra Leopard in a house. NEXT morning we started on our return to the Jogiwala district. We instructed our servants to move the camp by the shortest track through the jungle, and to pitch it on the bank of the Suswa, where there was a bare patch of sandy ground, about a mile distant from the village, and a mile up-stream of the place where I had wounded the tiger. IN THE DOON AND ULWAR. 1 05 In the meantime we intended to proceed through the jungle in another direction, so as to reach the Suswa about two miles down-stream of our camping- ground, in order to reconnoitre the river-bank and to find out the best places for tying up baits for tigers. We had proceeded for some distance, and were traversing a high tree-jungle without undercover there was only a little short grass here and there. We were moving in single file along a jungle path ; W. was leading, I was following, and the shikarie and our gun- coolies were behind. Suddenly W. sprang aside off the track, and shouted to me to stop. Following his looks and gestures, I saw upon the pathway a large cobra lying coiled up, upon which he had nearly trod. Fortunately for him his attention had not been fixed upon game or anything in particular at the moment, and he had observed the reptile just in time. Had he stepped on the snake, which is one of the most deadly in India, it would have inevitably bitten and probably have killed him. The snake now began to move slowly away. W. had a black-and-tan English terrier, which on this occasion was with us. The dog ran close alongside the snake, barking at it. The cobra stopped and struck IO6 TIGER-SHOOTING at the terrier, but fortunately missed. The snake then moved on again, in which position it could not effectually strike. W. now succeeded in calling off his dog, and I killed the cobra by a bullet through the neck. We reached the Suswa without further incident, and selected about six places at which we decided to have bullocks tied up next day. In making our choice, we picked out open places, where the bullocks would be readily seen from as great a distance as possible, say one or two hundred yards. They were all near the river, and where there were old footprints of tigers, or where the situation appeared to be otherwise favourable. We reserved two bullocks which we intended to place in different parts of the grass-jungle where the tiger had passed me in the nullah the first night we were out. In many parts the river-bank was bordered by a patch of sandy ground from fifty to a hundred yards broad, covered with short grass and a few scattered shrubs and trees. In other places the tree-jungle came up to the river edge. The bed of the stream averaged about fifty yards in breadth, though, as it was now the driest part of IN THE BOON AND ULWAR. IOJ the year, the water was only about five yards wide and one or two feet deep, except at the bends, where there were sometimes holes about four feet deep. Along the opposite bank ran the Dehra-Hurdwar road, and above it rose the gentle slope of the Siwalix, which here forms a salient bend. Thus the river-bank was evidently a good place for tying up the bullocks, as they could be seen for some distance from either bank of the stream. On reaching the camping-ground we found the tents ready pitched, cooking-fires lighted, and preparations being made for our dinner, so that it might be ready for us on the shortest notice. I enjoyed the luxury of a delicious bath in the clear, pure water of the Suswa. We then dined under the shade of a tree by the light of a lantern, afterwards smoked our cheroots, then retired to bed and slept a dreamless sleep till next morning. The following day we had the bullocks tied up at the places which we had chosen. They were secured by a short rope attached to the forefoot, as W. thought that a tiger is less suspicious if the animal has its head free. I also prefer this plan, although I have seen the rope attached to the head with good effect. 108 TIGER-SHOOTING For some days after this we waited for a kill, but the tigers appeared to be disinclined to take the baits. Probably they were a little suspicious, as they were not accustomed to see cattle in that locality. No doubt the abundance of game upon which they feed would prevent them from suffering from hunger, and thus render them less likely to kill the bullocks. Early each morning, and later in the day, the shikarie went round, accompanied by some coolies, to see if the tigers had killed any of the bullocks, and to feed and water the animals. At last, one morning when I called for my servant on awaking, he came and reported that the shikarie had just brought the news that a tiger had killed one of the bullocks the night before. After breakfast W. and I proceeded to the spot where the bullock had been tied. We had seen the tracks of a very large tiger there when we selected the place, and to judge from the footprints this was the same animal which had now killed the bait. It was no doubt a very large male tiger. We found on the ground the usual marks of the struggle. The grass was trampled down ; there were also one or two tufts of the bullock's hair and some blood-marks to be seen. IN THE DOON AND ULWAR. log The tiger had unfortunately broken the rope by which the bullock had been tied up, and had dragged away the carcase towards some thick jungle which lay a few hundred yards distant within the forest. We had selected the spot for tying up the bullock at some distance from where the tiger would find cover to lie in during the day, should he kill the bait. Thus, had he not broken the rope, we would have been able to have the machan made in a tree close to the spot in the usual manner, without the risk of disturbing him, as he would have been so far off. We had also selected a place where we were tolerably sure beforehand from which side he would approach the kill, as there was thick cover at hand only in one particular direction. This is also a very important consideration, as it enables the sportsman to have his machan constructed so that he may face in the proper direction, and that the tiger may not wind him in approaching. But as the tiger had unfortunately succeeded in breaking the rope and dragging away the carcase of the bullock, it became necessary to make altogether different arrangements. The kill would have to be found, and it would be necessary to watch the place where it had been left by the tiger. I 10 TIGER-SHOOTING W. now began to follow up the trail, and as I was a novice I looked on for instruction. It was easy work enough at first, as the mark left on the ground where the bullock had been dragged along was, of course, conspicuous. The short grass was pressed down and the dead leaves and loose sand brushed on one side. We followed the track from the river-bank into the high tree-jungle. Here there was no undercover, but only a little short grass on the ground. As we pro- ceeded through the forest W. pointed out to me one or two places where the tiger had apparently stopped and pulled the dead animal about on the ground. The tiger's footprints and the trampled grass appeared also to show that he had been frolicking around the kill while he had, no doubt, been indulging in delightful anticipations of his approaching feast. It is necessary to keep a sharp look-out for the tiger when engaged in this sort of work, and we proceeded with great caution. After advancing through the forest for about two hundred yards, we came to a small open glade of an oblong shape it was about fifty yards long in the direction towards which we had been advancing, and IN THE BOON AND ULWAR. 1 1 I thirty yards broad, estimating this dimension parallel to the river. It contained no trees, but was covered with grass about ten feet high, interspersed with thick bushes. The kill had been dragged into this thicket. When we reached the edge of the patch of thick grass and bushes, W. stopped and pointed to it with a significant gesture to let me know that he expected that the object of our search was within. We stood quietly at the edge of the cover for a minute or two. Presently W. pointed 'to a tree at the far end of the clearing, about fifty yards distant, upon which sat half a dozen crows, with their necks stretched out as if eyeing something beneath them. W. then skirted round the edge of the grass, keeping just inside the forest until we came under the tree where the crows had been sitting, and there we saw the remains of the bullock lying under a bush in the wood it had been about half devoured. We looked round there was no other cover for a considerable distance which could conceal the tiger, except the patch of grass and bushes in the clearing. We then returned to the river-bank by the way we had come. 112 TIGER-SHOOTING Now that we could again converse in a tone above the lowest whisper, we held a consultation. W. said that he was confident that the tiger was in the thicket, and that if we had tried to follow the trail through it, we would probably have stumbled over the animal ; we had avoided doing this by skirting round the edge of the high grass to where the crows had directed us. We decided to sit that evening in the tree where we had seen the crows, and watch for the tiger returning to feed at the remains of the bullock. W. had looked at the tree and had seen that we could climb up and sit in it easily. We then sent to camp for the elephant, the cushions which we used when sitting in the trees, and some refreshments, &c. As the carcase had unfortunately been left by the tiger up wind of the place where he was no doubt concealed during the day, W. feared that the animal must have winded us, even if it did not hear us when we reconnoitred the kill. We hoped, however, that the wind would fall, as it usually did, before sundown, and that would remove one obstacle to our successfully waiting in the tree IN THE DOON AND ULWAR. 113 for the tiger, as he would, perhaps, not then wind us at a distance in his lair, or when approaching the kill. We also hoped that although the tiger had probably been aware of our presence in the daytime, that when evening came he might have recovered his confidence. When we went to take up our positions in the tree, we adopted a ruse in case the tiger should be listening to our movements from his hiding-place close at hand. We took with us the shikarie and two coolies, with instructions that they were to wait at the foot of the tree until W. and I were settled in our seats amid the branches, after which we would remain absolutely quiet. The shikarie and coolies were then to withdraw the same way as we had come. Thus the tiger, if he had been listening to our movements, would, we hoped, think that the whole party had gone, and would not suspect that we had remained behind to watch for him. Noiselessly and patiently we sat in our tree. There was no wind. The sun went down. It grew dark ; still the tiger did not come, nor did we observe any sign from jungle birds or animals to denote his presence. We were loth to move while sufficient light re- mained to give the least chance of our being able to shoot the tiger if he came. At length it became so i 1 1 4 TIGER-SHOOTING dark that there could no longer be any hope of being able to shoot. We had given instructions to the shikarie to remain with the elephant at a certain point of the river-bank, about a quarter of a mile distant, and to bring it up to us if he heard us fire a shot, as he would then know that we would require it, the tiger being probably wounded and, in any case, disturbed. But as we were anxious to keep as quiet as possible in the jungle, we had told the shikarie not to bring the elephant in even after dark unless we fired, and that we would rejoin him outside on the river-bank. We had a lantern with us in the tree in case of emergency ; we had intended not to light it, however, but to pass through the tree-jungle by the way we had come, where there was no undercover, and thus gain the outside without adding to the suspicions of the tiger, should he be still in the vicinity, by showing a light. Theoretically this was all very well, but on descending from our tree and trying to work our way in the dark round the outskirts of the thicket we found it was not so easy to carry out the plan, as we frequently became involved between outlying patches of the IN THE BOON AND ULWAR. 115 bushes and the main thicket. Everything appeared different in the darkness, and it occurred to us that after going round for some distance we might very easily mistake our position and turn off too soon or too late, thus missing the river and becoming lost in the jungle. Nothing would then have remained but to spend the night in another tree until daylight enabled us to extricate ourselves from the difficulty. We now held a whispered consultation. We were sure we could find our way back to the tree in which we had been sitting, as it was near a well-marked corner of the clearing just behind us. We knew that from the tree we could regain the river-bank without possi- bility of mistaking the direction, as we would only have to keep moving in a straight line past the opposite side of the thicket to that on which we then stood. The only objection would be that we would have to traverse a portion of the patch of grass and bushes, which branched out, and in fact formed part of the cover in which we had the best reasons for believing that the tiger had passed the day. We determined, however, at the risk of disturbing the tiger to light the lantern before we began to pass through the high grass. I 2 1 I 6 TIGER-SHOOTING We retraced our steps and regained our tree without difficulty, and then advanced towards the river-bed in the direction in which we knew for certain that it lay, and reached the corner where we had to traverse part of the high grass-jungle. Here we tried to light the lampj but we found that the matches would not burn ! They had apparently got damp or wet, probably through the carelessness of the natives, as the weather was so hot and dry that under ordinary circumstances they could not have got out of order. We were therefore obliged to make our way without a light through a dense jungle, with the grass above our heads. There was not even a wild animal's path to move by. We had to push the grass on one side with our hands in order to pass. It was not quite a comfortable position to be in, as we were not only trespassing upon the tiger's chosen cover, but we knew that it was while moving through high grass such as this in broad daylight that most of the accidents in the Boon occurred, owing to the sportsman coming suddenly on the tiger, which, fancying itself attacked, strikes him down. At night the chance of such an occurrence might be greater, as all wild animals are bolder and less inclined to avoid a man after dark; IN THE BOON AND ULWAR. I I *] although on the other hand there was less chance of the tiger being asleep and not aware of our approach in time to get out of the way. In default of the lantern we now maintained a con- versation in loud tones, so that the tiger if in front of us might have time to move off. Thus we forced a passage through the thick cover and were somewhat relieved on regaining the open river-bank, where the darkness was not nearly so great as within the jungle. We proceeded to the place, about a quarter of a mile distant, where we had ordered that the elephant should remain, and returned to camp comfortably in the howdah. We now discussed our future plans for circumventing this tiger. We decided that we would not go next day to see whether the tiger had been again at the kill, as if he had returned to it he had no doubt eaten what remained, and could not be counted upon to return another evening, while we would probably again disturb him if he were in the adjacent thicket. We considered that it would be a much better plan to tie up a fresh bullock at the spot where the other had been killed, and to watch it in a tree on the chance of the tiger coming to kill it also. Il8 TIGER-SHOOTING We drew lots to settle who was to sit over the fresh bullock, and I won. It was tied in exactly the same place as the last. A good tree, though rather bare, stood about twenty yards distant from it, in which the shikarie prepared a seat for me made with a cushion and some rope. I was going to sit alone, for although I had perfect confidence that the shikarie would keep quiet, since I had already seen him tried, yet there was not much room in the tree, and as it was rather bare it would be more difficult for two of us to conceal ourselves in its branches than for one to do so. The elephant was placed in a small clump of bushes near the river-bed at a distance of about a quarter of a mile, and the mahout had instructions to bring it to my tree in the event of my firing, but not otherwise. I climbed into my tree at about 3 p.m. It was one of the hottest days, and it was not likely that the tiger would move before evening ; still I was very keen and anxious not to throw away a chance. In order that what followed may be understood, I will now briefly describe the position of the bullock and myself with reference to the jungle. The bullock was tied about ten yards from the bank of the Suswa. The IN THE BOON AND ULWAR. IIQ edge of the tree-jungle into which the last bullock had been dragged by the tiger was about eighty yards from the river-bank and parallel to it. Between the jungle and the stream the ground was sandy and covered by short grass, with here and there a tuft about two feet high. A belt of trees twenty or thirty yards broad connected the jungle with the river-bank, where I was posted, in fact I was in the nearest of these trees to where the bullock was fastened. There was no undercover beneath them, but only short grass. Eighty or a hundred yards up-stream from my tree was a patch of bushes, which joined the jungle to the river-bank, and thus the jungle together with the two strips of cover which I have described formed a rough semicircular arc, of which the river-bank was the chord or diameter. Half-way between me and the jungle were three or four bushes extending out a few yards from the belt of trees at the corner of which I had taken post. The wind had now fallen. It had fortunately been blowing from the direction of the jungle, and this would prevent the tiger from winding us and render it less probable that he would have heard us moving about on the river-bank ; besides, the thicket in I2O TIGER-SHOOTING which was his lair w r as nearly three hundred yards distant. As evening approached I knew that the chance of the tiger coming became every moment greater. Yet I was trusting to luck that he might visit the place. It was not like watching over the carcase of an animal which a tiger has killed, and to which he may be reasonably expected to return for his meal if his sus- picions have not been aroused. It was a beautiful spot to wait in, and the cool of evening was delicious after the heat of the day. The view was a more open one than was usually to be obtained in the Doon jungles. As already described, the river-bed, with the open spaces on its left bank and the Dehra-Hurdwar road on the right bank, together formed a gap through the forest of considerable width. Looking from my position across the river, I observed that beyond the road the entire view was a mass of forest without clearing or opening of any kind. The ground began at once to rise in a regular and easy slope to the crests of the Siwalix, those wild fastnesses of the elephant and sambur, the tiger and leopard. The deer harbour there, and only seek to exist in peace and safety. The tiger and leopard are there to IN THE DOON AND ULWAR. 121 prey upon the inoffensive deer. It seems cruel, and yet it is instinct which dictates to them, and the neces- sity of existence which compels them to do it. It is the same throughout the economy of Nature. There is the robin upon your lawn how harmless and beautiful a little bird ! How trustful, tame, and inno- cent of evil ! And yet if the worm could be consulted which he so eagerly seizes and ruthlessly tears from the sod, a very different opinion of the robin would no doubt be elicited. Thoughts like these filled my mind. The sun had sunk behind the bushes bordering the semicircle on the west. I had been so long on the watch, and was so keenly enjoying the lovely evening, that I had almost forgotten the tiger for the moment, when my attention was attracted to the bullock. It had suddenly stopped browsing, and turned towards the jungle. It now stood staring, with its head up and nose pushed out, evidently uneasy at something. Yet all was still. I looked towards the forest, but could see nothing moving. Not a sound was to be heard, except the gentle rippling of the stream, which at this point crossed from the farther side of its bed and impinged against the bank not far from my tree. Did the bullock wind 122 TIGER-SHOOTING a tiger? The breeze had fallen completely, and yet it is possible that there may still have remained a slight movement of the air in the same direction, though so gentle as not to be perceptible to my senses. The sun now set. Instantly the hum of countless myriads of insects arose far and near through the forest. The bullock still stared at the same part of the jungle and appeared restless. Presently the loud, angry chattering of a troop of monkeys arose within the forest, and, after a minute or two, I could see them in the tree-tops on its edge, where they were throwing themselves about from branch to branch in a state of the wildest excitement. I now felt convinced that the tiger was approaching. Still he did not appear. At least five minutes passed like this, when suddenly there emerged from underneath the trees, where the monkeys were still swinging them- selves, a brownish-yellow object which appeared about the size of a monkey, and for a moment, in the failing light, I thought it was one. It darted rapidly along the bare ground for about twenty yards at a time, moving towards the bullock, and stopping at the end of each run behind one of the tufts of grass about two IN THE DOON AND ULWAR. 123 feet high. Over this it peeped, then sinking down again and gliding forward as before. It was now nearer, and by this time I could see that it was not one of the monkeys ; but still I could not clearly make out what it was. It reminded me of a very ugly, large, yellow and black mask at a pantomime. I could see no legs or body. Now it reached a tuft about forty yards from me, over which it also peeped, staring intently at the bullock. By this time I was convinced that it was the tiger, though it looked about the size and shape of a horse's head. But was it possible that this small and strange- looking object was the mighty tiger the king of the jungle ? A very large one, too, as we knew from its footprints. In another moment this thought met with an answer. The tiger appeared not to wish to approach the bullock, which was facing him, over the open ground intervening between them. He suddenly rose to his full height. It was an immense tiger. Looking round at the bullock, he turned off, and disappeared in two or three strides behind the bushes near the belt of trees in which mine was situated. I now fully expected that he would advance upon 124 TIGER-SHOOTING the bullock under cover of these trees ; the only danger was that he might wish to pass between my tree and the river-bank, so as to rush upon the bullock from behind. In this case he would be down wind of me. This is no doubt what actually occurred. After waiting for some time I heard a twig snap near my tree, behind me, towards the river-bank. I could not have fired in that direction seated as I was, nor even have turned round to look without the risk of breaking a twig or making a leaf rustle. There was nothing for it but to wait patiently. But the tiger never came out in view. The bullock remained staring at the spot where the tiger had dis- appeared behind the bushes. At last it became quite dark. I was sure that the chance was over, and that it was no use waiting any longer. I descended from my tree and returned to camp. I had brought no lantern with me, as I did not wish to disturb the tigers, and I was able to return on open ground to where the elephant was waiting by keeping out on the gravelly river-bed. The curious appearance which the tiger had presented at a distance of about seventy yards, in shape like the head of a horse with the chin touching the ground, was IN THE DOON AND ULWAR. 125 no doubt owing to my seeing his fore-paws underneath and part of his back foreshortened over the top of his head. This would have an elongating effect upon its apparent shape, and in the twilight it looked as if there was nothing else but the head. Any one who has seen a cat stealing over a lawn towards a small bird, crouching with its belly on the ground, will better understand the movement of the tiger as I witnessed it. What most particularly struck me was the small object which the tiger appeared during the stalk. It must be remembered that, although I perhaps saw a little of his back between his ears, I was looking down upon him from a much higher level, and that if I had been on the ground I should probably have seen nothing but his head. Thus the tiger was evidently able to hide himself behind any tuft of grass which was large enough to conceal his head. Another remarkable thing was the position in which he held his head. It was no longer in the usual atti- tude, with the nose in the air, as when the animal is walking about ; but the face was held vertically, the chin being drawn in, and the forehead pushed forward, thus displaying its black stripes and markings, together I 2 6 TIGER-SHOOTING with the intent stare of the large eyes. This greatly added to its sinister appearance. Evidently the tiger did his utmost to conceal his approach from the bullock as long as possible, but when discovered the strange object which he pre- sented would be calculated to assist him greatly in capturing his intended victim, if it had been, for instance, a deer in the jungle, and had the tiger made a rush upon it from the front. I can imagine that a deer, when first perceiving such a curious-looking creature crawling towards it on the ground, would probably stand and stare at it for a moment or tw6, partly from curiosity, partly from fascination, until the tiger might succeed in approaching near enough to reach it by a sudden rush before it could turn round and escape. Naturally I was much disappointed at not having got a shot at the tiger after all. W. had strongly advised me, should the tiger come, to wait till it had killed the bullock, as it would then lie still for some seconds, not relaxing its hold of its victim's throat until certain that life is extinct. This gives ample time for a steady shot ; besides, the tiger's attention is occu- pied, and the motion of raising the rifle does not attract his attention. IN THE BOON AND ULWAR. 127 But after this experience I would certainly recom- mend the sportsman to cover a tiger with his rifle as soon as it comes within easy shot, so as to be ready to fire if it should suddenly turn away and be on the point of disappearing from view. When the tiger was making his stalk 1 was inclined to raise my rifle and cover him, so as to be ready should he turn away ; but although I was a good height off the ground, yet the tree was rather bare, and as the tiger was coming straight towards the bullock, I felt certain that a very slight movement on my part would have been sufficient to catch his eye. When I saw the tiger rise to his full height and pass behind the bushes, I might have raised my rifle in time to fire a rather hurried shot at him, but I thought he was only going into the belt of trees in order to ap- proach the bullock under cover, and perhaps to seize it from behind instead of rushing on to its horns. Thus I fully expected that it would still kill the bullock, and that I would get the steady shot which I had been recommended to wait for, instead of the uncertain snap-shot which I might have had before he disappeared. Next evening both W. and I sat in a tree on the edge of the jungle, within easy shot of the place where 128 TIGER-SHOOTING the tiger had come out the evening before. We had arranged to fire at him as soon as he showed himself, without waiting for him to kill the bullock. W. was to have fired first. But the tiger did not come, nor were there any fresh tracks to be seen about the semi- circular glade the next morning. We now decided to give this place a rest, and to watch next evening on the edge of the clearing where the tiger had passed me by getting into the nullah. We sat in two trees, at some distance from each other, on the western edge of the high tree-jungle bordering the clearing. W. saw nothing. I got a momentary glimpse of two animals moving in single file across the edge of a little hollow nearly three hundred yards away. I think they were panthers. They were too far off for a shot, and showed them- selves for too short a time to enable me to raise my rifle, even had I been inclined to fire, and thus perhaps lose a better chance at some other animal, The whole of this time a bullock had remained tied up where the tiger had made his partial stalk upon it ; in fact, all our baits were still out, but there had been no fresh kill. The next day, as the shikarie, after visiting the IN THE BOON AND ULWAR. I 29 bullocks, reported that there was no change, we agreed that I should watch the semicircular glade in the evening, while W. sat in a tree near where I had seen the two panthers, in hopes that they might pass again. During the two preceding days the sky had been completely hidden by clouds. Dark, heavy masses of vapour, at a considerable height, rolled rapidly towards the Himalayas, as if impelled by a strong wind. On the surface of the ground the weather was quiet ; but there was the feeling that rain was approaching, and might be expected to commence perhaps within an hour : a few drops had already fallen. For weeks previous to this it had been the brightest and hottest weather, with a perfectly clear sky, but now it appeared as if a change were about to take place. It was the last week in June, and the regular rains might be expected to set in any day. It would be necessary for us to quit the Doon jungles as soon as the wet season began, as the climate then becomes fatal to any Europeans who remain. There had been some thunderstorms about the time I entered the Doon, and no doubt that was the K 13O TIGER-SHOOTING " chota bersat," or small rains, which usually precede the regular rains by a few weeks. These thunder- storms, though very heavy, had not prevented us from remaining in the Boon, and their effect upon the ground was soon over, owing to the great heat of the sun. I had intended to occupy the tree from which I had seen the tiger stalk the buffalo, but on my way there I found the tracks of a large tiger which had just passed from the high tree-jungle through the bushes on the western edge of the semicircular glade on the river-bank. Although it was only 3 p.m. the footprints were quite fresh ; as this was a cool day and a quiet locality the tiger had begun to move earlier than the usual time. There could be no mistake, as the footprints had evidently been made since a slight shower which fell as I was starting from camp. I followed the track through the bushes on to the river-bed. It led down to the water, but there were no return tracks. The tiger had evidently crossed the river. I conceived the plan of posting myself so as to get a shot at him should he return the same way as he had gone. If he did not come, perhaps another would do so. IN THE BOON AND ULWAR. 13! There was only one tree amongst all the bushes on the river-bank. The jungle path, used by all wild animals, and along which the tiger had approached the river, passed under this tree. It stood on the edge of the river-bank, which was here only one or two feet high. Fifty yards of white shingle lay between the bank and the water. The tree was a mere sapling. The only consider- able branches came out about ten feet from the ground. Of course this was far from being a safe distance, a large tiger could reach eight or nine feet if standing on his hind-legs, and with a spring could pull a man out from a much greater height. Besides, the tree was so small and pliable that any one in it would probably have been shaken out if a tiger charged it, even if the animal was wounded and could not reach or spring up so as to pull him out. A small tree like this has another disadvantage, especially if you are standing, and not sitting, among the branches, namely, that you are obliged to use your arms for the purpose of holding on. Probably the most effectual way of doing this is to hook the left arm round the stem of the tree, but, of course, this makes you slow in moving your rifle, and takes away K 2 I3 2 TIGER-SHOOTING from the steadiness of your aim. In a large tree you probably sit upon a stout branch, resting your feet upon others, and leaning your back against the trunk. Thus your hands and arms are quite free for the pur- pose of managing your rifle. However, I climbed into the tree and stood in the fork of branches. The sapling bent with the breeze, which was still blowing, and swayed with my slightest movement. But no tiger came. Next morning W. and I visited the place, as I wished to show him the tiger's tracks. It had been agreed that I was to watch again that evening, and I proposed to occupy the same small tree as the night before. W., however, said it was very unsafe, and he strongly recommended me to choose one on the edge of the forest, where there were plenty of suitable trees, so as to command the place where the tiger had come out of the forest the day before. I did not like the position suggested, as my view would have been limited to a great extent owing to the patch of bushes being immediately in my front. I therefore decided to sit in the old tree near the bullock. From that position I could, at any rate, see a good way round and enjoy the evening, even if a tiger did not come within shot of me. IN THE BOON AND ULWAR. 133 As it turned out, I would have got a shot if I had taken WVs advice. Soon after sunset I saw a large animal fording the river about two hundred yards away from me. I could not distinguish what it was, owing to the bad light, but I thought it looked like a sambur. After crossing the river it entered the patch of bushes near the small tree which I had occupied the night before. I remained till after dark, then proceeded along the river-bank to the place where the elephant was waiting as usual, and returned to camp. Next morning, on inspecting the tracks of the animal I had seen, we found that it was the tiger, and, judging from his footprints, the very same animal which had passed in the opposite direction two days before. There were no sambur-tracks to be seen. The tiger had passed under the sapling in which I had waited for him two evenings before, and had entered the tree-jungle near the place where W. had advised me to post myself. On this day there was a thunderstorm with heavy rain. We considered that this was, most probably, the beginning of the wet season, and that it was de- sirable that we should move towards Dehra without 134 TIGER-SHOOTING delay. We therefore determined to march in that direction the following day. We then held a consultation as to whether, before starting, we could do anything more with our friend in the neighbouring thicket, which had killed the bullock. It did not matter how much we disturbed him now, so we decided to go in on the elephant and try to beat him out. After searching through every corner of the patch of grass and bushes where the tiger had dragged the bullock, without seeing anything of him, we passed out on the further side and regained the river-bed by the same way that W. and I had returned the night that we had sat over the kill. What was our surprise, however, on emerging from the forest to find upon some sandy ground the fresh tracks of the tiger ! He had evidently been at home after all, and had slipped away before us without being observed. His footprints led for some distance up the river-bank and then into the forest. It was now getting dark, and we returned to camp. Next day we marched towards Dehra. There was very heavy rain which lasted for some hours while we were on the march. The bersat had evidently com- menced. IN THE DOON AND ULWAR. 135 At the last place where we halted before entering Dehra, an English tea-planter, who had a small house ne.-ir the road, called on us in camp. When we re- turned his visit he showed us the mark of a bullet in the wainscotting in one of the rooms. The shot had been fired at a leopard which had walked into the house one evening by the open door, probably in search of dogs, a favourite food of these animals. One of the inmates of the house was in the room, and there happened to be a loaded, rifle hanging on the wall within reach. He took the weapon quietly down and fired at the leopard, but missed. The report and flash frightened the animal out. Whether it would have gone as quietly if it had been wounded without being put hors de combat is an open question ; but at such close quarters out of doors it would probably have charged if slightly wounded. Perhaps indoors it might feel less confidence and be thus deterred. But leopards are quite accustomed to enter buildings and tents in order to carry off dogs ? and it would therefore not be possible to rely upon the animal being prevented from charging by want of confidence indoors. If the incident had occurred to me I would only 136 TIGER-SHOOTING have fired at the leopard if trie light was good enough to render it certain that I could brain it ; and if my weapon was a rifle. I would not have fired at it with a pistol, for instance, with which you cannot reckon upon accurate and effective shooting. I might have fired a pistol to frighten the animal away if I could not otherwise have got rid of it, but I would have taken care that the bullet did not go near it. Further on in this book I will relate an incident of a similar nature which actually occurred to me. IN THE BOON AND ULWAR. 137 CHAPTER VI. AT MUSSOORIE, AGRA, AND DELHI. I go to Mussoorie Its description Lovely night-scene Life at Mussoorie Ladies at hill-stations Leopards I wait for one Provider for the poor ! The leopards viewed Can they be cornered ? Activity of leopards The leopards' lair A " Lai Janwar " I beat for it A snap-shot Musk-deer Sport near Agra Narrow escape from cobras Life at Agra The tat Riding suits the climate Moonlight picnics The Taj Its loveliness and grandeur A Rajah's entertainment Camp of exercise Delhi Lord Napier of Magdala Death of Lord Mayo Lord Northbrook at Agra My second charger, " The Brigand " How I cured a puller A shying tat A good ex- cuse How I cured him Winter in the N.-W. Provinces Making ice Cholera Remarkable coincidence Explanation suggested Immunity prophesied ! ON leaving the Doon W. rejoined his regiment, while I, having still some weeks at my disposal, proceeded to Mussoorie. This hill-station occupies one of the lower crests of the Himalayas opposite Dehra. 1 38 TIGER-SHOOTING Looking from this lofty situation on a clear day, the Boon lay like an open map before me, and the view was of all the greater interest that it was the scene of my late expedition. At Mussoorie the temperature is about the same as that of the English climate, consequently I enjoyed the change very much in ascending from the Boon. I put up at one of the hotels, and found it very com- fortable. The table d'hote was excellent. The hotel, built in the Swiss chalet style, was situated on the hill-side, some distance before Mussoorie is reached. It stands in a beautiful and solitary position on a lower peak, amid the woods which here clothe the Himalayas. By moonlight the scene there was especially lovely. The bright light fell upon the precipitous sides of the mountains, covered with dark forests, lit up the crest of the ridge a mile above, streamed into the deep ravines below and on to the white canopy of mist which covered the Boon and concealed it from view. Not a breath of air stirred. Perfect silence reigned except the chirping of crickets, and at regular intervals in the distance the rather melancholy four-note call of the black partridge. IN THE BOON AND ULWAR. 139 It was now the middle of the Mussoorie season. The station was full of officers enjoying a short respite from the heat of the plains, and ladies, many of whose husbands were obliged to remain behind and attend to their civil or military work during the hot weather. In the evenings there were dances, amateur theatri- cals and concerts, while in the daytime there were cricket matches, riding, and badminton, the Indian lawn-tennis, played over a net with battledore and shuttle-cock. At. a hill-station ladies are carried in jampans, which are open doolies, as a substitute for carriage exercise. They also ride and walk, for which the climate is well suited. I much enjoyed the gaiety and change of life after the wilds of the Boon. With regard to sport, there were some leopards in the neighbourhood ; no doubt they were attracted by the dogs and goats. It even happens now and then that a leopard suddenly pounces on a dog when out walking with its owner, and bounds into the woods with its prey. I could not hear of any other game. I fancy that I4O TIGER-SHOOTING the ground is too much disturbed, what with frequent picnics, wandering coolies, and numerous sportsmen reinvigorated by the climate, and eager to set out in pursuit of any quarry the moment <( khubber " is brought in. I determined, therefore, to try for the leopards. I accordingly sent for the local shikaries, and desired them to make inquiries in the neighbourhood. A few days later they returned and said that a leopard had killed a goat near a village, in a deep ravine below Mussoorie, and about two miles distant. I went to the place and found that the goat had been completely eaten. As the weather was fine I decided to have another goat tied up near the spot, and to watch it that night on the chance of the leopard returning. There were no trees at hand, and I sat on the ground about fifteen yards from the goat, behind a screen of leaves, made by weaving branches together between a number of upright sticks. There was a good light from the moon in the earlier part of the night, but the leopard did not come. Afterwards it became quite dark, and I then returned to Mussoorie. IN THE BOON AND ULWAR. 141 Some of my friends told me that during the rainy season there is a good deal of risk from malaria in the ravines at night. However, fortunately I had no fever or ill-effects from having been out in them. I asked the shikarie to let me know if he heard anything further about the leopard. Early one afternoon, about a week later, the shikarie appeared at my hotel, accompanied by a man who said he had just come from the village to tell the Sahib Bahadur that the leopard was there then. On my appearing in the verandah to hear the native's report, he assumed a suppliant attitude, joining his hands as if in prayer, and said : " Oh, provider for the poor ! If the lord may be pleased to come, his slave would point out the animal ; for now the people of the village, on account of fear, are prevented from going about their ordinary business, as the leopard is watching them." I thought this statement was probably more figurative than actually true, but I at once got my rifles and hurried down towards the village. The few cottages of which it was composed were situated in a hollow. The native conducted me to a 142 TIGER-SHOOTING point on the bank of the ravine, about two hundred yards higher up than the village. He then pointed to a level piece of ground, about thirty yards square, and covered with short grass, on the opposite side of the nullah. It was about three hundred yards off, and at a lower level to that on which we stood. When I looked carefully I could see a leopard lying with its fore-legs stretched out in front of him. His head was held up, and appeared just above the grass. It was turned in the direction of the village, upon which he looked down. No doubt he was on the watch for any goats or pariah-dogs which might have the ill-luck to stray out. As I looked at this leopard I saw a second one rise out of the grass a few yards behind, and then lie down again. The little plateau where the animals were lying was separated from the bottom of the nullah by a perpen- dicular cliff of rock, about the height of a two-storey house, one face of which ran parallel with the nullah, while another turned suddenly back at right angles to the first and to the general direction of the ravine, thus enclosing on two sides the plateau, which was triangular in shape. On the base, or third side, IN THE DOON AND ULWAR. 143 another cliff rose at a higher level, and formed part of the hill above. Not far from the projecting angle of the plateau grew, in the nullah, some trees with bushy tops and thin stems. Their branches, which were flexible, ex- tended to within five or six yards of the cliff, and reached to about two-thirds of its height. I could see that I would be able to ascend on to the plateau, about fifty yards from the projecting angle, at the most retired end of the cliff, which ran back from the nullah, as it was there low, and of an easy slope. I therefore decided to get on to the plateau at that point, and intercept the retreat of the leopards, which would then, I expected, be compelled to come past me, * and give a shot. The wind was blowing up the ravine, and thus favoured my scheme. I left the natives where we had been standing, in full view of the leopards, so as to keep their attention, while I went back, and making a detour, so as to be out of sight, entered the nullah higher up, thus having the wind in my favour. I passed quietly along the bottom of the nullah, and climbed on to the plateau at the place which I had decided upon. I next stooped down and crept to a 144 TIGER-SHOOTING position at about equal distances from both faces of the cliff, so as to " pound JJ the leopards in the angle. I then stood up and moved towards them. Suddenly the two animals sprang up, but instead of coming my way they instantly bounded over the cliff on to the tops of the trees, which swayed far over with their weight, and either broke their drop upon the ground, or were used as ladders down which they climbed. The animals disappeared in the foliage, so I could not see how they reached the ground ; in fact, their motion had been so rapid that my eye could hardly follow them, much less could I get a shot. The whole of the plateau was covered with bones, the remains of animals which the leopards had killed, and the smell, as may well be imagined, was anything but agreeable. Of course if I had known that the leopards could have reached the ground as they did by springing on to the tops of the trees, I would have stood at the bottom of the cliff and have sent a party of natives up by the way I went, with orders to drive the animals forward. After being thus disturbed the leopards quitted the IN THE DOON AND ULWAR. 145 vicinity of this village, and bestowed their attentions elsewhere. Shortly after this I rejoined the 6sth Regiment at Agra. I was at Mussoorie again about two years afterwards for a week or two, and this time I stayed at the club as an honorary member. One morning, as I sat in my room reading, my servant hurried in and told me that a coolie who had been passing along the road on the northern side of the club-house had seen a " lal janwar," or red animal, enter a small patch of bushes in the ravine below. The native did not know what sort of animal it was, nor could he even describe it. I thought it was most likely to be a leopard, and took one of my rifles, while I gave the other to a friend who happened to be at hand. We then impressed half a dozen coolies, who were passing along the road, into our service, and formed them together with my servants into a line along the top of the patch of bushes which was situated on the side of a ravine. My friend was to advance with the line, while I took up my position opposite the further end of the cover in the bottom of the hollow. L 1 46 TIGER-SHOOTING The beat then began. The line had passed half way through the cover, when an excited scream was raised by some natives on my left, of " Sahib, janwar jata ! " " The animal is going ! " I quickly looked up in their direction, but then saw that they were pointing down-hill to my right. I turned sharp round therefore, and caught sight of a small deer about the size of a goat going like the wind about eighty yards off. It was just passing over aflat rock beyond which it would be hidden by the slope. I had hardly time to put my rifle to my shoulder before firing. The deer disappeared, but there remained in its place a significant little puff of smoke, showing that the shell with which I had loaded for a leopard had struck and exploded. I sent a native to pick up the deer, and they found it lying dead beyond the rock. The shell had entered behind the shoulder, making only a small hole, but had exploded as it was going out on the opposite side, and had there made an opening half the size of a man's hand. The animal turned out to be a buck musk-deer (Moschus moschiferus). These creatures are usually found alone, and rarely even in pairs. They are IN THE BOON AND ULWAR. 147 chiefly nocturnal in their habits, and are not often found in summer-time at a less elevation than 8000 feet. They live in bushy thickets. This impromptu shikar had caused quite a sensation. A crowd of people had collected on the road to witness the pursuit of the (< lal janwar " below. Naturally I said nothing to make them think that I did not always shoot as well as this, and I took it quite as a matter of course, so I hope they went away duly impressed. At Agra I was so busy with my duties of adjutant, that I had no time to spare for sport, although there was excellent black-buck and ravine-deer shooting in the neighbourhood. B. M., one of my brother officers, who subsequently accompanied me to Ulwar, was especially fond of this stalking, and very successful at it. When the rain quail came, however, I took one or two afternoons' shooting at them, and had very good sport. I found them in places where the grass was one or two feet in length. I also shot for a day or two in some small jungles near Burtpore, called the Gunna, by permission of the Maharajah. They contained antelope and wild hog, L 2 148 TIGER-SHOOTING also nylghaie which, however, are considered sacred in Burtpore. There were no tigers, nor did I hear of any leopards. There were a good many snakes about Agra, and one evening I had a narrow escape from treading upon a cobra. I was returning from barracks at dusk, and as it was in the hot weather I was wearing very thin white uniform trousers. I was putting my foot down when my eye was for- tunately attracted by something moving on the ground just where I was about to step. I made a long stride over the place, and then turned round to see what it was. There upon the ground was a young cobra, about two-thirds grown, crawling very slowly over the road. I thought it must have been damaged by a cart- wheel, as it seemed so sluggish and did not appear to take notice of me. I had a small cane in my hand, and with this I touched it on the tail, when to my sur- prise it instantly sat up and spread its hood as lively as possible. I then looked round for a stone, but before I could get one the snake had darted into some long grass and disappeared. IN THE BOON AND ULWAR. 149 This incident made me decide to have a lantern always carried in front of me by a native when I went to or returned from the mess-house after dark. Some time afterwards I was returning after dinner to my bungalow, when the rays of the lantern showed a large cobra lying on the road in front of me. There were no stones at hand, but only some lumps of kunkur, a sort of limestone used in repairing the roads. I took up a piece of this and dashed it down at the snake, but I must have missed its head, as it glided away, apparently unhurt, into some long grass. In the middle of the cold weather in the plains, the parades and drills may last all day, but as the hot weather approaches, and the sun becomes powerful, all out-of-door work must be over by 7 or 8 a.m. It then becomes necessary to parade at a very early hour, often at 4 a.m. To suit these hours it was customary to take some tea, and perhaps eggs, before going to parade in the mornings, and a substantial breakfast about midday. A short nap in the afternoon was necessary to make up for the sleep lost at night, and the dinner-hour was arranged so as to allow every one to retire early to rest. I5O TIGER-SHOOTING After the parade and duties are over, part of the day is passed by the officers in the mess-house reading the newspapers, playing billiards, whist, &c., and the rest in their own bungalows in studying Hindustani and doing military work. In the evening every one goes out for a ride or drive. When officers are passing between their bunga- lows and the barracks or mess, often a distance of nearly a mile, also when out in the evenings, they ride a pony which is called a tat. It may cost from five pounds to three times that amount. While the officer is within, the tat is held by the scice, who squats on his heels, and either gossips with other scices similarly engaged, or dozes until his master comes out. The officer then mounts, tells the scice where he is going, and starts off at a gallop. The scice runs there, taking short cuts, and arrives almost as soon as his master, so as to be ready to hold the tat again. The climate of the North-Western Provinces during the hot season is not suitable for walking exercise. A ride is more invigorating both to mind and body, as you get more change of scene with the increased rapidity of locomotion, and the exertion is less ex- IN THE DOON AND ULWAR. 151 hausting than walking. The horse also serves as a screen between its rider and the hot ground, thus pro- tecting him from a great deal of the heat radiated. After sundown this is the principal source of heat. The military bands play on certain evenings, and every one assembles on these occasions. During the cold weather, hours are kept much the same way as in England, and there are occasional balls, dinner-parties, &c. Agra being a large station, where there were also a good many troops, there was plenty of gaiety there. Besides, my regiment there were one or two batteries of artillery and two native infantry regiments. A never- failing source of enjoyment at Agra was to visit the Taj Mahal, a tomb built on the banks of the Jumna by the Emperor Shah Jehan, over his wife, Ar- jamand Banu Begum, who died in 1629. The principal building and towers are of white marble, while other parts of the structure are of red sandstone. By moonlight the white marble of the immense dome shows to perfection, surrounded by the dark cypresses and silvery fountains of the gardens amid which it stands. I 5 2 TIGER-SHOOTING I only know one other light which suits it as well, and that can rarely be obtained in sufficient intensity to be effective ; I mean a very strong, rose-coloured glow at sunset. Of course this is liable to fade away quickly, even if the observer is fortunate enough ever to be at the Taj when it happens to prevail. On the other hand, the powerful light of the Indian moon can be counted upon with certainty, owing to the sky being clear for months together. When the weather was warm enough, though not in the hottest season, our regimental band played once a month by moonlight in the Taj gardens, and all the society of the station used to gather there on these occasions. It is my experience that the impression produced by the Taj grows upon the observer. The first time I saw the edifice I did not fully appreciate it. Each time that I visited it, however, until I became thoroughly acquainted with it, I admired more and more the taste and beauty of its structure and the grandeur of its proportions. During the time that I was quartered at Agra the Maharajah of Burtpore gave a large entertainment, in the cold weather, to the military men and civilians of IN THE BOON AND ULWAR. 153 the neighbouring stations, together with their families. As is usual the fete lasted about three days. We found rows of tents ready pitched for our recep- tion. We all dined together within the palace. Other meals were served in large marquees whenever asked for by the various guests. The entertainments provided were of many descrip- tions. Rams and other animals, also quails and other birds, had a friendly " set to " for our amusement. Native wrestlers and jugglers performed. After dinner, in the evenings there were concerts and theatricals by European artistes and actors, also nautches and illu- minations of the town by the natives. In the autumn of 1871 the regiment proceeded to Delhi to join the first camp of exercise there. This old historic town was for a long time the seat of government of the Mogul emperors. Its walls still bear the marks of the shot and shell fired by us during the mutiny. A fine body of troops, both European and native, had now been collected in the vicinity. The country was open, undulating, and well suited to the manoeuvres of all arms. The movements of the troops over a considerable extent of country were highly instructive 1 54 TIGER-SHOOTING and beneficial to them ; in fact, the camp of exercise was altogether a success. Lord Napier of Magdala, then Commander-in-Chief in India, was present. Lord Mayo, the Viceroy of India, visited Delhi during the camp of exercise. He was extremely popular, both with Europeans and natives, and his untimely death caused grief throughout India. He was assassinated by a Pathan convict at Port Blair, Andaman isles, on the 8th of February, 1872. Lord Mayo had a noble and commanding and yet a genial presence. The natives, like all Eastern races, are very susceptible to personal influence, and Lord Mayo owed his success as a Viceroy more to this cause than to conspicuous ability. Lord Northbrook, who succeeded Lord Mayo, held a Durbar at Agra during the time that my regiment was quartered there. It was attended by all the native princes in that part of India. I was too busy as adjutant of my regiment to have time for sport when at the camp of exercise. Some of my brother officers went out shooting, and killed small game. Sand grouse appeared to be especially plenti- ful. There was also a pack of hounds in camp, which hunted foxes and jackals. IN THE BOON AND ULWAR. 155 When under orders for the Delhi camp of exercise, I was looking out for a second charger. At last I bought a Waler, or Australian horse, named " The Brigand." He had been one of the fastest horses in India, and had won many races, but owing to a damaged back sinew, he could no longer stand the necessary training for racing. He was an inveterate puller when I first got him, and used even to run away with me in a trot on the roads, so that I could not pull him up. When I bought the Brigand at Delhi, Mr. A., a racing V.S. of the Royal Artillery, who was stationed there, and knew the horse well, hearing that I was going to ride it as a charger at the Delhi camp of exercise, said to some of his friends, " Well, he is done for ! There are a lot of gravel-pits and quarries about Delhi the old Brigand will run away with him on the first field-day, and jump into one of them ! " By degrees I cured this horse completely of the habit of pulling. The way I managed it was to ride him quietly with dumb spurs ; never to strike him, but to treat him with kindness ; and I made him do the work of a tat, having him held for hours together waiting for me at the door of a bungalow when I was 156 TIGER-SHOOTING inside. This treatment acts as a soporific. I used to come out and find both the horse and his native scice almost asleep. If a horse is only taken out of its stable into the light and fresh air for a short time each day, and is then whisked about and bustled, it is not likely to become quieter, but if it is kept constantly out, allowed to go nearly asleep, and is never roused, the effect is very sobering. The Brigand, and the Arab which I have already mentioned, were my chargers until my return from India. Shortly after I reached England I heard that the old Brigand had won yet another race. I think it was one for officers' chargers at Lucknow. In addition to these two chargers, I had also a tat, which I had bought from a native as I was leaving Mussoorie, on my first visit there. He was a half-bred Arab, about fourteen hands high. It was extremely lucky that I bought him when I was coming away from Mussoorie, as the animal de- veloped a frightful habit of shying when he began to feel the stimulating effect of the plentiful supply of hard food in my stable. IN THE BOON AND ULWAR. 157 I rode him several times at Mussoorie, just after I got him, but he went quietly enough. If he had shied there he would perhaps have fallen off the road, the edge of which is often unprotected by any railing, and have rolled down the precipitous side of the mountain. The first time he shied was in broad daylight in the plains, as I was riding to Saharunpoor from Mussoorie to take the train back to Agra. He shied at a heap of kunkur, and never stopped till his legs were fairly knocked from under him by a little bank a couple of feet high along the opposite side of the road. It was only then that he came to his senses, and ceased to stare at the dreaded object. The pony regained his feet without my having quitted the saddle. The next time that he shied badly was at Agra, and this time he really had some slight excuse for being startled. I was riding from barracks after dark one evening when a soldier suddenly struck a light for his pipe in the middle of the road, about five yards in front of me. The man was stooping down and screen- ing the burning match inside his hat, so that the pony could not see clearly what the object was. Any horse might have shied at this, and of course 1 55 TIGER-SHOOTING the pony was not going to throw away such a chance. The result was that he shied with me into a deep ditch on the edge of the road. Its sides were paved with stones, and when the pony regained his legs and stood at the bottom his back was considerably below the level of the road. I managed to slip on to the bank just as the tat went over the edge, and so got off without a fall. As a lesson to the pony I allowed him to try and find his own way out for a time, but at last I had to assist him. After this I fed him on nothing but soft food, and he gave up shying altogether. The only drawback was that his figure suffered somewhat from the change of diet, and he became rotund. He was in other respects an extremely good-looking pony and "as hard as nails." He was never sick, and no amount of work was too much for him. It must also be remembered that he did it all on soft food. I kept him till my return to England. After the Delhi camp of exercise, the 65th Regi- ment returned to Agra. The coldest weather was then over, and the sun was becoming rapidly more powerful in its effect. IN THE DOON AND ULWAR. 159 The winter weather in the neighbourhood of Agra is often like a bright winter day in England, when the thermometer is just above freezing-point and there is an east wind. About Christmas there is usually a little rain and the sky is more cloudy. During winter there is sometimes a slight frost at night, and a thin coating of ice on small pools in the morning. In the vicinity of Delhi it is much colder, being a higher situation and nearer to the Himalayas. Early on a winter morning I have seen the ground frozen quite hard there. The natives make ice during winter in the following manner. They cover the ground, in a field, with straw. On this they lay rows of shallow saucers made of pottery, leaving sufficient room for a person to walk between the rows. Towards evening they fill the saucers with water. The sky is usually clear at night, so that the radiation of heat is rapid. The surface of the water in the saucers from which radiation and evaporation take place is extensive compared to their depth and the quantity of water, the temperature of which has l6o TIGER-SHOOTING to be reduced. The straw underneath the saucers prevents the heat, which is thus lost, from being replaced from the ground. In this way, if there is a very slight frost a good deal of ice is made. If the ice is, sufficiently thick in the morning a tom- tom or native drum is beaten before sunrise, and on this signal numbers of coolies assemble. They then empty the contents of the saucers into baskets ; the water runs through the wickerwork, and the ice remains. While quartered at Agra, the 65th Regiment suffered for a long time from cholera, and as adjutant I had good opportunities of observing this mysterious disease. The following were some of the conclusions at which I arrived. Of course those who ate too largely or partook of unripe fruit were predisposed to an attack, as also were men who drank hard ; but teetotallers did not appear to resist the infection so well as those who, while living steadily and regularly, took stimulants in strict moderation. Those who had been suffering from some other complaint, which of itself might be of an almost trivial nature, were more susceptible to the infection, no IN THE BOON AND ULWAR. l6l doubt owing to having been somewhat weakened and depressed. Stagnant water appears to have of itself an influence upon the infection. If the malady is caused by organ- isms, the water probably attracts them ; if by some in- fectious taint in the air, the damp probably develops it. My attention was drawn to this point in the following way. I had frequently been told by those who had witnessed the ravages of cholera that if it appears in a hospital it will often keep to one room or side of a room, and not attack the patients in other wards or parts of the same ward. Something of this sort occurred in the barracks at Agra, and on investigating the circumstances I could ascertain no possible cause, unless it was the proximity of some open ' tanks of water. Part of the barracks were composed of long, single- storey bungalows placed in echelon, so that the pre- vailing west wind might reach them all in the hot weather, and thus work the kus-kus tatties properly. These are screens made of matted twigs from the sweet-scented kus-kus shrub. They are hung over the open doors and windows, and kept wet by coolies outside the buildings. The hot wind blows through 1 62 TIGER-SHOOTING them, and enters the building cooled by drying up the moisture and deliciously scented by the fragrant smell of the kus-kus. Each bungalow was simply a long room entered by several doors and covered by a thatched roof. There was a row of beds on each side of the room. There were about six of these buildings, and their northern ends all adjoined the road through the barracks. Each bungalow had more than one door on the west or windward side, the nearest one to the road being about twenty yards distant from it. The cholera attacked a man sleeping in the first or second bed on the left of the door nearest to the road in almost every bungalow. In one of the bungalows two men were taken by the disease from these beds. There were comparatively few cases in other parts of these buildings. When several cases had occurred like this, I and several others on the regimental staff remarked it, and I proceeded to examine the barracks and their sur- roundings to see if I could detect the cause of the coincidence. I found that there was an open tank full of water a few yards to windward of each of the doors in question, IN THE BOON AND ULWAR. 163 but none near the other doors. The tanks were enclosed within a wall which stood about three feet high, and were full up to the top. They measured two or three yards in diameter. The water was used for washing the floors of the barracks, wetting the kus-kus tatties, and was also ready for extinguishing fires. The only conclusion I could arrive at was that the water attracted or developed the cause or infection of the disease. The prevailing wind then took in the tainted air from its surface at the door, and it would also have a tendency to carry it to the left when inside, owing to the oblique direction of the wind. There was a case in which two men sat on the edge of one of these tanks during part of a night in the hot weather, splashing their hands in the cool water and discussing the cholera cases. Both of them were seized by cholera next day. It may be said, as this water was used for washing the floors and for wetting the kus-kus tatties, that if there was anything infectious about it every one should have suffered throughout the bungalows, and not only men whose beds were in a particular part of them near the tanks, and I bring this view prominently forward as I have no wish to colour the matter unduly. M 2 164 TIGER-SHOOTING Still, I consider it by no means conclusive. The washing, &c., would be done during the heat of the day, arid that might render the water innocuous. On the other hand, the tainted air from the surface of the tank brought in by the gentle breeze at night would act under widely different conditions, and possibly, therefore, with a different result. I do not by any means consider the case is clear, but it was the only explanation I could find on the spot. I reported it officially at the time, and I invite the attention of scientific and medical men to it. There were some remarkable instances of men who appeared to have predisposed themselves to the disease by making up their minds that they would be attacked. No doubt this depressed them, prejudiced their health, and thus rendered them more liable to the infection. But the most singular circumstance of all which came under my notice was as follows : When the first cases of cholera appeared in the regi- ment I was talking to Colonel W., an Indian officer of long experience, then quartered at Agra. A battery of artillery occupied a row of barracks close to ours, and Colonel W. said that the artillery would not be attacked IN THE DOON AND ULWAR. 165 by the cholera because their stables were between their barracks and ours. He said that the presence of horses is a great safeguard against cholera. I thought this at the time a very bold prediction, especially as the artillery quarters were to leeward of part of our barracks and hospital ; but it was strictly borne out by the result. No case occurred amongst the artillery. Colonel W. told me that during the Mutiny he served in the cavalry at the siege of Delhi, where the army suffered severely from cholera. He observed that he lost many of his native grass-cutters from the disease, but not a single scice ! This, after a time, he attri- buted to the fact that the grass-cutters go away from the horses to get grass in the jungle, but the scices, or native grooms, remain always with the horses. 1 66 TIGER-SHOOTING CHAPTER VII. TO ULWAR. An invitation accepted The State of Ulwar Rifles : what calibre How tigers are lost Mr. Sanderson's opinion Sir Samuel Baker's opinion For elephants Disadvantage of heavy rifles An eye-opener The Express Twelve-bore shell Always harden projectiles Shells unsuitable for 8-bore The Express for stalking A second rifle Uniformity an advantage Twelve-bore cases procurable A shot-gun Shot and ball guns Battery recommended My battery in Ulwar Pin-fires for tiger Powder B. M.'s battery Our tents Baggage transport My servants The shying pony March to Deeg At the palace Fight between lizards Cannibalism- Bat and kite Habits of kites A successful ruse Utility of vultures Flight of vulture and albatross Explanation suggested Locusts Arrival at Ulwar State jewels We enter the hills. As my second summer in India approached, I began to consider what arrangements I should make about leave and where I should go for tiger-shooting. Eventually I arranged with B. M., a brother officer, to make an expedition together to Ulwar, one of the IN THE BOON AND UIAVAR. 1 67 States of Rajpootana, which lies in the plains about a hundred miles from Agra in a north-westerly direc- tion. We were invited to go there by Captain Cadell, the resident political officer at Ulwar, and Major Powlett, his colleague, who was assisting temporarily in the work, and was a personal friend of B. M. Going thus as their guests, with elephants, shika- ries, &c., placed at our disposal, we felt assured of sport, and we gladly accepted the offer. The State of Ulwar was formed in the eighteenth century by joining together, through usurpation and conquest, some petty chiefships which before that time owed allegiance to Jeypore and Burtpore. Ulwar assisted us during our wars with the Mahrattas, and was rewarded by an extension of territory. As the Maharajah of Ulwar was, at the time of our visit, a very young man, and the hill-men of Ulwar were of a wild and turbulent character, Captain Cadell's post was one of great responsibility. Before entering into a description of our experiences in Ulwar, it will be desirable to say a few words re- garding rifles, servants, equipment, &c., and in the first place I will avail myself of this opportunity 1 68 TIGER-SHOOTING to enter briefly into the question as to what rifles a sportsman requires in India. Two rifles are necessary for tiger-shooting on foot, as the sportsman may not have time to reload before he is charged by a wounded tiger. It is sometimes also useful to have two when shooting from an elephant. Besides, one rifle may at any time get out of order, and there are no means of having it repaired in the jungle. The question then arises : which calibre of rifle is most suitable for shooting in the jungles ? I prefer the No. 1 2 bore as being the rifle of largest calibre which the sportsman can conveniently carry through a day's shooting in the jungle if he is on foot, and which will fire a sufficiently large shell to be effective against tigers. In the jungle the sportsman never knows what animal he will see next, and should, therefore, always have his rifle in his hand. One instance occurred when I was shooting in the Boon, and another when I was in Ulwar, of my com- panions losing tigers owing to their rifles being tem- porarily carried by gun-bearers who were but a few yards distant. IN THE DOON AND ULWAR. 169 Mr. Sanderson, in his interesting book, named " Thirteen Years amongst the Wild Beasts of India,'* expresses himself in favour of an 8-bore with twelve drams for bison, and the Express for tiger and deer. He considers the 12-bore a half-and-half weapon, with neither enough smashing power for bison or the handi- ness and precision of the Express for tiger and deer. Mr. Sanderson states that he has had but little ex- perience of the use of shell. The following is an extract from the work in question : " Heavy rifles are absolutely necessary for good work on bison. I prefer No. 8 with twelve drams of powder. I have only lost one bison I ever hit with mine of this calibre. Many bison have been killed with a i2-bore and four drams, but an immense pro- portion of those fired at with such rifles have been wounded and lost, many to die a lingering death. The vitality and endurance of wounded bison are at times quite startling. I used a i2-bore spherical-ball rifle and six drams with hard bullets for some time, but I lost many bison, and never succeeded in flooring them, as can be done with an 8-bore." From the above it is evident that although in Mr. Sanderson's opinion a 12-bore is not so good a weapon I7O TIGER-SHOOTING against bison as an 8-bore, yet the 1 2-bore may also be employed for the purpose, and in that case it is advisable to use a charge of six drams of powder and hardened bullets. It will be seen from the extracts which follow that a lo-bore maybe used for elephants, though a larger calibre is preferred. Elephant-shooting has long since been prohibited by Government, so that it may almost be left out of the calculation. Yet the prohibition might some day be removed in particular localities. Besides, cases might occur in which the sportsman wishes to kill a dan- gerous and troublesome rogue elephant, and thus it becomes interesting to know the views of such authorities on the subject as Sir Samuel Baker and Mr. Sanderson. Sir Samuel Baker recommends the use of a single- barrelled rifle to carry a half-pound projectile if the sportsman has sufficient strength to use it, and other- wise a single-barrelled 4-bore, and also some double- barrelled lo-bores, carrying ten drams of powder. He used hardened spherical bullets. Sir Samuel Baker, however, gives the option for Ceylon shooting which at that time included elephants and buffaloes of any large-bore rifles from No. 10 to IN THE BOON AND ULWAR. Ijl No. 12, but all to be of the same calibre, so as to take the same cartridges. 1 Mr. Sanderson has shot principally with a No. 4 bore double-barrelled smooth bore, and a No. 8 double rifle, with hardened spherical bullets. He prefers the former weapon for elephants in some cases. Speaking of the use of a i2-bore for elephant-shoot- ing, Mr. Sanderson says, " I at first killed several elephants with a No. 12 spherical-ball rifle, with hard bullets and six drams of powder, but I found it in- sufficient for many occasions. " Sir Samuel Baker gives an instance 2 of his having killed an elephant at one shot with a i6-bore, which he fired as his other rifles were unloaded. The following is another extract from Mr. San- derson's work, showing one of the great disadvantages of the heavy rifles that the sportsman cannot always keep them in his own hand, and also giving an insight into the effect of their explosion : " Heavy game rifles are, of course, only taken in hand when the game is met ; the sportsman could not carry them far himself. Any man of medium strength will 1 Page 20, "The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon." Edition of 1874. 2 Page 320, " The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon." 172 TIGER-SHOOTING find himself capable of handling a seventeen pounds to twenty pounds rifle, and of firing twelve drams with spherical ball under the excitement of elephant-shoot- ing. As regards' recoil it is not serious with such weighty guns. A friend of mine, the well-known ( Smooth-bore ' of Madras, once fired at a tusker with my No. 8 double rifle and twelve drams. I usually keep the left barrel of heavy pieces on half-cock, as the jar to the left lock on firing the right barrel is very great. ' Smooth-bore ' did not think of this, and we afterwards found that the left barrel had also had its fling at the tusker. My friend had fired twenty-four drams and a pair of two-ounce bullets almost simul- taneously, but said he did not feel any severe recoil ! " With regard to the preference expressed by Mr. Sanderson for the Express for tigers and deer instead of the i2-bore, I do not share his views so far as tigers are concerned, and I will quote an extract bearing on the subject from " The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon," by Sir Samuel Baker, to which excellent book I have already referred. " Although I advocate the Express small-bore with the immense advantage of low trajectory, I am decidedly opposed to the hollow expanding bullet for heavy IN THE DOON AND ULWAR. 173 thick-skinned game. I have so frequently experienced disappointment by the use of the hollow bullet, that I should always adhere to the slightly hardened and solid projectile that will preserve its original shape after striking the thick hide of a large animal. t( A hollow bullet fired from an Express rifle will double up a deer, but it will be certain to expand upon the hard skin of elephants, rhinoceros, hippo- potami, buffaloes, &c. When a hollow bullet strikes a large bone it absolutely disappears into minute particles of lead, and of course it becomes worthless." Mr. Sanderson quotes the above opinions, and declares himself decidedly opposed to the use of the 500 or '450-bore Express for buffalo, bison, and similar animals. Thus it appears that the only point upon which I differ from Mr. Sanderson's views as to the Express is that he would use it for tigers, which he classes with deer as soft-bodied animals, while I would class them with animals of a more powerful physique which oppose a greater resistance to the bullet, thus requiring a heavier blow and greater penetration than the Express affords with its hollow bullet. I readily admit that if you could be sure of hitting a 1 74 TIGER-SHOOTING tiger in the body so as to avoid the limbs, that in this case it would not be a difficult animal to penetrate. But it must be remembered that the usual place to aim at in a side-shot is just behind the shoulder ; thus the bullet is very apt to strike an inch or two in front of this spot, and be opposed by the massive shoulder or fore- arm of the animal. The manner in which the hardened shell from W.'s i2-bore penetrated through the thickest part of the tiger which he killed in the Doon is a good example of what a projectile ought to do to be thoroughly efficient. And yet I have quoted extracts which show that the bullet from an Express would have dissolved into minute fragments against the animal's shoulder. It must also be remembered that the sportsman's life often depends, if he is shooting on foot, upon putting the tiger hors de combat, and not dealing him an irritating but ineffective blow. This, in my opinion, is a conclusive argument in favour of the i2-bore as compared with the Express for tigers ; but the fact that the 12-bore will fire an effective shell is, I consider, another great advantage which it possesses over the Express for shooting these animals. Cases often occur of tigers being shot IN THE BOON AND ULWAR. 175 through the head without the brain being penetrated. The explosion of the shell might in such a case put the animal hors de combat^ and prevent it from charging. The brain affords a very small mark to aim at, especially in a front shot, if the tiger is carrying his nose high. Bullets should always be hardened. Shells should be hardened, and if any fail to explode they will at any rate act nearly as well as hardened bullets. A shell which explodes does not do so until heat is generated by friction and pressure, owing to the projectile chang- ing its shape : the hardening delays this, and therefore gives the shell greater penetration before bursting. I would not use even hardened shell for bison, buffalo, elephants, &c., but hardened bullets, so as to secure the greatest penetration. Nor would I fire shells from an 8-bore or lo-bore. Hardened spherical bullets of this calibre afford all the smashing effect that can be required. Shells also have the fatal disadvantage, when fired with a large charge, of being liable to burst prematurely. There is also another reason, namely, that some degree of accuracy is sacrificed by using shells, the I 76 TIGER- SHOOTING approved shape of which is conical, in a rifle made for spherical projectiles. Mr. Sanderson says, regarding shells : " My experience of shells has been too limited to allow of my saying much on the subject. What I have seen of them has led me to discard them myself as unnecessary, but I do not wish to condemn them. I have found Forsyth's swedged shells fairly effective in a i2-bore rifle ; but Mr. W. W. Greener advised me against having them for an 8-bore he was making for me, on the ground of their not possessing sufficient stability for a large bore arid heavy charge. He recommended a steel-core bottle-shell in preference. I tried three Forsyth's shells, which I made and care- fully loaded myself with the above rifle (No. 8), and six drams of powder, at a target forty yards distant. Two of these flew into two pieces each ; these pieces struck three feet, apart, and effectually frightened me from trying any more experiments. I think that with the Express, which acts like an explosive bullet, for the lighter class of game, and with heavy solid spherical bullets (the only reliable bone-smashers) for the heavier class, sportsmen will find themselves able to do without shell-rifles of a calibre between the two." IN THE BOON AND ULWAR. 177 The Express is a delightful weapon to shoot with, owing to its comparative lightness, great handiness and accuracy, and the flatness of its trajectory. It is invaluable when the sportsman is stalking black-buck in the open plains, as these animals allow him to approach within its most effective range, over a hun- dred yards, yet move away before he can get within the corresponding range with his 12-bore, that is to say, a distance of from eighty to a hundred yards. In jungle-shooting from an elephant I would also like to have an Express in the howdah on any occasion when 1 could allow myself to fire at deer without fear of disturbing the tigers. As, however, jungle-shooting practically amounts to tiger-shooting, except in particular cases, I prefer a i2-bore for it on account of the reasons I have given. I would choose another 12-bore as my second rifle. I would thus have two rifles taking the same ammuni- tion, and if one were to get out of order I could replace it by the other. It is a great advantage to have as many weapons in a battery to take the same size of ammunition, so that the same cartridge-cases, &c., may be used for any of them. N 178 TIGER-SHOOTING In the North-West Provinces No. 12 cases could be procured at most of the stations ; but it was necessary to send to Calcutta for those of other sizes that might be required. The cases of ordinary length will not carry more than about four drams of powder, so that a supply should be procured specially for the rifles, so as to enable a larger charge to be used. Long cases can always be cut shorter when required for use with a shot-gun. The unlimited local supply of i2-bore cases was a great convenience, and a strong argument in favour of choosing i2-bore guns and rifles. The shot-gun should also be a i2-bore; it will thus be the same as at least one of the rifles, and take the most easily procurable cartridge-cases. Sometimes smooth-bores are made so as to fire either shot or ball. These weapons have the dis- advantages of being more or less heavy and awkward as shot-guns, while with ball they are less accurate than rifles except at very short ranges, and being lighter they will not take so large a charge of powder. It is sometimes convenient, however, to be able to fall back upon them on an emergency, and to use one as IN THE BOON AND ULWAR. 179 a second gun, if other weapons have got out of order, and two rifles are no longer available. Thus the 1 2-bore appears still to be the most useful weapon for jungle-shooting. It may be used for every- thing from elephants down to the smallest antelope. The Express is beyond comparison the best rifle for shooting deer and antelope in the open plains, but cannot be used for bison, buffalo, elephants, &c. For these larger animals the 8-bore is very effective, though it is heavy and unwieldy. I might possibly add a lo-bore carrying eight to ten drams to my battery after providing myself with the two 12- bores if I had the prospect of much bison or buffalo shooting. The battery which I would recommend for India, therefore, is : Two double-barrelled 1 2-bore rifles to carry four or six drams. Possibly, also, a double-barrelled lo-bore rifle. A double-barrelled Express. An ordinary 1 2-bore shot-gun, or gun to fire either shot or ball. The battery which I took with me to Ulwar was as follows : Two double-barrelled 1 2-bore pin-fire rifles by Mr. N 2 l8o TIGER-SHOOTING James Dougal, of Bennett Street, St. James's, carrying from four to six drams. A i2-bore pin-fire shot-gun. The weak point in my battery was that it did not comprise an Express. Consequently I had very little success in stalking black-buck in the plains, when on the march to Ulwar, when, otherwise, I might have had excellent sport. For shooting dangerous game on foot, I much prefer pin-fire weapons, as I have never experienced or heard of a misfire with them, and a misfire might cost the sportsman his life. Mr. Sanderson speaks of once having been nearly ''brought to grief" by a misfire. Had he been shooting with a pin-fire weapon, I have no doubt that it would not have occurred. Of late years great improvements have been made in the manufacture of central-fire cases, but 1 still have more confidence in pin-fires. Misfires are sometimes caused with central-fire rifles owing to the strikers becoming worn, and the strikers then require replacing. If the i2-bore rifles are pin-fires, of course the shot- gun should also be the same, so as to take the same cartridge-cases. IN THE DOON AND ULWAR. l8l Of course a pin-fire cannot be loaded as quickly as a central fire, since the cartridge requires more care- ful adjustment. A pin-fire has less recoil than a central-fire when they are used with a heavy charge. But though this is apparently an advantage, in reality it is not so, as the difference is owing to a slight escape of gas by the hole through which the pin passes, and thus signifies a certain loss of effect from the charge. Sir Samuel Baker says regarding powder (page vii, Preface, "The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon"): " In former days I used six or seven drams of the finest-grained powder with the old muzzle-loader, but it is well-known that the rim of the breech-loading cartridge is liable to burst with a heavy charge of the fine grain, therefore No. 6 is best adapted for the rifle." B. M.'s battery during our Ulwar expedition was as follows : A i2-bore rifle. A 1 2-bore gun for shot or ball. A i6-bore shot-gun. It was necessary to be in Ulwar during the hot, dry weather, as owing to nearly all the pools being then 1 82 TIGER SHOOTING dried up, the game would be compelled to collect in the vicinity of such water as still remained. Both B. M. and I had provided ourselves with large hill-tents. They were square at the bottom, came to a point at the top, and were upheld by a pole in the centre. There were also verandah pieces for the sides, which were an extra protection from the sun. It was necessary to have large roomy tents on account of the fierce heat in which we were about to travel. The small hill-tents, or shuldaries, which afforded ample protection in the Boon, would have been uninhabitable in the plains during the hot weather. We had punkahs for our tents, and I took a kus-kus tattie to hang at the door, as there was always a hot wind during the day. At first, when we halted, my servants used to pitch my tent under the shade of a tree, but before long I observed that although there was a good breeze blow- ing, yet it never worked my kus-kus tattie properly. On investigating the matter it always turned out that either the trunk of a tree, some building or similar object intercepted the breeze, or the door did not face in the proper direction, as the position of the tent had IN THE BOON AND ULWAR. 183 been chosen simply with a view of its being in the shade. I therefore tried the effect of having it pitched away from all shelter, where the wind blew strongest, and with the door turned in the right direction to meet the breeze. I found that this plan answered admirably. The inside of the tent was much cooler owing to the kus-kus tattie working well, and in spite of the fierce heat of the sun's rays beating on the outside. I thus managed to keep the temperature inside my tent down to 81, which I always considered to be just below the heat at which a punkah becomes necessary. B. M., who had not brought a kus-kus tattie for his tent, used jokingly to say, when he paid me a visit, that the temperature was so low in my tent he was afraid of catching cold. Our tents and baggage were carried on camels. Unlike the shuldaries, the larger hill-tents could not be carried by coolies. With regard to servants, I had long ago parted with my English-speaking butler and his companion, whom I had engaged on first arriving at Bombay. I was now provided with the usual local native servants, none of whom could speak a word of English. By this time, however, I knew Hindustani sufficiently well for all 184 TIGER-SHOOTING ordinary purposes. During my expedition to Ulwar I studied it further when I was not otherwise engaged, with a view to the Higher Standard Examination, which I succeeded in passing the following year in Calcutta. Rajaram, the Kitmutghar, whose duties were to cook and wait at table, was an admirable man. I handed him over to one of my brothers who went to India just as I was leaving. The bearer, whose duties are those of valet and head- servant generally, was not such a good servant ; but after my Ulwar expedition I got a perfect bearer named Bugwan Dass, whom I also handed over to my brother, and he again passed him on when returning to England to my other brother, who was then going to India. Thus the man was in the service of all three of us. B. M. and I rode our ponies on the march. To obtain a change of food I used occasionally to shoot some pigeons. This I managed by riding up to disused wells near the road. Out would fly a pigeon or two and I would get a shot. I fired without dismounting. I was riding the pony, which used to shy so badly as long as I fed him on hard food. He somewhat objected to have a gun discharged just over his head, and never remained steady enough SS = S IN THE BOON AND ULWAR. 185 for the second barrel, after finding out that I sometimes fired twice. This virtually reduced my chance to what I could do with a single barrel. The Rajpootana State Railway, by which Ul war may now be approached from Agra, had not been opened at that time. We therefore had to march the whole distance, which was about 100 miles, to the capital. We did not go by quite the shortest way, as we wished to stop at the interesting old town of Deeg, and the Maharajah of Burtpore had kindly given us permission to stay at his palace there. It was a beautiful building of white marble, with pro- jecting eaves, and gave the impression that it was more like a delicately-carved ivory model enlarged than that it was really a building for ordinary use. It stood in the middle of large gardens, while along one front a piece of artificial water bordered its walls. I witnessed a very remarkable incident when staying in the palace, where we halted for a day's rest. I was reading Hindustani during the hottest part of the day. The windows were about the size of those in England, and were formed of marble carved so as to leave small openings, but these were not closed by glass or in any way. Heavy quilted purdahs or 1 86 TIGER-SHOOTING curtains could be let down inside from the top to the bottom, so as to keep out the sun's rays and the hot wind. Most of these curtains were now down, and only part of one here and there was left open to admit the light. As I sat reading at a little table in front of one of the windows, which was completely covered, my attention was attracted to a violent fight taking place between two house-lizards upon the curtain. These creatures are about the size of newts. They live upon the walls and windows of houses. They harbour for shelter in cracks and crevices, feeding upon flies, which they stealthily approach and then suddenly pounce upon. The two lizards took up their positions about a yard apart. They then suddenly scampered forward at the same moment like knights in a tournament of old, had a severe tussle when they met, and then separated to the same distance apart as before, usually changing sides after each round. Again and again they rushed forwards and closed, when at last in the struggle one seized the other by the tail, snapped a piece off, and scampered back in triumph to his corner with the portion of his mutilated adversary in his mouth. I think I shall never forget IN THE BOON AND ULWAR. 1 87 how dismal the defeated lizard looked with his stump from which the tail had been broken, as he sat looking on while his cannibal of an opponent positively ate the fragment up before his eyes ! If I had not seen this occur I would certainly have found it difficult to believe, so that I should consider it pardonable were the reader to hesitate to accept it. Yet I vouch emphatically for the truth of every word in the description, and I can but record the fact, which is interesting from the point of view of natural history. I have often seen lizards without their tails, which are, I believe, easily broken off. 1 have been told that they grow again, so this may have been some consola- tion for the defeated combatant. This incident decided the contest ; the two creatures appeared to separate by mutual consent, and moved slowly away in opposite directions. Another interesting incident I witnessed one day at Agra. It was the pursuit of a bat by a kite. The thatched roof of one of the soldiers' bungalows had caught fire, and was in full blaze. Presently the heat drove out a bat, and a kite, which was on the watch for a dainty morsel, at once swooped down at it. But the eccentricity of the bat's flight saved it. As the 1 88 TIGER-SHOOTING kite passed the bat was quite a yard on one side of the line which it had been following a moment before. Its flight was more zigzag than that of a snipe. The kite darted after the bat, and again and again tried to overtake and seize it, but without success. They finally disappeared from my view over the top of some buildings, the chase having continued for several hundred yards under my observation. I suppose the bat must have been either blinded by the strong light of mid-day or confused by the pursuit, or it would have taken refuge under the projecting thatch of some other roof, several of which it passed in its course. The kites hover about in the air, and take up from the ground with their feet any morsel which they wish to eat. They do this as they swoop rapidly past it, and without alighting. They can catch with their claws anything falling through the air. They sometimes eat as they fly along, holding the food in their feet and tearing it with their beaks. As they circle about it is a very common thing for a kite to strike suddenly down at another below it, and the bird thus attacked always turns over on its back in the air for a moment as its assailant closes, so as to IN THE DOON AND ULWAR. 189 present to its adversary two good sets of claws instead of a defenceless back. I once saw a clever ruse played by a kite at Agra in this manner. A number of these birds were circling round, and one was eating as he flew. Suddenly another swooped down at him from above. The startled kite turned over on his back and clawed at his opponent, of course letting fall the morsel which he had been devouring, whereupon the assailant, instead of closing in a profitless fight, suddenly darted down below, caught the falling food, and flew away in triumph ! There are an immense number of kites about the towns in India. During the rains there are also many of the large storks called "adjutants." These birds, together with vultures and some other species, act as scavengers generally ; on this account they are pro- tected by common consent, and are never shot or molested. No doubt this accounts for their being as tame as they are. How do the vultures maintain themselves in the air without moving their wings ? They often circle round and round for a quarter of an hour. Occasionally a slight motion of one wing may be observed, but that is 1 90 TIGER-SHOOTING all, and it may be sufficient for steering purposes, but not for the progression of the bird or its suspension in the air. It is the same question as to account for the flight of the albatross. When a ship is going ten knots an hour one of these birds may be seen, at first as a speck, in the distance behind. It soon overtakes the vessel, however, and will pass it, and perhaps disappear for a time out of sight in front, and then return. During the whole of this time it only makes a slight movement of one wing or the other at rare intervals. If the flight of the albatross is carefully watched, however, it will be observed that the bird does not move quite in a straight line, but swerves to one side or the other occasionally. I am inclined to believe that it is thus that the bird acquires its velocity through the air, and does so at the turns on the same principle that a skater can move on ice for any length of time without raising his feet. It would be impossible for him to do so and keep his feet always quite straight, but by moving them obliquely from time to time he acquires his velocity. Another interesting spectacle which I witnessed twice during the time, nearly four years, that I was in IN THE BOON AND ULWAR. India, and on both occasions at Agra, was a flight of locusts. The light of day was partly obscured by them. Looking up, the sky could not be seen. It reminded me somewhat of the appearance presented during a heavy fall of snow, except that the flakes instead of floating downwards, were passing backwards and for- wards in every direction. The crows and other birds could be seen now and then sallying off their perches into the crowd of insects, in order to seize a fresh victim, and it was a fine time for the birds if a bad one for the crops. The locusts covered the leafy branches of the trees, and such was their weight that from time to time the crash caused by the breaking of a thick branch could be heard. The day after the departure of the locusts the trees bore sad traces of their visitors in their broken branches, and that they were almost denuded of leaves. After a successful march we reached Ulwar. We remained at the capital a few days, while some of the elephants and shikaries, &c., were being collected, through the influence of Captain Cadell, in preparation for our shooting expedition. During our stay at Ulwar 1 92 TIGER-SHOOTING we were the guests of Captain Cadell and Major Powlett. We had an opportunity before we left of seeing the state jewels, which were very beautiful and valuable. In particular we greatly admired a magnificent pearl necklace, which was estimated to be worth from eighteen to twenty thousand pounds. When the final preparations for our departure had been made, we entered the Ulwar hill country, which is extensive, and lies to the westward of the capital. IN THE BOON AND ULWAR. 193 CHAPTER VIII. AMONG THE ULWAR TIGERS. Beginning operations At Sirawas Tiger kills a bait Preparations We beat him out Following up We move to Natosir Our plans I wait near a pool My position A tigress kills the bullock I shoot her Natives in machans Use of phosphorus B. M. wounds a tiger We follow up Approaching wounded tigers Good tracking. AFTER proceeding one or two marches from Ulwar, we arrived at a place where there was a very thick strip of cover, and the shikaries informed us that it sometimes contained a tiger. It appeared that it was very good cover, but too near Ulwar to be a certain find, and that we might expect to have a better chance at Sirawas, our next camping-ground. We decided to try the place the following day, and afterwards to move on to Sirawas, which was only a short march. Next day we beat the cover but found nothing ; we then marched on. o 1 94 TIGER-SHOOTING When we arrived at Sirawas, the rajah's shikaries summoned the local shikaries and we held a con- sultation. It appeared that a tiger was very often in the vicinity, and the shikaries recommended us to stay for a few days. They said that the animal would be sure to have returned by that time, even if it happened to be out of the way at first. We accordingly arranged to make a halt for a day or two, and we instructed the shikaries to tie up some bullocks as bait. In some places this is done with a view to sitting over the kill, if the jungle is so thick that the tigers cannot be driven, but in this part of Ulwar it was quite different. A considerable portion of the country was bare. The patches of jungle were of a convenient size for beating, and lay at some distance from each other, usually in hollows between low rocky hills. The bullocks were placed near these patches of cover. They were tied up in such a way that the tiger could easily break the rope, so that he could drag the kill into the jungle. No doubt he would then feed largely off the carcase and go to sleep not far away till rudely awakened by the shouts of the beaters. IX THE BOON AND ULWAR. 195 The day after our arrival no kill was reported, but on the second morning we were delighted to learn that a bullock had been killed the night before, and the tiger's tracks had been followed to the edge of a neighbouring piece of jungle. As this was the only cover within two miles, we were almost certain to find the animal there near his kill. Under these circumstances the shikaries had wisely refrained from going round the cover to see if they could track the tiger out of it again. In any case this would have been difficult, as much of the ground was very hard and rocky. But the principal reason for not making the attempt was that the cover was of no great thickness, but was a long narrow strip lying in a hollow. Thus any one going round the place on the higher ground might be seen from the inside: this might disturb the tiger, making him suspicious and perhaps causing him to shift his quarters before the heat of the day had commenced. According to the approved plan we started from camp so as to reach the ground about eleven o'clock, just as the hottest part of the day was coming on. This is done because a wounded tiger will not travel far during the heat, although it might go a long way, o 2 196 TIGER-SHOOTING and perhaps escape altogether if it were a cool tem- perature. The rocks and stones become so hot under the action of the sun's rays that they blister a tiger's feet if he travels far over them. Besides, a wounded animal no doubt suffers dreadfully from thirst in the heat. A large number of beaters had been collected. Our elephants were also to be used in beating, and we proceeded to the ground on one of them. The patch of jungle where the bullock had been killed lay in a hollow along the foot of a low rocky hill of gentle ascent. At the upper end of the cover was a high hill with precipitous sides. At the lower end and on the side opposite to the low rocky hill the ground was open, and patches of jungle lay in those directions at the distance of about two miles. The shikaries thought that the tiger if in the cover would make for one of these pieces of jungle, so B. M. and I were placed at intervals on the edge of the wood opposite to the low hill. We could here command the bottom of the nullah, which was only from four to ten feet below us. We could also see the whole of the open ground on our side of the cover, and looking IN THE DOON AND ULWAR. 1 97 through the trees we could see parts of the rocky slope on the opposite side of the nullah. The shikaries arranged for the beat to be carried out in the same way as it had been done on former occasions for the rajah and other sportsmen. The beaters were drawn up in two lines. One was placed at the upper end of the jungle, at the foot of the precipitous hill, and the other at the low end of the cover. Both lines stretched across the strip of jungle, from our edge, and extended as far as the crest of the low rocky hill in front of us, the object being to force the tiger on to the portion of the slope which lay before us if he should leave the cover on the far side. B. M. was nearer to the high end of the cover than I was. All the trees near my position grew in the nullah, and any one in their branches would have had a very limited view on account of the surrounding foliage. Yet, as there were only two of us, it was necessary that we should both see most of the space in and around the cover. It was not as if there had been a number of sportsmen, who might have been placed so as between them to command every point of escape. Under these circumstances I decided to stand on the 198 TIGER-SHOOTING ground. I took my second rifle from the gun-bearer, and laid it down at full cock beside me. This should always be done when waiting on foot for a tiger, as when a gun- coolie is holding the second rifle he is very apt to run off if the tiger charges, and to forget to leave the weapon behind him. There are other dis- advantages about the presence of the gun-bearers when secrecy is required, namely, that they are apt to whisper excitedly and point at the tiger as he approaches, even if the sportsman is looking straight at the animal, and they thus make it aware of their presence. They also sometimes, by bolting, encourage the tiger to charge home. If you have previously seen the shikarie tried, and stand firm, it is of course different. As there were no convenient trees up which I could send my gun-bearers to be out of harm's way, I ordered them to join the nearest end of the line of beaters. The trees were all inconvenient in B. M.'s vicinity, and he also stood on the ground. If we had not sent away the elephants we might possibly have occupied the howdahs of two of them. We had hardly got into position when a native matchlock was discharged at the upper end of the cover, and the signal was answered by a wild and IN THE BOON AND ULWAR. TQ9 hideous din from the two lines of beaters, which now began to advance towards each other, the natives shouting, beating tom-toms or drums, and making other noises. This had not continued for more than five minutes when an increased commotion suddenly arose among the natives in the line of beaters at the upper end of the cover, and we knew that the tiger was on foot. It appeared that the animal had been lying not far from the cliffs. It was now crossing the shoulder of the low rocky hill in front of us, and moving towards where I was posted. It passed B. M. too far off, in his opinion, for him to fire with good effect, and he also feared that if he were to fire the tiger would then turn away, and pass out of shot from me as well. The natives shouted that the tiger was going down the nullah. I therefore first watched for it inside the cover, but as it did not appear, I at last looked through two openings in the branches where I could see part of the slope of the low rocky hill opposite to me\ The tiger had already passed over that ground, how- ever, and was now moving away up the slope. Presently I caught sight of it between three and four hundred 2OO TIGER-SHOOTING yards off too far for me to fire. B. M. joined me a few moments later, as it was of no use his remaining longer in his former position. The tiger was now heading straight for the centre of the line of beaters which was advancing from the lower end of the cover towards him. A slight ridge on the hillside hid them from his view, but he could hear the noise which they were making. As it was too far for us to fire at the tiger we just looked on for the present. It was much better that the animal was not wounded, as he was moving towards the beaters, and there was thus less chance of an accident. On this account the sportsman should fire at a tiger when it is moving away from the beaters, and should always allow it to pass him before he fires, so that he may not drive it back wounded upon the advancing line of natives. In spite of being unwounded the animal was evi- dently in the reverse of a good humour at being disturbed in the heat, and after having only partly digested a very heavy supper ; as he advanced he whisked his tail from side to side and looked very determined. IN THE DOON AND ULWAR. 2OI At length he came in view of the beaters, and he then turned slowly and sulkily back, following a track which led him further down the hill, at a distance of from two to three hundred yards from us. He exposed his broadside to our aim and was moving slowly. As we saw no prospect of getting a better chance, we opened fire, and gave him several rounds each. One shot appeared to hit him. He answered it with a growl, while at the same moment one of his forelegs appeared to give way and he almost came down on his shoulder. He quickly recovered himself, however, and went on as before, but presently he turned away, passed altogether out of range, and then disappeared over the crest of the low hill. We at once hurried after the tiger, accompanied by the shikaries. We stopped at the place where he appeared to have been hit, and carefully examined the ground, but we could find no marks of blood. We crossed over the hill, but did not find the tiger. The ground was broken up into low rocky hills and small hollows without grass or other cover. The shikaries could not follow the tiger's track, owing to the extremely rocky nature of the ground. 2O2 TIGER-SHOOTING Before a beat commences look-out men should be posted at a distance, in trees or upon any high ground which commands a view of the vicinity, and had a man been placed on the hill at the upper end of the cover, we might have made out the line which the tiger had taken, and been able to follow its tracks where they led over softer ground. The shikaries had omitted to post them, however, and we never saw the tiger again. If it had gone any other way except over the top of the low rocky hill, we could have kept it in view. The arrangement which the shikaries had made of two lines of beaters advancing towards each other was also a bad one, owing to the risk of accident to the beaters from a wounded tiger. It was almost im- possible for the guns to fire at the tiger when he was not moving either towards one line or the other, and if escaping from one line, he would probably have encountered the other. The next day we shifted camp to the vicinity of a village called Natosir, which, we were assured by the shikaries, was a very good place, and so it proved to be. The country in this district was covered by low hills, IN THE BOON AND ULWAR. 203 which, together with the valleys, were clad with tree- jungle. The cover was thus too extensive for beating, and we were compelled to resort to the plan of sitting in the trees at night. The local shikaries said that there were two pools in the jungle where tigers came to drink nearly every night. They advised that we should watch these places. We thought it would be best to have bullocks tied up near the water, as they might delay a tiger and take his attention, thus making him more likely to offer a good shot, and less apt to discover us and escape. The shikaries stated that these two pools were the only ones remaining for miles around, all the rest having been dried up by the heat. They said that the tiger was sure to come. We accordingly arranged to remain in our trees all night, and the shikaries made comfortable machans for us with native charpoys or bedsteads. The weather was intensely hot. I went to my tree at about four o'clock, being sure that a tiger would not move until after that time. The pool of water near which I was about to watch 204 TIGER-SHOOTING was situated in a dry watercourse where a good-sized river flows during the rains. The bank was here about twenty feet high, and my tree grew in a slanting direction out of its edge, thqs overhanging the watercourse. No climbing was needed to enter the machan from the bank ; it was merely necessary to step on to the sloping trunk of the tree and from there into the machan. The pool of water extended for about five yards along the foot of the bank, at a distance of twenty yards on my right front. The bullock had been tied in the dry watercourse opposite my tree, at a distance of twenty yards. The valley was covered with bush and tree-jungle, which came close up to the edge of the bank behind me. About thirty yards on my left the bank ended, and the ground sloped gently down into the water- course. The bushes covered this incline, and stretched out along some mounds into the river-bed to within fifteen yards of the bullock. The sun gradually sank towards the horizon. Pea- fowl came to drink at the pool. After sunset, as it was getting dark, some sambur also approached the water. IN THE BOON AND ULWAR. 2O5 By degrees it grew quite dark. I knew the moon would rise after midnight, and, as I felt sleepy, I deter- mined to have a short sleep, so as to be more wakeful when the light was good. I instructed the shikarie, who sat crouched at the far end of the charpoy, to arouse me if anything important should occur. I had already been so drowsy that I could hardly keep awake, and I at once fell asleep as soon as I lay down for the purpose. Some hours must have passed when I suddenly awoke. The shikarie had just touched me. Opening my eyes, I at once understood the signal. As he saw me move he pointed towards the strip of bushes in the river-bed, and the next moment there was a sudden crash as the tiger bounded out and bore the bullock to the ground. I took up my rifle and looked over the screen of branches which had been woven along the edge of the charpoy on the side next the watercourse. It was pitch-dark. Straining my eyes to the utmost, and looking where I knew the bullock was, I thought that I could just distinguish something on the ground, but I could not make out which was the tiger or which was the bullock. 2O6 TIGER-SHOOTING I concluded that the only chance was to wait. Presently the tiger stood up, having assured itself that the bullock was quite dead. I could now just make out its dim, shadowy form, and that it was standing with its side turned to me. I could not even see it well enough to be sure which was its head and which its tail ! I held my rifle up, but was again obliged to lower it in order to search for the tiger, as it was much more difficult to see when I had the rifle to attend to than when not thus encumbered. There was no time to be lost, however. The tiger might next moment begin to drag the bullock away towards the bushes, or at any rate move. I was sure I could not expect to get a better chance by waiting, and yet I looked upon this one as well-nigh hopeless. Was I going to lose another tiger after all my previous bad luck ? I raised my rifle, held it steadily without being able even to see the barrels, but trusting that the hand would follow the eye. I stared fixedly at the shadowy form of the tiger, which had not yet moved, and I slowly pressed the trigger. A dazzling flash lit up the darkness. The loud report sounded along the valley, and was echoed from side to side amid the IN THE BOON AND ULWAR. 2O7 angry growls of the tiger, which I thus knew had been hit. Presently I saw it rushing in towards my tree, and as it approached I could distinguish it better. In its fury it tore to fragments a little bush which happened to be at hand. It was now fortunately passing over a patch of white sand about ten yards off, so I could see it very fairly, and I gave it my second barrel. It came on for about five yards, fell, rolled over a couple of times, and lay just under the machan. I caused the lantern to be lit and the light turned on to the animal. After a time its breathing appeared to cease. I therefore descended on to the river-bed with the shikaries, some of whom had by this time brought an elephant, according to our usual arrangement. I had the light of the lantern again thrown on the tiger, when, to my surprise, I found that it was still breathing. I therefore shot it in the head, and this finished it. In firing my first shot I had endeavoured to hit the tiger in the usual place behind the shoulder, but the bullet had struck it in the flank. My 2O8 TIGER-SHOOTING second shot had hit it in the back, just behind the shoulder. It turned out to be a tigress. She measured over eight feet in length. Her teeth were worn down and discoloured with age. I had the tigress removed to camp on the elephant, and, returning to my tent, I finished the night com- fortably in bed. The shikarie who was with me in the machan had performed his part well. He had awakened me quietly and in good time. He had also refrained from making the least noise. It will be remembered that my shikarie in the Doon also behaved well in the same manner. This is by no means always the case, how- ever, with native shikaries. On the contrary, they often cough at trie critical moment as the tiger is approaching, and if they do so the animal instantly takes alarm and escapes. One naturally asks, Why do they cough ? Of course they will say, if afterwards asked the question, because they could not help it. But although nervousness may have something to do with it, they are probably influenced by the wish to warn the tiger off for some reason or another. They may fear that they will have IN THE BOON AND ULWAR. 2OQ to incur danger while following up the animal if it be wounded, or they may wish to protect it, owing to the superstitious belief which prevails amongst natives that the spirit of a tiger pursues those who have assisted in its destruction. I have also heard of cases in native States where the rajah was fond of tiger-shooting, and the shikaries received a hint which they dared not disregard, that the tigers were to be reserved for their own chief. If the sportsman intends only to remain in the machan till dark, and then return to his tent, he may please himself as to whether he takes a shikarie with him or not ; but if the sportsman wishes to stay in the machan the whole or most of the night, he must be accompanied by a shikarie to wake him when necessary ; otherwise he is certain, after a time, either to go to sleep or to watch painfully and inefficiently through drowsiness. The sportsman should take care to clearly explain to his shikaries at the commencemet of an expedition, and to hold before their eyes from time to time the reward which he will give them for each tiger which he kills. In addition to this, the sportsman should carefully p 2 I O TIGER- SHOOTING observe the conduct of the shikarie on these occasions, and if he has cause to be dissatisfied with it he should not give the man another chance of doing mischief. On the other hand he should retain as long as possible the services of a native whom he has seen tried, and who behaved well. The local shikaries must be employed, however, in their own districts, as a stranger does not know the haunts, habits, and peculiarities of the tigers which are to be found there. I was not sure as to the advisability of using phos- phorus sights for night shooting. The principal objection to them is the inflammability of the phos- phorus. It must be kept under water, or it will take fire. It must therefore be carried about in a bottle or vessel. If a glass bottle is used, it is liable to break, in which case the phosphorus will perhaps set every- thing on fire. If the bottle is of some other material, it is not so easy to see whether any of the water has leaked out or dried up, so as to leave the phosphorus uncovered. If the bottle becomes mislaid or forgotten, it remains a source of danger. W., my companion in the Boon, had some phos- phorus with him, and we once or twice tried it when IN THE BOON AND ULWAR. 2 I I sitting up for tigers, but I never fired at a tiger with it. The plan of using it was to make a narrow slit in the side of a copper cap, a piece of the phosphorus is then put on to a stone or metal surface, so that a portion may be cut off with a knife and pressed into the copper cap. The cap is then tied with strong thread on to the rifle, so as to rest on its base between the barrels just behind the foresight. It is adjusted with the little opening exactly in the middle, and turned towards the hammers. Thus the sportsman, when looking along the rifle in the dark, sees the incandescent phosphorus through the chink, and it is probably an assistance to him in shooting. At any rate he can see where the muzzle of his rifle is, which was more than I could do on two occasions when not using a phosphorus sight, and yet I managed to hit the tiger each time. The phosphorus has the great disadvantage of gradually becoming dim when exposed to the air for some time and it is then necessary to pare off the outside with a knife ; when this has been done, the remainder shines as brightly as ever. Messrs. Tolley, of No. i, Conduit Street, have in- p 2 212 TIGER-SHOOTING formed me of a luminous paint. They make a little disk which can be attached behind the foresight by a spring to receive a coating of it. The preparation does not fade, and is not inflammable like phosphorus. A small bottle of it is sufficient, and costs about a shilling. This sounds promising. On awaking next morning I inquired whether B. M. had returned to camp. He had been watching the other pool of water, about a mile beyond where I had shot the tigress. I was informed that B. M. had just arrived. He had wounded a tiger, and had come back to have break- fast. He intended after that to return and follow it up. I at once dressed and breakfasted. B. M. and I then started for the scene of his adventure. We took with us the shikaries, also the elephants for beating purposes, and to be ready to bring back the tiger if we should succeed in bagging it. We rode one of the elephants to the place. As we went along B. M. described to me what had occurred. It appeared that he had not seen or heard anything until the moon rose in the early hours of the morning. A tiger then approached the pool where he was watch- ing. B. M. fired at and wounded it, but it succeeded IN THE BOON AND ULWAR. 213 in making its escape up the gentle slope of a low rocky hill. B. M. then descended from his tree and returned to camp, which lay in the opposite direction to that in which the tiger was moving. On reaching the place where the tiger had been when fired at, we found a quantity of blood, and we were considerably assisted by the marks of bleeding in fol- lowing up the trail. The tracks led up the gentle slope of the low rocky hill, which on this side was devoid of bushes or grass, but here and there large rocks afforded ample cover, and the wounded tiger might have been in ambush behind any of them. We were obliged to advance with great care, the two guns going in front on either side of the trackers, and ready for any sudden attack. We kept the remainder of the natives close together behind us. We had not ridden the elephants in following up, as we considered that many parts of the ground were too rough for them. Once or twice we found that there were no marks of bleeding for some distance. This had, no doubt, been caused by the tiger having stopped and licked the wound. 214 TIGER-SHOOTING On the crest of the hill the trail led in amongst a quantity of loose rocks, and we fully expected to find the tiger there, as he had been heavily wounded, and we did not think that he would go far. We traversed the spot in the approved wedged-shaped formation, the guns in front at the point of the triangle, and the natives closed up behind. Not even a wounded tiger will charge home when thus approached, if the natives stand firm. The guns are in the best position for shooting and supporting each other. The natives are together, and therefore not liable to be pounced upon singly. They are also more likely to stand firm than when in a line or scattered, and nothing encourages a tiger so much in his charge as if some of the natives run away. The natives should be cautioned to this effect. Steady shooting must do the rest. We would probably have found the tiger in this spot if he had been wounded during the heat of the day ; but he had been able to travel still further, no doubt because it was during the cool night that it had occurred. As we followed the tiger's tracks down the slope on the far side the marks of blood became fainter, until at last they ceased altogether. IN THE BOON AND ULWAR. 215 The trackers were now put upon their mettle, and showed remarkable skill and instinct in following up the trail. A little sand brushed aside on the surface of a rock, a pebble slightly moved from the mould it had made in the soil, a broken twig, a few blades of grass bent down, or a leaf turned over such small but significant signs as these their practised eyes quickly detected. The native who observed one of them would draw his comrades' attention by a sign or a whispered word, and they would then move on in search of the next one. At last, as we reached the foot of the low hill on the far side, we lost the trail altogether. We had come about two miles from where the animal had been wounded. We did not believe that the tiger, after travelling so far, and having lost much blood, would be likely to ascend the opposite slope out of the narrow valley into which he had descended. We therefore beat a nullah which ran along the bottom, and also a few clumps of bushes, but without success. All efforts to regain the trail having failed, we were at last compelled to give up the pursuit and return to camp. 2l6 TIGER-SHOOTING CHAPTER IX. AMONG THE ULWAR TIGERS (concluded]. We move to Kusulgurh Shooting from oodies Our prospects Bullock already killed B. M. waits I wait Luminous eyes- Hyaena comes B. M. shoots small game He finds the tiger Gun-bearers usually lag We march to Kankwari A chance encounter Significant crows We reach the camping- ground Khubber of a tiger We hurry to the place Three tigers driven out Following .up Wounded tiger shows fight Effect of elevation A dog's manner Another wounded tiger How can I shoot him? I fire Flight of my gun-bearer The third tiger found Division of trophies Return to Agra. THE next day we shifted camp to a village called Kusulgurh. The country to which this brought us was of the same character as that which we had just left. It was covered with jungle ; beating was out of the question, and our only chance was to sit in machans at night. We were assured by the shikaries that it was a very IN THE DOON AND ULWAR. 217 good place for tigers, and it was evidently highly ap- proved by the rajah, as there were one or two oodies in the locality. The oodie may be described as a fortress against tigers. Its use is much in vogue with some of the rajahs, and other natives, as the style of shooting conforms with their ideas of sport, though not quite with ours. The oodie is a building erected at a point where tigers frequently pass, to afford a safe and comfort- able place to shoot them from. It consists of several chambers in a row, and in these the rajah and his attendants sleep comfortably until roused by the shikaries. The rooms open into a courtyard inclosed by a high loopholed wall over which the tiger can neither climb nor jump. A bullock is tied up outside within easy shot, and a night is chosen when there is bright moonlight. The shikaries sit in the courtyard, and watch through the loopholes. When they see the tiger kill the bullock they summon the rajah, who comes out into the court- yard, takes his rifle, ready loaded, from the shikarie's hand, fires at the tiger, and then retires again to rest. 2l8 TIGER-SHOOTING If the tiger has been wounded by the rajah, he follows it up next day on elephants. If the animal has got into ground too rough for shooting from elephants, and where it would be necessary to follow up on foot, the pursuit is abandoned altogether. The shikaries tie up bullocks outside the oodies from time to time, when the rajah is not there, so as to keep the tigers in the habit of visiting these places in search of prey. About a week before we arrived several bullocks had been tied up by the shikaries at likely points in the jungle, and one of these animals had been killed. We therefore arranged to tie up another bullock at the place, and that we would take it in turns to sit in a tree and watch it for a couple of nights. We drew lots to decide who was to begin, and the result was that B. M. took the first night ; but he saw nothing. The next night I sat there. The place was at the edge of a broad valley covered with bushes, and close to the foot of a steep line of low hills, covered with thick tree and bush jungle. A strip of tree-jungle, about a hundred yards broad, extended in the valley along the foot of the hills, and at one point there was a gap across this belt about IN THE BOON AND ULWAR. 2 IQ fifty yards wide. This is where the bullock had been killed, and another was tied up at the same place. A comfortable machan had been made in a tree by the shikaries, and one of them accompanied me when I sat there. I never anywhere saw so many peafowl as there were in this neighbourhood. As the sun got low they could be seen emerging in all directions from the thick cover on the hills, where they had been sheltering from the heat of the day, and sailing down into the broad valley to drink and feed. Nothing came near my post before dark, and after that there was not enough light either to see or shoot by during the earlier part of the night, but I knew that there would be bright moonlight later on. During the darkness I saw at intervals a pair of eyes moving about on the ground, but it was im- possible to tell what the animal was to which they belonged. The eyes were quite luminous, and looked like two little balls of fire. Some heavy animal also passed along the steep adjacent hill-side, which in this part was covered with rubble. Its course could be followed by the noise of 2 20 TIGER-SHOOTING stones, which it displaced, as they came rolling down the slope. I decided as usual to take a sleep while it was dark, in order that I should be wakeful when the moon rose. I instructed the shikarie to arouse me as soon as there was light enough to shoot by, or if anything important should occur. After a time I awoke. The moon had risen, but was still so low that its light, which had to penetrate through the trees, was faint. I fancied that I had been roused by the shikarie coughing. This supposi- tion was probably correct, as the man was standing upright in the machan, I quickly looked over the screen of leaves along the edge of the machan at the bullock and saw a large animal close to it, but the light was so dim that I could not make out what it was. It seemed to be observing the bullock from a distance of a few feet and moving slowly backwards and forwards, as if trying to get round the bullock's horns, so as perhaps to attack it from the side. But the bullock kept its head down with the horns presented to the intruder as he moved. I made a motion to the shikarie to sit down. I then inquired from him what he was doing and whether the IN THE BOON AND ULWAR. 221 animal was not a tiger, but he said it was a hyaena and that he had been trying to frighten it off. This he soon succeeded in doing. No other animal came before dawn, which took place at about 4 a.m., and when it was daylight the shikarie said that it was of no use waiting any longer, as if a tiger had been coming it would have been there already. I had my own opinion on this subject, which was that the chance continued for several hours after day- light in the morning, but no doubt the most likely time was over. To remain much longer would have made the affair rather wearisome if without successful result, whereas if I returned at once to camp I should be in bed before six, and should thus secure a good sleep before the hottest part of the day. I accordingly returned to camp, and finding B. M. already up, we held a consultation as to what we should do. We decided that as we had sat up two nights at the place where the bullock had been killed and had seen nothing, the tiger might be away from the neighbour- hood at present, and so it would be best to shift camp next day. 222 TIGER-SHOOTING B. M. said that as we were going to move, and it therefore no longer mattered about disturbing the tigers, the sound of firing could do no harm. He therefore intended to go out for a few hours before it became too hot, in search of peafowl, black partridge, bush-quail, and deer. I then retired to rest. When I awoke some hours later my servant told me that B. M. had returned and wished to see me as soon as I was up. I therefore dressed quickly, and while I was at breakfast B. M. gave me an account of his morning's adventures. He had shot first among the bushes in the valley, and had worked his way across to the place where we had been watching for the tiger. What was his sur- prise on arriving there when he saw that the bullock had been killed and partly eaten ! The tiger had therefore come since I had left the place in the morn- ing. Perhaps he had been on his way back to the hills after a night's wandering and had caught sight of the bullock as he passed. B. M. then entered the strip of tree-jungle beyond, which lay along the foot of the hills. He had a shot- gun in his hand, and his rifle was being carried by a IN THE BOON AND ULWAR. 2? 3 gun-bearer. B. M. had been trying to keep this man close at his side, so that he might not lose the chance of any deer if he should come upon them, but as usual the man kept lagging behind, either through inatten- tion or in order to converse in whispers with the other native shikaries and beaters. The high tree-jungle contained but little undercover. The grass was quite short, and there were only a few bushes here and there. As B. M. sauntered along a jungle-track he came to a sandy place, where he observed the fresh tracts of a tiger, which had gone in the same direction along the path, and the next moment he saw the animal itself lying about three yards from him under a bush, which alone separated them. The tiger was apparently asleep no doubt, after having fed largely off the bullock. It now awoke, glanced at B. M., got up, yawned, and stretched itself under the bush, and then went off at a walking pace towards the hill. B. M. gesticulated to the gun-bearer, who was twenty yards behind, to bring his rifle, but the man, either through not understanding or having seen the tiger, and being afraid, did not hurry to obey. 224 TIGER-SHOOTING B. M. did not like to call out to the man, as he was afraid that the sound of his voice would make the tiger gallop off. At last the gun-bearer came up, and B. M. ex- changed his shot-gun for a 12 -bore rifle. At this moment the tiger turned round the corner of some bushes and became hidden from view. B. M. ran after it, and on reaching the bushes he saw the animal already ascending the steep hill up a dry watercourse thirty yards in advance of him. It was just disappearing over the edge of a small plateau. B. M. climbed up the slope as fast as he could, and when he reached the edge of the little plateau where he had last seen the tiger, it bounded off at the far side into the thick cover above with a loud " Wough ! wough ! " Of course it was of no use taking a snap-shot at the animal, especially as B. M. was on foot and below it. But if he had had the rifle in his hand instead of the shot-gun when he first saw the tiger under the bush, he could then have brained it without the least difficulty. It would have been of no use to delay our departure on account of this incident. The tiger had been dis- turbed, and for the present we would probably have a IN THE BOON AND ULWAR. 225 much better chance elsewhere. Next day therefore we shifted camp as arranged. We set off at daybreak as usual, so as to finish our march before it became hot. B. M. and I started first, riding our ponies. We were accompanied by the shikaries and gun-bearers. The servants were left to strike the camp, pack, and follow us. We seldom saw deer or other wild animals during our marches in Ulwar, but occasionally a startled nylghaie would fush out of a thicket, and after going some distance would stop, turn round, and stare at us from curiosity. We always refrained from taking the shot thus invited for fear of disturbing the tigers. We had proceeded more than half the distance, and were passing through a small cultivated valley bordered by very low rocky hills, when suddenly we saw a tiger about three hundred yards in front of us, bounding into a little valley which branched off to the left, and the animal entered the bushes which covered part of a small rocky hill which we were then passing. We immediately placed the shikaries and other natives in a line to beat the patch of cover. W r e dismounted and B. M. remained with the beaters Q 226 TIGER-SHOOTING where the animal had entered the bushes, while I hurried along the top of the low ridge and placed my- self at the upper corner of the far end, with my second rifle at full, cock lying on the ground beside me. Of course there was some doubt as to whether the tiger had stopped in the bushes or gone straight through and out on the far side before I could arrive there, but as I went to my post I was convinced that the animal was still inside, as I saw some crows sitting on a small dead tree in the cover craning over with their necks stretched out, and all peering down in one direction among the rocks with silent attention. Where the tiger got to after that was a complete mystery. The beaters searched the cover carefully, and we afterwards returned and specially examined the rocks which the crows had been watching, but without finding any further trace of the animal. We then proceeded on our way, and reached the new camping-ground near the village of Kankwari without further incident. The servants and baggage had not yet arrived, and it was possible that we might have to wait a con- siderable time for them. This was rather uncomfort- able, as we were hungry, not having breakfasted before IN THE DOON AND ULWAR. 227 starting, but having only taken some tea and toast. The sun was also becoming rapidly hotter. We had waited for some time, when suddenly a native appeared from the jungle in the opposite direc- tion to that from which we had arrived. He hurried up to the shikaries evidently in a state of excitement, which appeared to be infectious arid to be communi- cated to the other natives. Presently the shikaries came and explained that the man had brought news of a tiger having been marked into some high grass in a nullah about two miles off. It appeared that there were only two pools in the neighbourhood which had not been dried up. The local shikaries had been watching the water for a day or two. That morning, two natives had been waiting in a tree, and had seen a tiger come to drink ; it had then entered a patch of high grass and rushes in the nullah. One of the natives had remained to watch while the other had come to give us " khubber," or information. We instantly forgot our hunger and the increasing heat. We caught up our rifles and rode off to the place, accompanied by the shikaries and some coolies. We left word for the elephants to be sent down to Q 2 228 TIGER-SHOOTING us as soon as they should arrive, as they might be of use for beating, even if the ground were too rough for shooting from the howdah. Under the guidance of the shikarie who had come with the information, we entered a high tree-jungle, and followed the course of a narrow gorge for about a mile. At this point the valley opened out rather, its slopes becoming more gentle, although the bottom, which formed during the rains the bed of a stream, remained as before only about twenty yards wide. The patch of high rushes and grass into which the tiger had been seen to enter, grew in this dry water- course, and was not more than fifteen yards square. As we approached the place, the native who had remained on the watch, came down from his tree and reported to us that the tiger had not come out. We then approached to about thirty yards of the cover with our gun-bearers holding our second rifles ready, and the beaters gathered in a little crowd behind us, so as to be out of the way. We now directed some of the natives to throw stones into the grass, and at the first volley out went a tiger on the far side, and began to ascend the slope opposite where there was a patch of cover about fifty yards IN THE DOON AND ULWAR. 229 broad, which extended a hundred yards up the hill. It consisted of a mass of rocks and bushes without large trees. Both B. M. and I fired at the tiger, and we had hardly done so when another came out and took the same direction as the first. We fired at the second one, and it appeared to fall between some large rocks over which it was passing at the time. As this was occurring a third tiger came out and went in the same direction as the others. We fired at and evidently wounded it, but it also disappeared amongst the rocks and bushes. We could not be sure whether we had hit the first tiger, but we believed that all three had stopped in the patch of cover, and had not gone on as unwounded animals would have done under the circumstances. We had a fairly good view of the place, as it was on the slope, and it would have been difficult for the tigers to have slipped away without our observing them. We were therefore nearly sure that we had killed or wounded them all. We next made arrangements for finishing off the wounded tigers. One of us was to go to the top of the patch of cover, and beat it down with the coolies, 2 30 TIGER-SHOOTING while the other gun was to remain where we had been standing, so as to be able to shoot the animals if they came out at the bottom or showed themselves again upon the slope. I won the toss to go up, and B. M. remained below. I took about a dozen coolies with me to beat ; I placed them in a line on each side of me, and made them pelt the cover with stones as we advanced. We thus proceeded through the upper half of the patch, and arrived within fifty yards of the bottom, when suddenly one of the tigers jumped up straight in front of me, at a distance of about eight yards. At the moment I happened to be looking about from the top of a flat rock, which on the side next the tiger was about three or four feet high, and although I was nearer to him than any one else, he would not face me, because he would have had to make a little jump to get at me. It turned out that he had a broken hind- leg. With a loud Wough ! Wough ! he rushed towards the beaters on my left, but stopped when he had gone a few paces, whisked round with another roar, and came towards the beaters on my right. They stood - E^* S-: :*vif :