■ /77' 
 
 iii(<uun.-(I(>.ii. POIiLOCl^. 
 
SPORTIi^G DATS 
 
 IN 
 
 SOUTHERN INDIA. 
 
CHARaE OF THE HOOLIYA TUSKER. 
 
SPOETING DATS 
 
 IN 
 
 SOUTHERN INDIA: 
 
 BEING 
 
 REMINISCENCES OF TWENTY TRIPS IN PURSUIT OF 
 
 BIG GAME, CHIEFLY IN THE MADRAS 
 
 PRESIDENCY. 
 
 BY 
 
 LIEUT.-COIONEI. A. J. 0. POLLOCK, 
 
 Royal Scots Fusiliers. 
 
 WITH ILLUSTEATIONS. 
 
 LONDON : 
 
 HORACE COX, 
 WINDSOE HOUSE, BEEAM'S BUILDINGS, E.G. 
 
 1894. 
 
o 
 
 K-^25 
 
 ?5 
 
 LONDON : 
 
 printed by horace cox, windsor house, 
 bream's BUILDINOS, E.g. 
 
 HENRY MORSE STEFMBMS 
 
o-C- 
 
 I DEDICATE THIS BOOK 
 TO MY SON 
 
 ANNESLEY, 
 
 IN THE HOPE THAT HE MAY BE SPARED TO ENJOY 
 AND BECOME PROFICIENT IN 
 
 ALL MANLY SPORTS OF THE FIELD, 
 
 THEREBY FULFILLING THE WISHES WHICH WERE 
 
 EXPRESSED BY HIS MOTHER A FEW 
 
 DAYS AFTER HIS BIRTH. 
 
 512829 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 In view of the numerous books on sport with big game 
 which have been published, it requires a good deal of 
 nerve to tackle such well-beaten ground ; and although 
 friends, on seeing the sketches in my shooting diaries, have 
 repeatedly urged me to publish their contents, I have 
 been very reluctant to do so. 
 
 A few months ago, however, it having become evident 
 that a further spell of service in India was threatening me, 
 I determined to follow their advice, and accordingly set to 
 work on these rather hastily compiled pages, which were 
 sent to the publishers in the month of June. The inser- 
 tion of the half-page illustrations entailed some delay, as 
 the letterpress could not be proceeded with until their 
 precise positions and dimensions were fixed. The diaries 
 which afforded me the necessary information were my 
 companions during my jungle expeditions, and have 
 suffered much from the wear and tear of camp life, more 
 especially during the Monsoon trips, when many pages 
 became obliterated by wet and exposure, or were lost 
 
viii PREFACE. 
 
 owing to defective transport in the more remote jungles. 
 Out of the mass of available material such portions only 
 have been extracted as appeared to be interesting, but 
 there is a good deal of sameness in big game shooting, 
 and I am aware that my inferior powers of narration have 
 failed to present the incidents dealt with in a sufficiently 
 attractive form. 
 
 But few of the remarks on the habits of wild animals 
 will be new to those who have visited the jungles — fewer 
 still have been the result of my own discovery — the 
 majority having been discussed either in the course of 
 conversation, or in correspondence with acquaintances well 
 skilled in jungle-lore, such as the late General Douglas 
 Hamilton, Colonels Geoffrey Nightingale and Hooper, 
 Major Frank Gordon-Cumming, Mr. Sanderson, and other 
 celebrated hunters of big game, but — except where other- 
 wise stated — they have been verified by personal expe- 
 rience, and the recipes have likewise been personally 
 tested. 
 
 During the construction of the index it appeared that a 
 rearrangement of a portion of the contents would be 
 desirable, but my orders for embarkation being daily 
 expected, no more time can be devoted to this work, nor 
 can I even offer an excuse for its shortcomings, for — 
 unlike others who have written on these subjects— it has 
 been my misfortune during life to be obliged to wield the 
 pen far oftener than the rifle. 
 
PREFACE. ix 
 
 My thanks are due to Mr. Charles Wliymper and to 
 Mr. Halls, the gentlemen who, from my crude water- 
 colour sketches, have heen able to evolve such artistic 
 illustrations. My misleading brush must be entirely 
 responsible for any inaccuracies which may become visible 
 therein. 
 
 To Messrs. Walker and Boutall I am much indebted for 
 reproducing the artists' pictures and my photographs so 
 true to the originals. 
 
 AETHITR POLLOCK. 
 
 22nd September, 1894. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 THE BEAE {Ursus labiatus). 
 
 Indian varieties of — Burmese bear — Sloth bears — Food of — 
 Difficulty in aiming at correctly — Methods of shooting 
 the — Beat at Poppinapett — Wounded bear charges — 
 Nearly shot by a friend — Shoot first bear — Mad jackal 
 — See a tiger — Bokur — Bears numerous at — Scouting 
 for — Longevity of — The Tairbund Man-killers — 
 Baliyah nearly caught — Absurd scene — Bears marked 
 down — Am nearly scragged — Finale — Triumphal pro- 
 cession of villagers ... ... ... ... page 1 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 THE BEAR {Ursus labiatus). 
 
 The big bear of Burbose — Is shot by Poulton — Bear at Loa- 
 shera — Spearing tournament — The bear is victorious 
 — Shoot she-bear and capture cub — Cub routs our 
 visitors — Murrel fishing — March to Mowtool — Afiair 
 with bear — Bear spearing by Colonel Nightingale — 
 Dislike of horses to — Jamakapett — Bears' Paradise — 
 Shoot three bears — Expenditure of ammunition — A 
 warm corner — Kill three more bears — Capture cub — 
 Pugnacity of bears — Peculiar bone — Its properties — 
 Bears reputed to kidnap women — Bear spear... .,, 15 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 THE BEAE {Ursus labiatus). 
 
 A long-lived bear — Elephant's game of football — Rajumpett 
 — Baban Sahib the sorcerer — Bear marked down — 
 Baban's behaviour — Shoot the bear — Cholera — Ullee- 
 poor — Former experiences there — The Ulleepoor man- 
 
xii CONTENTS. 
 
 eater — His death — Bears near Singareny — My colonel 
 kills two and wounds a third — Bears at Penconda — 
 Shoot two — Effect of Express bullet — Bears at Mulka- 
 poor — Bears in Mysore — Bout with Bandipore bears 
 — ^Wounded bear dies — Antics of wounded bears — 
 Inebriated bears — Fatal accident with bear — Hyber- 
 nating — Cold weather shooting trips — Wounds 
 inflicted by bears ... ... ... ... ... page 28 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 THE PANTHER {Felis pardus). 
 
 Distribution of — Varieties of — Black panther at Santawerry 
 — Panthers at Secunderabad — Sentries and panthers — 
 Bolting panthers with dogs — -The Gun Rock — Mowl Ali 
 — Porcupines and dogs — Spearing panthers — Dangers 
 of — Death of Colonel Nightingale — Sitting up for 
 panthers — Shooting pits — Kill two panthers — Am 
 charged by one — Shoot a rogue panther — Catch 
 cheetah cub — Tame panthers — Treachery of — 
 Climbing capabilities of . . . ... ... ... ... 39 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 THE PANTHEE (Felis pardus). 
 
 Distinctive markings — Three cubs caught — Charge by boar 
 — The Jamakapett panther — Munchipa — Our goats 
 killed — Dacoits' cave — Affray with cheetah — Stirring 
 him up — Patterson's panther — Sad accident to a 
 beater — Panther enters my tent — Man-eating panther 
 — The Loashera panther — The Parvutgherry panther 
 — The Raghear panther — Panther in the Billiga 
 Rungum Hills — Not likely to decrease in numbers — 
 Annamullay panthers — The Bolarum bogus panther — 
 The stalker stalked — Garas by panther — Nocturnal 
 depredations of — Braining panthers ... ... ... 52 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 THE TIGER {Felis tigris). 
 
 Classification of — Taming cubs — Rani — Becomes dangerous 
 — Tiger at Poppinapett — Gara at Nowsanpully — Sit up 
 all night — A ghastly vigil — How the tiger feeds — Man- 
 
CONTENTS. xiii 
 
 eaters different — Tigers in Annamullay — Scarcity of 
 raan-eaters — Cause of — The Poppinapett tigress — 
 Destruction of human life by — Unsuccessful beats — 
 Pochapooram — Eluded by man-eater — Her end — Pre- 
 liminaries of shooting trip — Shamantapoor — Tying-up 
 baits — The soup-plate wallah — Poulton^s adventure — 
 Servant bitten by snake — Close shave with cobra — 
 Shoot bears — Kowlass — Rajah's visit — Sambur — 
 Bear's meat — Lingumpulli man-eater — Tigress and 
 cubs — Man-eater kills buffalo — Kola Baloo — Close 
 quarters with man-eater — Beernecks — Tiger's fat — 
 Posting of guns — Firing during beat ... ... page 65 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 THE TIGEE {Felis %ris). 
 
 Kills followed by blank beats — Reason for this — Smoothing 
 tracks — The Poopul nullah day — Poulton's bear — 
 Shimoga — Kills^ but no tiger — Tigers in a temple — 
 Brinjarries — Pig sticking — Bokur — Soamtanah — 
 Scientific beat — Tiger shot — Absurd stampede — 
 Shikari killed by tiger — Golamorra — Gara — All miss 
 tiger — Unpleasant predicament — Heights jumped by 
 tiger — Death of an officer and his shikari — The tiger 
 killed — Panthers good climbers— Aiming from trees — 
 Major Fergusson's tiger — Apparowpett — Red ants — 
 Fire at tiger — Yellow bees — Fire at bogus tiger — 
 Tiger found dead — Captain Preston's accident — 
 Makmudpully — Manley's adventure — Tigress shot — 
 Serenade by her admirers — Tigers fond of putrid meat 
 — A lawyer's shooting party ... ... ... ... 82 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 THE TIGEE (Felis tigris). 
 
 My first tiger — Passes between the guns — Spur fowl 
 indicates approach — - Easy shot — Tracking up — 
 Demoralised dogs — Find tiger dead — Its measure- 
 ments — Hall wounds tiger — Mysteriously disappears 
 — Difficulty of seeing — Meet two tigers — Patterson's 
 
xiv -CONTENTS. 
 
 pony — Scarcity of man-eaters — Benkipore man-eater — 
 Kargeeliully ravine — Beaters form groups — Hyena 
 mistaken for tiger — Result — Large tiger at Benkipore 
 — Swims river— Returns — Stampede — Shoot tigress at 
 Komalapully — Marcli to Rajavole — Joined by Colonel 
 Russell — Grara — T^ger escapes — Another gara — Same 
 result — Tiger's tactics — Two more garas — Arrange- 
 ments for beat — Tiger shot — Mankote — Penconda — 
 Pakhal lake — Variety of game — Chundraopett — 
 Bobbery elephant — Tiger marked down — Charges — 
 Death of the Romper — Tiger shooting not necessarily 
 dangerous — Staunch elephants scarce — Shooting 
 tigers on foot — Death of Doig — Devaroy Droog — 
 Shoot a beater — His recovery — Sporting parties — 
 Adventure with boar — Small rope useful . . . jpage 96 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 THE INDIAN BISON {Gavcsus gaums). 
 
 A King of Beeves — Habitat — Measurements of — Danger 
 of stalking solitary bulls — Bison on the Baba Boodens — 
 Stalking in open — Trip to AnnamuUays — Virgin forest 
 — Toonacudavoo Carders — Their chiefs — Mulsers — 
 Plan of operations — Poolakul — Nocturnal noises — 
 Tracking — DiflBdence of Carders — Strike a trail — Fire 
 a snap-shot — Wounded bison — Heavy rain — Shoot 
 muntjack deer — Leeches — Aggressive monkey — 
 Wound bull — He charges and is killed — Fresh tracks — 
 Wound and kill another bison — Am nearly brained by 
 a monkey — Bison meat — Flowering of bamboo — Famine 
 — Tiger visits us ... ... ... ... ... ... 118 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 THE BISON (^Gavaus gaums). 
 
 Is a hill animal — Bison fly — Smell of bison — Return to 
 Toonacudavoo — Good sport — Lose several wounded — 
 Walk into a herd — Wounded bull — Saturnalia in camp 
 — Shoot a bison — Our guide loses the way — Night in 
 the Currian Sholah — Wild dogs — Carders arrive — Fire 
 
CONTENTS. XV 
 
 at bull — Kill Mm — Bullet strikes horn — Another day 
 in Currian Sholah — Wound a bull — Am charged by 
 herd — A useful shot — Knock over another bull — First 
 bull dies — Perrincudavoo — Shoot two bison — Elephant 
 tracking — Shoot cow bison — Wound big bull — Tiger 
 kills him — Shoot another bull — On short commons — 
 Curried monkey — Mahseer — Return to Toonacudavoo 
 — Poolakul again — Charged by cow — Fire at bogus 
 bison — Leave the Annamullays — Trip to Wynaad — 
 Bandipore — Prevalence of fever — Shoot large bull 
 — Salt licks — Shooting herd bison — Big bores 
 necessary ... ... ... ... ... ... page 133 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 THE ELEPHANT {Elephas Indicus). 
 
 Distribution of — Shooting prohibited in 1871 — Damage 
 caused by — Reward formerly offered for — Elephant 
 pits — Rogue elephants — Dangers of elephant shooting 
 — ^Where to aim — Large bores desirable — Steel tipped 
 bullets — Major Gordon Cumming — System inaugurated 
 by — Advantage of learning jungle dialects — Start with 
 Cumming to shoot elephants — Scene of operations — 
 Commencement of encounter — One tusker killed — A 
 stern chase — A record shot — Narrow shave — Death of 
 second tusker — Tusks disfigured — Beat for sambur — 
 Routed by cow elephant — Return to Bangalore — 
 Baffled Sybarites — How to scare a herd — Woodcraft — 
 Differences between habits of elephants and bison ... 154 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 THE ELEPHANT {Elephas Indicus). 
 
 Expedition to Thandi — Scarcity of water — Cicely — 
 Expedition to Perrabyoo — Our hut wrecked by 
 elephants — We get a facer — Flight of the herd — 
 Carders fear of elephants — Aversion to tracking — 
 Staunch with tiger — Track up tiger — The Javalee 
 tuskers — ^Two exciting adventures — Elephant tracking 
 — Solitary males — Their habits — Strike trail of — 
 
XYi CONTENTS. 
 
 Atlay's mendacity — Skirmish with a sow — Gun carrier 
 bolts — Advance to attack — Atlay bolts — The encounter 
 — Get ear shot— -Tusker decamps— Is found dead — 
 Tribal feud — Murrain — Pitfalls — Kheddah elephants 
 — Clothes for elephant shooting — The foot shot^Lines 
 of retreat to be selected — To harden bullets — Excite- 
 ment of elephant shooting — The Hassanore tusker — 
 Primary attack fails — Is followed up and shot ... page 170 
 
 CHAPTEE XIII. 
 DEER {CERVID^) ANJ) ANTELOPES. 
 
 The Sambur — Description of — Stalking and driving the — 
 Dogs useful in — Fondness for cinchona — Neddi- 
 wuttum — Successful stalk — Gopaulswamy Hill — 
 Brahmin priests — Tippicado — Muddoor — Get a right 
 and left — Unexpected result — Antler wounds — Sambur 
 and wild dogs — Nilghai — Spotted deer — Muntjack 
 deer — Barking powers of — Yenison of — Four-horned 
 antelope — The black buck — Stalking the — Spearing 
 when wounded — Catching with hunting leopards — 
 Ring-horned antelope — Mountain antelope — Mouse 
 deer — Burmese deer — Daray — Effect of Express 
 bullet — Shedding of antlers ... ... ... ... 184 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 THE IBEX {Capra Warryato). 
 
 Ibex on Neilgherries and Pulneys — Cause of decrease — 
 Description of — Annamullay ibex hills — Coochmullay — 
 '^ Desperation Chasm " — Unsuccessful stalk — Shoot 
 two sambur — Pig's nest — Perringoondah Mullay — 
 Difficulties en route — Fresh tracks of elephants — The 
 shooting ground — Kill a saddle back — Demoralised 
 Carders — Shoot another buck — Find a herd — Shoot 
 two bucks and a doe — Get a right and left — Lose both 
 animals over precipice — Awkward predicament — Cobra 
 — Leeches — Measurement of ibex — Return to Toona- 
 cudavoo — Subsequently revisit hill — Tiger — Ibex in 
 Scinde — Ibex ground near Goodaloor — Scarcity of 
 ibex — Numerous on AnnamuUays — Stalking tactics ... 201 
 
CONTENTS. . xvii 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 MISCELLANEOUS. 
 
 Description of jungles — Annual burning of — Result as 
 regards game — Hot weather best for tiger shooting — 
 Water buffaloes for ties — Use of, with wounded tiger — 
 Dhers — Garas — Human victims — Maxims for the 
 jungle — Cream-coloured tiger — Tiger's annual meat 
 bill — Precautions when approaching a kill — Conduct 
 if charged — Tracks of wounded animals — Heavy 
 charges of powder — Village shikaris — Diplomacy 
 necessary — Camp — Intelligence wallah — Food supply 
 in remote spots — Evergreen trees — Climbing tigers — 
 Duty on being posted — Tiger's larder — Tiger and 
 boar — Charges of wounded tiger — Gallop after a wolf 
 — Wild dogs — Native ideas of — Hyenas — Pythons — 
 Adventure with — Cobras — Hamadryad — Bis cobra — 
 Tarantula — Where to aim — Allowances to be made 
 when aiming — Measurement of bison horns ... page 211 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 MISCELLANEOUS. 
 
 Neilgherry (or Nilgiri) Hills — Nunjengode — Shoot two 
 alligators — Plucky fishermen — Nurseepoor — Another 
 alligator — Woman's ring found in him — Adventure at 
 Sacrabyle — Tulkaad — Sand drifts — More muggers — 
 Small game — Shooting clothing — Babool dye — Sambur 
 skin boots — Stalking shoes — Leggings — Spears — 
 Boots — Nails and tent pegs — Arsenical soap — Pegging 
 out skins — Golden rule — Rifles — Shells for — Detona- 
 ting mixture — Malaria, — Drinking water — Camp pre- 
 cautions — Smoking — Unhealthy seasons in jungles — 
 Malarious spots — Quinine — Difficulty in obtaining tiger 
 shooting — Good bags — Expenses — Soda-water — 
 Liquors — Shooting grounds — Monsoon precautions — 
 Tents — Black powder — Nitro powder — Conclasion 226 
 
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 Charge op the Hooliya Tusker 
 Pleasures op a Pin-pire Eiple* 
 Death op the Tairbund Man-killers 
 Bruin Triumphant 
 A Welcome to Bandipoee 
 
 Just in Time ! 
 
 Charge of the Bokur Panther 
 
 Incident near Mowl Ali* ... 
 
 Death op the Loashera Panther 
 
 Charge op the Loashera Panther* 
 
 A Twilight Adventure 
 
 A Tragedy 
 
 The Golamorra Man-eater 
 
 " I TRIED to stalk HIM " 
 
 The Komalapully Tigress 
 My Last Tiger 
 
 KiSTIAH AND HIS StAPP 
 
 " Head down, ready to charge 
 Checking a Charge * . . . 
 Charge op the Periar Bison 
 My Last Bison * 
 "The Elephants now in pull view, 
 twenty yards" 
 
 {Frontispiece) 
 page 1 
 . . 13 
 ... 17 
 ... 34 
 ... 44 
 ... 48 
 .. 61 
 ... 58 
 ... 64 
 ... 80 
 ... 90 
 ... 91 
 ... 103 
 ... 105 
 ... 112 
 ... 117 
 ... 130 
 ... 132 
 ... 146 
 ... 153 
 halted within 
 163 
 
XX, LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 CHARaE OP THE PoOLAKUL TuSKER page 178 
 
 Spearing a Wounded Antelope * ... ... 184 
 
 Sambur and Wild Dogs 191 
 
 Ibex Ground * . . . . . ... ... ... 2OI 
 
 Specimens of Antlers, &c. ... ... ... .. ... 225 
 
 * Half-page illustrations. 
 
^ 
 
 PLEASURES OF A PIN-FIRE RIFLE. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 THE BEAE {Ursus labiatus). 
 
 Indian varieties of — Burmese bear — Sloth bears — Food of — 
 Diflficulty in aiming at correctly — Methods of shooting the 
 — Beat at Poppinapett — Wounded bear charges — Nearly 
 shot by a friend — Shoot first bear — Mad jackal — See a 
 tiger — Bokur — Bears numerous at — Scouting for — Lon- 
 gevity of — The Tairbund Man-killers — Baliyah nearly 
 caught — Absurd scene — Bears marked down — Am nearly 
 scragged — Finale — Triumphal procession of villagers. 
 
 Three varieties of bear are found in India, viz., the black 
 and the brown bears of the Himalayas and Cashmere, and 
 the black bear of the plains, inappropriately termed the 
 
'/'*' '*'' BEARS. 
 
 sloth bear, for he is by far the most sporting animal of 
 the lot. 
 
 Those who have pursued both varieties of the hill-bear 
 declare that they afford but poor sport — the brown bear 
 especiall}'' being a very timid animal — and never showing 
 fight unless absolutely obliged to do so. 
 
 In this respect they both differ from the low- country 
 animal, the majority of which are not only very plucky, 
 but often distinctly aggressive. 
 
 There is also a variety found in Burmah — a diminutive 
 edition of the black bear — which, owing to his size, affords 
 no sport for the rifle, although a courageous little beast — 
 he is known as a fruit bear. 
 
 The black bear* of the plains of India, the only 
 member of the genus " Ursus " which I have as yet 
 encountered, is about six feet long, and three feet high, 
 but when standing on his hind legs — to which he is much 
 addicted — his head would be about seven feet above the 
 ground. He is a sufficiently formidable animal to give 
 a spice of danger to his pursuit, while he at the same 
 time lacks the dangerous aggressive powers of the tiger, 
 or panther, and for this reason he is an excellent quarry 
 to introduce the young sportsman to. One is inclined to 
 take liberties with bears, that would hot be attempted 
 with the more dangerous kinds of big game ; and, in 
 consequence, many serious and fatal accidents have 
 occurred. But, with ordinary steadiness, danger is 
 reduced to a minimum. 
 
 He has a very keen nose, moderate sight, and 
 ridiculous shambling gait ; when galloping especially he 
 is *' all over the place." His long, shaggy hair shakes, 
 and his limbs seem to be dislocated ; but all the same, he 
 
 * Ursus labiatus. 
 
BEARS. 3 
 
 gets over the ground much faster than a man can. A 
 horse will soon overtake him on level ground, hut dislikes 
 close quarters with such an uncouth looking ohject. 
 
 He is nocturnal in his habits, leaving his fastnesses 
 in the rocks about dusk, and, after passing the night 
 foraging in the neighbouring country, returns thereto 
 before sunrise. 
 
 Sometimes, when his rambles take him to distant 
 feeding grounds, he does not get back till the sun is 
 pretty high, and he not unfrequently lies up, in any shady 
 spot he may find convenient, on the way home. In the 
 hot weather the Mhowa* tree sheds its flowers, of which 
 bears are particularly fond, and they then travel long 
 distances, to any spot where these trees abound, lying 
 up during the day in the vicinity. Nilghai and deer 
 are also very partial to this flower, which smells abomin- 
 ably, but tastes sweet and luscious ; and from which the 
 natives distil a species of arrack, a strong spirit 
 resembling rum. They are also very fond of white ants, 
 whose habitations they destroy with their powerful claws, 
 and then suck up the inmates, making a loud snoring 
 noise while doing so. 
 
 In the Nizam's Dominions large groves — or topes — of 
 the date palm, exist in many parts. The natives cut 
 incisions in the stems of these trees, placing earthen 
 vessels called " chatties " to catch the sap, which is sweet 
 and pleasant to drink, and something like "Stone" ginger- 
 beer, until it begins to ferment, which it rapidly does 
 when the sun gets up. It then froths up like beer, and 
 becomes sour, and intoxicating. Bears are very fond of 
 this liquor, which is called toddy, and at night repair to 
 
 * Bassia. 
 B 2 
 
4 BEARS. 
 
 the topes, smash the chatties, and lap up their contents to 
 such an extent that they frequently become fuddled, and 
 have difficulty in finding their way home. 
 
 I have only once seen bears in this state ; but the 
 toddy-wallahs — men who look after the topes — declare it 
 is of common occurrence. 
 
 However, as a perfectly sober bear behaves in a 
 peculiar way as a rule, and conducts himself irregularly, 
 these statements must be received with reserve. The bear 
 is also very fond of mangoes, sugar cane, wild figs, and 
 many kinds of jungle fruits and roots ; likewise grubs of 
 sorts, to find which he upsets the stones under which 
 they take refuge. So, wherever you find stones thus 
 displaced, and ant-hills dug up, bears may be expected in 
 the vicinity. With his excellent nose he discovers the 
 nests of the large tree bee of India, and the trunks and 
 branches will be found scored by his claws, in his 
 endeavours to reach them ; but, as these nests are 
 generally suspended from light branches, at a good height 
 from the ground, he can but seldom succeed ; nor can he 
 get at the nests of the rock bee, which are usually hung 
 from an inaccessible ledge. The thick shaggy hide is 
 quite proof against bee stings ; but his nose, is very tender, 
 and in robbing the nests of ground bees he often gets 
 severe punishment on this organ. The sportsman should 
 give the nests of both rock and tree bees a wide berth ; 
 they are large and malignant insects, and will attack man 
 or beast with slight provocation. On one occasion we 
 were driven out of a camp under some mango trees, in 
 which a colony of bees existed, the smoke from our 
 camp fire bringing them down in dozens ; but, luckily, 
 it was after sunset, and we effected our retreat without 
 much suffering, only two of the servants being stung. 
 
BEARS. 5 
 
 In the Mysore and Annamullay jungles bears are 
 reputed to eat the carcases of bison and elephants if they 
 come across them. There is no doubt that tigers, panthers, 
 and wild pigs do so, as I have frequently seen — or found 
 the tracks of — these animals close by, and, judging from 
 the habits of other members of the family, it is probable 
 that our friend the black bear may also indulge in this way.* 
 At one time, we used to consider the flesh of the bear quite 
 a luxury ; it tasted of roast beef with a dash of duck, and 
 the hams used to be carefully put into brine and carried 
 back to cantonments for the mess, when we were on short 
 leave of absence. At Kowlass we shot a bear, and had 
 some steaks cooked, which disagreed with us, in fact, we 
 were all very unwell ; and, after that experience, bears' 
 meat disappeared from the menu. 
 
 The bear is often shot on returning from his night's 
 wanderings, by lying in wait for him near his cave. The 
 places resorted to by them always show unmistakable 
 signs of their occupants ; and all that is necessary is to be 
 on the spot before daylight. It sometimes happens, in 
 rocks near villages or roads, that the bear returns before 
 daylight too, and he is met in the darkness near his own 
 domains. This is unpleasant, for you cannot see the sights 
 of your rifle well enough to aim properly, and a random 
 shot may only wound, and make the animal dangerous. 
 The outline of the brute is also very indistinct, and the 
 proper spots to aim at cannot be seen; these are a dirty 
 white horseshoe mark on the chest, and the usual place 
 just behind the shoulder. In some positions you may 
 brain him, or shoot him through the spine. l\Tien a bear 
 charges, he will generally — not invariably — stand up on 
 his hind legs when within a few yards, and all that is 
 * No authenticated proof exists on this point. 
 
t) BEARS. 
 
 necessary is to aim just below the horseshoe and fire. 
 When he charges right home on all fours, fire at his snout ; 
 it is white, and a good mark. The bullet then will either 
 brain him or break his spine. In any case, you must hit 
 him somewhere forward. You cannot miss at such a short 
 range, and the impact of the bullet will check or turn him, 
 giving a favourable opportunity for a decisive shot witli 
 the left barrel. It is not easy to place your bullet in the 
 right spot, which is difficult to discern on his shaggy black 
 coat, and you are very likely to " lose " your foresight, 
 unless it is painted white. One dark morning, I came on 
 two bears, close to their cave ; the nearer one stood upon his 
 hind legs, and began beating the air with his paws to 
 frighten me. He was only fifteen yards off, but the lower 
 part of his body was shrouded in darkness, and I could 
 only just see his arms and head going through this panto- 
 mime against the faint light in the sky called the " crow's 
 dawn." I fired and hit him, with the usual result, for, 
 rushing on his comrade with shrieks of fury, he began tow^ool 
 him, when, running forwards, I browned them with two more 
 shots ; they vanished into the darkness, and were never seen 
 again ; but the fighting and roaring continued at intervals 
 till daylight, when we found they had entered an adjacent 
 huge pile of rocks and baffled us. The most sporting way of 
 shooting bears, is to bolt them from their stronghold with 
 rockets and " kaweets," the fruit of the wood-apple, which is 
 filled with powder and fitted with a fuse, the soft interior 
 having been previously removed, leaving the hard outer 
 shell, which thus becomes a hand grenade, and with lighted 
 fuse is thrown into caves or fissures in the rock, where it 
 bursts with a loud report. Panthers, and even tigers, some- 
 times appear on these occasions, and then the sport becomes 
 more highly flavoured. This method is in every way 
 
BEARS. 7 
 
 preferable to the ambuscade system ; it affords sport to all 
 the party, and can be undertaken at any hour most 
 convenient ; moreover, the news of a kill seldom reaches 
 -camp before 9 a.m., and the early morning work is 
 harassing, when followed by a long day's beating in the 
 sun for a tiger that has killed. The off-days — those on 
 which the tiger has not killed — are very tedious when 
 passed in tents, and on such occasions we always went out 
 for a casual beat, when a likely tract of jungle existed, 
 remote from the tiger's haunts. My first encounter with 
 a bear was in a jungle near Poppinapett, about fifty or 
 sixty miles north of Secunderabad. 
 
 A brother officer was my companion. We were both 
 tyros, and, having obtained a month's leave of absence, 
 commenced operations by driving a rocky stretch of jungle, 
 reputed to be the resort of bears. We started from camp 
 on an elephant, which had been lent by H.H. the Nizam, 
 and, having left it under a shady tree some distance off, 
 took up our positions about half a mile ahead of the 
 beaters, who, led by our shikaries, advanced in skirmish- 
 ing order, making a tremendous din with tom-toms, 
 horns, blank cartridge, and shouting. The caves in the 
 rocks were searched by fireworks, and a bear was soon 
 forced out, and headed straight for our position. We 
 were posted on rocks, about three hundred yards apart, and 
 on arriving within range, the bear was subjected to a heavy 
 fire from both rifles, with the result that it was lamed, and 
 could not travel fast over the rough ground. I was armed 
 with a 12 -bore pin-fire rifle, which, though by a maker of 
 great repute, only burnt 2^ drachms of powder, and the 
 cartridges after being fired almost invariably stuck in the 
 breech. We both got down from our rocks, and kept up a 
 running tire on the bear, which turned in my direction, and 
 
8 BEARS. 
 
 I at length found myself within ten yards of it with both 
 cartridges jammed, and the shikari with my second gun 
 thirty yards behind rae. At this juncture the bear turned 
 round and charged. I bolted like a redshank, so did the. 
 shikari, who had the start of, and soon distanced me, but 
 pulled up when he saw the brute gaining on me, and 
 handed me the second gun. My friend now began firing 
 to cover my retreat, His projectiles were whizzing all 
 round, and it was difficult to aim steadily under the 
 circumstances ; but my two barrels stopped the bear, which 
 again retired. The shikari now emerged from under a 
 rock, and, pointing to a branch which had been broken by 
 a bullet, said "it is better to be clawed by a bear than to 
 eat the other sahib's bullets." We then followed the 
 tracks up for some distance, and beat a hill for the brute, 
 but never saw it again, so we returned disconsolately to 
 camp. The elephant men declared that several bullets had 
 passed close to them, and that one struck the howdah ; 
 and they pointed out a mark which might have been made 
 by a ricochet. A few days later, at Nowsanpully, I got 
 my first bear. Having started before daylight, and 
 waited near a cave, two appeared, and, allowing them to 
 approach within fifteen yards, I fired at the horseshoe of 
 the leader, who turned round and savagely tackled his 
 companion, expiring immediately afterwards. The second 
 bear escaped. 
 
 The following morning I again went out, and saw no 
 bears, but about seven o'clock a fine tiger stalked slowly 
 across the plain towards the range on which I was posted ; 
 it was, however, headed by a wood-cutter, who commenced 
 his work just at the wrong moment, and we failed to 
 intercept it ; this brute eventually became a notorious 
 man-eater, of which more anon. 
 
BEARS. 9 
 
 One day, in camp at Poppinapett, the village Patel 
 (head man) came to ask us to shoot a mad jackal which 
 had taken up his quarters in a rice field close by, and 
 had bitten several natives, but on our way out we 
 heard that an Arab had shot it with a match -lock. About 
 twelve of the bitten natives came into camp and had their 
 wounds cauterised, but six or seven succumbed to hydro- 
 phobia, as I afterwards heard, when in that district some 
 years later, on a tiger shooting trip. During that expedi- 
 tion two friends (whom I will designate Poulton and 
 Manley) of the ISth Hussars (who were then quartered at 
 Secunderabad) and I, arrived at Bokur, some 150 miles to 
 the north, early in April ; the weather was very hot, and 
 we had good fun with tigers, panthers, and bears, the last 
 especially affording great sport. The surrounding country- 
 consisted for the most part of undulating ground, covered 
 with long spear-grass, and dotted about with clumps of 
 Palas kino and custard apple bushes, with here and there a 
 nullah shaded by thespesia, caroonda, and Indian beech 
 trees. It was an unlikely looking jungle for bears, owing 
 to the absence of caves and rocky ground, yet we met with 
 a good many, which had evidently come from a distance, 
 being attracted by the flowers of the Mhowa — a tree which 
 was plentiful in that locality. Our plan of campaign was 
 to repair in the early morning to some high ground near 
 the camp, and there take up positions some distance apart, 
 detaching local shikaries in pairs, to neighbouring points. 
 These scouts had been ordered to follow and mark down 
 any bears they might see ; one of them was then to return 
 with the news to the nearest sahib, or to the camp, the 
 other remaining to watch the bear. The head shikari and 
 his two assistants always visited the bufPaloes that had 
 been tied up for tigers in the early morning, and were 
 
10 BEARS. 
 
 back in camp before 10 a.m., and, in the absence of a^dra 
 (kill), we could then proceed to tackle any bears that had 
 been spotted by the scouts. We took it in turns to stalk 
 the bear, the shooter being always accompanied by another 
 sportsman in case of his help being required. Owing to 
 the absence of good cover, the bears had often to lie down 
 on very exposed spots, and their big black bodies could be 
 easily seen from some distance. On arriving within 
 twenty yards or so, the brute would generally wake up and 
 " point " the shooter, who thereupon opened fire ; some- 
 times it would charge at once on being awoke, but the 
 result was nearly always the defeat and death of Bruin. It 
 was not considered the correct thing to fire at him when 
 asleep. The supporting rifle was very seldom called upon 
 to fire, but the bear is a long-lived brute, unless the heart 
 or brain are struck ; and I remember at this place (Bokur) 
 firing at a bear as he inspected me, not ten yards off, the 
 bullet carried away the lower part of the brain-pan, but 
 only seemed to daze him, and it was necessary to put 
 a bullet through the neck, two through the shoulders, and 
 one through the spine, before he gave up the ghost. The 
 skull of this remarkably tough bear is still in my pos- 
 session, together with several others, bearing similar traces 
 of bullet wounds. 
 
 While here, news arrived one morning of a kill in a 
 wooded glen at Tairbund, some four miles off. The 
 \dllagers were particularly anxious that we should beat 
 this place, in which two man-killing bears resided, from 
 whence they used to make raids on the wood-cutters, with 
 the result that two men and a woman had been killed, but 
 not eaten, and several others severely bitten. We had 
 tied up haylas (young buffaloes) there for tigers, there- 
 fore beating it had been deferred till a kill should be 
 reported. 
 
BEARS. 11 
 
 The head shikari, Baliyah, had sent some of his subor- 
 dinates to collect beaters from the adjacent villages, 
 and when we arrived at the glen, which was about a mile 
 in length, and from 300 to 800 yards in breadth, he 
 informed us that there were some tiger traces several days 
 old, but that he thought the kill was by a ddr hutcha 
 (large panther). Accordingly we were posted in suitable 
 trees near the centre of the valley, down which ran a 
 shady nullah, having settled not to fire at anything but a 
 tiger or panther during the first beat, and Baliyah 
 ascended a small tree, about two hundred yards off, on our 
 left front, to stop any animal attempting to break away in 
 that direction. 
 
 The beaters Avere then sent word to commence. They 
 were divided into parties by villages, each party being 
 commanded by one of our shikaries, assisted by ^e patel 
 of its particular village. They first started a panther, 
 which failed to reach our line, and shortly afterwards the 
 two famous man-killing bears were afoot, and attempted to 
 break out at Baliyah's tree, which was a stunted and weak 
 one, and would not bear him higher than twelve feet or so. 
 Throwing a stick, he commenced shouting at them, to 
 cause them to turn down the hill towards us, but, so 
 far from having the desired effect, one of the bears coolly 
 commenced to climb up to scrag him ; however, the tree 
 was too light, and, although within a yard, he could not 
 quite reach him. Baliyah was at the end of a branch 
 which threatened to break every moment, and his execra- 
 tions of the bear were mingled with piteous appeals to us 
 to come to his assistance, but he was too far off, and we 
 were laughing so much, it was impossible to aim con'ectly. 
 At length the bears, ceasing their efforts to reach him, 
 made off across the top of the valley to a small ravine 
 
12 BEARS, 
 
 half a mile away, where they were duly marked down. 
 The beaters soon arrived at our alignment ; some of them 
 bore traces of former encounters with these very bears ; 
 they were woodcutters, and stated that, when engaged at 
 tlieir occupation, they had been attacked by these brutes 
 without any provocation ; two had been terribly bitten 
 and clawed about the face and arms,* others had 
 escaped by climbing trees, or running away, and — as 
 has been already stated — several had succumbed to their 
 injuries. 
 
 The ravine in which the bears had been marked down, 
 lay between two small, stony hills, studded with a few 
 straggling trees, devoid of foliage. These hills afforded no 
 cover, but the ravine contained some large boulders. It 
 joined the valley we had just left, some three hundred 
 yards further down. We were posted on the opposite 
 bank, and the beaters commenced to work from the top of 
 the nearer hill, taking the nullah cross-wise. The bears 
 showed at once, and tried to charge back through the line 
 of beaters, but were received with volleys of blank cartridge 
 and rockets, and such a terrific din, that they were gradu- 
 ally forced forward in our direction. Again and again did 
 they try to break back, but in vain. The beaters worked 
 splendidly ; their blood was up, and they were determined 
 to vanquish their foes, which were gradually pushed back 
 across the ravine on to the line of guns, passing me about 
 sixty yards off, heading towards Poulton, who was on my 
 right. He left his post, and came nearer to me to intercept 
 the bears, which he thought might have passed midway 
 between us, at rather a long shot distant from either post, 
 
 * The poor wretches had had their arms nearly bitten off 
 above the elbow, and although the limbs had knitted in a 
 marvellous manner, they were quite useless. 
 
BEAR8. 13 
 
 but the brutes saw him moving, and headed straight up to 
 me. One was slightly larger than the other, and I took it 
 first, but although the bullet hit there was no effect 
 apparent beyond the usual wooUing of its comrade, which 
 returned the compliment very spiritedly, and a rough-and- 
 tumble fight ensued. This was followed by a shot from 
 Poulton, who was some distance off, and a right and left 
 from me, which led to further furious onslaughts between 
 the brutes, during which I distributed my leaden favours 
 with great impartiality into the middle of the struggling 
 rnass, now within thirty yards. At last the big bear 
 discerned the common enemy, and galloping up to within 
 a few yards, rose on her hind legs and advanced with out- 
 stretched arms to embrace me, at a moment when a 
 cartridge case in my pin-fire rifle became jammed in the 
 loader's hands, but I had just time to insert one cartridge 
 and fire at the horse-shoe, the muzzle almost touching her 
 chest, a fleeting hope passing through my mind that she 
 would not knock it aside with her paws. Over she rolled 
 -;-not quite dead, but, as I afterwards found, shot through 
 the lungs. To strike the heart aim should be taken under 
 the horse -shoe mark when the bear is in this position. 
 During this scrimmage the natives had shouted out 
 " the bears have killed the sahib " (meaning me), and 
 Poulton and Manley now arrived breathless, and we 
 polished off the second bear without difficulty,, it being 
 badly wounded and hardly able to walk. 
 
 The villagers were in great delight. A triumphal 
 procession was formed ; the bears were tied on a cart 
 and taken to camp, headed by a band of ^ horns and 
 tom-toms, and siuTOunded by a large crowd singing and 
 dancing. They did not arrive till nearly midijight, having 
 been exhibited at all villages near the homeward route. 
 
14 BEARS. 
 
 Up to this time we had had some difficulty in 
 obtaining a sufficient number of beaters from the 
 neighbouring villages, although we took it in turns to 
 see every man paid daily on production of a wad, with 
 which they were individually served out in the morning, 
 but the destruction of these bears so increased our popu- 
 larity that the camp was daily invaded by far more 
 men than we required during the remainder of our time 
 at Bokur. 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 THE BEAR {Ursm labiatus). 
 
 The big bear of Burbose — Is shot by Poulton — Bear at 
 Loashera — Spearing tournament — The bear is victorious — 
 Shoot she-bear and capture cub — Cub routs our visitors — 
 Murrel fishing — March to Mowtool — Affair with bear — 
 Bear spearing by Colonel Nightingale — Dislike of horses to 
 — Jamakapett — Bears' Paradise — Shoot three bears — 
 Expenditure of ammunition — A warm corner — Kill three 
 more bears — Capture cub — Pugnacity of bears — Peculiar 
 bone — Its properties — Bears reputed to kidnap women — 
 Bear spear. 
 
 The bears of the Central Provinces, in the Madras 
 Presidency, have the reputation of being the largest and 
 most ferocious in Southern India. 
 
 Although they never eat the bodies of their victims, 
 thej annually kill a considerable number of natives — 
 chiefly wood-cutters, who make their livelihood by 
 gathering fuel in the jungles inhabited by these animals. 
 
 The largest black bear I ever saw was shot at a place 
 named Burbose, in the Koobair district, Nizam's Dominions, 
 where we arrived on the 17th April, 187 1. About 2 p.m. 
 a scout brought in news of a bear, so we sallied forth, 
 but meanwhile the brute had changed his quarters, and 
 we saw him ascend a steep hill covered ^dth long grass, 
 about a mile away. Poulton and Manley went up the 
 hill and I guarded the base. After two hours' patrolling 
 the bear broke on the opposite side of the hill from me, 
 but was marked into a nullah, headed back by a village 
 
16 BEARS. 
 
 shikari, and finally despatched by Poulfcon, who put a 
 bullet through his heart as he was crossing him, at a range 
 of about eighty yards. We held a posi mortem on him 
 and found twenty-one lobes on his liver, and as the natives 
 say that each lobe means a year, this was a regular veteran, 
 a fine male bear about 6 feet 8 inches long. 
 
 At Loashera in the Neermul district, we had great 
 fun with a bear one morning. It was Mauley's turn to 
 fire, I being in support, and the brute was taking his siesta 
 in the cleft of a huge rock, under the shade of a kino tree. 
 We stalked up quietly to within twenty yards, when he 
 suddenly got up and peered out at us ; his white snout 
 caught my eye, but Manley could not see him, nor would 
 he let me fire. The result was, that the bear retired 
 further into the cleft, and, bolting from the far side, was 
 150 yards away before we again sighted him, as he lobbed 
 across some open ground towards an isolated cluster of 
 rocks half a mile off. We both fired, and one shot lamed 
 him slightly, but on he went. Our horses and spears were 
 not far away, so we shouted for them, and then ran after 
 the bear as hard as we could. Knowing he was steering for 
 the cairn, we took a short cut, and he was not very far 
 ahead of us when he reached it and rushed in. This was 
 followed by a great turmoil inside, guttural growls, and 
 roars, and shrieks of the bear, and it was evident that a 
 rough and tumble fight was going on with some savage 
 occupant who was in previous possession. We had by 
 this time arrived close to the rocks, the subterranean 
 conflict suddenly ceased, and out dashed a large panther, 
 which, bounding over some rocks, caught sight of Manley, 
 and crouched close to him, watching him as a cat does a 
 mouse. At first it appeared to be a tiger, about to spring 
 on Manley, who was quite unconscious of his danger, so I 
 
BEARS. 17 
 
 shouted " Look out, there is a tiger just over your head," 
 and, keeping my sights on the brute, told Mauley to 
 move to the left, as of course it would be dangerous to 
 fire until he was well clear of the janwar. A few 
 seconds after the panther retired up a sloping sheet of 
 rock towards the cairn, and I fired a shot, the ricochet 
 of which struck him in the ball of the off fore paw, as 
 we afterwards discovered. On re-entering the cairn there 
 was another huge scuffle inside, followed by the exit of 
 the bear, which headed across an open plain, towards a 
 range of hills rather over a mile from us. 
 
 My horse had not arrived, but Poulton, who had just 
 ridden up, and Manley, whose syce was fleeter of foot 
 than mine, took their spears and pursued the bear. So 
 I climbed up the cairn and witnessed a most amusing 
 scene. The bear, being rather lame, Avas soon overtaken, 
 Poulton leading, and doing all he knew to get the spear, 
 closely pressed by Manley. The plain was studded with 
 stunted acacias, kino, and custard apple bushes, and a 
 good many anthills — not bad going on the whole, but 
 trappy. Poulton soon arrived within spear's length, and 
 was in the act of delivering his thrust, when the bear 
 turning sharply round, charged him with roars of anger 
 His horse swerved off, and Manley's pony, close behind, 
 turned round and made a clean bolt of it, but soon put 
 its foot in a hole, and came down — no harm done, so 
 Manley mounted again, Poulton, in the meanwhile, 
 tackhng the bear, but with like result, his horse Pyjamas 
 again stampeding. For fully twenty minutes this absurd 
 performance continued, the bear steadily gaining gi'ound 
 towards the hills, at the foot of which was a tank mth 
 a large bund (embankment) covered with date palms ; this 
 he eventually reached, after a final engagemenjb with 
 
18 BEARS. 
 
 his tormentors, who were again worsted and routed 
 ignominiously. 
 
 I then despatched a cooly to ask them to return to 
 tackle the panther,* but Poulton had met with some 
 antelope, and was stalking them. Manley, however, 
 arrived after an hour, and the afternoon's proceedings are 
 detailed in the chapter devoted to panthers. 
 
 The following morning Poulton and I went out early 
 to look for bears, in a small rocky hill about four miles 
 from camp. 
 
 We found on arrival that there was only room for one 
 rifle, so we tossed up for first shot, which Poulton won. 
 In a short time a bear suddenly appeared within twenty 
 yards. Poulton fired and rolled her over, whereupon a 
 young one, which we had not hithei-to seen, jumped off 
 her back, and commenced running round in a circle, giving 
 vent to the most heartrending shrieks. The old bear rose 
 again, but speedily got a quietus. A most exciting chase 
 then commenced after the cub, which would not let any- 
 body go near him; the little beggar charged us furiously, 
 and at first we bolted, although he was not much larger 
 than a spaniel. 
 
 At length we found that the best way to collar him 
 was to let him charge close up to our legs, then stooping 
 down, to lift him smartly into the air, by the hair of his 
 bock, so that he could not bite — thus, with the aid of a 
 cumbley (blanket), we secured and took him to camp, 
 where a small cage was made for his residence. 
 
 We were encamped near the village, in a mango tope, 
 of which some of the trees bore very good fruit — not the 
 turpentiney abominations generally found in the jungle, 
 
 ^ The shikaries had discovered him in an adjacent cave while 
 the bear tournament was in progress. 
 
BEARS. 19 
 
 but real graft mangoes — and Baliyali, vvlio, in addition to 
 l)eing head shikari, made himself generally useful in camp, 
 volunteered to climb up to get some for us. In the course 
 of his operations, however, he disturbed a nest of the red 
 tree ant, the occupants of which vigorously attacked him. 
 He shouted with pain, and declaring he was being eaten 
 alive, came down like a flash of lightning, barking the 
 skin of his legs in his rapid descent. On reaching the 
 ground he rolled over and over to get rid of his perse- 
 cutors, which bit so severely that their heads remained 
 embedded in his skin after the bodies had been rubbed off. 
 Later on in the day, some of the local native magnates 
 visited the camp to see our trophies. In the middle of 
 ihe function the young bear was enlarged, and imme- 
 diately charged the gaily attired groups of grandees, 
 and their retainers. A complete rout ensued, all dignity 
 being sacrified, in a stampede for the village ; it was 
 Tidiculous to see the tiny brute, chasing a crowd of twenty 
 men, who flew along with shouts of alarm, and tui'bans 
 wildly streaming in the air. He managed to bite two of 
 ihem, and we ourselves had a pretty lively time before we 
 got him into his cage again — but we were not again troubled 
 by visitors. From a small and nearly dried-up tank, close 
 to the camp, we got several good hauls of muiTell, with 
 nets, several of the fish being about three pounds weight, 
 and not in the least muddy in taste — a nice change from-, 
 •everlasting "ishtoo " (stew) and curry. 
 
 Some days after this we arrived at Mowtool, and news 
 was brought in of a bear and a dooker (pig) said to be lying 
 under some shady bushes, within a shoit distance of each 
 ■other, so we rode out in hopes of being able to use the 
 spear, but a glance at the ground showed this to be 
 impossible. It was Mauley's turn to fire — I being in 
 
20 BEARS. 
 
 support — and Poulton was detached to the off side of the 
 valley, wherein the janwars were reclining, but before we 
 began our stalk the bear got his wind, and came slowly up 
 the hill towards us. Directly Manley caught sight of him 
 he fired an ineffective snap-shot, and the bear, dashing 
 through the scrub jungle, some forty yards off, charged a 
 squad of beaters towards our left rear. I gave him two 
 barrels, and turned him with the second — the bullet, 
 striking his forepaw, inflicted a trifling wound. He then 
 recrossed the valley towards Poulton, whose rifle we soon 
 heard, and shortly afterwards, seeing the bear heading 
 back for a range of hills in our rear, I mounted and 
 pursued him, but could not get within spearing distance, 
 owing to the rocky nature of the ground. He gained the 
 hill, and was finally marked down into a nullah, thickly 
 fringed with kino, jamun, and Indian beech ; here we came 
 upon him later in the day, and, after a spirited encounter, 
 finished him — a very fine male bear. 
 
 It will be evident, from these stories, that a great deal 
 of lead was frequently expended on bears without much 
 apparent result, the fact being that unless the brain, spine, 
 or heart are hit, bullets have little or no effect, indeed, 
 merely act as stimulants. 
 
 Before approaching a bear that appears to be dead, 
 load both barrels, and be ready for instant action ; they 
 have an awkward trick of shamming dead, and when you 
 come within range, may make a desperate attempt to 
 embrace you — a bear in articido mortis becomes quite 
 revivified if he catches your eye, and we had some narrow 
 escapes in consequence before we discovered this peculiarity. 
 The exploits of the late Colonel Nightingale with rifle 
 and spear were well known in the Deccan — and about 
 bear spearing, in particular, there were many anecdotes 
 
BEAR8. 21 
 
 associated with his name — he, having discovered certain 
 haunts of bears situated in rideable country, used to go 
 out alone from Secunderabad, and have excellent sport 
 with the spear. 
 
 In spite of the disasters of the Loashera day, we were 
 always on the look out for a chance of retrieving our 
 reputations, and such chances did from time to time occur, 
 but of so fleeting a nature that we could never take 
 advantage of them, for, like opportunities for effective 
 action of cavalry, they were transient, and the two gallant 
 hussars who were with me never afterwards got an opening 
 for attack. 
 
 Horses, as a rule, loathe bears, and one which will 
 enter with zest into pursuit of panther or pig, will often 
 decline a close interview with Bruin ; nor is this to be 
 wondered at, they are such ugly and ungainly looking 
 brutes when galloping, and give vent to such unearthly 
 shrieks — often accompanied by hostile demonstrations with 
 the paws on the approach of the spearman — that it 
 requires a more than ordinarily phlegmatic or courageous 
 horse to face them — their smell, too, is very repugnant to 
 horses as well as elephants. 
 
 My horse, a chesnut waler, an old pig- sticker, whose 
 legs bore many honourable scars of boars' tusks, would, 
 after sniffing the body of a dead tiger, step quietly over 
 it, but he always jumped over the body of a bear, declining 
 to smell it. Our shikaris assured us that at a place 
 named Jamakapett we should have ample opportunities of 
 spearing bears ; and after sundry adventures with tigers 
 and other animals, we duly arrived there in the middle of 
 May. We encamped in a mango tope, near a large tank, 
 and found the surrounding country a regular bear's 
 paradise. 
 
22 BEARS. 
 
 Mango topes, send-bunds, sugar cane khets (fields), 
 and groves of Mhowa trees were in great profusion, and 
 large tracts of scrub jungle, studded with, isolated hills, 
 and some piles of rocks, afforded cool and shady retreats 
 during the day, and had evidently been patronised by 
 bears for many years, large mango trees forcing their way 
 up through clefts in the rocks from the ursine deposits 
 below. 
 
 But, so far as spearing bears was concerned, we were 
 doomed to disappointment, the particular zone of jungle 
 where this was to have been done being deserted by them. 
 The shikari pointed out the maidan, where Nightingale 
 and Hebbert (Horse Artillery) had had several successful 
 mornings' sport with bears returning from their nocturnal 
 rambles — but none appeared to us, nor were there any 
 fresh traces in the hills environing this open ground. He 
 (Baliyah) also spent several hours searching for a watch 
 which Hebbert Sahib had lost some years before when 
 riding a bear, but he failed to find it. 
 
 We had, however, some capital sport with the rifle in 
 other parts of the neighbouring country. The first day 
 we went out in the morning, and two bears fell to 
 my rifle, right and left, but without any circumstances 
 of interest : my friends saw no jiinwars of any kind, 
 although the shikaris declared that the place was full 
 of bears. 
 
 After tiffin we went out for a casual beat to a cairn 
 about four miles off, where a bear was soon dislodged, but 
 took refuge in another pile of boulders, where for two 
 hours we assailed him with fireworks before he could be 
 induced to bolt. He then headed across an open 
 plain, towards a hill about half a mile off, and a vast 
 expenditure of ammunition took place at long ranges. 
 
BEAR8. 23 
 
 which resulted in his falling, pierced by many bullets, far 
 out in the maidan. He was a very fine male bear, with a 
 sleek and handsome skin, quite different to the ordinary 
 kind. 
 
 There was no news of tigers, so next day after tiffui we 
 started on the elephant for the same ground. On the 
 way we came to a small hill, crowned by a heap of 
 boulders, which projected down the slope on one side till 
 it reached a neck or coll, some fifty yards long, which 
 connected it with another and smaller hill covered with 
 scrub jungle and detached rocks. We were posted on the 
 neck at the start, but in the stress of the action that 
 followed, the two guns on my left gradually moved farther 
 back and to their left. It was an insignificant looking 
 spot, and we had passed it by the previous afternoon, not 
 considering it worth beating. The beaters advanced from 
 the far side of the hill in our front, and on arriving at the 
 rocks plied them with fireworks, soon forcing out a bear, 
 which came straight down the hill and thence along the 
 coll, passing within twenty yards of me — on the left — but 
 I could not fire, as he was heading straight for Poulton's 
 post, which commanded mine. I heard him fire three 
 shots, and then Manley on the extreme left opened fire ; 
 but, being unable to move from the rock I was posted on, 
 without running the chance of stopping a stray bullet, 
 all that was going on in that direction was unseen by 
 me. Immediately the firing ceased another bear descended 
 by the same path as his predecessor, but inclined slightly 
 to the right and halted. My shot struck him somewhere, 
 and he then took the same line as the first bear, down 
 to Poulton — whom I momentarily expected to fire ; but 
 it subsequently transpired that he had left his ground 
 in order to examine the body of the first bear, which. 
 
.24 BEARS. 
 
 .having been wounded by him, went on towards Manley, 
 imd was killed there. 
 
 The shikaries, from the top of the cairn, now shouted 
 that the brute was escaping, and on turning round I saw 
 him some eighty yards off, crossing the smaller hill behind 
 me. The first shot, striking low, missed him, but a shell 
 from the left barrel went through the shoulder, and he fell 
 dead in his tracks without a groan. Turning romid, I had 
 barely reloaded when another bear moved up the hill, and 
 then turned to the right straight along the line of beaters, 
 which receded as he approached. I gave him a shell when 
 he was about seventy yards off, which rolled him over, but 
 he got up again, and, charging right through the beaters, 
 vanished over the top of the hill. I then went to see what 
 had become of Poulton, and met him returning to his post 
 after examining the dead bear, and, as there was only room 
 for one rifle on the coll, I elected to remain spectator for 
 the rest of the beat. In a short time another bear appeared, 
 moving across our left front towards Manley, who got 
 a long shot at but missed him. It had the effect, however, 
 of checking the brute, which turned and attempted to 
 break back through the beaters. Poulton called me down 
 to help, and some shells fired by us, which burst on the 
 rocks near him, caused him to change his mind, and he 
 turned again and passed straight under Manley, who was 
 again unlucky. Poulton ran on to cut off his retreat, and 
 I remained smoking on the rock. Poulton fired twice, but 
 failed to stop him. He then shouted to me to run up the 
 hill in rear, which I did, directed by the elephant men from 
 the lower ground, who could see all the entertainment, 
 but on reaching the crest it was only to see the bear 
 lobbing across the plain over two hundred yards away, 
 and both my shots missed him, although the shell from 
 
BEARS. ' 25 
 
 the left barrel burst close to him, and made him swerve 
 off with a roar of disapproval. He, however, made 
 good his retreat to a tangle of acacia among some rocks 
 half a mile off. 
 
 We then returned to track up the wounded bear, which, 
 after breaking through the line of beaters, had made his 
 way across some open ground to the scene of operations of 
 the preceding afternoon. We tracked him into the cave by 
 his blood. He was very hard hit, and we could hear him 
 close by, evidently dying, when suddenly the beaters out- 
 side began to shout " Reech Ata " (a bear is coming), and 
 on emerging we saw a large bear, followed by a cub, 
 advancing across the plain at a gallop towards the rocks we 
 were on. Whenever the old bear got too far ahead the 
 little chap began to screech, and the big one would 
 immediately stop and wait for it. They came -straight to 
 the foot of the rocks, but winded us, and went off again, 
 pursued by Manley, who caught the youngster, but it was 
 suffocated shortly after by the coolies, who feared its cries 
 would recall its mother. The cave was explored by the 
 >?liikaries, who found my wounded bear had died, and the 
 body was brought out without difficulty. 
 
 The bullet had passed through the lungs. Sometimes, 
 when stalking, we used to come suddenly on bears grubbing 
 for roots, &c. In such cases the chances are that the brute 
 will charge without further provocation. A boar behaves 
 in the same way, and it sometimes became necessary to fire 
 in self -protection, even at the risk of disturbing nobler 
 game. The fat of the bear is useful for rheumatic pains, if 
 well rubbed in, but falls short of tiger's fat in efficacy. 
 The male bear possesses a peculiar bone, similar to that of 
 the otter, which natives of both sexes prize highly as a 
 remedy for sterility. These bones are in great demand. 
 
26 BEAR8. 
 
 and disappear as rapidly as the beernecks and fat of a tiger. 
 Consequently the Sahib must take charge of this talisman 
 if he wishes to secure one. 
 
 In the Deccan — and, indeed, all over Southern India — 
 a widespread belief prevails among natives of all creeds and 
 classes, that the male bear is in the habit of carrying 
 off native women to the jungle. The shikaries often 
 declare that some of their own friends have been thus 
 treated, and they will mention the names of the ladies and 
 the localities they disappeared from. One of my shikaries 
 (Baliyah) informed me that he knew a woman who returned 
 after being absent for three years in the jungles in this 
 way, and that a young girl who had been spirited away 
 mysteriously for several months, one day found her way 
 back to her village, and accounted for her absence by a 
 similar story. 
 
 Both women stated that they had met with very kind 
 treatment, but that the food was bad. All natives to whom 
 I have spoken on this subject are evidently firmly convinced 
 that such cases do occur, but if any incredulity is evinced, 
 they cease their revelations forthwith. 
 
 On asking Baliyah how he accounted for the Tairbund 
 bears having attacked some women and killed others, he 
 immediately replied that they must be female bears, and 
 were therefore jealous, for no male would either bite 
 or claw a woman. Strange to say, his theory was 
 afterwards proved to be true, and he took special care 
 to point this out to me on the death of the bears a 
 week later on. 
 
 One of the shikaries should always carry a bear-spear, 
 a weapon which not unfrequently renders good service. 
 The head should be three inches broad and six long, and it 
 must be welded to a long iron socket to protect the shaft. 
 
BEARS. 27 
 
 which should be of wood, not haniboo, for one foot of its 
 length ; it must also be fitted with a cross-bar, about 
 eighteen inches from the spear point, to prevent it from 
 jamming in an animal, and to stop him from wriggling 
 along it and seizing the spearman. 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 THE BEAE {Ursm lahiatus). 
 
 A long-lived bear — Elepl^ant^s game of football — Rajumpett — 
 Baban Sahib tlie sorcerer — Bear marked down — Baban's 
 behaviour — Shoot the bear — Cholera — Ulleepoor — Former 
 experiences there — The Ulleepoor man-eater — His death — 
 Bears near Singareny — My colonel kills two and wounds a 
 third — Bears at Penconda— Shoot two — Effect of Express 
 bullet — Bears at Mulkapoor — Bears in Mysore — Bout with 
 Bandipore bears — Wounded bear dies — Antics of wounded 
 bears — Inebriated bears — Fatal accident with bear — 
 Hybernating — Cold weather shooting trips — Wounds 
 inflicted by bears. 
 
 The bears in the Jamakapett district, although affording 
 good sport, lacked the pugnacity of those met with in the 
 Godavery country further north. The natives also gave 
 them a very good character, and stated that they were 
 seldom molested, unless they met them face to face in the 
 jungle, under which circumstances the most peaceably 
 disposed bear becomes aggressive, being stimulated by the 
 instinct of self-preservation. 
 
 A few days after the final events of the last chapter, 
 we went out to have another beat for bears at the warm 
 corner, and found one " at home," which forthwith 
 charged up the hill through the beaters — luckily without 
 doing any harm — and, crossing some open ground, was 
 marked into a ravine, on a jungle-covered ridge at the 
 opposite side. We finished the beat, and followed him ; 
 but in the meanwhile he had shifted his ground, and 
 
BEARS. 29 
 
 entered the cairn before described. I was posted on the 
 extreme right, facing the hill as a long stop, my friends 
 being closer to the cairn, and, beheving that due warning 
 would be given by their rifles of any janwar coming in my 
 direction, I was taking it easy, and smoking a pipe under 
 a shady tree. 
 
 During the beat something moving among the bushes 
 on the right caught my eye, and presently a bear emerging 
 therefrom, passed me about sixty yards off, at the other 
 side of a rocky nullah. On getting my right ban-el, he 
 turned round and bit his hind leg savagely ; then, 
 catching sight of me, he charged, receiving my fire until 
 he collapsed under a bush close by. Meanwhile, hearing 
 Poulton shout, I was obliged to watch the progi-ess of the 
 beat, and, on turning round again, there was the bear fifty 
 yards off, and going gaily away ! Two more shots 
 stopped him for ever, and, on examination, we found he 
 had been hit by two bullets in the head, one through the 
 near shoulder, two just behind the heart, and the first shot 
 had struck him in the thigh. One of those in the head 
 must have grazed the brain and temporarily stunned him. 
 He had passed close to my friends, but had been hidden 
 by the rough ground. The elephant men asked that the 
 elephant might be allowed to play with the carcase, which 
 was carried down and placed before him. An amusing 
 game of football then took place, the elephant shufliing the 
 body between his fore and hind legs for some seconds, 
 then projected it backwards wdth the fore legs, and took a 
 flying shot at it with one of the ponderous hind legs, 
 which invariably missed the mark. At length ,he 
 made a " bull's-eye," and sent the carcase spinning away 
 for ten yards. Then he became so excited he charged 
 us, and we dare not approach him for nearly an 
 
30 BEARS. 
 
 hour. He was a vindictive brute, and had killed five 
 of his mahouts. 
 
 A week later, at Rajumpett, a village shikari, rejoicing 
 in the name of Baban Sahib, was introduced to us. A 
 ferocious-looking desperado — beard dyed red with henna, 
 blue turban and tunic, and a leather shikar belt covered 
 with muntars (charms) and daggers. He had an evil 
 reputation as a sorcerer (jadu wallah), and the shikaries 
 were awed by him. 
 
 Late in the afternoon he sent coolies in to camp, to 
 say he had a bear marked down for us. It was my turn 
 to shoot ; so I went out on the elephant to the trysting 
 place, where Baban was waiting, armed with a percussion 
 musket, and full of swagger. As we approached the spot 
 where the bear was lying, he halted the other shikaries, 
 and led me for a short distance up a small hill, on which 
 a few trees were studded at intervals. He now exhibited 
 signs of reluctance to advance, and his swagger vanished. 
 After a few minutes we arrived at the foot of a steep 
 slope, about forty yards long, on the top of which was a 
 b)ig rock indented by a deep fissure, in which a creeper was 
 growing, covered with thick foliage, which obscured the 
 interior. When within ten yards the bear, standing on 
 his hind legs, peered out through the leaves. This was 
 too much for Baban, who turned about and made a clean 
 bolt of it. My shot struck the bear in the neck, and he 
 collapsed on the spot. Baliyah witnessed Baban's defeat, 
 and was intensely amused, declaring he was an impostor, 
 and the jadu (magic) a fraud. We then marched for 
 several days, through a cholera- stricken country, having 
 great difficulty in obtaining begaris to show us the jungle 
 tracks, eventually arriving at Ulleepoor, a beautiful spot, 
 surrounded by hills and lochs, like the Highlands of 
 
BEARS. 31 
 
 Scotland. I had been here once before, during a shooting 
 trip in the monsoon, when the heavy rains being too much 
 for a bechoba (without pole) tent, recourse was had — with 
 the approval of the head man of the village — to a Mahom- 
 medan mosque for shelter. Here, however, a swarm of 
 bees, which was located in certain " properties " in a loft, 
 being roused by the smoke, drove both me and my 
 followers back to the jungle. Our present camping 
 ground was near a pretty tank, a grassy sward intervening, 
 and tree jungle stretching away on every side. 
 
 Some years previously, this had been the haunt of a 
 notorious man-eating tiger, in pursuit of which a party of 
 sahibs arrived one morning, and pitched their camp under 
 the very trees we had selected for ours. AVliile they were 
 at breakfast some brinjarries came running in to report, that 
 one of their number had just been carried off by a tiger. 
 One of them, a doctor sahib, took his rifle, ran across to the 
 spot indicated by the natives, and, attired in f)yjamas and 
 slippers, entered the jungle, where he found the brute on 
 the body of its victim, and brained it first shot. In the 
 hot weather of 1881 my colonel and I had a good 
 morning's sport with bears near Rajavole, in the Singareny 
 district. The weather had been intensely hot, and when 
 Kistiah* reported no gara, the days passed very slowly 
 indeed. Accordingly, inquiries were made if any part of 
 the jungle infested by bears could be beaten without 
 disturbing the tiger ground, and the head shikari reported 
 that such ground did exist near a certain hill some four 
 miles east of the camp. The following morning, reports of 
 no gara having again arrived, we sent on forty coolies and 
 rode out after breakfast to try for the bears. The gi-ound 
 consisted of a rocky ridge 150 yards long, terminating in a 
 
 * Our head shikari. 
 
32 BEARS. 
 
 heap of large boulders and " perched blocks," that curious 
 
 formation of the Hyderabad country. The bears' caves 
 
 were situated at this end ; the surrounding jungle consisted 
 
 of straggling and stunted trees, with occasional rocks. The 
 
 grass had been burned at the beginning of the hot weather 
 
 in the usual way, to ensure a growth in the monsoon. Not 
 
 a green bush of any sort was visible, and it was a desolate 
 
 and dreary-looking wilderness. The colonel was posted on 
 
 the top of the ridge at the end remote from the rocks, I 
 
 being at the foot and to the left front. The beat having 
 
 commenced from the rocky end, some j an wars were started, 
 
 which I could not see ; but presently the colonel fired four 
 
 shots, and the beaters began to recoil — clear proof that a 
 
 beast of some sort was heading towards them. Kistiah 
 
 now came running down to say " the colonel has killed two 
 
 bears and wounded a third, which has gone back into a 
 
 cave — come and shoot it." So, sending word to the colonel, 
 
 off I went. To reach the entrance of the cave, it was 
 
 necessary to slide down some steep rocks, but a few yards 
 
 further on, the way was blocked by a large boulder, which 
 
 formed a sort of platform, shoulder high. The bear was 
 
 here, and within six feet ; but, owing to the darkness, it 
 
 was impossible to see either him or the rifle sights. In a 
 
 minute or so my eyes got more accustomed to the gloom, 
 
 and his snout was dimly to be seen ; not so the foresight. 
 
 However, by raising and lowering the muzzle, which 
 
 alternately obscured and disclosed his snout, sufficient aim 
 
 was obtained to send a bullet through his brain. One is 
 
 not so brave when tigers are concerned ! We dragged him 
 
 out, and found that the colonel's bullet had hit him in the 
 
 ball of a hind foot as he was galloping away. The beat 
 
 had not lasted half an hour, and we were back in camp in 
 
 time for tiffin. During this expedition we were joined by 
 
BEARS. 33 
 
 Colonel J. C. Russell (12th Lancers), and as our time was 
 short, and we had a lot of ground before us, we were 
 pushing on for the Pakhal Lake, only stopping for a day 
 or two at the most likely places on the way. At Mankote 
 we had a kill by a bor butcha, and on our march to 
 Penconda had a beat for him. He did not show, but 
 during the beat, preceded by swarms of peafowl, a bear 
 passed near me, going straight for Colonel Russell, and I 
 soon heard both my companions open fire. At the end of 
 the beat we found the bear lying dead within a short 
 distance of their posts. He had run the gauntlet of both 
 their rifles. We then had another beat, during which a 
 bear charged out to me. The right barrel rolled him over, 
 as we thought, dead ; but, after a few seconds, up he got and 
 bolted between me and the Colonel, who hit him hard, 
 causing him to jump clean off the ground into the air ; 
 nevertheless, he gained the shelter of the hill we had first 
 beaten, closely followed by Kistiah and me. Here he 
 entered a cave and was attacked by my Colonel and Kistiah, 
 Colonel Russell and I taking refuge from the heat and 
 glare in a little grotto at the foot of the hill. 
 
 Here we had been coffee-housing for some time, and 
 expatiating on the glories of shooting in the Highlands, 
 when suddenly two shots on the top of the hill put us on 
 the qui vive, and we just had time to clear out, when down 
 came the bear to the very spot ; but we had no difficulty in 
 shooting him, as he stood facing us a short distance off. 
 My first shot had entered his back, just over the point of 
 the near shoulder, and opening out on the ribs, had made 
 an ugly but harmless wound — this was with a '500 
 Express, the bullet of which is, I think, generally too 
 light. Good sport with bears was also obtainable near 
 Mulkapoor and MarkudpuUy, on the Masulipatam road, 
 
 D 
 
34 BEARS. 
 
 and in the country towards Toomulgooduim ; but these 
 districts were reserved for operations in the cold weather, 
 on account of the good small-game shooting they then also 
 afforded, and of their suitability for short leave of absence. 
 The cream of the bear country in that part of India lies 
 thirty miles on each side of a line joining Secunderabad 
 and Chandah, and during one trip we met no less than 
 forty-five bears, in part of that zone, although much of our 
 time was then devoted to tigers. They are also fairly 
 plentiful in Mysore ; but, as a rule, the thick jungles there, 
 and in the Shimoga, Billiga, Rungum, and AnnamuUay 
 forests, are unfavourable for good sport with any janwars, 
 except bison or elephants, which, owing to their size, cannot 
 easily conceal themselves. 
 
 One morning in December, 1881, at Bandipore, near 
 Gopaulswamy Hill, when searching for a rogue elephant, I 
 struck the fresh trail of two bears, which were followed up 
 without difficulty, through the long green grass and 
 creepers, to a wooded slope, dotted with glades, in which 
 the grass was quite six feet high. My battery consisted of 
 a double-barrel 10-bore rifle, burning seven drachms of 
 powder, and a "500 Express, the latter being carried by 
 Busma, a local shikari. After a mile we entered a dense 
 patch of spear grass, surrounding some large rocks. The 
 traces were very fresh here, and on turning the corner of a 
 rock, I came face to face with a large bear not five yards 
 off. He had heard us coming, and was standing up on his 
 hind legs, his head and neck only showing above the high 
 grass, ears cocked and eyes sparkling, evidently resenting 
 intrusion, and about to become aggressive. The head and 
 shoulders of his spouse appeared alongside him ; she had 
 been grubbing up some roots, and had just realised the 
 situation. The rascal Busma now bolted with the Express, 
 
BEARS. 35 
 
 although he had been very steady in an engagement with 
 bison some days previous. No time was to be lost, so I 
 fired the 10-bore in the bear's face, and down he went, 
 giving me an opportunity as he lay on the ground of using 
 the left barrel, which most provokingly missed fire, owing 
 to a bad cap in the cartridge. 
 
 The usual scene then occurred ; he got up and went 
 for his companion, and the forest resounded with shrieks 
 and roars. I reloaded, but it was difficult to get a good 
 opening at my friends, owing to the long grass ; however, 
 I browned the struggling mass, and soon fired away the 
 four cartridges in my possession, the remainder being with 
 the errant Busma, who, after much objurgation, mingled 
 with entreaty, brought up the Express. In the meanwhile 
 the bears had been slowly descending the hill — fighting 
 every twenty yards, both being wounded and irascible — and 
 each looking upon its companion as the cause of its mis- 
 fortunes. Busma was no longer worthy of confidence, so 
 with a rifle over each shoulder I advanced to the attack. 
 The bears were now sixty yards down the hill, fighting in 
 some long grass, whence the usual uproar emanated, as I 
 haK ran, half slid, down the slope ; but, by the time the 
 spot was reached the music was reduced to a solo, one of 
 the combatants having bolted after severely mauling its 
 companion, who remained rolling about on the ground 
 giving vent to demoniacal howls. I made a bad shot with 
 the Express, hitting it low down in a fore paw, and it went 
 off at a fine pace on the remaining three legs. Believing 
 it was my original antagonist I followed, but the marks of 
 blood were but slight, and ceased altogether at the end of 
 half a mile, so I retraced my steps and soon hit off the 
 other trail, which gave ample evidence of a severe wound. 
 
 The gunbearer having meanwhile come up and taken the 
 
 D 2 
 
36 BEARS. 
 
 second rifle, we followed the track to within a mile of the 
 Tippicado road, and then desisted, as it was past mid-day — 
 we had not breakfasted — and the bungalow was six miles 
 off. Next day news arrived that the bear had been found 
 dead near a police station on the road, close to where we 
 left off the pursuit, and that, in addition to a wound in the 
 neck, it had been hit twice in the body. Even when in 
 full view of its real enemy it is very odd how a bear will 
 always go for its companion. I remember on one occasion 
 two friends were out with me and we were beating a steep 
 slope, covered with thick jungle, into which three bears 
 had been marked. The beaters began at the bottom of the 
 hill to beat up towards us, our movements being controlled 
 by the head shikari from the opposite plateau, who 
 signalled which way the bears were going, the jungle 
 being too thick for us to see them till they emerged on the 
 open ground at the top, which they did within ten yards 
 of us. Each man took his bear and fired ; they all rolled 
 over wounded but got up again, whereupon the two flank 
 bears with one accord attacked the centre one ferociously, 
 and the huge mass began to roll down the hill under the 
 close fire of our rifles. We were within a few yards of them 
 in open ground, and they could not have helped seeing us. 
 It is very amusing to watch a party of bears returning 
 from their forays in the early morning; they are often as 
 full of fun as monkeys, and it is hard to fire at them after 
 enjoying a view of their uncouth but amusing gambols. 
 As with human beings, there is generally one member of 
 the party who is a butt for the others, and who is conse- 
 quently subjected to a lot of rough usage. I remember 
 one morning seeing three bears coming across a maidan 
 towards a rocky hill on which I was posted close to their 
 fastnesses. They behaved in such a ridiculous manner 
 
BEARS. 37 
 
 that there was no doubt in my mind that they were the 
 worse for drink, rolling about from side to side when on 
 their hind legs, pushing each other over and fighting at 
 intervals. This was in a district that contained many 
 send-bunds, the owners of which complained that they 
 sustained great loss by the nightly visits of the bears to 
 their chatties, which they invariably broke in order to lap 
 up the contents. As they neared my post the leading bear 
 was about thirty yards ahead of his companions, coming 
 straight up a rocky track towards me ; he stopped for a 
 few seconds to turn over a stone in search of grubs, and 
 I stepped into the middle of the path while he was thus 
 engaged, and remained perfectly steady ; he resumed his 
 advance without noticing me, so I coughed slightly to 
 attract his attention ; for some seconds he was dumb- 
 foundered and could hardly believe his eyes. Then, stand- 
 ing up on his hind legs, he made hostile demonstrations 
 with his paws in the air to frighten me, and then turned 
 viciously on a small tree at the edge of the track and tore 
 branches off it evidently with the same object. A shot 
 through the horseshoe immediately afterwards finished 
 him. Poor brute, I often regret having fired that shot. 
 His companions bolted and were not again seen. It is 
 inadvisable to fire at a bear or any other dangerous animal 
 straight above you on higher ground ; this is the only shot 
 that is barred in bear shooting. At the same time a 
 certain amount of respect is due to a bear ; his offensive 
 powers are underrated, and many serious and even fatal 
 accidents have occurred thereby, the last I remember being 
 that of the death of the plucky young Lord Edward St. 
 Maur, who was so severely bitten by a wounded bear 
 which he had followed up, that he succumbed to the effects 
 of amputation a few days afterwards. 
 
38 BEARS. 
 
 The bear of the plains of India is the only animal of 
 his tribe that does not hybernate. There is no reason for 
 his doing so, for his food is obtainable throughout the 
 year, so he is always available for sport. When the cold 
 weather sets in, and the small game shooting trips are 
 organised about Christmas, his pursuit often proves an 
 agreeable change from that of the everlasting snipe and 
 duck. Moreover these parties frequently include members 
 who go out merely for picnicking and not from anxiety 
 to slay small game. A bear, however, is sufficient to put 
 them on their mettle, and to make them keener for sport; 
 and it often happens that the uncertainties of the chase 
 bring the brunt of the encounter on them. 
 
 There is no sport so fertile in ridiculous incidents as 
 bear shooting, chiefly owing to the eccentric nature of the 
 brute himself ; but these situations become multiplied 
 when his pursuers are tyros, while there is no serious 
 danger owing to the rifles held in reserve by adjacent 
 friends. The bear is reputed to have no chest bone ; his 
 lungs are therefore a very vulnerable point. He is also said 
 to hug his victims to death, but such a case has never 
 occurred to my knowledge, although it is well known that 
 he can kill a man with one blow of his paw whicli is 
 furnished with claws nearly four inches long, his chief 
 weapons of offence. When he seizes a man, in addition to 
 clawing him about the head and body, he uses his teeth 
 and inflicts terrible wounds about the arms and shoulders ; 
 but the victim often recovers, as pyaemia seldom sets in, 
 owing to the absence of the virus which usually accom- 
 panies those inflicted by a tiger or panther. 
 
CHAPTER lY. 
 
 THE PANTHER {Felis pardiis). 
 
 Distribution of — Varieties of — Black panther at Santawerry 
 — Panthers at Secunderabad — Sentries and panthers — 
 Bolting panthers with dogs — The Gun Rock — Mowl Ali 
 — Porcupines and dogs — Spearing panthers — Dangers of — 
 Death of Colonel Nightingale — Sitting up for panthers — 
 Shooting pits — Kill two panthers — Am charged by one — 
 Shoot a rogue panther — Catch cheetah cub — Tame panthers 
 — Treachery of — Climbing capabilities of — Garas by. 
 
 In whatever part of Southern India the sportsmen may 
 happen to be located, he will be certain before long, to 
 encounter this formidable animal, which is far more 
 widely distributed than the tiger, and w^hich adapts itself 
 more easily to the surroundings, whether they be in the 
 middle of agricultural districts, and devoid of any jungle 
 or other desirable stronghold, or in remote and secluded 
 forest tracts, far from the haunts of men. 
 
 Eour varieties of this animal are found in Southern 
 India, viz. : the panther proper, a large, active, and 
 aggressive animal, known to the native as the bor butcha, 
 or taindwa ; the leopard or cheetah, a smaller variety of 
 the above ; the hunting leopard, smaller still, with the 
 head and body of a cat and the legs of a greyhound ; the 
 black panther, a beautiful variety, approaching the bor 
 butcha in size. The word " cheetah " is applied generally 
 to the first three of the above animals, but it is misleading. 
 
40 PANTHERS. 
 
 and the above classification can leave no doubt as to the 
 nature of the animal indicated. The hunting leopard 
 frequents open country such as rumnahs (large meadow or 
 pasture lands) and is a comparatively rare animal. I have 
 occasionally seen them when stalking antelope, their 
 natural prey, but have never fired at one, they run like 
 lightning for 250 yards or so, no animal can touch them 
 in speed for this distance ; and they are tamed and trained 
 to catch antelope, by the nobles of Hyderabad (Deccan), 
 and native chieftains in other parts of India. The 
 black panther is only to be found in hilly ground, at 
 elevations of not less than 3000 feet. I have never shot 
 one, although chances occasionally occurred of doing so in 
 the hills of Southern and Western India. The first I 
 ever saw was on the Baba Booden hills, in Mysore. We 
 were beating for a tiger at the time, and I saw what was 
 apparently one of the large black monkeys of the hills 
 coming over some rocks in my front not forty yards off. As 
 these monkeys were old acquaintances I did not examine 
 my friend closely, and only discovered what he was, as he 
 dashed past into a thick patch of jungle, giving me no 
 time to fire, which I would certainly have done, even at 
 the risk of losing the tiger, had his identity been earlier 
 known. The panther and cheetah frequent rocky ground, 
 cairns, heaps of boulders, and sometimes shady nullahs, in 
 the neighbourhood of villages as a rule, where they can 
 pick up pariah dogs, goats, different sorts of young cattle, 
 and an occasional child. They are frequently found in 
 such places in the open country, far from any jungle. 
 They are very partial to pork, and porcupine flesh, and 
 manage to catch considerable numbers of peafowl and 
 monkeys, so their bill of fare is an extensive one. At 
 Secunderabad, in the Deccan, they were given to plundering 
 
PANTHERS. 41 
 
 hen roosts, and were often shot in the act, for if their first 
 visit was successful they were certain to return, when a 
 charge of large shot out of a smooth bore was generally 
 efficacious, the range being short, and the danger of bullets 
 flying about cantonments being thus obviated. Our 
 sentries often fired at them at night, but never with any 
 result beyond that of scaring the intruder. On these 
 occasions they were always described as being tigers of 
 prodigious size and terrific aspect. 
 
 When I joined my regiment there in 1867, the place 
 might be described as " jungly," the intrenchments had 
 not been constructed, so there w^as no obstacle to prevent 
 wild animals from wandering through the lines at night 
 at their own sweet will.* 
 
 In those days, our senior captain was our leading 
 regimental sportsman ; he was master of the Secunderabad 
 hounds, and, in addition, had a private pack consisting of 
 several courageous pariahs (curs), and some haK-bred bull 
 dogs. With these, we used to draw the caves in the 
 isolated hills adjoining Cantonments, and frequently found 
 and had good sport with panthers, cheetahs, and hyenas ; 
 the sportsmen being posted on " coigns of vantage " near 
 the caves, the dogs were loosed, and very soon found out 
 any lurking janwar (wild beast). 
 
 It resembled ferreting rabbits on a large scale, 
 tremendous barking and subterranean convulsions being 
 followed by the burst of the panther, with the uninjured 
 members of the pack in hot pursuit. Those who got the 
 chance then loosed off their rifles, as it was invariably snap 
 
 "^ A large tract of scrub jungle lies five miles north of 
 Trimulgherry, which is connected with a rocky ridge in Canton- 
 ments, by mango and toddy topes, and isolated patches of 
 jungle; the panthers were supplied from that district. 
 
42 PANTHERS. 
 
 shooting, and we seldom scored. The j an war would then 
 take up a fresh position in some other cave hard by, and 
 the process would continue — fireworks being used when 
 the dogs failed. 
 
 The Gun Eock was a favourite draw on these occa- 
 sions, it was a more or less globular hill of igneous 
 origin — trap or basalt, about eighty feet high, over 
 which large boulders were scattered here and there, 
 forming caves, in fact it was the usual type of Deccan 
 hill. 
 
 The regimental bazaar was close by, and our bungalows 
 only a few hundred yards from its base. We often 
 wondered that no accidents were occasioned by the 
 projectiles discharged from its summit, and which, having 
 missed the panthers, must have gone buzzing through our 
 lines. It was crowned by a rock resembling a huge gun, 
 which gave it its name. Further off, and to the north, lay 
 Chota Mowl Ali, a larger hill of the same class, and at its 
 base a large pile of rocks, which was also a sure find. 
 About three miles to the east lay the town of Mowl Ali, 
 at the foot of a similar hill, the top crowned by a 
 temple or shrine of great sanctity, to which the devout 
 Mahommedans of Hyderabad were in the habit of making 
 pilgrimages. A mile beyond this was a large pile of 
 rock, containing many " guvvies " or caves — our best draw 
 for a panther, but occasionally tenanted by porcupines, 
 from whose quills the dogs suffered more than from the 
 panthers' claws. On the last occasion, four of the best 
 dogs came to grief — one was killed on the spot, and the 
 others had to be carried home, two afterwards succumbing 
 to their wounds.* 
 
 * The quills had penetrated several inches, and in some cases 
 large portions were left in the wounds. 
 
PANTHEBS. 43 
 
 In those days the Hyderabad State Railway had not 
 even been commenced — the nearest station being at 
 Sholapore, .200 miles distant, by a bad road ; nor were the 
 cavalry and artillery barracks completed at Bolarum. An 
 officer of the Eoyal Engineers, who was employed in the 
 Public Works Department, had made arrangements for 
 setting panther traps in the jungle-covered tracts of 
 country ten miles north of Trimulgherry (famous as being 
 the haunt of the terrible man-eater of Bogarum). They 
 were strongly constructed, on the box trap principle, and 
 baited with a kid or pariah dog. When a panther was 
 caught, the traps were lifted on to a country cart, and 
 brought bodily into Cantonments. On more than one 
 occasion three panthers were thus brought in, and two at a 
 time were by no means uncommon, as at least haK a dozen 
 traps were always kept set. The majority of animals 
 caught were leopards — about 30 per cent, only being 
 panthers proper — the hunting leopard was never taken in 
 these contrivances. Word was then immediately sent 
 round to the several regiments, stating the time and place 
 at which the captives would be enlarged for spearing 
 purposes. 
 
 On arrival at the meet, which was usually on the 
 open ground north of Chota Mowl Ali — where the 
 cavalry barracks now stand, all competitors were placed 
 under the command of an experienced pig-sticker, whose 
 functions were to see that nobody started until he gave 
 the command to " Eide," by which time the panther was 
 generally about fifty yards clear of the trap, and one 
 hundred yards from the spears, which usually numbered a 
 dozen. 
 
 Of course the first spear was the desideratum of 
 all, and this was taken time after time by the sons of the 
 
44 PANTHERS. 
 
 Rissaldar Major,* of the Contingent cavalry — all light 
 weights and splendidly mounted — we heavier Europeans, 
 on slower horses, could not touch them. Although the 
 first spear had all the glory, those that followed had all the 
 danger, for the panther, being as a rule only slightly 
 wounded, crouched and sprang on every horse that 
 approached him, generally missing the rider, but landing 
 on the horse's hind quarters, and clawing them very 
 severely. 
 
 Thrilling incidents were not unusual ; for instance, the 
 first time the experiment was tried of enlarging a panther, 
 on emerging from the trap he turned round and tackled his 
 emancipator — a soldier in my regiment — who, however, 
 beat him off till help arrived, when he was driven off, 
 luckily without doing any damage, and was subsequently 
 speared. On another occasion the panther had been 
 slightly speared, and immediately crouched ready to 
 spring ; Captain Way, of the Contingent, then rode at him, 
 but his horse came down, shooting his rider close to the 
 beast, which sprang forward to attack him, but was turned 
 by Colonel Nightingale, the famous tiger shooter, who 
 missed spearing him. I was close behind, and before 
 Nightingale could pull round, the brute was cleverly 
 speared by Lieutenant Warner, 4th Light Cavalry. 
 Immediately afterwards Colonel Nightingale dropped 
 forward in his saddle, as if shot — it was an apoplectic 
 stroke, and the poor fellow never recovered consciousness ; 
 he was carried to the Residency, and expired in a few 
 hours. 
 
 At another of these functions the cheetah, on being 
 
 * A native officer of field rank — a good soldier and sports- 
 man. He had three sons in the regiment, and owned many 
 troop horses in it. 
 
PANTHERS. 45 
 
 enlarged, turned round and charged the wrong way 
 into a crowd of spectators ; the confusion was immense, 
 but the brute was pluckily tackled by some terriers, and 
 was finally speared. A few months later, an officer of the 
 18th Hussars was badly mauled, and these performances 
 were stopped.* Panthers are usually shot by bolting 
 them, as already described, with fireworks, from their 
 strongholds in the rocks, and are often ousted in this way 
 when beating for tigers or bears. They are fond of 
 basking on rocks near their caves in the morning and 
 evening sun, and may then be stalked without much 
 difficulty. A pair of tennis shoes will be found most 
 useful for this work ; the indiarubber soles make no noise 
 and afford good foothold on slanting rocks ; the scraping 
 of nailed boots against the stones, &c., soon alarms the 
 janwar. More panthers and cheetahs are, however, shot 
 over a kill than in any other way, as they are almost 
 certain to return about dusk if much of the animal remains 
 uneaten ; they are far more suspicious than tigers under 
 these circumstances, and before approaching they will 
 often lie down some distance off for several minutes, 
 keeping a sharp look out all round ; the sportsman must 
 therefore be correspondingly cautious. 
 
 Another device is to tie up a kid near their haunts, 
 forming an ambuscade close by; the cries of the kid 
 are sustained by tying a string to its ear and pulling 
 it occasionally ; the panther will often charge out and 
 spring on it immediately the coast is clear. 
 
 On killing an animal, the first thing a tiger or panther 
 does after drinking the blood is to drag the body to some 
 shady spot close by before devouring it, but it often 
 
 * They have since been renewed, but are often accompanied 
 by dangerous — and even fatal — accidents. 
 
46 PANTHERS. 
 
 happens that they are interrupted before they can effect 
 this, either by the cattle herds, or by the remainder of the 
 animals themselves if they are buffaloes, and in such cases 
 the gara remains in the open. 
 
 If there is no rock or tree within easy range a pit should 
 be dug within thirty yards of the kill, on the side remote 
 from where the janwar is expected, a portion of the exca- 
 vated soil being made into a small mound to screen the 
 firer's head and shoulders ; this mound should not exceed 
 one foot in height — or eighteen inches at the outside — so 
 as to resemble the excavations made by wild pigs when 
 searching for roots — which are to be seen in most jungles 
 — a few tufts of grass or stones being placed to make it 
 resemble the adjoining ground if necessary, and some short 
 but strong branches laid in position at the back of the 
 mound capable of being moved, so as to protect the 
 occupant in the event of the brute being wounded and 
 making for him. These cages were much used by natives 
 in the Kadoor district some years ago, and gave moral sup- 
 port, if nothing more. Ambuscades should only be resoi-ted 
 to when the rocks or jungles cannot be properly beaten. 
 
 An amusing incident occurred to a captain in my 
 regiment, when quartered at Trimulgherry, whose shikari 
 brought news of a leopard, which he stated he had seen 
 basking that morning at the Mowl Ali rocks. About 
 4 p.m. he rode out, purchased a goat, and, sending his 
 horse home, entered an ambuscade which had been made 
 by the shikari, whom he also sent away to some distance, 
 with orders not to return till ten o'clock, unless he heard 
 a shot. No shot was fired, so at 10 p.m. the shikari 
 approached, and found his sahib asleep, and the goat killed 
 and eaten. One morning, at Bokur, our head shikari came 
 in to report that although there had been no gara, some 
 
PANTHERS. 47 
 
 panthers had been seen in a nullah about two koss (four 
 miles) off, and that we could beat it without disturbing any 
 of the jungles where our buffaloes were tied up for tigers ; 
 we accordingly sent for beaters, and rode out to the spot — 
 a large and shady nullah, from which smaller ravines 
 branched off towards the watersheds on each side. We 
 drew lots for places as usual, and Poulton got the centre 
 post, over the large nullah ; Manley about eighty yards to 
 his left, and I on some high ground on the right. About 
 one hundred yards to my front a ravine ran down the slope 
 to the big nullah, and two panthers soon emerged from it, 
 one of which turned down the hill towards Poulton, the 
 other coming straight towards me for a short distance, then 
 turned down the hill also, but stopped for a moment when 
 about eighty yards to my left-front. Seeing it was my only 
 chance, I fired, and he rolled over quite dead, the bullet, a 
 spherical one, passing through his heart. He was only a 
 leopard, and it was a lucky shot, considering the size of the 
 mark and its distance; the other one managed to sneak 
 past Poulton without being seen, but was marked into the 
 lower end of the nullah, so we sent the beaters round to 
 bring it back towards us. In this beat I was posted over 
 the nullah, and Poulton at the edge of a ravine about 
 eighty yards to my right-front. A very large panther 
 soon appeared above Poulton, trotting down the slope 
 towards me ; he suddenly stopped to listen to the beaters, 
 and was polished off by him with two shots. He was a 
 splendid specimen of the panther proper, nearly as big as a 
 tigress, with a bull-doggy head, massive shoulders, and 
 beautifully spotted skin. About the same time a third 
 panther broke away far to our right, and entered a long 
 strip of tree jungle on some rocky rising ground, half a 
 mile off. We accordingly sent the beaters to the farther 
 
48 PANTHERS. 
 
 end, and took up our positions, I at the edge of a rocky 
 ravine near the top of the ridge, Poulton and Manley 
 farther down the slope, and below the ravine. Immedi- 
 ately the beat commenced there was shouting of " pedda 
 puli " (tiger), and tremendous excitement among the 
 beaters, and the stops along the top of the ridge cried 
 out "he is going forward," but it turned out to be the 
 panther we were in search of. He came lobbing along 
 through the jungle, and stopped when abreast of me on 
 the sky line. I fired, but the bullet struck low and too 
 far back ; he turned round and bit savagely at the wound, 
 and then charged towards the line of beaters, growling as 
 he ran ; they were about one hundred and twenty yards off, 
 and I shouted " take care, he is going back ;" but, lead by 
 the shikaries firing blank cartridge, they behaved splen- 
 didly, and held their ground with immense uproar. After 
 going a short distance the brute disappeared in a patch of 
 long grass and rocks ; I then altered my position to get a 
 better view of the ground in front, and got on the trunk of 
 a small tree which grew close to the edge of the ravine, 
 and bent over it ; the footing was precarious, but it gave 
 me a slightly better command of the ground — the ravine 
 was precipitous, and at least thirty feet in depth, but if I 
 fell it would be on the bank, and just clear of the brink. 
 
 Presently the panther again came forward at a gallop ; 
 seeing me, he altered his course and charged, growling, his 
 tail held well aloft. I had only time to fire in his face, 
 the recoil knocked me off the tree, and he galloped over 
 me, merely brushing the rifle aside, which I held u]) to 
 protect me. It was a clean miss, but the smoke must 
 have blinded him, for he did not lay a claw on me, but 
 continued his wild career, and we never saw him again. 
 Sore in mind and body, I limped down the hill to my com- 
 
PANTHERS. 49 
 
 panions, who did not improve matters by assmnng me that it 
 was such a pretty sight to see the charge, the puff of 
 smoke, and final collapse. About a week afterwards we 
 were beating for a panther which had been committing 
 depredations at a village further to the north ; he was a 
 crafty brute, and had twice evaded us by quitting the 
 jungle before reaching the guns, and making off across the 
 open country ; but on this occasion we put more stops 
 with rattles on the flanks, and took up a different line 
 nearer the kill, which was one of our buffaloes, and had 
 been intended for tigers. I was on the extreme right, at 
 the edge of a broad stretch of open ground, and soon saw 
 a lot of crows mobbing something out in the grassy plain, 
 about forty yards to my right, which turned out to be our 
 friend ; the bullet broke his off fore leg, as he crawled 
 along, close to the ground, whereupon he crouched, and 
 began to look up into the trees for his enemy ; but the left 
 barrel caught him in the right spot at the same moment 
 as he saw me ; up went his tail in the air, a few frantic 
 bounds towards me, and over he rolled stone-dead. He 
 was a very old panther, with hardly a sound tooth in his 
 head, and had been living for several years on the \'illage 
 products, from children down to dogs. The natives were 
 delighted, and I told them that they might thank their 
 crows for the result. A few days later a village shikari 
 brought news of two cheetahs in a " guwey " (cave) near 
 the camp, so we sallied forth, but only to find that they 
 were too small to shoot ; we then decided to catch them 
 alive, but this was no easy job, for they were regular little 
 demons, and made short charges at us. Eventually we 
 had to spear one in self-defence (although he was not 
 much bigger than a cat), and with infinite trouble secured 
 tlie other by snaring, and then, rolling him up in a cumbley 
 
50 PANTHERS. 
 
 (blanket), we took him to camp and put him in a rough 
 cage, which was carried about with us from place to place, 
 but he was too old to tame, and gradually pined away and 
 died. A brother officer had a tame one which he had 
 caught when very young, and which was kept chained to a 
 box in a corner of his compound. It was very fond of being 
 caressed, and was apparently of a gentle and amiable disposi- 
 tion, till one day in Burmah, an old woman who was gathering 
 sticks came within range, when the brute sprang upon her 
 and knocked her down, biting her badly. She was rescued 
 by a syce, but subsequently died of her wounds and the 
 effects of the shock. Panthers can never be trusted, they 
 have the reputation of being more treacherous than tigers. 
 This one, after various escapades, was brought home and 
 presented to the Zoological Gardens, Eegent's Park. All 
 experienced sportsmen who have written about shikar, 
 declare that the panther is a more dangerous animal than 
 the tiger, being pluckier and more crafty, while in agility 
 they are far superior to the striped cat. Native shikaries, 
 too, share this belief, but on the other hand very few men 
 escape with their lives from the clutches of a tiger, whereas 
 it is rather exceptional to hear of a fatal accident when a 
 panther is the aggressor — except when pyaemia ensues. 
 
 In all cultivated parts of Southern India the villagers 
 construct mechauns — called munch als in Mysore — in the 
 grain fields, which are platforms fixed on poles, and often 
 more than twenty feet above the ground. From these the 
 watchers scare away any game which may come to eat the 
 grain at night, or, rather, they try to do so, by blowing 
 horns, firing blank cartridge, and shouting, but in a short 
 time the game — from elephant down to antelope — get 
 accustomed to this reception, and decline to be ousted 
 until stronger measures are adopted. In some districts, 
 
PANTHERS. 
 
 51 
 
 however, the panthers kill many of these poor people, 
 their excellent powers of climbing enabling them to reach 
 the platforms without difficulty. 
 
 It is strange how wild animals in a certain locality 
 seem to adopt any bad habit started by one of their 
 fraternity — their leader of fashion in fact — the bears for 
 instance, in some parts of the Central Provinces, kill 
 many natives every year, apparently because it is the 
 fashion to do so, for they do not eat them. 
 
 Again, I remember, in the year 1870, a hilly district 
 not far from Kurnool being so infested by man-eating 
 tigers, that the Madras Government offered a reward of 
 E.S.800 for every tiger that was shot there ; but the 
 jungle was very feverish and dense, as well as being 
 difficult of access, and the tigers triumphed for many 
 years. 
 
 INCIDENT NEAR MOWL ALL 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 THE PANTHER {Felis pardus). 
 
 Distinctive markings — Three cubs caught — Charge by boar — 
 The Jamakapett panther — Munchipa — Our goats killed — 
 Dacoits' cave — Atfray with cheetah — Stirring him up — 
 Patterson's panther — Sad accident to a beater — Panther 
 enters my tent — Man-eating panther — The Loashera 
 panther — The Parvutgherry panther — The Raghear 
 panther — Panther in the Billiga Rungum Hills — Not likely 
 to decrease in numbers — Annamullay panthers — The 
 Bolarum bogus panther — The stalker stalked — Garas by 
 panther — Nocturnal depredation of — Braining panthers. 
 
 An examination of a panther skin will show that the 
 spots — or rather rosettes — are arranged in rows corres- 
 ponding to the stripes on a tiger's skin, the difference 
 between these animals being hard to discern at distances 
 over thirty yards — thus the large panther is often mistaken 
 for a tiger. In the case of the leopard, his size would 
 disclose his identity, the lines of rosettes, too, are less 
 clearly defined, while the hide of the hunting leopard is 
 marked with black spots alone. 
 
 Since writing the preceding chapter on the panther, I 
 have been informed that the classification therein adopted 
 corresponds with Jerdon's in his "Mammals of India," and 
 with the opinions of the late Captain Forsyth, the 
 talented author of the " Highlands of Central India." 
 
 One morning Poult on and I went out to shoot bears, 
 and on the way to our posts a cheetah with two young 
 
PANTHERS. 53 
 
 ones was put up, at which he got a snap shot but missed. 
 With much trouble we then caught the youngsters, and 
 decided to have an extemporary beat with a few scouts and 
 shikaries for their mother. During the beat a grand 
 old boar was started, and came down an open slope on 
 which I was posted. I thought he would swerve on 
 seeing me ; not a bit of it, he came at me straight 
 as an arrow. Poulton, who was about forty yards to 
 my left front, shouted " Fire — he's charging you." We 
 fired simultaneously ; both bullets struck him, and he 
 rolled over dead within a few feet of me. He was a 
 splendid old chap, with handsome tushes, and deserved 
 a better fate. At Jamakapett we had a casual beat 
 one day. A panther was soon turned out, at which 
 Poulton fired several snap shots, but declared he had 
 missed. I had great faith in his shooting, and insisted 
 on tracking it up, soon finding shght traces of blood, 
 till at length we arrived at the foot of an almost vertical 
 rock twenty .feet high, over which the tracks led. On 
 seeing this we came to the conclusion that it was 
 useless to proceed any further, as no badly wounded 
 animal could surmount such an obstacle. However, we 
 had just one look " for luck " round the opposite side, 
 and discovered a cave, from which a series of sepulchral 
 growls emanated, which increased in intensity as we 
 advanced. 
 
 With both barrels cocked I carefully entered, and 
 discovered that the brute was lying under a big rock 
 within five yards. The light was good, but we could 
 not get a glimpse of him although we pelted stones 
 to provoke a charge. Manley then thought he would Hke 
 to have a peep, and took my place. He was promptly 
 charged, but brained the brute — a leopard — close to the 
 
54 PANTHERS, 
 
 muzzle of his rifle. Poulton's bullet had struck it in 
 the belly and too far back.* 
 
 At Munchipa panthers were prowling round our camp 
 all night and killed both our milch goats ; and, as there was 
 no news of tigers, we determined to have a beat for 
 them. It was a terribly hot day, and, as we had been 
 waiting for nearly two hours at our posts, we were on the 
 point of leaving to ascertain the cause of delay, when two 
 natives, suddenly dashing out of a large cairn of rocks 
 in front, bolted past us as hard as they could, heading 
 towards the jungle behind. Baliyah, at the same instant 
 jumping on a rock, shouted in Hindustani, " Shoot the 
 murderers," " Shoot the thieves," " Don't let them 
 escape." The beaters also now appeared close behind 
 Baliyah, and joined in the chorus, but of course we did 
 not comply with their request. Baliyah now explained 
 that the runaways were part of a band of robbers, who 
 had been plundering and murdering travellers in that 
 district for some weeks ; that he only heard of their 
 being in the cairn at the beginning of the beat, and 
 decided to advance without making a noise and endeavour 
 to catch or shoot them. We searched the cairn and 
 collected some hundreds of rupees worth of heterogeneous 
 property, which was placed under charge of a police 
 peon, and a report sent to Indore of the occurrence. 
 Next morning I sent a Hindustani letter to the talookdar 
 explaining the affair. This must have been forwarded to 
 Hyderabad, as subsequently a very complimentary parch- 
 ment certificate arrived from the Dewan, the late Sir Salar 
 Jung. 
 
 * A 'puat-mortem revealed three unborn cubs, about the size of 
 rats, which, although devoid of hair, bore the marks of all 
 the rosettes very clearly. 
 
PANTHERS. 65 
 
 One evening, on the return from an unsuccessful day's 
 beating for a tiger, we had a short beat for a cheetah, which 
 had been seen to enter some rocks. It w^as driven out 
 towards Manlej, who fired and wounded it in a leg. It 
 then came on, rather wide to my left, at the other side of a 
 ridge in front, which concealed it from view. The shikaries 
 shouted " Eun forward and fire." I accordingly ran up the 
 rising ground, and on arriving at the top saw him standing 
 under a tree close to me, and, throwing up my rifle, fired as 
 he bounded away. He was hard hit, for he roared for quite 
 haK a minute in a thick clump of bushes close by, in which 
 it was impossible to see him. My companions now came 
 up, and after a short search were for going home, but we 
 had one more look round, and soon found plenty of blood, 
 which we followed up for some distance, and tracked him 
 into a cave, where we could see his tail appearing from 
 under a rock at the further end of a natural pit or arena, 
 some ten yards square, formed by boulders which sloped 
 steeply down. We decided to stir him up with a long pole, 
 so sending Baliyah round for this purpose, under the pro- 
 tection of Manley's rifle, Poulton and I took up positions 
 at each side of the arena. We were all suffering from the 
 effects of the sun, which had been terribly hot all day, but 
 the fun kept us going, for at intervals the stirring-up 
 process provoked charges into the arena, which were always 
 stopped by Poulton or me, by blazing into the brute's face, 
 although, as a matter of fact, we never hit him. It was 
 dark now, so a fire was lighted behind his stronghold, but 
 he still held out, charging at intervals. At length I was 
 let down into the pit by ropes, under cover of Poulton and 
 Manley's rifles, and soon saw my friend pointing me, and 
 brained him by the light of the fire. During a shooting 
 trip in Western Mysore, with the late Captain Patterson, 
 
56 PANTHERS. 
 
 of my regiment, we were frequently disturbed at night by 
 panthers prowling around our tents, but, owing to the 
 dense jungle, we seldom got a chance at them in the day 
 time, although frequently put up when driving for sambur 
 and spotted deer. We usually went out stalking at day- 
 break, and Patterson one morning discovered a cheetul that 
 had just been killed by a panther, and was still quivering. 
 He waited some time in a tree close by, but nothing 
 appeared, and, as it was 9 a.m. in the month of April, and 
 the sun high and hot, he returned to camp. About 4 p.m. 
 he was again in position, and after a short interval he saw 
 the cheetah come down through the jungle some distance 
 off, and commence to patrol from side to side before 
 approaching nearer. It then laid down and watched the 
 kill for several minutes, when, evidently being satisfied that 
 all was well, it rose, and advancing to the dead deer, was 
 rolled over by a bullet through the heart from Patterson's 
 smooth bore. Shortly after this occurrence a sad accident 
 happened in the neighbouring district. A young fellow, 
 just out from England, and whom we had met at a sambur 
 drive at Kulhutty, went out to shoot a panther, which had 
 been marked into a nullah. He wounded it, and the 
 beaters were thereupon charged by the infuriated animal, 
 which singled out one man and chased him past the 
 sahib. 
 
 He fired at the panther as it was in the act of springing 
 on the unfortunate man — and shot the latter ; the panther 
 escaped. 
 
 One night in camp at Tooprany, near Hyderabad, I was 
 awoke by d tremendous scuffling in the tent among some 
 dogs which I had chained to my bed-cot. It sounded as if 
 they were " woolling " some big animal within a yard of 
 me, my bed being upset in the struggle. I jumped up and 
 
PANTHERS. 67 
 
 saw a shadowy form vanish in the darkness. On striking a 
 light, two of the dogs were found to be badly mauled, one 
 dying shortly afterwards. The miscreant was a panther, 
 whose large pugs were visible in the sand next morning, 
 and which had the cheek to come inside the tent for 
 the dog, which he would certainly have carried off but for 
 the chain. Man-eating panthers are rare, but they do 
 exist, and are just as bad as tigers. All panthers, great 
 and small, are, however, very much given to carrying off 
 children. When at Chickmoogloor, in Mysore, news 
 arrived one day that a panther had attacked and killed 
 a native who was working on a road. His brother, only a 
 short distance off, hearing the shrieks, ran up and killed 
 the brute with an axe, but received such severe wounds 
 that he too died shortly afterwards. His next of kin 
 brought the skin to the Deputy Commissioner's office, and 
 got the reward of fifteen rupees given by the Maharajah's 
 government. The most exciting encounter I ever had with 
 a panther was at Loashera, in the Neermul district, in 
 1871. We had been skirmishing with a bear in the fore- 
 noon, which my friends Poulton and Manley had pursued 
 on horseback, with intent to spear, as detailed in 
 Chapter II., I remaining to watch a panther which had 
 been dislodged by the bear, and was slightly wounded by a 
 ricochet buUet in the ball of the foot. Manley having 
 returned after the lapse of an hour, it fell to my lot to 
 tackle the panther, which had meanwhile been spotted by 
 the shikaries crouching under a rock in an adjacent cave. 
 On entering it, there was the panther sure enough, with 
 great luminous eyes, crouching within a few feet, and 
 apparently ready to spring. The entrance was very narrow 
 and cramped, a projecting rock preventing the rifle from 
 being brought to the right shoulder ; indeed, it was neces- 
 
58 PANTHERS. 
 
 sary to crane round the edge of this, in order to see the 
 brute. I could not shoot from the left shoulder with any 
 certainty, nor were the circumstances favourable for experi- 
 ments, so I determined to attack from another point. 
 Going round to the back of the cairn, I entered a branch 
 of the cave on my hands and knees, and, creeping forward, 
 came upon him from the rear. The light was very 
 bad, but he was within a yard of me, so, placing the 
 muzzle of the rifle within a few inches of the root of 
 his tail, I fired with the intention of raking him from 
 end to end. 
 
 He roared and rushed out of the cave, and I retreated 
 backwards on all fours nearly stifled with smoke and fllth, 
 the cave being evidently a favourite retreat of all kinds of 
 janwars. Emerging from the cave, I reloaded, and climbed 
 up a rock near its mouth, whence I saw the brute crouch- 
 ing under a bush about flfteen yards off. I fired and he 
 came at me like a flash of lightning. He was almost 
 touching the muzzle when the left barrel was loosed ; his 
 impetus carried him on, and striking the muzzle he sent 
 me flying head over heels into a seega kye (wait-a-bit 
 thorn) bush.* The natives preferring to witness the scene 
 from a distance, it gave me much trouble to get out of 
 this unassisted ; but the hook-shaped thorns were at length 
 negotiated, and I emerged like a hedgehog covered with 
 spines. The panther had been marked into an adjacent 
 fissure, and out he came at me again as fresh as paint, but 
 this time a shot between the eyes rolled him over. Up he 
 got again and struggled towards me, but I now tackled 
 him with a hog spear and polished him off. The ricochet 
 shot had only inflicted a flesh wound in the foot. The 
 "raking" shot — a hollow pointed bullet propelled by 
 
 * Acacia or mimosa. 
 
DEATH OF THE LOASHERA PANTHER. 
 
PANTHERS. 69 
 
 2^ draclims of powder (an absurd charge) — had only pene- 
 trated a few inches and mushroomed against the thigh 
 bone ; the third shot struck just behind the heart, the 
 fourth made a huge but shallow wound in the throat, 
 the fifth between the eyes carried away the lower part of 
 the brain pan, and would ultimately have killed him, 
 but the spear was quite necessary. The natives were 
 in great delight, as the beast was supposed to have killed 
 and eaten a boy, who was herding goats within fifty yards 
 of the spot two days previously. 
 
 In the hot weather of 1881 my colonel and I were 
 returning to Secunderabad from a shooting trip, with a 
 view to finishing our leave at Ootacamund on the Neil- 
 gherry Hills, and were anxiously looking forward to the 
 cool breezes of the blue mountains. We were encamped 
 at Parvutgherry, at one time a very favourite spot for 
 tigers, and were on the point of starting one morning for 
 Raepurty, when news arrived of a gara, so we sent on 
 <jur tents and baggage, retaining our horses and a pad 
 elephant. 
 
 Beaters were obtained with some difficulty, as two men 
 had been killed there by a wounded tiger some years before 
 when a sahib had been shooting, and the fact was still 
 fresh in the minds of the villagers. However, we collected 
 about thirty, and started on our horses for the scene 
 of the kill, which was about two miles off. On the 
 way we met Kistiah, the head shikari, who reported 
 that the gara was the work of a bor butcha, and that 
 while examining it, the brute had appeared in an 
 evidently aggressive humour; whereupon he had fired 
 at and wounded it, and it had then disappeared into 
 the jungle. We got our rifles and approached the 
 kill, but the panther was nowhere to be seen, so, 
 
60 FANTHERS, 
 
 deciding to continue our researches on the pad elephant, it 
 was brought up and we mounted, having settled that the 
 Colonel was to be responsible for anything that appeared 
 on the port side, while I looked after the starboard. We 
 had not gone forty yards when I saw something white 
 move under a tree close to me ; it was the panther's belly,, 
 and I immediately fired ; he rolled over growling and 
 biting the ground, and expired in a few seconds. The 
 Express bullet made a wound as large as the palm of my 
 hand ; it looked as though a shell had burst on the skin, 
 the reason being that the brute was end on when I fired. 
 We waited a short time before approaching the body, and 
 I iDointed out the wound to my chief, who declared he 
 thought it was a flower which had dropped from an over- 
 hanging kino tree ! It turned out to be a leopard, and we 
 were surprised that so small an animal should attack and 
 kill a full grown buffalo. We then returned to camp, repre- 
 sented by a shady peepul tree, had a scratch breakfast^ 
 followed by an awful ride in the hot sun to Raepurty, 
 where we arrived about 5 p.m. A few nights after, at 
 Eagheer, a panther patrolled round the camp for several 
 hours, making night hideous with a noise resembling 
 a cross-cut saw drawn through a plank of wood. We had 
 given directions to be called at four o'clock to go out 
 to shoot bears ; but Kistiah, who judged his time by the 
 stars, awoke us at 1 a.m. This disconcerted us a good 
 deal, and, being unable to sleep, owing to the panthers'" 
 lullaby, we started about three o'clock and reached the 
 caves before daylight, but the bears had returned before our 
 arrival, as we discovered by their tracks. On returning to- 
 camp I saw the panther basking on a rock in the morning 
 sun, and, sending one of the elephants which had come to 
 meet us, to distract its attention, stalked to within ninety 
 
PANTHERS. 61 
 
 yards, fired, and missed him clean. I found the mark of 
 the bullet on a rock behind where the panther had been 
 reclining, just a few inches too high. 
 
 My next adventure with a basking panther was a few 
 months later on the Billiga Eungum Hills in Mysore ; but 
 on that occasion I got within thirty yards of him after an 
 «asy stalk. Whatever may happen to the tiger, in view of 
 the increasing use of firearms by natives, and the gi-eater 
 facilities of transport by railways, which have brought 
 hitherto secluded jungles to within a few hours of many 
 stations, no fears need be entertained that the panther will 
 be exterminated; they are crafty, and too well able to take 
 care of themselves, difficult to force from their fastnesses, 
 which abound all over the country ; and their depredations, 
 being generally confined to goats, dogs, and such small 
 deer, do not bring them so much before the eye of the 
 public. Their favourite haunts in the Annamullays were 
 in the vicinity of the Ibex hills, but they, as well as tigers, 
 very soon found out the dead bodies of any bison that 
 might have been shot in the lower part of the forest, and, 
 by stalking up to these, a shot was not unfrequently 
 •obtained, as they generally lay up close by, and when 
 started, would bound away for thirty or forty yards, and 
 stop to have a look at the intruder, thus giving a fair 
 opportunity for a successful shot. In bygone years at 
 Secunderabad, one day during a big luncheon at our mess, 
 news was brought by an orderly of the Contingent, that a 
 panther in the Bolarum Cantonments had killed and eaten 
 a cow, and had afterwards been marked down in some 
 adjacent rocks. All the leading sportsmen of the station 
 happened to be present. Colonel Nightingale of the 
 Contingent, and Captain Hazelrigg of my regiment being 
 regarded as representatives of the Indian and British armies 
 
62 PANTHERS. 
 
 respectively. It was agreed that two shikar elephants 
 should be sent for, and that the panther should be tackled 
 after the tiffin, by our respective doughty champions, the 
 remainder of the party being spectators, to learn how to do 
 the thing properly. Accordingly we all rode out to the 
 trysting-place near Bolarum, where the two elephants were 
 in readiness. Just as we arrived, a sowar* came galloping 
 up to report that, not only had he seen the panther in the 
 rocks, but that it had chased him across the plain, and it 
 was only his horse's fleetness that saved his life. He 
 added, that, on being foiled, the brute, had returned to his 
 lair in the rocks. On hearing this, the rival competitors, 
 thirsting for the fray, pushed their elephants forward, and 
 a race ensued. The colonel's elephant was the slower, and 
 his unfortunate mahout had a bad time from the stock of 
 his rifle, as Hazelrigg gradually surged ahead. Arriving 
 within fifty yards of the rocks, the panther was soon 
 descried on a ledge at the foot of a boulder, crouching, and 
 ready to spring. Hazelrigg being first up, fired at the 
 brute, but evidently missed, for it did not move. At this 
 moment Nightingale arrived and delivered his fire with 
 like result. More shots were fired by both, but the panther 
 took no notice and still remained crouching, till at length 
 a shot from Hazelrigg rolled it off the ledge. With a loud 
 shout of triumph, and amid tremendous applause from the 
 " gallery," he pushed his elephant up to the lifeless body, 
 but only to find that it was a skin stuffed with straw. The 
 spectators were at first perplexed, and finally convulsed with 
 laughter ; not so the principals, who swore that they would 
 have the originator " out " and shoot him ! But they 
 never discovered his identity — he was a gallant officer of a 
 corps not much given to practical joking, viz., the Eoyal 
 
 * Native trooper. 
 
PANTHERS. 63 
 
 Engineers. The most amusing part of the story is the 
 sowar's report of his escape, it is so like what a native 
 would state under the circumstances. 
 
 One morning I was out stalking spotted deer in a 
 bamboo jungle near Atticulpoora, in Southern Mysore, 
 when, on rounding a clump of canes, we saw a rival 
 sportsman in the form of a panther, who was evidently 
 bent on the same game, about seventy yards distant, on a 
 large rock, and scanning the jungle all around. My face 
 and body were shaded by a branch, through which I was 
 peeping, but, on stepping back to hold a council of war, he 
 must have seen my legs move, and have mistaken them for 
 a deer, for down he dropped stealthily to the ground, and 
 began to stalk me, creeping quickly along for about 
 ten yards at a time towards me, and then crouching behind 
 any available covert ; in this way he reached a large 
 bamboo, about forty yards distant. After anxiously 
 awaiting his reappearance for some minutes, I decided 
 to return the compliment by stalking him, but it was 
 in vain ; he must have discovered his mistake, and retired 
 unobserved, for the spot was vacated when examined 
 by me. The panther commences to eat the flank of any 
 animal he may have killed, thence extending his operations 
 to the stomach and entrails. He is a much bolder animal 
 than the tiger when in search of prey, being more 
 accustomed to the presence of man from his habit of 
 infesting village outskirts. He frequently enters them 
 at night to look for dogs or other domestic animals, and 
 will then even scratch through the roof of a hut to get at 
 his victims. 
 
 A good opportunity for a braining shot is more often 
 offered by a panther or leopard than by other animals 
 coming under the heading of big game, the nature of 
 
64 
 
 PANTHERS. 
 
 the sport being conducive to close quarters, among heaps 
 of boulders or large rocks, under which he is much given 
 to squatting, and where he may be approached to within 
 a few yards, care being taken to be out of reach of the 
 final spring, which usually follows the shot. The line 
 of his body will indicate the direction of this, and with a 
 shell or an express bullet, the aim need not necessarily be 
 ver}^ true, owing to the great expansion of the projectile 
 after impact or explosion. A side shot is the best position, 
 as the brain offers a larger surface ; if it is missed the shot 
 may smash the spine, and the final spring will be clear of 
 the sportsman. Nearly half my panthers and leopards 
 were obtained thus. The panther proper must, however, 
 be recognised on such occasions as the dangerous brute 
 that he really is, and his attack must be as carefully 
 conducted as if he were a tiger. 
 
 CHAKaE OF THE LOASHERA PANTHER. 
 
CHAPTRR VI. 
 THE TIGEE {Fells ti^risi). 
 
 Classification of — Taming cubs — Rani — Becomes dangerous — 
 Tiger at Poppinapett — Gara at Nowsanpully — Sit up all 
 night — A ghastly vigil — How the tiger feeds — Man-eaters 
 different — Tigers in Annamullay — Scarcity of man-eaters 
 — Cause of — The Poppinapett tigress — Destruction of 
 human life by — Unsuccessful beats — Pochapooram — Eluded 
 by man-eater — Her end — Preliminaries of shooting trip — 
 Shamantapoor — Tying-up baits — The soup-plate wallah — 
 Poulton's adventure — Servant bitten by snake — Close shave 
 with cobra — Shoot bears — Kowlass — Rajah's visit — Sambnr 
 — Bear's meat — Lingumpulli man-eater — Tigress and cubs — 
 Man-eater kills buffalo — Kola Baloo — Close quarters with 
 man-eater — Beernecks — Tiger's fat — Posting of guns — 
 Firing during beat. 
 
 Man-eaters being merely ordinary tigers that from 
 force of circumstances, or inclination, have developed a 
 taste for human flesh, should not be regarded as distinct 
 from the rest of their species. Adopting, therefore, the 
 usual classification, tigers may be divided into game-killers 
 and cattle-lifters — the former are light active brutes, in 
 good condition, and as hard as nails, and are usually to be 
 found in wooded country, vi^here game is plentiful on 
 which they subsist ; the latter is of a heavier type in every 
 way, frequenting more thickly inhabited districts, where 
 he levies toll on the villagers' flocks and herds — and when 
 these are driven away to fresh pastures, he accompanies 
 them on their travels, keeping touch of them the whole 
 
66 TIGERS. 
 
 year round. If pigs or deer come in his way, he will vary 
 his beef diet with pork or venison, hut he is a compara- 
 tively clumsy beast, and the exertion of hunting these wild 
 animals neither suits his physique nor his inclination. 
 
 A good sized cattle-lifter will measure from nine to 
 nine and a half feet, from nose to tip of tail, and weigh 
 over thirty stone. Measurements should be made between 
 uprights, the contours of the body should not be followed, 
 but they (measurements) are bad criterions of size, for 
 many tigers of the cattle-lifter type have absurdly short 
 tails, and a small game-killer of a little over twenty stone 
 in weight, the possessor of a well-developed tail, may 
 equal in length a lusty cattle-lifter of over thirty stone, 
 that could kill and eat him. Tigresses are considerably 
 less in both weight and length, and I have on several 
 occasions won bets by backing seven feet nine inches 
 against the latter. 
 
 A tigress generally has but two cubs, occasionally 
 three. If caught when very young they can be trusted as 
 pets up to two years old, after that they cannot be relied 
 on, although not nearly so treacherous as panthers. The 
 great difficulty in rearing them is the liability of milk — 
 whether of cows or goats — to curdle after they have 
 swallowed it — which almost invariably kills them ; it 
 ought to be diluted with half its bulk of water, but even 
 then there is some risk. I was once staying with a friend 
 whose menagerie consisted of a nearly full-grown tigress 
 named Rani, a hunting leopard, and a bear, of which the 
 leopard was the least sociable, and the bear the most so, 
 in fact she was a regular nuisance, her attentions were so 
 marked and unremitting. She would not remain quiet for 
 five minutes, being always solicitous for caresses. She 
 had been very badly brought up, having been for more 
 
TIGER8. 67 
 
 than a year chained to a tamarind tree, and regularly 
 
 baited by all the curs in the neighbourhood, but this 
 
 rough treatment did not seem to have any lasting effect on 
 
 her temper for she subsequently became too affectionate. 
 
 The tigress occasionally broke her chain and would then 
 
 always make for the bungalow, emitting a rough kind of 
 
 purring noise, and intensely pleased. The first time she 
 
 visits me in this way, her approach was heralded by the 
 
 noise of the broken chain and the loud purring. I was 
 
 writing a letter when she entered the room, and began 
 
 to push herself against my chair in the way a cat does 
 
 when pleased, nearly sending me flying on to the floor ; 
 
 but a few rough words caused her to cease, and she 
 
 lay quietly down by my side. All the natives had bolted 
 
 on the first alarm except the syce's wife, a very plucky 
 
 woman, who followed the tigress, and, on my calling, 
 
 entered the room, caught the end of the chain, and walked 
 
 off followed by Rani, exactly as if she was a big cat ; she 
 
 was then secured without further trouble. 
 
 Bam never showed bad temper except when feeding, 
 
 when nobody dare approach her ; on these occasions she 
 
 would lie in a comer watching the food, which was 
 
 generally cooked goat's flesh, and if anybody came near 
 
 she would spring forward, growling savagely, to the full 
 
 extent of the chain, which luckily never gave way in these 
 
 rather critical circumstances. One day, wrapping myseK in a 
 
 tiger skin, I went to see her ; much to my surprise, instead 
 
 of being delighted she became perfectly paralysed with fear, 
 
 and rushed into a comer, trembling all over. Soon after 
 
 this she again broke her chain, and, seeing a cow belonging 
 
 to a bheestie (water-carrier) in the compound, stalked and 
 
 killed it, being recaptured and chained with difficulty. 
 
 Her disposition completely changed shortly afterwards, and 
 
 F 2 
 
68 TIGERS. 
 
 it became evident she could no longer be trusted, so her 
 ultimate destination was the Dewan's zoological gardens at 
 .Hyderabad, to which place also the bear was consigned. 
 The first tiger I ever saw in the jungle, was at Nowsan- 
 puUy in June, 1868, where a brother officer and I were 
 encamped for several days, having tied up young buffaloes 
 at all the likely places between that village and Poppina- 
 pett, a few miles distant. This district was the favourite 
 resort of a tigress, which was far too cunning to kill our 
 ties, although she was in the habit of inspecting them, as 
 was proved by her tracks. After waiting in vain for 
 several days for a gara (kill) we decided to have a chance 
 beat, as our patience was exhausted. Although she 
 eventually became a notorious man-eater, her victims up 
 to that time had only amounted to two cattle herds, one of 
 whom had ventured to peep into a cave where she was 
 imfortunately at home, whereupon she sprang out and 
 killed him ; the other man was walking through the 
 jungle, when the brute appeared and killed him without 
 any provocation, but in neither case did she eat the bodies. 
 
 I well remember being posted on the ground in front of 
 the above mentioned cave that day, and making schemes for 
 my defence in case the enemy appeared. A small bush 
 screened me in front ; there were two avenues of approach 
 from the jungle, one on each side, and an open space, about 
 twenty yards broad, between the bush and the edge of the 
 jungle. I decided to fire at the head directly it appeared 
 (which it luckily did not) — there was no other alternative. 
 
 Our camp at Nowsanpully lay close to a range of rocky 
 hills interspersed with scrub jungle, about two miles long 
 and one broad, a very tigerish-looking spot, and connected 
 with some similar ground a koss (two miles) distant, by 
 straggling patches of scrub jungle and rocks at intervals. 
 
TIGERS. 69 
 
 We used to go out in the mornings after bears, and fish 
 during the day in a deep bowrie (well) close to our tents, 
 which were pitched under some mango trees. The haylas 
 (young buffaloes) were tied up some distance off, so there 
 was nothing to prevent our shooting small game near 
 camp. On the morning of the 4th June I had shot a bear, 
 and had also made an unsuccessful rush to intercept a tiger 
 (as already described under the heading of " bears "), and 
 the following day went out to look for some partridges for 
 the pot. About 11 a.m., on my way back to camp, the 
 shikari came running up to report that the tiger had killed 
 a bail (ox), and was eating it within a short distance of the 
 village. My friend and I were soon on the spot, and 
 found that, in the interim, the tiger had dragged the gara 
 under a big rock, towards which we advanced, on the look 
 out for squalls. We had just sighted the head of the bail 
 when we were suddenly stopped by two deep gi'owls, and 
 the tiger moved slowly away, as could be seen by the 
 bushes and grass shaking, as she brushed through them ; 
 we jumped up on the adjacent rocks, but could not get a 
 glimpse of the brute. After inspecting the gara, which 
 bore the marks of teeth and claws in the neck near the 
 shoulder, and of which part of the buttocks had been eaten, 
 we decided to sit up over the kill that night. It was 
 bright moonlight, and we watched in vain till about 
 1 o'clock a.m., when the moon became obscured by clouds, 
 and the tiger returned and had a hearty meal within 
 ten yards of the rock on which we were seated. We could 
 hear the crunching of the bones, but never a sight of her 
 did we get ; if we had done so, it might have been the 
 means of saving the lives of more than one hundred 
 natives which were subsequently killed and eaten by her. 
 During the tiger's repast a heavy shower of rain came on. 
 
70 TIGERS. 
 
 but when the moon reappeared she was gone, and, although 
 we sat there till 9 a.m. it was in vain. This experience 
 of sitting up over a kill, was only once repeated by me, 
 over the remains of a woman which had been killed by 
 the same tiger near Sunkerrumpett, three years after the 
 above occurrence, but it was a ghastly vigil, and, getting 
 sick of the business after a couple of hours' watch, I 
 returned to camp, keeping an uncommonly sharp look- 
 out over my shoulder ; the moon was shining brightly, 
 but it was an uncomfortable experience in every sense of 
 the word. The tiger almost always commences its meal 
 at the lower part of its victim's thigh, whether animal 
 or human being, but in the latter case it sometimes begins 
 at the feet, and devours the legs as far as the knees. 
 A man-eater seldom returns to its kill ; they are much too 
 cunning to do so ; moreover, in the case of a human being, 
 there is little or nothing left for a second visit. 
 
 They are furnished indifferently from both types of 
 tiger, and are as a rule tigresses, which probably contract 
 the habit when hampered by their cubs, and obliged to 
 kill something for them. In the Annamullays, tiger tracks 
 were visible in many places, but the animals themselves 
 were seldom seem. The Carders predicted that the 
 carcases of the bison I had shot, would soon attract them to 
 Perrincudavoo, where I was encamped at one time ; and at 
 four o'clock next morning their prophecy was fulfilled by a 
 tiger patrolling round the camp, and roaring at intervals, 
 but it was too dark to see him in the dense shadows of the 
 forest trees. The only recorded case of a man-eater in 
 those hills was at this spot, where some years previous a 
 tiger had earned off several Carders, but it was eventually 
 shot by Vyapoori Moopen,* after killing a pony and gorg- 
 * Cbief of the tribe. 
 
TIGERS. 71 
 
 ing itself with flesh to such an extent, that it lay up in the 
 jungle close to the \dUage. These tigers had plenty of 
 game to subsist on, and there was no excuse for their 
 becoming man-eaters, nor were the natives in any fear of 
 them. In March, 1871, having joined my friends Manley 
 and Poulton at Secunderabad, we marched northward for 
 Kowlass, and on arrival at Sunkerrumpett, determined to 
 devote some days to the pursuit of the Poppinapett tigress, 
 which had, as already stated, developed into an accomplished 
 and sanguinary man-eater. Her iniquities had roused the 
 whole district, it being reported that she had killed and 
 eaten over one hundred human beings. But, this being 
 the ordinary reputation of every man-eater in those parts, 
 it cannot be implicitly relied on. Its hunting grounds 
 stretched over a large tract of country, from a few miles 
 south of Sunkerrumpett, to NowsanpuUy (nearly twelve 
 miles to the east as the crow flies), and extending north- 
 wards, some twenty -five miles along the Kowlass-Sunker- 
 rumpett road. On the 3rd March it had kiUed a woman, 
 towards Jogiepett — to the south of Sunkerrumpett — its 
 previous victim near the same place being a man who had 
 been killed a week before. Like all man-eaters it 
 had left that district after killing, and had, in the 
 interim favoured Nagadurra, a village seventeen 
 miles off, with a visit. The country near Jogiepett 
 was covered with cholum (millet) fields, but having recon- 
 noitred it, we came to the conclusion that it would be 
 useless and impossible to arrange a beat there. Two days 
 after this she killed a man and a woman near Sunker- 
 rumpett, in the direction of Nagadurra. She was accom- 
 panied by two cubs, which were receiving a nice lesson 
 from their mother. Our haylas (young buffaloes), to the 
 number of twenty-three, were tied up at all the likely 
 
72 TIGER8, 
 
 places near water, within a radius of six miles, but as slie 
 would not touch any of them, we beat all her favourite 
 haunts for two consecutive days on the chance of finding 
 her, as we reasoned that the presence of her cubs would 
 impede her, and induce her to lie up in such places. All 
 this being in vain, we marched to Nagadurra, and as no 
 garas were reported, had two days' casual beating there, 
 but no tiger appeared, although this was one of her usual 
 halting places on the way from Sunkerrumpett ; when she 
 temporarily left that area, for fresh scenes of blood in 
 the northern parts of her domain. On the afternoon of 
 the second day we found three bears in a pile of rocks, and 
 had a merry hour baiting them with fireworks, but could 
 only get one to bolt, which came out within a yard of me, 
 and was promptly shot by Manley. Next day, at Pocha- 
 pooram, we beat a long stretch of scrub jungle and rocks, 
 the. reputed resort of the man-eater, only turning out some 
 bears and pigs, but on the return journey to camp we were 
 requested by the inhabitants of a village to beat an 
 adjacent patch of rocky ground, where they stated the tigress 
 had killed a woman not half an hour before we arrived. It 
 was an isolated patch of scrub jungle and rocks, about two 
 acres in extent, situated in open ground within three 
 hundred yards of the village, and fully six hundred yards 
 from the jungle we had been beating, which was the 
 nearest covert. Placing stops, whose guns were loaded 
 with blank cartridge, out in the open ground in this 
 direction, to head the tiger back if it attempted to break 
 there, we took up posts on suitable rocks, having 
 directed the beaters to advance from the village end of 
 the patch very slowly towards us, and to use plenty of 
 rockets to clear the way. These orders were carried out 
 to the letter, but the beat was a blank one; they were then 
 
TIGERS. 73 
 
 ordered to beat it over again, but with like result, finally 
 we (the guns) searched every foot of it with the shikaries, 
 but no traces of the brute could be found, she must have 
 sneaked away on our approach, but how she could have 
 done this without being seen, was a problem we were 
 unable to solve. The natives explained that the tigress 
 had been seen to strike the woman down, and that about 
 twenty of them had proceeded together to the spot, 
 beating tom-toms (wdiich we had heard), whereupon, 
 having drank the blood, the brute moved into the 
 rocky patch, not having had time to eat the body, 
 which was then carried to the village. This was our 
 last day in pursuit of this scourge, as our time was 
 limited, and we had much ground before us. I never 
 heard more about her until nine years afterwards, at 
 Secunderabad, when inquiries resulted in news that she 
 had been shot by a Pathan from Hyderabad, but I could 
 not ascertain the details. At the commencement of the 
 hot weather about the middle of March, one or more 
 shooting parties annually left Secunderabad for the jungle 
 lying northwards towards the Eiver Godavery. There was 
 room for the operation of three parties in that zone of 
 country, without interfering with each other's spoi-t. The 
 mode of procedure was as follows : About Christmas time 
 the representatives of each party having met and agreed 
 upon their respective theatres of sport, their shikaries were 
 despatched to the different villages to obtain news of the 
 big game in the vicinity ; they returned before the end 
 of February bringing certificates from the head men of the 
 various villages, stating the numbers of tigers, bears, and 
 panthers supposed to exist in the neighbouring jungles. 
 
 The chief of each party then called its members 
 together, and the plan of campaign was duly arranged. 
 
74 TIGERS. 
 
 Pack bullocks having been engaged — or bullock cart8 
 if the country was easy, and well provided with roads — 
 and supplies packed, the convoy was started off under 
 charge of a dependable man, with orders to be at a certain 
 village, generally about fifty miles out, on the day the 
 sahibs leave commenced. We usually had horses posted 
 and covered this distance at one stretch. 
 
 A " takeed" or " purwana " * was always furnished on 
 application to the Dewan at Hyderabad ; it was merely 
 an injunction signed by his order, to the effect that 
 the head men of villages and other officials were held 
 responsible, that supplies of all kinds, coolies, &c., which 
 might be required by the sahibs were supplied to them. 
 Without this, nothing could be obtained, and even with 
 it we had occasional difficulty with some of the local 
 grandees, who did not wish to admit any authority superior 
 to their own. We were also furnished with two elephants 
 whenever the Mahommedan feast of the Muharram had 
 been celebrated at Hyderabad. These animals were most 
 useful for transport purposes, and added to the prestige 
 of the party, but with few exceptions were not staunch 
 enough for shikar purposes. 
 
 After all the kindness evinced by His Highness the 
 Nizam, it used to go against the grain to claim the State 
 rewards for the tigers, panthers, bears, and hyaenas, that were 
 shot during these trips ; but, as all this prize money went 
 to the shikaries, in addition to their ordinary wages, we 
 hardened our hearts and did violence to our feelings by 
 signing the claims, which were invariably paid without 
 
 * We were informed that a separate takeed would be 
 necessary to enter the territory of Vikar-ool-Oomrah — a 
 tributary chief, who resided at Hyderabad, and owned many 
 taluqs (parishes) in that state. 
 
TIGERS. 75 
 
 comment. Tlie rewards were as follows : — Tigers, twenty 
 Halli Sicca rupees (Hyderabad currency) ; bears, hysenas, 
 and wolves, five each ; and panthers, ten. A few 
 days later we arrived at Shamantapoor and pitched our 
 camp close to a large wooded nullah where our buffaloes 
 were tied up. The head shikari requested that one of us 
 should accompany him when he visited these in the morn- 
 ings and evenings, stating that a " very depraved " tiger 
 was in this jimgle, almost as bad as the Poppinapett fiend. 
 
 Accordingly I went out with him that afternoon, and 
 had not gone 300 yards before we encountered two bears 
 in the aforesaid nullah, which were allowed to go 
 unmolested, lest the shots should scare away the tiger 
 whose pugs were in every sandy nullah — ^huge ones they 
 were too ; in fact, so large that we nicknamed him the 
 *' soup plate wallah," as they were supposed to be equal 
 to that utensil in size. The haylas were usually tied near 
 water, in places where it was expected the . tiger would 
 come to drink, and as he generally walks along roads 
 or tracks in the night, the meeting of several of these 
 was always a favourite spot for a tie. When visited, they 
 were always foddered and watered. To secure the animal 
 the foot was firmly tied to a stake driven into the ground, 
 or to a bush. If tied by the head, the poor beast was liable 
 to be strangled in its efforts to escape if the tiger approached 
 it, which he often did without any intention of killing, and 
 on several occasions he had evidently been playing with 
 them, as was plainly visible by the tracks. The feelings 
 of the unlucky hayla under these circumstances can be 
 more easily imagined than described. 
 
 The next day Poulton visited the buffaloes accompanied 
 by the shikari and bail coolies carrying fodder. There was 
 no kill, but during his afternoon round, the tiger walked 
 
76 TIGERS. 
 
 past within twenty yards of him in a shady part of the 
 nullah. He was armed with a light sporting Snider rifle, 
 loaded with very sensitive shells, which not unfrequently 
 burst on the skin on impact, and he therefore did not fire. 
 We visited the spot, which gave no advantage of height 
 or cover to the firer, and unanimously decided that he 
 had acted wisely ; with a more dependable rifle, however, 
 the case would have been entirely different. It was 
 marvellous how he had escaped being seen by the brute, for 
 the tree he was standing by was not more than six inches 
 in diameter, and there was no intervening long grass or 
 other covert to screen him. While here, one of the 
 servants was badly bitten by a krait — a very poisonous 
 snake — as he was lifting a gun-case in the tent. In order 
 to protect the leather from white ants, this had been placed 
 on four stones, in the customary way, and the reptile had 
 taken refuge underneath, remaining there until I killed it 
 with a stick — it was not much over one foot in length. 
 The wound was cauterised, and ammonia administered 
 internally and externally ; we then took the man outside 
 and kept him running between two horsekeepers at intervals 
 of a few minutes for over an hour, giving him nips of 
 brandy now and then. He had got over the drowsy state 
 by the end of that time. Half an hour afterwards we went to 
 see how he was getting on, and found the servants had pro- 
 cured a native, who had the reputation of being able to charm 
 away the effects of snake-bite. This man was hard at work 
 waving a branch of neem tree (something like our ash) and 
 muttering incantations. He recovered completely in the 
 course of six hours, and no doubt the charmer got the 
 credit of the cure. 
 
 Next morning we marched four miles to Kowlass, and 
 had just pitched our camp on a slope near the old fort, 
 
TIGERS. 77 
 
 when a coolie brought news of a gara near Shamantapoor. 
 After breakfast we started back, and beat unsuccessfully all 
 day. I stepped over a cobra without seeing it, which 
 immediately rose and struck at my gun bearer, luckily 
 missing him, as he saw it just in time, and sprang into the 
 air. It had been lying in some short grass at the edge of 
 a dried up tank, and I was quite unconscious of what had 
 occurred, until the natives shouted " Samp " (snake), 
 " Khabardar, sahib" (take care, sir), when turning round 
 I saw the gunbearer in mid-air. Only two days previously 
 I had remarked to my shikari on passing this spot " All 
 the snakes for a mile round have probably collected here," 
 to which he replied " Be shak," i.e., " undoubtedly." 
 Bears having been reported to exist in the ruins of the old 
 fort close to camp, we went out early next morning, and 
 had hardly been posted, when two came in straight towards 
 Manley, who made a very pretty shot at the leader, killing 
 him stone dead ; the other broke through our line, recei\dng 
 leaden contributions from each rifle, but made good his 
 escape into the fort. After breakfast news came of another 
 kill at Shamantapoor, but the delinquent turned out to be 
 a panther. The town of Kowlass was situated on some 
 rising ground, about half a mile from the glacis of the fort 
 on which we were encamped, the intervening valley 
 affording us oar water supply. In the evening the Rajah 
 with his retinue came to pay us a visit, bringing the 
 customary presents of limes and sweetmeats. We were 
 quite ashamed of our jungle get-up and disreputable 
 appearance, when contrasted with his white linen, silken 
 garments, and neat attire ; but he was a nice gentlemanly 
 fellow, like most of his creed, and said, in reply to our 
 apologies, that he would have been surprised to see us 
 in any other garments when on a jungle expedition. 
 
78 TIGERS. 
 
 Poulton shot a fine sambur next morning, tlie venison 
 being very like beef in flavour and appearance, which was 
 a welcome change from the everlasting goat's flesh and 
 murghi (fowl). We had lately attempted to vary this 
 with some bear's meat, but the result was disastrous and 
 unexpected ; generally speaking it is wholesome food, but 
 on this occasion it proved quite the reverse. We missed 
 vegetables more than anything else — one always has a 
 great longing for them, which is seldom gratified in the 
 jungle — exposure to the sun seeming to cause distaste for 
 meat diet ; we had, however, plenty of potatoes and pickled 
 onions, and mainly from these, concocted an excellent salad 
 every night for dinner. The shikaries brought in news 
 after breakfast of a kill near LingumpuUi, a small village of 
 some half a dozen houses, about two koss off (four miles). 
 On arrival there we found but four beaters available, only 
 one house being inhabited by a decrepit old man and his 
 sons, who stated they were the sole occupants of the 
 village, all the others having run away or been killed by 
 the big tiger (soup-plate wallah). They declared that the 
 tigress did no harm, but that the " burra bagh " was a 
 " shaitan,"* and that if their old father could have been 
 moved from his hut they would have migrated elsewhere 
 with their friends. The shikaries, who had been scourinsr 
 the country for beaters directly they had heard of the gara, 
 soon arrived with about one hundred men. The scene of 
 operations was a thickly-wooded triangular valley of about 
 five acres in extent. From one corner a broad nullah — now 
 dry — ran towards Kowlass ; it was full of islands covered 
 with Indian beech, caroonda bushes, palas kino trees, and 
 long grass, and we were posted near its exit from the 
 valley. The hills, devoid of any covert but some straggling 
 * The big tiger was a devil. 
 
TIGERS. 79 
 
 bushes, rose abruptly all round, and the nullah appeared to 
 be the only spot a tiger would be Kkely to break from. It 
 was a very tigerish-looking spot ; many of the soft-barked 
 trees were scored to a height of seven or eight feet, 
 by their habit of springing up and drawing their claws 
 through the bark to sharpen or clean them, and we found 
 that the cubs had been at the same game too ; the marks 
 were quite fresh, so we attributed the gara to the tigress. 
 Immediately the beat commenced, the tigress and cubs 
 were started, and broke away over a steep and bare hill 
 three hundred yards to our right, passing between the stops, 
 who were too far apart to head them, and whose rattles, 
 though vigorously used, were of no effect. 
 
 Our syces had been left with the horses some distance 
 off in rear, and at the end of the beat came running up to 
 say they had just seen the big tiger killing one of our 
 buffaloes, not a quarter of a mile off, on the bank of the 
 large nullah we were then posted on, and that not a minute 
 had elapsed since they saw it drinking the blood of its 
 victim. We forthwith advanced shoulder to shoulder to 
 the gara, which was still quivering when we arrived. It 
 was too late in the day to arrange a beat, so, hastily 
 deciding to sit up close by, as the tiger was evidently 
 within a few yards of us in the nullah, w^e mounted some 
 of the adjacent trees, forming a semi-circle round the kill, 
 the base of which was the nullah. Presently an old bear 
 came slowly along, sniffing about the roots of the trees 
 within twenty yards, but of course was not fired at. A 
 " Kola baloo " * then crept out of the nullah in a cautious 
 and scared way ; looking suspiciously all round. He 
 approached the carcase, and, after smelling it, rushed 
 
 * ''Tiger's provider/^ a jackal that attaches himself to a 
 tiger, and acts as scout for him. 
 
80 TIGERS. 
 
 quickly back into the nullah ; this performance was repeated 
 several times, and no doubt he was the tiger's companion, 
 and told him that things were not quite right ; at 
 all events, after waiting until it was too dark to see 
 the buffalo's carcase, I whistled to my companions, this 
 being the signal to descend. They were within forty and 
 sixty yards respectively of my post, and, of course, in 
 separate trees. Giving my rifle to Baliyah, I slid down 
 the stem to the ground, and there, wdthin five yards, was 
 the tiger on the edge of the nullah, looking gigantic in the 
 gloom ! I kept my eyes on him, not daring to move, 
 and said in a firm voice to Baliyah, " Bandook jaldi do " 
 (Give the gun quickly), but he could not reach my hand 
 with the butt. I then said, " Pukaro " (shout) ; he guessed 
 what was the matter, and together we yelled in such a 
 fashion that the brute, being scandalised, retired into the 
 nullah. The tiger kept sniffing me at first, being, 
 probably, equally surprised at my sudden appearance ; and 
 quite twenty seconds must have elapsed from the time 
 of my descent until he retired. It is well on such occa- 
 sions to let tigers know that there are other men about, 
 and that they have not a solitary individual to tackle ; 
 even a man-eater recoils from attacking several men in 
 a group ; but, if hungry, it will often carry off the last 
 man of the batch as they hurry along the haunted road. 
 
 Two small isolated bones are found in the shoulders of 
 a tiger, named beernecks, which are greatly valued by the 
 natives as charms, and which — as well as the whiskers — 
 will assuredly be stolen, unless the sahib looks after them 
 himself. They are unconnected with any other bone, 
 being embedded in a mass of muscle, to which they 
 probably act as supports or fulcra. The fat, too, is another 
 product of the tiger, to which great value is attached, it 
 
A TWILIGHT ADVENTURE, 
 
TIGERS. 81 
 
 being an excellent cure for rheumatism, to wMch I can 
 personally testify. It should be melted in a saucepan and 
 poured into bottles, which must be well corked and sealed. 
 This will assuredly disappear even more rapidly than 
 the whiskers and beernecks if not watched ; indeed, I have 
 never been able to secure more than ten soda-water 
 bottles full from the fattest tiger, i.e., not half the crop 
 which ought to have been yielded by him. 
 
 The tiger being gifted with a far keener nose than he 
 usually gets credit for, the guns should be posted to 
 leeward whenever possible, the beaters commencing 
 up-wind, this course being subject to local, and perhaps 
 more important, considerations, which alone can be 
 determined on the spot. 
 
 During the burning days, when this sport is best 
 followed, there is often but httle, if any, breeze, and, in 
 any case, the height at which the guns are usually posted 
 above the ground diminishes the chance of the tiger 
 getting their wind, always provided that there is no rising 
 ground in front and within range, in passing over which 
 he might be on the same level as the sportsmen. 
 
 It is not customary to fire at other animals that may . 
 appear when beating for a tiger, but all the same it is 
 frequently done without detriment to the sport, and at 
 the worst would probably only turn him to another gun. 
 When he is marked into a restricted area, such as a small 
 nullah or patch of jungle, where seeing him is a certainty, 
 it is always understood by the sportsmen that their fire 
 is to be reserved for his exclusive benefit. 
 
CHAPTER YII. 
 THE TIGEE {Felis tigris). 
 
 Kills followed by blank beats — Reason for this — Smoothing 
 tracks — The Poopul nullah day — Poulton's bear — Shimoga 
 — Kills_, but no tiger — Tigers in a temple — Brinjarries — -Pig 
 sticking' — Bokur — Soamtanah — Scientific beat — Tiger shot 
 — Absurd stampede — Shikari killed by tiger— Golamorra — 
 Gara — All miss tiger — Unpleasant predicament — Heights 
 jumped by tiger — Death of an ofiicer and his shikari — The 
 tiger killed — Panthers good climbers — Aiming from trees — 
 Major Fergusson's tiger — Apparowpett — Red ants — Fire at 
 tiger — Yellow bees — Fire at bogus tiger — Tiger found dead 
 — Captain Preston's accident — Makmudpully — Manley's 
 adventure — Tigress shot — Serenade by her admirers — 
 Tigers fond of putrid meat — A lawyer's shooting party. 
 
 One of the peculiarities of big game shooting is the fact, 
 that although the particular jungle in which you are 
 located may be full of the tracks of tigers, and of other kinds 
 of big game, days of arduous work in the sun may elapse, 
 without a shot being obtained by any of the party. Some- 
 times this is due to want of co-operation with the local 
 shikaries, or of jealousy on the part of your own shikari, 
 who may ignore the suggestions of the village men, whom 
 he regards as clowns. Even in jungles where tigers are 
 killing the tied-up animals almost nightly, it not 
 unfrequently happens that the sportsmen are unable to 
 find them, although they may beat day after day over the 
 kills, and in the most likely places in the neighbourhood. 
 In such cases the tiger either travels to some distant 
 
TIGERS. 83 
 
 retreat, perhaps several miles off, or lies up in some 
 secluded spot near at hand, which he has discovered hy 
 experience is secure from molestation — such as an isolated 
 rock, clump of bushes, or patch of long grass, which has 
 escaped the hunter's eye. When visiting the tied-up 
 animals the shikaries always trail leafy branches along the 
 sandy tracks in the jungle, as they walk through it ; this 
 obliterates any stale footmarks, and, if a kill occurs, often 
 shows the course taken by the tiger after his meal, by 
 which means he may be " ringed," or marked into a 
 certain limited space, such as a nullah, isolated hill, or 
 other restricted area of jungle. There are many tracts of 
 country, however, where the ground is too hard and rocky 
 to afford the shikaries any help in this way, and all that 
 can then be done, is to beat the most likely places on 
 chance. This was the case at Kowlass ; we had two kills 
 for two days in succession, after my evening rencontre as 
 related in the last chapter, followed by many unsuccessful 
 beats, and the shikaries declared it would be useless to 
 waste more time there, as the tigers were "chors" (rogues). 
 We accordingly decided to wait one day longer, and to 
 commence by having a turn at bears in the early morning, 
 at a place remote from our ties, named the Poopul nullah, 
 which was five miles distant from camp. 
 
 Being without watches, we relied on the stars, and 
 got up about 1 a.m., imagining it to be four o'clock. 
 On arrival at our ground it was still quite dark, so we all 
 lay down to sleep, pretty close together, as the man-eater 
 was in the vicinity. After dozing for about two hours I 
 arose, and caught Poulton by the foot, to awaken him, 
 whereupon he started up, clutching his rifle, exclaiming 
 " Oh! my God, has it come to this." He had been dream- 
 ing of the tiger, and imagined he was in his clutches I 
 
 G 2 
 
84 TIGERS. 
 
 He shot a fine male bear soon afterwards, which shammed 
 death, and very nearly scragged him. There were no kills 
 reported that morning, and next day we marched north- 
 wards. It is most disappointing having to leave a place 
 where tigers are killing regularly, on account of being 
 unable to find them. During the preceding hot weather 
 (1870) my headquarters for ten days had been established 
 at Shimoga, in Western Mysore — a place in those days, 
 famous for big game of all sorts, from elephants down- 
 wards. Colonel Hay, the Deputy Commissioner, had not 
 only placed his house at my disposal (he being out in the 
 district), but had also arranged for immediate news being 
 sent me of any tigers in the neighbourhood. Day after 
 day kubbur (news) being brought in of kills, I proceeded 
 to beat a series of most inviting looking nullahs, full of 
 nooks, shaded by caroonda, jamun, and other evergreens, in 
 the vicinity of the villages (Davidacoop and Moodina- 
 coop) where the tigers had killed, but all in vain, for not 
 a tiger was ever seen by anybody on these occasions. 
 
 One morning a bail had actually been killed between 
 rows of houses inside the village of Moodinacoop, and a 
 few days later four were killed within half a mile of the 
 same place. On two occasions we carried the pugs to the 
 foot of a bare conical hill, about 150 feet high, which was 
 crowned by a small Hindoo temple, about the size of a 
 summer-house. Beyond the hill was flat, open country, 
 devoid of covert, and we were completely foiled by this 
 tiger. A fortnight after leaving Shimoga a friend wrote 
 to me that, a native having seen the tiger enter the temple 
 one morning, news of it was despatched to Shimoga, and 
 Mr. Dobbs, a well-known sportsman in those parts, on 
 proceeding there found a tigress and two cubs in possession 
 of the shrine, and shot the lot without much difficulty. 
 
TIGERS. 85 
 
 Our march, on leaving Kowlass, lay through a maidan (flat 
 country) for several days, where we had some sport with 
 small game and antelope, and a day's rather unsuccessful 
 pig sticking near a village named Eampoor, where a tribe 
 of Brinjarries (gipsies*) brought their dogs to beat a thick 
 send-bund, in which a sounder had taken refuge, but we 
 could not induce them to face the open country, and only 
 had a few short gallops, which were ended by the pigs 
 regaining the covert. On reaching Bokur we had good 
 sport with panthers and bears, some of the episodes of 
 which have been already related. One morning news 
 arrived of a gara in the Soamtannah valley. Beaters 
 having been sent for, we duly proceeded there, and were 
 posted across a shady nullah, Manley on the left, Poulton 
 on the bank of the nullah in the centre, and I on the right 
 on some rising ground. In the first beat two tigers 
 appeared ; one went down the nullah towards Poulton, the 
 other kept towards the left flank, heading straight for 
 Manley's post. He, however, could not resist firing when 
 the brute was some forty yards off, moving through some 
 fairly open jungle, and missed him. The tiger then dashed 
 towards the nullah, and passed under Poulton's tree, who 
 fired both barrels, with similar result. Almost at the same 
 instant the other tiger — which had approached unseen 
 down the nullah — also passed under Poulton, who used his 
 second rifle, but again without effect. 
 
 The first tiger then emerged from the nullah, about 
 fifty yards behind Poulton, and I fired at him when he 
 was some 120 yards off, and also missed him. Poulton 
 saw this bullet strike the bank of the nullah, just over the 
 back of tiger No. 2, within a few inches of it, and thought, 
 of course, I had fired at him, but he was invisible from my 
 *l ^ * Itinerant grain vendors. 
 
86 TIGER8. 
 
 post. A little less elevation miglit have resulted in 
 
 stringing the pair ! The next beat — a short one — was 
 
 blank ; we then had tiffin in the nullah, and each man 
 
 endeavoured ineffectually to explain away his bad shooting, 
 
 one and all vowing they would not let the next chance 
 
 slip. The beaters were then sent by a circuituous 
 
 route to the lower end of the valley to bring it back 
 
 towards us. They were divided into three parties, a 
 
 central one of about seventy men, and two wings of forty 
 
 men each. Both tigers were again soon on foot, and made 
 
 several attempts to break back through the beaters. One 
 
 succeeded in doing so, but the other was gradually pushed 
 
 forward to us, the beaters being admirably handled, and 
 
 all attempts to turn their flanks being defeated by an 
 
 advance of the threatened wing, the remainder of the line 
 
 moving towards that flank in file. Eventually the brute was 
 
 bowled over by Poulton as she lobbed past his post, the 
 
 bullet striking her spine and paralysing her on the spot. 
 
 We descended from our trees and approached her to within 
 
 ten yards with the intention of going still closer, but she 
 
 looked so fiendish, that discretion gained the day, and a 
 
 bullet through the brain put her out of misery. She was 
 
 7f feet long and beautifully marked. Regardless of ticks 
 
 we then proceeded to sit on the carcase and, to have 
 
 a drink of triumph, but our united weight was too much 
 
 for her interior economy, and a sepulchral rumbling was 
 
 heard underneath us, when a most ridiculous stampede 
 
 ensued. Rushing for our rifles, we fell head over heels, the 
 
 natives swarmed up the trees, utter confusion prevailed for 
 
 a few moments, but as the tigress remained unmoved the 
 
 real state of affairs was soon recognised. Some of the 
 
 beaters bolted to their village two miles distant, and gave 
 
 out that the sahibs had all been eaten by a demon in tiger 
 
TIGERS. 87' 
 
 form, which pretended to be dead in order to seize them 
 without trouble. 
 
 This led to subsequent difficulty in getting beaters. 
 During the eight days we were at Bokur we also got 
 thirteen bears and four panthers, and then proceeded tO' 
 Pota in the Nandair district, meeting some pigs and bears 
 there. We here made the acquaintance of Major Havelock,. 
 of the Nizam's Infantry, who had come from Hingolee to 
 accomplish the death of a tiger that had killed his 
 shikari under the following circumstances : They were 
 beating one day near Golamorra, the shikari being utilised 
 as a stop, with orders to fire at the tiger if necessary, and, 
 as it attempted to break in his direction, he fired at and 
 wounded it slightly. It then entered a thick patch of 
 jungle, and Havelock, with the shikari, pushed on ahead 
 to intercept it. The shikari was carrying a light ten 
 foot bamboo ladder to enable his master to get up trees 
 with facility. This he adjusted to a selected tree, and 
 Havelock was in the act of mounting, the shikari holding 
 the foot of the ladder, when he heard the growl of a 
 tiger, and, looking round, beheld the unfortunate man in 
 its clutches on the ground within a few feet of him. 
 The rifles were also on the ground, and he was obliged to 
 witness the tragedy that followed without being able 
 to render any help. The poor fellow expired almost 
 immediately, and Havelock, failing to find the tiger 
 again, returned to cantonments. When we met him he 
 was marching towards Golamorra with the intention 
 of again searching for the tiger, but as we were the 
 first on the ground, the choice of it lay with us 
 according to the unwritten law of the jungle, and he 
 was consequently obliged to entrust us with the mission of 
 retribution. 
 
88 TIGERS. 
 
 We promised to let him know the result of our endea- 
 vours, and a fortnight afterwards, at Golamorra, news was 
 brought into camp one morning, that a buffalo had been 
 killed in a send-bund two miles distant, which was one of 
 the tiger's favourite haunts. There was a large tank close 
 by, where he was in the habit of drinking, the jungles all 
 round abounded with nilghai, cheetul, sambur, and pig ; 
 but in spite of all this luxury, his reputation was an evil 
 one, the natives alleging that, although not a professed 
 man-eater, he varied his bill of fare about once a month 
 with a human being, his last victim being a toddy man, 
 who was killed and eaten in the very tope we were going 
 to beat. His realms extended as far as Paradi, some ten 
 miles off ; the intervening country swarmed with game, 
 especially nilghai and pig, so there was no excuse for his 
 penchant for human flesh. Beaters having been procured 
 with some difficulty, as it was a jungly district containing 
 but a few small villages far apart, we proceeded to the tope, 
 enlisting some Brinjarries as beaters on the way. The 
 grove was partly composed of date palms, and partly of 
 ordinary deciduous trees, such as mhowa, wood apple, kino, 
 and ailanthus, all now denuded of foliage ; with the 
 exception of a mango tope at one end. From a distance it 
 much resembled an ordinary English rectangular wood of 
 six acres in extent. We were posted in echelon, Manley 
 being on the left front, and I on the right in rear, some 
 sixty yards behind Poulton. The tiger soon appeared, 
 passing Manley at about thirty yards distance, and, on 
 being fired at by him, he charged straight under Poulton, 
 who also fired, causing him to swerve towards me. He came 
 crashing along through the undergrowth of stunted palms, 
 but I could not see him till he was almost underneath me, 
 and then missed him clean. He pulled up within thirty 
 
 I 
 
TIGERS. 89 
 
 yards, and trotted quietly towards me, eyeing me all the 
 time, and evidently calculating the chances of being able to 
 pull me off my perch. I could see all this performance by 
 looking over my right shoulder, but could not stir to bring 
 the rifle to bear on him, owing to my position on a branch. 
 Coming to the conclusion I was out of his reach (at 
 least sixteen feet above ground) he decamped, and we 
 tracked him for a mile towards the Apparowpett nullah, 
 about three miles off, but saw no more of him that day. 
 The author of "Shikar Sketches" (Mr. Moray Brown) 
 states that on a certain occasion he saw a tiger spring up a 
 tree, leaving the marks of its claws about fourteen feet 
 above the ground ; it is therefore certain that nobody can 
 be safe at a lower elevation, but in the Deccan one is seldom 
 higher than twelve feet, as an idea prevails that a tiger 
 cannot reach that height. I believe that without making 
 any spring a tiger can reach nine feet ; a glance at any tree 
 which has been used by them for sharpening their claws 
 vrill show seams in the bark that height, and a slight extra 
 exertion should add several feet to it. A great friend of 
 mine — a gallant officer of the 76th Regiment — met his 
 death by being pulled out of a tree by a tiger, although he 
 was posted some eighteen feet above the ground, the tree, 
 however, was an exceptional one, being soHtary and 
 almost branchless, with a gnarled trunk covered with knobs, 
 up which a tiger could easily climb ; in fact, it much 
 resembled a pollard willow. It happened near Tarcherla — 
 a small village on the banks of the Godavery — in a district 
 I had specially recommended him to try. The tiger — 
 towards the end of a long beat — came down a rocky slope 
 near the tree, which was in open ground near the foot of 
 the slope, my friend and his shikari, being perched on the 
 stump in a very conspicuous position. On being fired at 
 
90 TIGERS. 
 
 the tiger charged towards them, and, leaping up, clawed 
 the shikari to the ground, where he worried the unfortunate 
 man for some time before an opening for another shot was 
 given. Directly it was fired he ceased biting the shikari (who 
 was dead) and, although hard hit, again sprang up the tree 
 and dragged my poor friend to the ground. Here a 
 desperate struggle was being fought when a brother officer 
 came running up, but for some seconds he was unable to 
 fire without hitting his companion, who was lying on the 
 ground and pummelling the tiger about the head as it 
 attacked him. He soon, however, got an opportunity, and 
 shot the brute dead — but, alas ! too late to save the life of 
 his companion.* When posted in a tree, great difficulty 
 is often experienced in aiming at an animal passing to 
 the right — unless one can shoot from the left shoulder, an 
 accomplishment well worth the trouble of learning. To 
 some extent this may be guarded against by assuming a 
 special position to bring fire on the right or left flank, as 
 the case may be. The branches however may interfere 
 with this ; for instance, in the Golamorra wood I 
 was standing on a branch that was almost horizontal, 
 and to increase my stability was leaning forward against 
 an almost similar one, a few feet higher and to the front. 
 This position gave me command of all ground in front, 
 but no fire could be brought to bear on an animal any- 
 where in rear, nor could I turn round to do so. Major 
 Fergusson, of the Rifle Brigade, told me he got over this 
 difficulty in the case of his first tiger, which suddenly 
 appeared on his right rear, by holding on to a branch 
 with his left hand, and using his rifle pistol fashion with 
 
 * Cases of panthers acting in this way occur from time to 
 time, sometimes with fatal results ; but it is a far more active 
 animal than a tiger, and can climb like a cat. 
 
TIGERS. 91 
 
 the right. In case of a very easy shot this might do, but 
 the recoil of a 12 -bore, burning five drachms, which I 
 generally used, would be unpleasant, if not dangerous, 
 under the circumstances. 
 
 The morning after the Golamorra fiasco we proceeded 
 to beat the nullah towards which the tiger had been 
 tracked at Apparowpett. The main nullah was deep 
 and shady, and contained some pools of clear water at the 
 bends ; beyond it lay two smaller watercourses, both were 
 dry and ran parallel to the large nullah at intervals of 
 about forty yards. The beaters commenced before we 
 were posted, and we were hustled into our places, I being 
 on the centre nullah some sixty yards forward, and 
 Poulton and Manley to the right and left rear respectively 
 on the flank nullahs. I had just got seated in my tree — 
 a young and shady Indian beech — when a look-out man in 
 a high tree behind me began to whistle at inter\^als, 
 denoting that he saw the tiger. At the same instant I 
 was attacked by red ants. In view of the approaching tiger 
 it was inexpedient to descend, but the bites of the ants 
 were maddening, and after a few agonising seconds I had 
 to do so, remaining at the foot of the tree in its shade and 
 carefully scanning the ground in front, which was covered 
 here and there with patches of long yeUow gi-ass. The 
 look-out man continued to whistle, and then pointed 
 towards the big nullah ; but for a long time nothing could 
 be seen, until at length a movement about thirty yards to 
 the left caught my eye, and there w^as the tiger walking 
 slowly along nearly past my position. As the trigger was 
 pressed he seemed to stumble in the dust, and then 
 charged on without speaking in the direction of Manley, 
 who gave him both barrels and sang out that he had gone 
 on. The tracks were then followed up towards Manley's 
 
92 TIGERS. 
 
 post. The brute had entered the nullah, and jumped a pool 
 of water some eight feet in breadth. On seeing this it was 
 clear that he was not hard hit, for if badly wounded he 
 would probably have rushed through instead of jumping 
 over, the stream. Manley also reported that he had not 
 spoken to his shots, so we concluded he was missed, and, 
 leaving directions for the beaters to use plenty of rockets, 
 made a detour, and were again posted about half a mile 
 ahead. Instead of ants my tree this time contained a nest 
 of the small yellow tree bees, which are stingless, and I 
 accordingly helped myself to their honey. This they 
 resented by charging against my face and neck, causing 
 much annoyance ; to add to the discomfort the rockets 
 discharged by the beaters had set fire to the long 
 grass, and we were nearly stifled. Half blinded by 
 the smoke, and grilled by the intense heat of sun 
 and fire, I distinguished myself by firing at an imaginary 
 tiger — a log of yellow wood striped with the shadows 
 of the thick stems of coarse grass ; this concluded the 
 day's sport. Next morning the body of the tiger was 
 found in some long grass behind Manley's tree. Our 
 shots had all hit him, and any one of the lot would have 
 been fatal. My shot, a shell, had entered behind the near 
 shoulder and burst in the lungs ; in spite of this he had 
 jumped a nullah, received two more bullets ; and covered 
 150 yards of ground before he collapsed. We also found 
 the bullet which had been fired by Havelock's shikari — a 
 very small one, which had only penetrated a few inches 
 into the muscles of the shoulder. The tiger was one of 
 the short-tailed breed and very powerfully built, with an 
 immense skull, but the skin was completely destroyed by 
 the firing of the long grass. While here, rumours reached 
 us of a sahib having been killed by a tiger in the Mahoor 
 
TIGERS. 93 
 
 country, some thirty miles to the north ; but a few days 
 later intelligence arrived that he was not dead, but had been 
 badly mauled by a wounded tigress, which he was following 
 up when the brute suddenly sprang out of a nullah and 
 bit him severely. He (Captain Preston, of the Sherwood 
 Foresters) providentially recovered, which very few do who 
 have been in a tiger's clutches, the wounds, if not fatal on 
 the spot, generally resulting in pyaemia. Wounds either by 
 teeth or claws, should always be syringed with very dilute 
 carbolic acid (one part acid to thirty of w^ater), and cloths 
 or lint saturated with the solution should then be applied 
 to them. At a place named Makmudpully, we went out 
 one evening to watch for bears at some caves on rising 
 ground close to the camp. Poulton and I were first 
 posted, the shikari then taking Manley off through the 
 jungle to the far side of the ridge. Presently several 
 shots in quick succession came from his direction, and 
 imagining he had got into a scrape with some janwars 
 we ran to his assistance. On nearing his post we almost 
 stumbled over a dead tiger which he had just shot. He 
 explained that as they were ascending an adjacent small 
 hill — the shikari Baliyah leading — a tiger jumped out 
 within a yard of him from under a rock. He was canying 
 a 12 -bore gun, loaded with ball, and the right barrel sent 
 its projectile clean through the brute's heart at a range of 
 five yards. She rolled over kicking, whereupon Baliyah, 
 who was greatly excited, declared she was coming to life 
 again, and urged Manley to keep on firing to the tune of 
 six more shots, which, however, did not spoil the skin, the 
 first shot being the one that did all that was required. She 
 was a very handsome " royal," the stripes running round 
 the body without a break. During the night two tigers 
 were roaring — or " moaning " rather — round the camp 
 
94 TIGERS. 
 
 within a few hundred yards. Our bed cots had been placed 
 about a hundred yards off in an open space, in the moon- 
 light, but these nocturnal noises were not conducive to 
 sleep, so we had them shifted to safer quarters. The 
 shikaries said these were two male tigers who had been 
 paying their addresses to the tigress which had been shot. 
 They would not kill our ties, so we beat for them on 
 several occasions, but in vain. 
 
 This being Manley's first tiger we duly celebrated the 
 event, the shikaries getting a goat for curry and extra 
 arrack, while we drew on our stock of champagne, which 
 was only broached on tiger killing days. 
 
 This jungle consisted of a series of small rocky hills 
 full of caves and thickly covered with scrub jungle, not 
 of the usual deciduous kind, which is always bare of 
 foliage in the hot weather, but of evergreen shrubs — 
 caroonda, jaman, bair, and the like — which would render it 
 very difficult to see a tiger, while the features of the 
 ground made it highly improbable that beating would be 
 of any use. We therefore determined to sit up in case of 
 a kill, which, as above stated, did not occur. Such proce- 
 dure is allowable, and even advisable, in jungles akin to 
 this, but it is poor sport even if the tiger appears, which 
 he is most likely to do just about sunset. This plan may 
 also be adopted in the case of a "chor" (rogue) tiger, 
 which has been in the habit of absconding after killing, 
 and returning next evening to finish his repast. Tigers 
 are undoubtedly fond of gamey flesh, and will sometimes 
 lie near a kill until it is putrid. In the Annamullay Hills 
 they revelled on the carcases of bison in this condition, 
 and in the Mysore country the carcase of an elephant 
 several days dead was a great delicacy to the genus /<?/?> 
 — tiger or panther. 
 
TIGERS. 95 
 
 Apropos of sitting up, a very- good story was going the 
 rounds of the Madras Club some years ago, of a well known 
 and popular lawyer who with two friends was out in the 
 Mofussil (provincial districts) on a half pic-nic, half shikar 
 trip. One day news arrived of an ox having been killed 
 by a tiger in some adjacent jungle, which, owing to its 
 extent and thickness, was unsuited to driving operations. 
 They therefore decided to sit up over the gara^ and having 
 sent coolies to erect a comfortable munchal (platform) in a 
 tree overhanging the kill, they ordered a substantial tiffin 
 rather late in the afternoon, which it was intended should 
 take the place of dinner, as they did not expect to return 
 until the following morning. Repairing to the scene of 
 the kill some time before sunset, they mounted the platform, 
 which was luxuriously fitted with rezais (padded quilts). 
 The tiffin had been sumptuous and the evening was sultr}', 
 and before an hour had elapsed they had all di'opped off 
 to sleep. In the middle of the night one of the trio fell 
 overboard and commenced to groan with pain at the foot 
 of the tree. This noise awoke his companions, who, 
 belie\4ng it to be the tiger, promptly loosed off four barrels 
 in the direction of the sound, but providentially missed 
 hitting their companion. 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 THE TldEE {Felis tigris). 
 
 My first tiger — Passes between the guns — Spur fowl indicates 
 approach — Easy shot — Tracking up — Demoralised dogs — 
 Find tiger dead — Its measurements — Hall wounds tiger — 
 Mysteriously disappears — Difficulty of seeing — Meet two 
 tigers — Patterson^s pony — Scarcity of man-eaters — Benki- 
 pore man-eater — Kargeehully ravine — Beaters form groups 
 — Hyena mistaken for tiger — Result — Large tiger at Benki- 
 pore — Swims river — Returns — Stampede — Shoot tigress at 
 Komalapully — March to Rajavole — Joined by Colonel 
 Russell — Gara — Tiger escapes — Another gara — Same result 
 — Tiger's tactics — Two more garas — Arrangements for beat 
 — Tiger shot — Mankote— Penconda — Pakhal lake — Variety 
 of game — Chundraopett — Bobbery elephant — Tiger marked 
 down — Charges — Death of the Romper — Tiger shooting 
 not necessarily dangerous — Staunch elephants scarce — 
 Shooting tigers on foot — Death of Doig — Devaroy Droog — 
 Shoot a beater — His recovery — Sporting parties — Adven- 
 ture with boar — Small rope useful. 
 
 After many days' unsuccessful beating in various jungles 
 in the Deccan and Mysore (foi-ty-seven days without even 
 seeing a tiger), my first tiger was shot near Santawerry, 
 on the Baba Booden Hills, in Mysore, in 1870. The 
 previous fortnight had been devoted to a solitary and 
 unsuccessful excursion so far as tigers were concerned — 
 down to the plains, and on the morning of the 13th May 
 I had ridden twenty miles from Kadoor, to join my friend 
 Patterson on the hills. On arrival there, I found that all 
 the sahibs (six) were beating for a tiger on a hill opposite 
 
TIGERS. 97 
 
 the bungalow. My rifles had not yet arrived, but, taking 
 a spare one of Patterson's, I went off to join them. They 
 had been beating some time before my arrival, but without 
 seeing anything. An hour later on, the tiger was startled 
 by the beaters, and passed between the gun on my left and 
 me. We never saw the brute, although we were only 
 sixty yards apart, and in fairly open ground — ^nor would 
 we believe it, until the pugs were pointed out. A few 
 small patches of yellow grass — barely enough covert for a 
 hare — were dotted about in the glade we were watching, 
 and how the tiger passed through these without being 
 seen is still a mystery, for we were both on the look-out, 
 hearing the beaters shout " huli " (tiger). The next beat was 
 about half -over, when a spur-fowl started up with a note 
 of alarm, some fifty yards in my front : this was soon 
 followed by a slight rustling noise, as of some large animal 
 walking with measured tread on the dead leaves in the 
 undergrowth in front ; it seemed to be moving from side 
 to side, as if hesitating to emerge from the thicker covert. 
 As the beaters approached, the "crinkle — crinkle " on the 
 dead leaves became more distinct, and soon a handsome 
 tiger appeared about thirty yards off, coming slowly down 
 the thinly-wooded slope, straight towards my tree — an 
 ailanthus. Its head was swinging from side to side as it 
 advanced panting from the heat, and it presented such an 
 enticing mark that I was obliged to avert my eyes to 
 avoid the temptation to fire. It approached thus to within 
 fifteen yards, and then stopped to listen to the beaters ; 
 this was the long-wished-for opportunity, and, aiming a 
 little in front of the near shoulder, and rather high (as I 
 was twelve feet above the ground) the trigger was pressed. 
 The tiger gave a grunt, sprang into the air, and was then 
 obscured for a few seconds by the smoke, which, as it 
 
98 TIGERS. 
 
 cleared away, revealed a striped mass writhing and tearing 
 np the ground, during which performance I missed hand- 
 somely with the left barrel, and the tiger, retiring slowly 
 up the slope, soon disappeared in the bushes, while I 
 shouted to the beaters to climb the trees. Descending 
 from my tree, I went over to the gun on the left — an old 
 hand at the game — and asked him to cover me with his 
 rifle, while I pugged up the tiger, assuring him it was 
 probably dead. He replied, " Not a step shall I stir out of 
 this tree until something is known about the tiger." After 
 some interval all the guns came up, and wisely declined 
 to follow the wounded brute into heavy jungle — where- 
 upon, like the headstrong young fool that I was, I 
 proceeded to do so alone, and had gone a few yards on the 
 track, when Edward Hall pluckily came forward, and 
 volunteered to help me. The tracks were plain enough, 
 being marked by much blood, and in several places the 
 claws had been driven into the ground with force, sure 
 sign of a severe wound. 
 
 It was ticklish work, owing to the dense jungle, and the 
 dogs would not stir from our heels, although generally 
 very game. At length they went forward a few yards — 
 every hair bristling — over the slope, some twenty yards 
 ahead, but had hardly disappeared, when back they came 
 all of a heap, and barking in a terrible state of mind. 
 Some four or five natives had followed us, and this was 
 the signal for a general stampede, most laughable only for 
 the dangerous state of affairs. Everybody thought the 
 tiger was on us ; the natives were up the trees in a 
 twinkling ; we who were in front jumped behind the 
 trunk of a large forest tree within a yard of us, remaining 
 at the " ready " for fully half a minute, but the foe did not 
 appear. With much difficulty I then ascended an adja- 
 
TIGERS. 99 
 
 cent tree, in order to " crane" over the top of the slope, and 
 
 saw the tiger lying on the ground, apparently dead, about 
 
 fifteen yards off. A shot having no effect, I descended, 
 
 and, preceded by volleys of stones, we advanced and 
 
 found the brute quite dead. The spherical bullet had 
 
 entered exactly at the spot aimed at, and, traversing the 
 
 lungs, had come out just behind the off shoulder. It was 
 
 a handsomely marked tigress, but, thinking the orthodox 
 
 measurement too small (it was probably about 7ft. 9in,), 
 
 it was not recorded in the diary ; the skin is entered as 
 
 being Oft. Sin. long, and no doubt it was well stretched to 
 
 give this ; but then it was my first tiger. She had two 
 
 old bullet wounds in the neck, which had passed clean 
 
 through, but missed the spine. One day a Brinjarry 
 
 (called " Lombani " in Mysore) brought in news of three 
 
 kills near a place named AttagheiTy, some three miles 
 
 lower down the hills ; we collected five guns, and some 
 
 beaters with dogs, and found the tiger had killed at the 
 
 upper end of a long shady nullah. Patterson was posted 
 
 at the lower end in the nullah, the remaining four rifles 
 
 being placed at intervals on both banks towards the gara. 
 
 Edward Hall, who was posted at the upper end, near the 
 
 kill, fired at and wounded the tiger at the commencement 
 
 of the beat ; it then, without speaking to the shot, 
 
 charged down the nullah, and mysteriously disappeared. 
 
 I was posted at the lower end, within fifty yards of 
 
 Patterson, in a sandal-wood tree, and when the beaters 
 
 arrived got down out of my tree, and, was crossing through 
 
 the nullah, when some of the dogs with me began to 
 
 bark in a small clump of bushes between me and Patterson, 
 
 who at once shouted out, " Get out of the nullah; the 
 
 tiger is within a yard of you." I lost no time in climbing 
 
 up the bank, the dogs continuing to bark in the harsh 
 
 H 2 
 
100 TIGERS. 
 
 way they always do when on a tiger or panther. The 
 covert was very sparse, but we could see nothing, although 
 we beat every foot of it. Patterson then joined us, and 
 pointed out the spot where he had seen the tiger when he 
 shouted to me, but it had disappeared again immediately, 
 and our subsequent beats were blank. There was but one 
 spot where it could have got away unseen, viz., between 
 my post, which was vacated, and Patterson's tree, as it was 
 open ground elsewhere. In this instance there was every 
 accessory favourable for an accident, a wounded tiger in a 
 nullah among a lot of beaters. But why should I have 
 remained in my post after the beaters had passed it ? 
 Such a thing is never done without special orders. It 
 may be said that the beat ought to have been stopped 
 when the tiger was wounded, but this was uncertain, 
 as blood was not discovered till the beaters had arrived 
 within fifty yards of the end of the beat ; they were 
 preceded by dogs, and the covert was thin. It is 
 wonderful how a large animal like a tiger can conceal 
 itself on ground where there is barely cover for a hare. 
 As a rule, you will seldom see his outline when he is 
 attempting to hide or escape unseen ; there appears to 
 be a movement in the general colour of the herbage or 
 scrub jungle, but no outline is visible, merely an undefined 
 mass of vitality, which vanishes when motion ceases ; 
 and the same thing occurs with every wild animal, great 
 or small, from an elephant down to a woodcock. One 
 evening at Yemadody, a famous place for spotted deer, 
 about six miles from Santawerry, I had strolled out 
 with a rifle into some scrub jungle near a tank fringed 
 with forest trees, and was passing a clump of caroonda 
 bushes, close to a large peepul, when, a low growl reaching 
 my ears, I peeped through the bushes, and saw a tiger 
 
TIGERS. 101 
 
 about twenty-five yards off, moving slowly through 
 the trees towards the camp, not three hundred yards 
 distant. Knowing he must turn to the left to reach 
 the scrub jungle, I watched a small glade towards which 
 he was heading, and where he would give a clear broadside 
 shot when crossing. Just at that moment another growl 
 emanated from a spot a few yards to my right, and 
 there, within ten yards, was another tiger, slowly heading 
 in the same direction as its comrade, but, owing to 
 the bushes, and its being tail-on to me, I could not 
 get a fair shot, so resumed watching the glade, but as 
 neither appeared, after some seconds I follow^ed as 
 noiselessly as possible till the confines of the camp 
 were reached, but never saw them again, and they 
 undoubtedly crossed into the scrub jungle when I was 
 following them up, as the tank ban-ed the way on the 
 right. I then told Patterson what had occurred, offering 
 to go halves in any damage done if he would tie up his 
 pony. This he declined to do with a good deal of warmth ; 
 we had no bails available, and my horse was too big a 
 bait, so the incident closed. We beat for them throughout 
 the following day, but without result. In those days the 
 forests from Shimoga, by Luckwalli, on to the Baba 
 Boodens, were prolific in big game of all kinds, except 
 buffaloes, which are not as a rule found south of the 
 Nerbudda river ; and, although tigers were numerous, 
 a man-eater was very seldom heard of, owing, no doubt, 
 to the abundance of pigs and deer throughout that district. 
 A few years before an exception had existed in the famous 
 Benkipore man-eater — a tigress which was credited with 
 having killed over 250 human beings. Her favourite 
 stronghold was the Kargeehully ravine, a heavily wooded 
 nullah of large extent, three miles distant from the 
 
102 TIGERS. 
 
 travellers' bungalow at Benkipore. My haylas were tied 
 up there, and after two days there was a kill, followed by 
 a beat. The tracks showed it was a tigress with two cubs, 
 but the jungle was very dense, full of caroonda and jamun 
 bushes, and over one hundred yards broad in places, and 
 it would have required 150 beaters at least to work it 
 properly, whereas but sixty could be obtained ; moreover, 
 although the man-eater had been killed, her memory was 
 still green, and they kept too close together, leaving strips 
 of jungle unbeaten. 
 
 I once lost a fine tiger in the Hyderabad country owing 
 to the beaters grouping themselves in this way. We were 
 beating a broad and dry nullah, which was said to be the 
 favourite lurking place of a local cattle-lifter. Early in the 
 beat a hyena was started, and somebody mistaking it for a 
 tiger, raised the cry " Pedda puli." This unsteadied the 
 beaters a good deal, and they commenced to gather into 
 groups, in spite of the shikaries' ejfforts to preserve an 
 unbroken line. It was a fearfully hot day in the month of 
 May. The shikari wanted me to climb a tree, but it was 
 not the weather for that sort of amusement, and I took up 
 a position on a sloping sheet of rock, close to a cave on a 
 small island in the nullah, having placed some palas-kino 
 leaves on the burning rock to sit upon, and poured water 
 from the " chagul " * over my head to keep it cool. Presently 
 a fine tiger came slowly down the nullah towards me. At 
 that time I had a stupid and fallacious theory that — in 
 addition to other cat-like attributes — a tiger's sight was bad 
 in bright sunshine, and I accordingly made no attempt to 
 conceal myself (which might have been done, as he was over 
 200 yards distant, and frequently hidden by bushes), 
 
 * A leathern bag holding two quarts of drinking water, 
 which is kept cool by evaporation. 
 
TIGERS. 103 
 
 merely remaining perfectly still, in the belief that he would 
 not discover me. My second rifle lay on the rock beside 
 me, as the gun-camer had been sent away to lessen the 
 chance of being seen. When about eighty yards off he 
 stopped, and had a good stare at me. I remained perfectly 
 still, but he had evidently spotted me. He then moved a 
 yard or two to his right, and quietly lay down under the 
 tree I was to have been posted in. The foresight was 
 " swimming " owing to the intense heat, and as the 
 distance was too great for a certain shot, I tried to stalk 
 him, but he was too much on the alert, and kept raising 
 his head from time to time to watch me. The beaters 
 came on in an irregular line of groups, and the tiger, 
 watching his opportunity,, doubled back through the line 
 between two groups, passing them within a few yards 
 without being seen. One cannot blame the poor natives 
 for acting thus, unarmed as they are, and, considering 
 everything, they work well and pluckily as a rule, when 
 properly handled by a sufficient number of armed shikaries 
 distributed among them, which gives them greater con- 
 fidence. The Benkipore folk had also been shaken by an 
 amusing incident, which had occurred shortly before my 
 visit. The village shikari was my informant, and stated 
 that about two miles up the river Boodra — which flows 
 past the travellers' bungalow — there was a very large tiger, 
 the largest he ever saw — like a horse in size (!) — and that 
 a certain sahib went out one day to beat for him over a 
 kill. They beat right up to the bank of the river, where he 
 was posted in a large tree, but saw no trace of the tiger. 
 So the sahib descended, and he and the beaters were 
 walking along the bank towards a fresh beat, when 
 suddenly the tiger jumped up from some long grass in the 
 bed of the river, and entering the water, which was about 
 
104 TIGERS. 
 
 thirty yards broad, swam towards the opposite bank. 
 When he was almost across the sahib opened fire, where- 
 upon the brute turned about and commenced swimming 
 back again. More shots were fired without result, and the 
 tiger was soon near terra jirma again. As the jungle was 
 low scrub, containing no suitable trees for climbing, a 
 stampede ensued, the tiger remaining master of the situa- 
 tion ! My last regular trip after tigers was in the Singareny 
 district, in the Nizam's Dominions, in the hot weather of 
 1881, the party consisting of my colonel. Colonel Russell, 
 commanding 12th Lancers, and self. Colonel E-ussell, 
 being detained by duty, did not join us until we had been 
 a week in the jungle, and we were only able to devote some 
 five weeks to the jungles which remained untried. Previous 
 to the arrival of Colonel Russell we had got a tigress 
 at Komalapully, a w^ell-known tiger haunt near the 
 Warrungul road, some ninety miles distant from Secun- 
 derabad. We had employed " Kistiah," a famous shikari 
 who lived in that district, which was a good one for tigers, 
 as large herds of cattle grazed there during the hot 
 weather, and it was well provided with water and shady 
 jungle. He was assisted by three shikaries of lesser note, 
 but all were plucky, reliable, and hard-working men. We 
 arrived in camp about nine o'clock one morning in the 
 month of March, and while at breakfast news of a kill was 
 brought in. About one mile distant was a very remarkable 
 conical hill of basaltic rock, at the foot of which a net-work 
 of shady nullahs radiated throughout a tract of scrub 
 jungle, which, stretching away for some miles, joined 
 another hilly area, also a noted tiger haunt. The gara was 
 close to a small pond at the edge of the jungle near the base 
 of the hill, and we were posted so as to intercept the tiger 
 if it attempted to break away through this wooded zone. 
 
TIGERS. 105 
 
 The beat commenced close to the foot of the hill, towards 
 which we faced. The Colonel was posted in a tree about 
 seventy yards to my left, I being op a small rock com- 
 manding a nullah about twenty yards to my right. I soon 
 heard the coughing roar of a tiger, which had been 
 disturbed by the Colonel and his gun-bearer on their way 
 to their post, but nothing appeared for some minutes, when 
 the beat commenced with the usual preliminary burst of 
 tom-toms, horns, shouting, rockets, and blank cartridge — a 
 delicious, if discordant, overture, which always sends a 
 thrill of pleasure through a sportsman. The tiger roared 
 in response, and immediately afterwards, appearing on the 
 edge of the jungle about forty yards to my left, galloped 
 over a slope of sheet rock in front, and crossing the nullah, 
 halted broadside towards me under a tree forty yards ofE on 
 the opposite bank. I raised my rifle to aim, and the slight 
 movement catching her eye, she turned her head to stare at 
 me. A second later the trigger was pressed ; up she went 
 on her hind legs, and then charged me straight as an 
 arrow, roaring as she came, but fell stone dead into the 
 nullah, vsdthin twenty yards of my post, the Express bullet 
 having taken her clean through the heart. A prettily- 
 mai-ked tigress exactly 7ft. lOin. between uprights. The 
 shikaries reported that two of her cubs, about the size of 
 big monkeys, had taken refuge in a cave at the base of the 
 hill, but as they could not be bolted, they recommended us 
 to wait for them after sunset, which we accordingly did, 
 but ineffectually, nor was a beat next day more successful. 
 We heard afterwards that they had been found half starved 
 in the jungle, and killed by some native shikaries. This 
 was the most luximous day's tiger shooting I ever enjoyed, 
 the whole thing taking place within a mile of camp, from 
 which we were only one hour absent. Four days later we 
 
106 TIGERS. 
 
 were joined by Colonel Eussell on our march to Eajavole, 
 where we arrived on the 29th March, after an uneventful 
 fortnight, during which we had high winds and compara- 
 tively cool weather. The second day after our arrival a 
 gara was reported, and the tiger marked down in a small 
 rocky hill about two miles from camp. This we proceeded 
 to beat, and very shortly afterwards three bears were driven 
 out and passed to my left towards the Colonel's posts. 
 Then a tiger made his appearance, heading in the same 
 direction, so I did not fire, but, much to my surprise, 
 neither did they. I therefore came to the conclusion that 
 he had doubled back before reaching their posts. 
 
 The beat ended without a shot being fired, and it 
 then transpired that the tiger had passed within twenty 
 yards of my colonel, who being in an awkward position 
 in his tree, could not fire. Three days afterwards 
 we were beating over another kill, at a small isolated 
 cluster of boulders about three miles from camp. We 
 were certainly posted too near the tiger's lair, and he 
 must have detected us. He lay till the beaters were almost 
 on the top of him, being evidently most reluctant to emerge 
 from his retreat, which he eventually did at full gallop, 
 straight under the colonel, who was posted in a leafy tree, 
 which prevented his seeing the tiger. I got two snap-shots 
 at him as he galloped through the jungle about seventy 
 yards off. He spoke to the left barrel, but went on. We 
 then tracked him for some distance — dangerous work, which 
 should seldom be resorted to without an elephant — but 
 there were no signs of blood, and to this day I don't know 
 where he was hit, for we never saw him again. This tiger 
 undoubtedly winded us, for we were posted up wind and 
 within seventy yards of the cairn he was hiding in ; and, 
 although we were all at least ten feet above the ground, it 
 
TIGERS, 107 
 
 gradually rose in front towards the cairn, so that, as a 
 matter of fact, we were actually on the same level as the 
 tiger himself. He very nearly succeeded in getting away 
 on the left flank without being fired at. The only fault of 
 the Secunderabad shikaries is their neglect to credit the 
 tiger with the fine sense of smell he is undoubtedly 
 possessed of. When the covert is of ordinary thickness and 
 extent, a tiger, as a rule, appears noiselessly and suddenly, 
 perhaps within ten yards of one's post ; but it not unfre- 
 quently happens in jungles where the withered leaves 
 abound and are large — like those of the bastard teak, for 
 instance — that his approach is heralded by their rustling 
 under his tread ; but from small isolated hills or piles of 
 rock where he has to cross the open ground, he bolts like a 
 rabbit at full gallop, and usually gives a pretty difficult 
 shot. In such spots, however, the space available for his 
 escape, being limited, can generally be commanded by two 
 rifles, and any extra ones should be utilised as " long 
 stops," in case he gets through the first line. 
 
 A few days after the occurrence just recorded, news of 
 two garas was brought in, "and that the tiger was " ringed " 
 into the small hill, the scene of our first day's defeat. The 
 monkeys had discovered, and were swearing at him, and 
 as this annoyance might induce him to shift his quarters, 
 we pushed on quickly to the ground. On the way we 
 examined the carcases of the two hay las, which were within 
 a few hundred yards of each other, and had been dragged 
 into the shade of some bushes near at hand, to protect 
 them from the vultures in accordance with a tiger's 
 invariable custom.* Very little remained of either, but 
 one had been killed by a tigress and cubs, which had gone 
 
 * The remains of oue of these had been carefully covered up 
 with leaves by the tiger. 
 
108 TIGERS. 
 
 away to some thick jungle which lay two koss towards the 
 east, and was beyond our sphere of operations that day. 
 The second tiger was lying up close at hand in the 
 small hill already described. Orders were issued to post 
 the guns at a greater distance from the hill than hereto- 
 fore, and the beaters were to commence further off from 
 its base. The two colonels were in trees about fifty yards 
 behind their former positions, I — acting as " long stop " — 
 about seventy yards in rear. The tiger soon appeared, 
 coming slowly down the face of the hill to within fifty 
 yards of Colonel Russell, but a stop which had been placed 
 in my original post, causing him to turn to the left, he pre- 
 sently emerged at a gallop between the two colonels, who 
 fired simultaneously, and he rolled over and expired in a few 
 seconds. He was a good average specimen of a short -tailed 
 tiger, measuring as follows : Round fore -arm, 17f inches ; 
 length from nose to tail between uprights, 8 feet 2 inches ; 
 length of tail, 31-J inches.* We stayed two days longer at 
 Rajavole without a kill, and then marched to Mankote, 
 having a scuffle with bears on the way, which we found 
 already in possession of a rocky hill we had intended to 
 ambuscade at break of day. We encamped in a mango tope 
 full of interesting birds, including several orioles and 
 specimens of the white and chesnut paradise fly-catchers. 
 Here, too, we laid in a supply of good drinking water, 
 which was bottled off in view of possible contingencies 
 elsewhere, the water in the district ahead being reported 
 scarce and bad. Bears were numerous, and we had some 
 fun with them, but, there being no news of tigers, we 
 marched for the Pakhal Lake, by Penconda and Yella- 
 gooda, through a country affording bears and panthers, 
 
 * With a tail of ordinary length, he would have been more 
 than nine feet long. 
 
TIGERS. 109 
 
 but no tigers that would kill, although at Gazelgut one of 
 our coolies who was tying up a hayla was chased by a tiger 
 and treed, the brute keeping watch over him for some 
 hours. 
 
 We arrived at the lake on the 11th April and pitched 
 our tents on the bund, a well-known camping ground, 
 at the back of which lies a famous stretch of jungle, 
 where we found tracks of tigers, panthers, bison, bears, 
 nilghai, spotted deer, and pigs ; but the tigers would 
 not look at our ties, owing, no doubt, to the abundance of 
 more toothsome food available. We had a few drives, 
 and got shots at bears and cheetul ; did a little bison 
 tracking and boating (we had brought a canvas skiff, 
 which was carried by two coolies from camp to camp), 
 and after a few days marched to Chundraopett, ha^-ing 
 sent on shikaries to tie up coolgas.* The day previous 
 Colonel Russell had to return to headquarters, his leave 
 having expired. On our way to Chundraopett the shikari 
 met us to report a kill in an adjacent nullah, which 
 we accordingly beat, but found blank, Kistiah reporting 
 that it was by a tigress and cub, and that the carcases 
 of no less than four bails were in the same nullah, 
 which had all been killed within the last few days; but 
 this jungle stretches as far as the lake, a distance of 
 twelve miles, so it was a hopeless task to attempt to 
 beat it, unless a tiger should have been ringed into a 
 certain area. All this tract of jungle is now presei-ved 
 by the Nizam for his own sport. The next morning there 
 wa;s a great commotion in camp, as one of the elephants, 
 while collecting reeds for forage at a neighbouring pond, 
 had lost his temper and knocked his keeper over with 
 his trunk, and then knowing he had done wrong, had 
 ^ Another name for water buffaloes. 
 
no TIGERS. 
 
 bolted away trumpeting to the jungle hard by. The 
 man was a good deal knocked out of time and bruised, 
 and his wife came to us in tears to. say that the 
 elephant would certainly kill him as it was a vicious 
 brute, and had already dispatched three of its former 
 keepers. 
 
 As she was speaking we could hear it trumpeting 
 and tearing up trees in the jungle a short distance off, 
 and as the mahouts said it was advisable not to attempt 
 its recapture until it had cooled down a little, we returned 
 to our tents. In a quarter of an hour there was an 
 alarm that the brute was invading the camp, so we went 
 out with our rifles, which of course were only to be 
 used in case of absolute emergency. 
 
 The elephant stopped within twenty yards of the 
 tents, and was eventually captured and shackled by the 
 assistance of his comrade, and after a good deal of trouble. 
 Meanwhile " Kistiah " had arrived with news of a tiger 
 having been marked down in a small hill two miles 
 distant, in a patch of scrub jungle which was in an 
 isolated position, and that we were certain to get a shot at 
 him, adding that he had been seen to approach one of 
 our haylas, but, after a searching inspection, evidently 
 came to the conclusion that it was not succulent enough, 
 for he passed on and took up his quarters in the isolated 
 hill aforesaid, where two coolies were left to watch him. 
 
 On account of the delay caused by the elephant's 
 escapade we did not leave camp till ten o'clock a.m., 
 and then took both elephants with us, the culprit's hind 
 legs being loosely fettered, which caused him to shuffle 
 along in a peculiar way, this being a preliminary part 
 of his punishment, which the mahout said was to consist 
 mainly of low dieting and stoppages of all elephantine 
 
TIGERS. Ill 
 
 luxuries, sucli as his daily allowances of j agree (coarse 
 sugar) and masala (spices) for at least one month ; he 
 also declared that the elephant, being an old offender, 
 knew perfectly well what was in store for him, but 
 that it would be wrong to use corporal punishment, which 
 would only have the effect of making him more vicious. 
 On arrival at the ground the Colonel was posted without 
 difficulty, but for half an hour I failed to find a climbable 
 tree. The sun was coming down like molten lead, and 
 finally — in despair and exhausted by my efforts — I took 
 up a position in a shady tree only a few feet above 
 the ground, being unable to reach the higher branches. 
 We could see the beaters arrive on the sky-line of the 
 hill some three hundred yards distant, and conspicuous 
 among them was my bail wallah,* a tall fellow in a 
 red turban, who had begged to be allowed to see the 
 fun. He discharged the first rocket into a cave, which 
 was immediately followed by the tiger charging him 
 and Yelliah, one of the shikaries. They, however, both 
 stood their ground like men — Yelliah blazing off his 
 musket in the brute's face in concert with Kistiah and 
 Ali, who also fired off their weapons (loaded with blank 
 cartridge) in the same manner from an adjacent rock, 
 amid deafening uproar from the beaters. After dashing 
 about, and making ineffectual sallies at other points of 
 the line, he charged down the hill towards the left flank, 
 but, being headed by the stops, came straight towards 
 me after making an ineffectual spring at the last of 
 the stops, who was posted in a tree some fifty yards to 
 my left front. I then lost sight of him for a few 
 seconds ; he almost immediately emerged at a slower pace, 
 but the raising of my rifle caught his eye, and, with a 
 
 * Bullock man. 
 
112 TIGERS. 
 
 few coughing roars, he turned on full steam again, and 
 came at me. On firing the right barrel the smoke hung, 
 so I kept the rifle to my shoulder ready to pull again 
 in case of pressure at the muzzle, but in a couple of 
 seconds was much relieved by seeing my antagonist 
 quivering on the ground within twelve yards. The 
 Express bullet, entering just over the left eye, had 
 brained him ; half an inch higher it would have been a 
 clean miss. This was the last tiger I shot, a fine 
 sporting brute. We christened him " the Eomper." 
 The defaulting elephant was detailed to carry the body 
 back to camp, as another instalment of punishment, to 
 which he at first objected very strongly, but finally 
 succumbed to his fate. Tiger shooting is not nearly 
 so dangerous a sport as many people imagine ; a certain 
 element of risk is inseparable from it as from many 
 other sports, but it adds to the excitement. 
 
 Shooting from a howdah is undoubtedly the safest way 
 of killing tigers, always provided that the elephant is 
 staunch, and will not bolt. If there are trees about, it 
 then becomes extremely dangerous, as the occupants as well 
 as the howdah, run a good chance of being smashed up. 
 We were unlucky as a rule with the Hyderabad elephants, 
 only three of which had the reputation of being reliable. 
 In my earlier days of tiger shooting I had undergone this 
 ordeal, and as a friend had the stock of his rifle smashed 
 while attempting to guard off a bough, we then and there 
 declared that we should never again try tiger shooting 
 from an elephant, unless it was certified as being staunch. 
 The mahouts cannot be believed, as they always swear by 
 their particular animals, as a sailor does of his ship. It 
 is a great mistake to remain on the ground, if there is a 
 rock or tree near you. A tiger may be shot through the 
 
TIGERS. 113 
 
 heart, and still be able to kill you before lie dies. Anything 
 is better than being on the ground ; an elevation of four or 
 five feet will at aU events give you the advantage of increased 
 command of ground. If posted on the ground, don't fire at 
 a tiger above you, i.e., on higher ground, unless he is moving 
 laterally, and clear of you. He will always bound forward 
 in prolongation of the line of his body when struck by a 
 bullet, and not knocked over or killed dead. Don't fire at 
 him when you are on the ground. If he is approaching in 
 your direction, let him pass, and take him as he goes away 
 — he will on being hit spring forward in that direction ; if, 
 however, he is coming straight towards you, there are 
 three alternatives — (1) show yourself, and he will 
 probably swerve off, offering you a fairly safe shot, or it 
 may head him to another gun, but don't wait until he is 
 too close, as all such animals, when suddenly encountered, 
 are hable to become aggressive ; or tap a tree or rock 
 without showing yourself, and he will alter his course, 
 probably giving you or one of your companions a 
 favourable shot ; or, if he is halted, offering a very easy 
 shot, he may be brained by a cool hand, who is clear of 
 his death-spring — but this is a dangerous alternative, and 
 cannot be recommended. As he walks through a jungle, 
 the tiger does not look up above his own level — conse- 
 quently, if properly posted, he will not see you. His 
 senses of sight and smell are very keen ; these facts are 
 frequently forgotten. A " cumbley " (blanket) or other 
 article, if hung upon a bush, will generally head a tiger 
 from that point, and save a "stop." 
 
 Following up a wounded tiger is dangerous work when 
 no staunch elephant is available ; but in fairly open jungle, 
 with at least three rifles — i.e., two men in addition to 
 yourself — it may, as a rule, be attempted. A native 
 
114 TIGERS. 
 
 climbs a tree to scan the ground in front, and the guns 
 advance slowly shoulder to shoulder, rifles at full-cock, the 
 centre gun watching the front, and the others their 
 respective flanks. On gaining thirty yards or so a fresh 
 tree is ascended, and a further forward movement made. 
 If a tracker is necessary, he should be armed himself, and 
 must work under the muzzles of the sportsmen's rifles. It 
 is not fair to expect a man to undertake such work 
 unarmed, and there are many instances on record where 
 shikaries have done good service with their weapons at 
 such close quarters. If the jungle is very thick, it may be 
 set on fire if it will burn, but no advance can be made on 
 foot with safety ; the recent sad death of Colonel Hutchin- 
 son in the Belgaum district, exemplifies the danger of such 
 an attempt. 
 
 A solitary sportsman should never follow a wounded 
 tiger into covert on foot, for he cannot do the work of 
 three men — i.e., keep watch to front and flanks. Two of 
 my acquaintances have met with their deaths by doing so. 
 The first (Captain Doig), in 1868, followed a wounded 
 tigress into some scrub jungle near Trimulgherry, and 
 carried the tracks into a nullah fringed with custard apple 
 bushes, which do not aiford much covert in the hot 
 weather, being then bare of foliage. While examining the 
 tracks, the tiger appeared suddenly on the left flank, and 
 killed him — to the best of my recollection — before he 
 could again flre his rifle.* In any case, where covert is 
 thick, the betting is entirely in the tiger's favour ; he can 
 see without being seen, can select his oppoi'tunity, and 
 
 * The last case was that of the late Lieutenant-General the 
 Honourable Sir J. Dormer, Commander-in-Chief, Madras, who 
 followed a wounded tiger into a sholah, and received wounds 
 from which he died. 
 
TIGJERS. 115 
 
 probably land among the sportsmen before a shot can be 
 fired. 
 
 In October, 1881, I had for several days been beating the 
 jungles at Devaroydroog, near Bangalore, for a tiger 
 which was killing a lot of cattle in the vicinity, but 
 without seeing anything of him. A fair number of 
 cheetul and pig, and a few sambur, had been driven out 
 daily ; but, being keen about the tiger, I had not fired a 
 shot. The beaters and camp followers were very clamorous 
 for meat ; but I told them that on the last day of my 
 leave the ^^llage shikaries would help, and that we would 
 have a big beat for deer and pig, and get them plenty of 
 meat. 
 
 Accordingly, on the evening of the 20th October, I 
 moved down the hill to Kombarhully bungalow, which 
 was situated close to a thickly wooded tract of hitherto 
 undisturbed jungle, which was to be the scene of our 
 operations next day. About one hundred villagers, headed 
 by fom- matchlock shikaries, having mustered at the 
 bungalow at an early hour the following morning, we first 
 proceeded to beat a shady valley, about half a mile in 
 length, and three hundred yards broad, the beaters being 
 formed into line, with a shikari on each flank, and the two 
 remaining matchlock men three hundred yards in advance, 
 with orders to move gradually forward on their respective 
 alignments, to the top of the valley, where I was to be 
 posted in a central position. 
 
 Towards the end of the beat my shikari said " there is 
 
 a pig — fire," pointing to a moving object, under some 
 
 bushes, about eighty yards distant. It was very indistinct, 
 
 but, on pressing the trigger it emitted some grunts, and 
 
 appeared to be rolling on the ground ; reloading, I ran 
 
 forward, and was just going to put another bullet into it when 
 
 I 2 
 
116 TIGERS. 
 
 a man's arm projected from the struggling mass ! It was 
 one of the matchlock wallahs, who, trying to do a bit of 
 shikar on his own hook, had crept forward from his flank 
 position, receiving an Express bullet, which tore away the 
 left side of his neck, from the jaw to the shoulder, but 
 luckily missed the jugular vein. We made a litter of 
 boughs and sent him to Toomkoor, to the native hospital, 
 whence I received frequent reports that he was getting on 
 well, the last of which, at the end of three weeks, was 
 accompanied by a lawyer's letter, threatening me with dire 
 penalties if a handsome sum was not forthwith forwarded 
 as compensation. This letter probably cost the poor fellow 
 a considerable portion of the sum remitted to him. The 
 beat of the tiger we had been looking for, extended as far 
 south as Magadi — another " droog " or hill-fort lying to 
 the west of Bangalore — where periodical trips, under the 
 management of a sporting " vet." took place on kubbar 
 being received of its depredations. On one of these 
 occasions the guns were duly posted, and, my friend being 
 bored by a long wait for the beat to commence, descended 
 from his tree and entered into conversation with an 
 adjacent gun. Presently the preliminary din of tom-toms, 
 &c., rose upon the air, announcing that the beaters had 
 begun to work ; but the sportsman declined to go back to 
 his post, merely remarking " the tiger never shows up, he's 
 a mythical brute," and continued to converse ; when 
 suddenly shouts of "bagh, bagh," caused him to bolt for 
 his tree, against which a short bamboo ladder was leaning. 
 The tiger charged right under him as he was ascending it, 
 but, holding his rifle pistol -fashion in one hand, he loosed it 
 off ; the recoil knocked him off the ladder, and he fell 
 heavily to the ground, while the tiger, untouched, but 
 roaring loudly, disappeared into the jungle, and was not 
 
TIGERS. 117 
 
 again seen. This gallant officer was the hero of a well- 
 authenticated pig-sticking episode near Kamptee. The 
 hunt shikari, in attempting to dislodge a boar from some 
 thick covert, had been attacked and ripped ; he cried out 
 for help, and Mr. G. dismounted and entered the covert, 
 but was immediately charged and knocked over by the 
 boar, his spear being sent flying. He, however, managed to 
 cling on to the boar's back, and actually rode him, till the 
 rest of the party, having also dismounted, entered the covert 
 and speared the brute. In addition to the light bamboo 
 or rope ladder usually carried to facihtate the ascent of 
 trees, for a tiger beat a small hempen rope, about fifteen 
 feet long, will be found to be most useful for securing one- 
 self, by loose lashing, to adjacent boughs when the desired 
 height has been gained ; a much freer use of the rifle will 
 then be possible, and there will be little, if any, danger of 
 an involuntary fall. We often extemporised a sort of 
 chair, by passing this rope several times from one branch 
 to another, the ends being firmly knotted, but when the 
 sportsman takes up his position the surrounding circum- 
 stances will suggest many uses for this article, which 
 should always form part of a tiger shooter's equipment. 
 A shikar knife is an inconvenient and useless thing to 
 carry as a rule, but when posted in leafy trees is occasion- 
 ally necessary to lop off small branches that may interfere 
 with the aim or view. Even when one is posted in a tree, 
 and therefore practically safe, a thrill of pleasurable excite- 
 ment will be experienced when a tiger is seen to be 
 approaching in a direction that renders getting a shot a 
 certainty. On such occasions, when a young hand, I used 
 to avert my eyes and count ten seconds at intervals, to 
 enable me to resist the temptation of firing before he had 
 arrived within twenty yards. 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 THE INDIAN BISON {Gavceus (jaurtis). 
 
 A King of Beeves — Habitat — Measurements of — Danger of 
 stalking solitary bulls — Bison on the Baba Boodens — Stalk- 
 ing in open — Trip to Annamullays — Virgin forest — Toona- 
 cudavoo Carders — Tbeir chiefs — Mulsers — Plan of opera- 
 tions — Poolakul — Nocturnal noises — Tracking — Diffidence 
 of Carders — Strike a trail — Fire a snap-shot — Wounded 
 bison — Heavy rain — Shoot muntjack deer — Leeches — 
 Aggressive monkey — Wound bull — He charges and is 
 killed — Fresh tracks — Wound and kill another bison — 
 Am nearly brained by a monkey — Bison meat — Flowering 
 of bamboo — Famine — Tiger visits us. 
 
 According to naturalists, this animal is not a true bison, 
 his ribs being too few, and his horns being differently 
 shaped, to those of that species. They also say he ought 
 to be called a " gaur ; " however, as he is always known as 
 a bison among Indian sportsmen, it will be convenient to 
 adhere to that term. He is a veritable king of beeves, 
 being larger than any other type of the bovine race, and 
 some sportsmen assert that they have shot them up to 
 twenty-two hands in height, but these measurements were 
 probably taken along the curves — and the average height 
 of a good bull is about eighteen and a half hands. 
 
 This magnificent animal inhabits the same type of jungle 
 as the elephant in Southern India, and, broadly speaking, 
 may be said to exist in all primeval forest lands, south of 
 the Eiver Nerbadda, such as the Travancore, Annamallays, 
 and Palney Hills, Wynaad, Goorg, and Canara Forests, 
 
BI80N. 119 
 
 tlience eastward through Southern Mysore to Denkanicotta, 
 the jungles fringing the Western Grhauts as far north as 
 Saugor, and those along the Eastern Ghauts, and their 
 prolongation to the Sumbulpore forests, all harbour the 
 bison. I have tracked them in the Mahoor and Pakhal 
 districts of the Nizam's dominions, and since his Highness 
 has taken a large tract of the country into preservation, 
 they may be expected to increase and multiply accordingly. 
 A few were to be found some years ago in that unin\dting 
 looking scrub jungle lying to the south-west of Cuddapah, 
 but the cream of the bison country may be said to be in 
 the triangle Bangalore, Mangalore, Travancore. The bull 
 is from eighteen to twenty hands high, dark chocolate 
 colour, with white stockings ; length of horns, thirty 
 inches ; spread, thirty-eight, tip to tip, twenty-seven ; 
 length of head, twenty -two inches ; the eyes are blue. 
 These are the measurements of a good bull's head and 
 horns, but I have records of two animals considerably 
 larger.* 
 
 The cows are lighter in colour, and smaller in size, but 
 in thick covei-t are easily mistaken for a bull ; the height 
 and horns of a good cow often approaching those of the 
 male in size. In every point, it is a far superior animal to 
 its American namesake, nor does it resemble that animal 
 in any way, being probably at least twice its weight, and 
 proportionately superior in size. It bears the reputation 
 of being a more formidable animal than either tiger or 
 elephant, and more dangerous to stalk, and among my 
 acquaintances who have followed this sport several have 
 been roughly handled, among others the late General 
 Douglas Hamilton, of the Madras Army, a famous sports- 
 man, Captains Burnett, Chamberlayne, and Gaisford, the 
 * Fide Chapter XV. 
 
120 BI80N. 
 
 Carder Shikari Atlay, and others whose names I cannot 
 just now recall ; on all these occasions the bison had been 
 wounded first. A case certainly occurred some years ago 
 of an officer being attacked without provocation, and, 
 to the best of my recollection, killed by a solitary bull, 
 on the Western Ghauts, in the Bombay Presidency ; but 
 this must be considered exceptional, although on some 
 occasions, I am bound to admit, that if the initiative had 
 not been taken by me, the bison would probably have 
 done so. These solitary bulls have always an evil 
 reputation, resembling rogue elephants and buffaloes in 
 this respect, but so far as my small experience goes, of 
 something over forty skirmishes, with the herd — and some 
 solitary bison — I have never been charged by an unwounded 
 one, except on a certain occasion, when a herd led by a 
 wounded bull came at me en masae, of which particulars 
 will be given later on. 
 
 The first bison ever seen by me were in the Baba 
 Booden Hills in 1870. This range is in Western Mysore, 
 nearly semi-circular in shape, and up to 6000 feet high. It 
 is isolated, and surrounded by heavy jungles containing all 
 the varieties of Southern Indian big game, but, like all 
 forests in these latitudes, very unhealthy. Higher up 
 the slopes the climate is salubrious and delightful. On the 
 above occasion we were going to drive a large sholah (wood) 
 for Sambur ; but before the guns were posted, a herd of 
 about a dozen bison broke away on the far side and made off 
 down the hill towards the low country forests. On this 
 day, too, I saw a flying squirrel and a woodcock, a 
 decidedly rare bird in India, although they are to be found 
 on the Neilgherry HiUs, and I remember three being shot 
 in Burmah, near the Royal Lake at Rangoon, by a soldier 
 in my regiment in the year 1876. A friend of mine — Mr. 
 
BI80N. 121 
 
 Porter, who owned a coffee plantation, and was a good and 
 experienced sportsman — used to declare that he knew of 
 no better sport than bison-stalking on these hills — on the 
 wide grassy plateaux near Kulhutty — herds of bison, being 
 attracted by the young grass which springs up after the 
 first shower of the monsoon, leaving their fastnesses in the 
 jungles of the low country, came up to graze on these 
 swards in the early mornings, retiring to the shade and 
 streams of the sholahs when the sun got hot. Porter lived 
 at Santawerry, five miles down the ghaut, and in order to 
 be on the ground at dawn, was in the habit of coming up 
 the hill the evening before to sleep in a cave adjacent to 
 the favourite feeding grounds. These stalks in the open 
 necessitated much greater care than those in the woodlands 
 ordinarily frequented by bison, inasmuch as the sight of 
 the animals had to be considered, as well as their keen 
 sense of smell ; nor were there any trees to protect him in 
 case of a charge. My bison shooting, however, was 
 almost invariably confined to the forest, my first trip 
 being made in 1871 to the Annamullay Hills, and 
 subsequent ones to Bandipore, Mudnoor, and the 
 Chamraj-nugger jungles. The preceding three months 
 of the hot weather in that year had been devoted to the 
 pursuit of bears, panthers, and tigers, in various jungles 
 lying between Hyderabad and Chanda, and on the com- 
 mencement of the rains, I returned to Secunderabad, 
 dawked to Gulbergha (it was before the days of the 
 Hyderabad Railway), thence to Bangalore by rail; here 
 laying in a fresh stock of provisions, ammunition, and 
 equipment, the journey was continued by rail to Coim- 
 batore, thence by road to Polachy, where everybody was 
 down ^\dth fever, and I finally reached the village of 
 Annamullay, at the foot of the hills, on the 27th June. 
 
122 BI80N. 
 
 My sport commenced here, for the place was full of 
 rats, which kept me going the whole night, resulting in 
 five being slain. Next day a journey of fourteen miles up 
 the ghaut road — which was almost impassable in places — 
 landed me at Toonacudavoo, the headquarters of the 
 Grovernment Timber Department, the last ten miles of the 
 march having been made through magnificent primeval 
 forest, studded with peaks several thousand feet high. At 
 intei*vals we passed clearings, where the places of the teak 
 trees which had been felled and carted off, were taken by a 
 younger growth, planted by the Forest Department, and 
 which, although only a few years old, were already 
 over twenty feet high. In addition to the teak, many 
 other valuable timber trees flourished all round, the 
 rosewood and blackwood being particularly noticeable. 
 The bamboo was plentiful, and in many places the 
 undergrowth of cannje, caladium, elephant and lemon 
 grass, was several feet high, although, the rains had only 
 commenced three weeks before. The change from the 
 dazzling Deccan furnace to these fresh, green, cool heights 
 was delightful. 
 
 At Toonacudavoo I was most hospitably received by 
 Mr. Douglas, head of the Woods and Forest Department, 
 who housed me in his comfortable bungalow, while 
 supplies were being collected, and shikaries and coolies 
 gathered from their jungle villages. The shikaries were 
 all of the Carder tribe, and were headed by their chiefs or 
 " moopens," of which there were two — Vyapoori and Atlay 
 — both bearing scars of the chase, the former having lost 
 an arm when elephant shooting, and the latter having been 
 gored through the thigh by a bison which he incautiously 
 approached believing it to be dead. When with me he 
 used to take very good care that the accident would not 
 
BISON. 12^ 
 
 recur, for when a bison was knocked over he never 
 advanced till the body had been bombarded with sticks 
 and stones for several minutes. 
 
 The coolies were supplied from the Mulsers, also a 
 jungle tribe, who inhabited the loM'er slopes of the hills 
 and were looked down upon — morally and literally — 
 by the Carders. My plan of operations was to use 
 Toonacudavoo as a strategic base from which expeditions 
 could be made to certain hunting grounds within a radius 
 of fifteen miles, supplies being obtained from it every 
 third day. In order to keep the stores at this base up to 
 the requirements, Douglas very kindly arranged to send 
 coolies once a week to the village of Annamullay for rice, 
 fowls, curry stuff, kids, arrack, and tobacco. This system 
 worked admirably. A large tract of country was opened 
 up for shikar, and the Carders and Mulsers ate and drank 
 to their hearts' content. They chew tobacco, but will not 
 smoke, believing it affects the lungs. 
 
 All being in readiness we started on the 30th June for 
 Poolakul, seven miles to the south. Two Mulsers carried 
 my tent, an old regulation single poler, with a double fl}^ ; 
 two more carried camp utensils, groceries, and bedding ; 
 the remainder being Carders, and above this sort of work, 
 carried my rifles and ammunition and their own food 
 supply. My butler was left at Toonacudavoo as "master 
 of the depot ; " but the " chokra " accompanied me, and 
 we both carried a share of our own eatables — rice and 
 fowls. He was a plucky boy of about fifteen years of age, 
 and had been in the habit of carrying my second rifle and 
 loading it for me during the previous hot weather.* My 
 
 * He never attempted to bolt, but in ticklish moments he 
 used to carry the spare rifle in one hand, and hold on to my 
 coat with the other. 
 
124 BI80N, 
 
 camp was situated at the foot of a rocky slope, above whicli 
 rose a high and wooded ridge, and magnificent forests 
 stretched away on every side. The Mulsers, in an 
 incredibly short time, rigged up a bamboo bedstead in 
 the tent, and made a capital hut for the chokra to cook in. 
 They then cut down some female bamboos and made 
 water-buckets from the joints, and constructed reservoirs 
 from the larger stems to hold our drinking and cooking- 
 water. During the night I heard the croaking of spotted 
 deer, the bark of amuntjack deer, and the belling of a 
 sambur on the slope above the camp, and many other 
 jungle voices which I did not recognise. These sounds 
 always augur well for sport. Next morning we started 
 at daybreak up the slope above the camp, and, entering the 
 wooded part, followed a bison track up the hill until the 
 top was reached, a stiff pull of over a mile. Here we 
 found ourselves on a thickly wooded plateau, the surface 
 of the ground being covered with creepers and cannse. In 
 Indian file we followed an old bison path,* the tracker 
 in front and the gun carrier behind me. The tracker, 
 having the most important duty to perform, did not 
 carry a rifle, and from time to time he changed places 
 with his companion, who then took up the post of 
 honour. 
 
 After walking in this way for some miles we struck the 
 fresh trail of a bison, but the Carders' reputation as 
 trackers was far in advance of their performance, which 
 was only moderate ; they seemed to track in a perfunctory 
 way, as if they were bored ; and on subsequent occasions I 
 often longed for Baliyah, or Pochello ; or some other of 
 the keen shikaries of the Deccan. As Carders will not even 
 touch a bison it may have had something to do with their 
 * These game-paths exist in all dense jungles. 
 
BISON. 125 
 
 diffidence. They soon came to a check, and, after ten 
 minutes' search, asked me to help them, probably to test 
 me. I made a wide cast outside the ground they had been 
 over, and hit it off ; this had a good effect. The art of 
 tracking has always been most fascinating to me from 
 the time I was twelve years old, and accompanied the 
 keeper on his daily rounds when home for the holidays. 
 At length, after two hours tracking, a cow bison, suddenly 
 starting up in front, dashed away over a nullah full of long 
 grass, at the opposite side of which a thick bamboo jungle 
 hid everything from view, but we could hear the rest of 
 the herd moving about in it some fifty yards ahead. 
 Presently Atlay motioned to me to kneel down, as he 
 pointed to a clump of bamboos in front. In vain I 
 looked ; nothing was to be seen but foliage ; immediately 
 afterwards a huge bull appeared for a second, round the 
 edge of the clump, but before I could get the sights on 
 him he snorted loudly, turned about, and crashed off 
 through the thicket, followed by the rest of the herd. 
 The noise they made as they dashed away through the 
 jungle was prodigious, something like a cavahy charge, 
 accompanied by a succession of rifle shots, caused by the 
 breaking of bamboos. We followed the tracks for a mile 
 before sighting them again, in the same class of jungle — 
 bamboos — through which we could only get fleeting 
 glimpses as they moved about between the clumps. 
 Another hour passed in this way, when, my patience being 
 exhausted, I took a snap shot at one ; this was followed 
 by another stampede of the herd, which thundered off 
 through the forest in the usual way. I heard my shot 
 tell, and in a short time, when following them up, we came 
 to a spot where the wounded one had evidently halted, 
 the ground being covered with blood; from here the 
 
126 BISON, 
 
 tracks led into a patch of tangled creepers,* about four feet 
 high and fifty yards across ; we here proceeded with great 
 caution, expecting to come on the brute every moment, 
 as the tracks of blood were plentiful, but it had passed 
 through and gone on. 
 
 On emerging into more open forest Atlay pointed out a 
 bison standing about eighty yards off — end on — tail 
 towards us. Believing this to be the wounded animal, 
 I foolishly fired at it in this position, but the bullet only 
 acted as an incentive to further flight. We then followed 
 the tracks for nearly a mile, but, seeing no traces of blood, I 
 inquired of Atlay if it was the wounded bison first fired at. 
 He replied in the negative, so, retracing our steps to the 
 patch of creepers, we soon recovered the lost trail, which 
 we followed for several miles, only once hearing the bison 
 stampede on our approach. The shikaries expected that 
 it would have laid down from weakness within a mile 
 or two of the spot it had first stopped at, but here it 
 was, going away as fresh as paint, although still losing 
 blood. At this juncture down came the rain in torrents, 
 and soon obliterated the tracks. Further pursuit was 
 hopeless, so we struck for the camp, shooting a muntjack 
 deer on the way, which was lying under a fallen branch 
 some sixty yards off. Although unsuccessful, it was a 
 new phase of sport, and the day was enjoyable, the 
 surroundings being so completely different to anything 
 before experienced. Sometimes half an hour would be 
 spent in comparative darkness, owing to the dense 
 canopy of foliage, through which the light penetrated 
 with difficulty, then we would suddenly emerge into a 
 pretty glade bathed in sunshine, with, perhaps, a burn 
 trickling down the centre, fringed with feathery bamboos 
 * Bauhinia — very common in these jungles. 
 
BTSON. 127 
 
 and tree ferns, while clumps of flowering cannae and 
 lilies* studded the adjacent ground. In some of the little 
 dells were to be found several kinds of ferns, chiefly 
 varieties of maiden-hair and polypodium, but it was in 
 an enchanting spot of this kind that I first encountered 
 the hill-leech, a diminutive but repulsive reptile, which 
 progresses by doubling up its body like a loop, and then 
 projecting the head forward for another stride. I sat down 
 to smoke a pipe, and soon discovered some of these pests 
 skirmishing up my gaiters, and on pulling off my socks 
 on arrival in camp, two hideous writhing objects rolled 
 out on the floor of the tent. These little leeches are 
 the curse of these and many other jungles. It is very 
 difficult to keep them out, the best plan being to wear two 
 pair of socks over the shooting breeches. If one pair of 
 socks only is worn, they push their heads through, and, 
 leaving the bodies outside, fill them from within. The 
 bites are very irritating and liable to fester if scratched. 
 Some parts of the jungles simply swarm with them, and 
 elephants and bison give these places a wide berth. 
 
 On return to camp we found the chokra in a great state 
 of mind, as, shortly after our departure in the morning, he 
 had been interviewed by a very large " plenty bad " black 
 monkey, which suddenly appeared at the door of his hut, 
 and on his attempting to drive it away by ' throwing sticks 
 and shouting, it made hideous grimaces and hostile demon- 
 strations, pretending to jump on him. He said it would 
 certainly return in the morning with its family to eat him, 
 and that he could not stay alone in the camp another day, 
 so a Mulser was left to keep him company. We started the 
 following morning in a southerly direction, and walked for 
 several hours, finding nothing but some elephant tracks 
 
 * Caladium. 
 
128 BISON. 
 
 three days old. For five long hours we toiled over hill and 
 dale, through swamps and acres of tangled creepers, and 
 were in the act of wading a nullah, when a herd of bison 
 unexpectedly crashed up a jungle-covered hill in front. 
 We followed, and soon saw a fine bull standing on the side 
 of a hill about 130 yards ahead. Being new to the work, 
 I fired. It is a mistake to do so at such comparatively long 
 ranges. The bullet, however, struck him rather low. He 
 ran a few yards and halted, not knowing whence the report 
 came, and looking all round in a perplexed manner. I 
 fired again, and heard the " squelch " of the bullet striking 
 him, whereupon he ran straight towards us, and entered a 
 patch of high creepers within fifty yards. Cautiously 
 advancing, we followed up his tracks by making a detour, 
 and entered the creepers very carefully, peering through 
 the foliage, and momentarily expecting a charge. We 
 soon discovered him lying down, but the dense covert gave 
 no chance of a vital shot, and suddenly jumping up he 
 rushed off, but he was too sick to go far, and we soon 
 espied him about a hundred yards ahead, and, running up, 
 put a bullet rather high through the shoulder. This pro- 
 voked a charge, but he was too much knocked out of time 
 to be very formidable, and a bullet through the brain ended 
 the encounter. He was a fine bull nearly eighteen hands 
 high, with fairly good horns, but being my first bison 
 I thought him a splendid animal, and, sitting down on 
 him, smoked the pipe of triumph. The herd having had 
 time to settle down, we recommenced tracking, and again 
 came upon them in a glade a quarter of a mile farther on, 
 but they were much on the alert, bolting before another 
 bull could be picked out, although some cows offered 
 tempting shots, which were declined. The rain was coming 
 down in sheets, and being thoroughly drenched, we 
 
BISON. 129 
 
 returned to camp, where we found everytliing in a 
 similar plight, as the tent was not waterproof. This 
 being a successful day, all hands received a double 
 allowance of arrack and tobacco, and were promised 
 a kid for curry on return to civilisation.* On these 
 occasions they invariably over-ate themselves, and were 
 unfit for work the following day,t but having been 
 once started, the custom could not be discontinued 
 without offending them, as they — in common with all 
 jungle wallahs — are particularly touchy and sensitive. It 
 rained hea^ah^ and steadily throughout the night, but 
 cleared for an hour about 5 a.m. next day, when, 
 dispatching Mulsers for the head and marrow-bones 
 of yesterday's bull, we started eastwards, up the rocky 
 slope aforementioned, which I nick-named "Desperation 
 HiU." 
 
 When we arrived at the top, the rain again descended 
 in torrents, and kept' steadily at it throughout the day, all 
 the nullahs were in spate, and we had much difficulty in 
 crossing the larger ones, once being very nearly swept away 
 by the torrent. For six long hours we toiled through the 
 forest, before sighting a fresh bison track, and even then 
 the hoof marks seemed rather stale, being dulled by 
 the rain. 
 
 After half an hour's difficult tracking up a very steep 
 hill, covered with clumps of bamboo, we arrived at a spot 
 where the herd had bolted on hearing us approach, this 
 was plainly shown by the tracks, although we had not heard 
 them, owing to the roaring of a torrent close by, and the 
 
 * The Carders are above serving for money — all they will take 
 for their work being food^ tobacco and liquor. 
 
 t Not so much from the effects of arrack — of which they 
 never got more than two glasses — as from over-eating. 
 
 K 
 
130 BI80N. 
 
 noise made by the rain on the trees. We plodded on for 
 another hour in pursuit, and were just crossing a waterfall 
 when the body of a huge bison appeared near the top of 
 a hill we were about to ascend, and some eighty yards off. 
 It loomed so large in the mist against the skyline, that 
 both the Carders exclaimed " ani " (elephant), but 
 immediately afterwards we saw the horns, and, aiming for 
 the heart, I fired. 
 
 The remainder of the herd crashed away, but 
 the wounded one did not go far, stopping at the 
 foot of the hill in the stream, among some thick bushes. 
 Here Atlay could see the bison, but I failed to do so, and 
 we were obliged to make a detour for a clearer shot. In 
 the meanwhile the bison sloped off, up the opposite hill, 
 which was crowned by crags and thick jungle. Here we 
 proceeded with the greatest caution, peering into every 
 bush before advancing. Atlay was well up to this game, 
 and this was lucky, for the bison, having rounded the 
 corner of a rock, lay in ambuscade in some thick bushes, 
 awaiting us ; but, on arriving at this rock, round which 
 the tracks ran, Atlay took me over it, and pointed out the 
 brute within five yards, head down ready to charge, as she 
 had heard us approaching. 
 
 A bullet in the brain saved further trouble ; it was a 
 large cow, nearly seventeen hands high, with remarkably 
 fine horns. We then followed up the tracks of the herd 
 for about two miles, but as we neared them, they were 
 alarmed by the hooting of some black monkeys, which 
 were exceedingly hostile and demonstrative, and a 
 stampede occurred. Shortly afterwards, one of the 
 monkeys displaced a large rotten branch, which caught 
 me on the helmet, and knocked me over unconscious. 
 Being too much bewildered by the blow to aim correctly, 
 
mm 
 
 
 naimimA 
 
 sotti 
 
BISON. 131 
 
 the rascal escaped with a whole skin, and I returned to 
 camp discomfited. 
 
 The marrow bones were cooked for my dinner, like- 
 wise the tongue, but the "esprit de bison," which 
 pervaded them, was too much for my palate, nor 
 could I ever afterwards look at bison flesh in any 
 
 form. 
 
 In addition to the usual forest trees of the Annamullays, 
 
 the bamboo was very plentiful in the vicinity of Poolakul. 
 
 They were all female trees of the largest kind and 
 
 luxuriant growth, being quite equal in every respect 
 
 to those in Burmah. Owing to their prevalence the 
 
 Carders declared that the best feeding grounds for 
 
 elephants and bison lay here ; but I had better sport with 
 
 the beeves in the districts farther north, which, however, 
 
 swarmed with leeches, while here they were comparatively 
 
 scarce, the precincts of the camp being quite clear of these 
 
 pests, which decline to cross over rocks or stones. The 
 
 bamboos were at their best, as they were about to seed — a 
 
 phenomenon that only occurs about once in a quarter of a 
 
 century — immediately after flowering the seed is formed 
 
 and shed ; it resembles rice, and is equally prized as food 
 
 by the natives ; the tree then dies. A few bamboos 
 
 flower and die every year ; but an epidemic like this, 
 
 extending over a large tract of country, is rare, and is said 
 
 by the natives to be a precursor of sickness and famine — 
 
 a prediction which in this case was soon verified.* 
 
 A tiger prowled round the camp every night, but the 
 
 Oarders did not mind him, and continued to sleep under a 
 
 frail lean-to, made of plantain leaves and supported by 
 
 sticks, three sides of which were open to the incursions of 
 
 iiny nocturnal marauder ; but one night they were very 
 
 * The great famine of Madras commenced the following year. 
 
 K 2 
 
132 BISON. 
 
 uneasy, when a herd of elephants came crashing through 
 the adjacent jungle, declaring that whenever they saw 
 huts they invariably pulled them down, and that my 
 white tent would inevitably attract them. My friend 
 Douglas told me that for several years the bungalow at 
 Toonacudavoo had been regularly wrecked by these 
 animals, probably out of pure mischief or curiosity. 
 
J 
 
 CHECKING A CHARGE. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 THE BISON {Gavaus gaurus). 
 
 Is a Mil animal — Bison fly — Smell of bison — Return to Toona- 
 cudavoo — Good sport — Lose several wounded — Walk into a 
 herd — Wounded bull — Saturnalia in camp — Shoot a bison 
 — Our guide loses the way — Night in the Currian Sholah — 
 Wild dogs — Carders arrive — Fire at bull — Kill him — Bullet 
 strikes horn — Another day in Currian Sholah — Wound a 
 bull — Am charged by herd — A useful shot — Knock over 
 another bull — First bull dies — Perrincudavoo — Shoot two 
 bison — Elephant tracking — Shoot cow bison — Wound big 
 bull — Tiger kills him — Shoot another bull — On short 
 commons — Curried monkey — Mahseer — Return to Toona- 
 cudavoo — Poolakul again — Charged by cow — Fire at bogus 
 bison — Leave the Annamullays — Trip to Wynaad — 
 Bandipore — Prevalence of fever — Shoot large bull — Salt 
 licks — Shooting herd bison — Big bores necessary. 
 
 Although often found in low-lying and flat country, the 
 bison is a hill animal. Their recesses and heavy sholahs are 
 
134 BISON. 
 
 his natural home, and he never strays to any great distance 
 from their confines. 
 
 For so bulky a beast he is a capital climber, and his 
 neat and small hoof marks will often be discovered in 
 precipitous spots more suitable for ibex than for any other 
 animal. His small feet — not much larger than those of a 
 big sambur — are a special characteristic, and will at once 
 attract the sportsman's attention, as being apparently 
 disproportionate to the rest of the massive frame they 
 have to support. 
 
 At certain seasons, when the flies in the low and 
 sheltered valleys become very troublesome, the herds often 
 betake themselves to open tracks of grass land on the 
 higher ranges, where the cooler temperature and stronger 
 breezes diminish the numbers of their persecutors. 
 
 The ordinary black house fly is a terrible infliction to 
 man and beast ; he swarms everywhere, and myriads 
 luxuriate even up to an elevation of 7000 feet. Both 
 bison and sambur will then be found on the windward 
 slopes of the hills. 
 
 But the enemy they dread most does not thrive at 
 such high altitudes. He is a species of gadfly, resembling 
 the British cleg or horse-fly, but six times as large, and i» 
 armed with a proboscis resembling an elephant's trunk on 
 a small scale. 
 
 This scourge is the originator of " warbles," by 
 depositing its eggs in the flesh of the bison, which 
 subsequently turn into these maggots, and cause the 
 victim intense pain. Sambur and elephants also suffer in 
 this way, but the latter animal extemporises a fly whisk 
 from a branch, which, held by his trunk, is used with 
 deadly effect, for — like the cleg — these flies are slow in 
 movement and soft in body, and are easily squashed. The 
 
BISON. 135 
 
 first indication of the proximity of a herd of bison is 
 frequently given by their strong smell, which pervades the 
 adjacent jungle for many yards. It resembles that of 
 milch cattle, but is far more pungent, and can be winded 
 at a distance of over 100 yards. Unless frequently fired at, 
 herds will generally be found in a particular locality inside 
 a circle of about three miles diameter. This does not 
 apply to old solitary bulls, which are nomadic as a rule, 
 although they, too, have favourite haunts, to which they 
 sooner or later return. 
 
 After the events recorded in the last chapter we left 
 Poolakul on the 4th July, and marched to Toonacudavoo 
 amid torrents of rain, which lasted all day. Here, for a 
 fortnight, 1 had excellent sport in the forests all round, 
 extending to a radius of ten miles, which was as far as we 
 could venture from the depot, without forming a separate 
 camp. Bison or sambur were met with daily, the latter 
 only being shot when meat was required. It soon became 
 apparent that, like other kinds of big game, bison require a 
 good deal of killing, and I lost several badly-wounded 
 animals by the bullet striking a few inches outside the 
 deadly spots. One day I had been tracking a very large 
 solitary bull for several hours, but could not get a clear 
 shot, although we had covered some ten miles of country in 
 pursuit. As it was getting late we turned our steps home- 
 wards, and were crossing some open ground — the shikaries 
 canying the rifies — when a herd of bison jumped up 
 within ten yards, and made off towards a sholah. Snatching 
 a rifie from Atlay, I fired at the largest one visible, and he 
 rolled over to the second barrel and lay kicking on the 
 ground, but the two bullets from the second rifle seemed to 
 revive him, for he got up and went off at a fair pace to a 
 sholah, which was full of hill gooseberry and such like 
 
136 BISON. 
 
 undergrowth, where, tracking heing out of the question, 
 we had to give him up. 
 
 A few days after this occurrence I was out in the 
 Annagoondy direction, and hit off the rather stale trail of 
 a herd about noon. This we followed for the best part of 
 ten miles, and I got an easy shot at the bull just before 
 dusk. He went down on the spot apparently dead. 
 Thinking he was done for, I tried to stalk the herd again, 
 as they had halted within fifty yards, being evidently 
 unwilling to leave their leader in the lurch ; but, seeing 
 nothing but cows, I soon returned, and was amazed to see 
 my quondam defunct friend going away very groggily 
 with a wound close behind the off shoulder, and, as he was 
 near side towards me when I fired, the steel tip must have 
 gone clean through his body, probably missing the ribs. 
 He got into some very thick stuff, where we left him lying 
 down in an impenetrable maze of seega-kye (wait a bit 
 thorn, a species of acacia), which he could not leave, nor 
 could I get a glimpse of him. We were again baffled, but 
 eventually found his remains near this spot on the 12th 
 August, after a lapse of twenty-five days. 
 
 All the shikaries and coolies had been given extra 
 rations of arrack and two goats to celebrate a good day's 
 sport, but the feasting that ensued completely stopped my 
 shooting for two days ; my two servants had also joined 
 the revellers, and had thereby neglected their work, so on 
 the 12th July, as the Carders had not yet recovered the 
 effects of the saturnalia, I took them for a day in the 
 forest to smarten them up, starting about 9 a.m. for 
 Shungum, three miles to the south, where the Government 
 elephants were kept. Here I obtained a half-witted 
 elephant cooly to take me to the Currian Sholah — a 
 famous haunt for bison. On the way we struck a fresh 
 
BISON. 137 
 
 trail, which was crossed by more tracks farther on, and we 
 
 soon saw one browsing on the young shoots of a bamboo 
 
 some sixty yards distant. I could not see any more of the 
 
 beeves, but, from the size and dark colour, this appeared to 
 
 be a bull, and, getting a nice broadside shot, I fired. 
 
 Although severely wounded it galloped off, but we came 
 
 upon it lying down in a dense mass of creepers about a 
 
 quarter of a mile further on. It rose again, and, receiving 
 
 tw^o more shots, collapsed close by, and another bullet 
 
 finished it. Much to my disappointment it turned out to 
 
 be a cow, but a very fine one. As a rule one seldom gets 
 
 a clear shot at bison ; in the majority of cases the bullet 
 
 has to penetrate many small intervening twigs which are 
 
 liable to deflect it from its course, and in many parts of 
 
 the forest the gloom is great, and a want of contrast 
 
 between the foresight and dark hide of the animal adds to 
 
 the difiiculty of putting the bullet in the right spot ; much 
 
 of the following-up work is due to these causes. During 
 
 the latter part of this performance, a small herd of three 
 
 cows and a bull kept snorting and stampeding at interv^als 
 
 about 100 yards to our left ; these we followed for two 
 
 hours, but the bull never gave me a chance, so, as it was 
 
 now getting on in the afternoon, and w^e were a long way 
 
 from home, I told the cooly to show us the way back. He 
 
 started up a steep hill, and, after an hour's walk, said 
 
 he had lost the way, and did not know where we were. 
 
 The sun was obscured by clouds, so he climbed a tree to 
 
 reconnoitre, but failed to recognise any of the surrounding 
 
 hills. During the day we got occasional glimpses of the 
 
 sun, and I knew the bungalow lay to the north-east, and 
 
 by feeling the trunks of the trees we worked in this 
 
 direction till dark. There was nothing to be done but to 
 
 lie down for the night. The jungle was swanning with 
 
138 BISON. 
 
 leeches, but we found a sheet of rock and squatted there, 
 drenched with rain (which had been falling all day) with- 
 out food or liquor or even fire, as the matches were all 
 wet, so that even a smoke was not procurable. The 
 remorseless rain continued throughout the night ; the rock 
 was too small to allow us to stretch our legs, so we huddled 
 together in a state of misery. In the middle of the 
 night we heard a pack of wild dogs within a few hundred 
 yards, and the cooly wanted to bolt to climb a tree, but I 
 would not let him do so, explaining that as he had got 
 us into trouble he would have to see us through it. 
 
 All shikaries declare that these jungle dogs, when in 
 packs, are worse than wolves, and will attack anything, 
 and I remember one morning, in the Koobair district, 
 where a pack had killed two of our buffaloes, being faced 
 by them on approaching the carcases ; but a shot or two 
 dispersed them, which would probably not have been the 
 case if they were not already satiated with flesh. We 
 were lucky enough to escape the attentions of these Anna- 
 mullay marauders, and at daybreak started again on our 
 travels, and, after walking some miles, found a smouldering 
 forest tree, which had probably been struck by lightning 
 months before — we were thus enabled to warm ourselves, 
 and dry our saturated clothes. For a long time we could 
 not discover our bearings, the sun being still obscured by 
 rain and a fog ; but at last a fleeting gleam shone forth, 
 and, directed by it, we struck a line which, after two hours' 
 walking, took us to the edge of a glade, where the cooly 
 declared we were again wrong, but I crossed it, and, 
 discovering a track, followed it to Shungum, thence we 
 followed the road to Toonacudavoo, arriving after a twenty- 
 five hours' absence in a state of complete demoralisation, to 
 say nothing of starvation. During the afternoon all the 
 
BI80N. 139 
 
 Carders arrived in camp under tlieir chief Yyapoori 
 Moopen, and were intensely amused on hearing of our 
 mishaps in the Currian Sholah. 
 
 Next morning we started in the same direction, and 
 soon came on fresh signs of bison, which we followed down 
 wind for a mile, when the herd scented us, and made off. 
 We found their forms in the long lemon grass, still warm, 
 indeed, I saw a cow dash off through the jungle as we 
 approached. We pushed on through the tall sweetly- 
 smelling lemon grass to the edge of a thick sholah, where 
 the dim light rendered tracking very slow and difficult, 
 eventually, having can-ied the trail through successfully, 
 we emerged from the sholah, and entered an area of 
 bamboo jungle. Atlay soon descried a fine bull, partly 
 screened by a clump of bamboo, 120 yards distant — he was 
 facing towards me, and, therefore, in a bad position, but, 
 as he was evidently on the look out, I thought it better to 
 take the chance, and fired. The bullet sounded very hard, 
 as if it had struck wood, but I distinctly saw him 
 stagger before rushing off. Owing to the smoke the 
 Carders had not seen the movement, and were incredulous, 
 becoming more so when we had followed the tracks for 
 half a mile without finding blood. The tracks then led 
 across the ghaut road into a very thick sholah, with an 
 undergrowth of hill goosebeny, which, almost excluding 
 the light, rendered it difficult to see the foresight of 
 the rifle. We had not gone fifty yards, when Atlay 
 pointed out the bull lying down under a large tree within 
 fifteen yards, and e^ddently very sick. Kneeling down, I 
 aimed for the heart and fired, whereupon he rose with 
 difficulty, and rushed away with the rest of the herd, but 
 fell again a short distance further on, where I finished him. 
 He was a remarkably handsome bull, with good horns, and 
 
140 BI80N. 
 
 it took four men to carry his head and marrow bones to 
 Toonacudavoo. The first shot struck within two inches 
 of the root of the left horn, and must have had a tremendous 
 effect on his nervous system, to cause him to collapse as he 
 did, this circumstance also accounts for the " click " of the 
 bullet, and absence of blood, when tracking him up. On 
 the 21st July we started again for the Currian Sholah, both 
 shikaries being victims of a surfeit of ibex flesh, and 
 arrack the night previous, and consequently unable to do 
 much work, so I took a line of country of my own choosing. 
 About 2 p.m. we struck the fresh trail of a herd, and in 
 half an hour sighted the bull, standing almost head on 
 towards me, a bad position, but, thinking a steel-tipped 
 bullet through the front of his shoulder would reach his 
 lungs, I fired; It was a dull steamy day, without a breath 
 of wind, and the smoke hung so much I could not see the 
 effect of the shot, but the width of the slots showed he was 
 the worse for wear. A mile up a steep hill took me to the 
 edge of a glade about sixty yards broad, on the opposite 
 side of which the herd had halted. It consisted of twelve 
 bison, and I soon made out the bull by the wound on the 
 shoulder, and gave him another bullet, aiming for the 
 heart, but the uphill run had made me shaky, and it must 
 have struck a little too high. The clearing away of the 
 smoke revealed an awkward state of things, as the whole 
 herd was charging me in a solid phalanx, not twenty-five 
 yards off. I had reloaded the right barrel immediately 
 after firing, and now gave the bull two more shots, which 
 had not the least effect ; but snatching the other rifle from 
 Atlay — who bolted like a deer — I browned the animal that 
 threatened me most, a huge cow, with both barrels ; she 
 turned a complete somersault, and fell, kicking, on her 
 back within ten yards. This broke the formation, and 
 
BISON. 141 
 
 caused immense confusion, a whirlwind of bison hurtled 
 past — one almost knocking me doT\'n — and crashed madly 
 away through the forest. It was a close shave, and my 
 safety was undoubtedly due to the barricade formed by the 
 body of the cow I had knocked over. Bison have the 
 reputation of charging at the smoke of a shot, and they 
 probably did so in this case, as my body would have been 
 hidden by it at the beginning of their charge. Following 
 up the herd, I got a shot at another bull, standing in a 
 similar position to the first, and struck him in the shoulder, 
 knocking him over ; but he got up again and went clean 
 away, so this shot cannot be depended upon — ^the amount of 
 flesh, bone, and sinew to be traversed being enormous. 
 The first bull did not go far, but we did not get him that 
 night, as it became too dark to track ; he was, however, 
 found dead two days after, within a short distance of the 
 glade where the big charge took place. The Carders 
 would not touch the body, and as I was starting that day 
 on a trip towards Michael's Valley, which lasted a 
 week, taking with me all available hands, the beheading 
 operations were deferred till my return. The carcase was 
 then too far gone, and had to be left where it fell, for 
 several months before the head could be removed. On the 
 23rd July I marched from Toonacudavoo to Perrincudavoo 
 (Fruit Town), an old encampment of the Carders, where 
 two very comfortable huts still existed in good preserva- 
 tion ; we were short of meat, as the village of Annamullay 
 had been able to yield but two fowls. Next day I shot a 
 bison wathin a few miles of camp, and severely wounded 
 another in the act of charging us, but he was conducted by 
 two of his zenana across the Eiver Periar, which I forgot to 
 mention ran past our camp, and in the absence of a raft we 
 were left lamenting on the bank. We also saw three-days- 
 
142 BISON. 
 
 old tracks of a large herd of elephants, and many signs of 
 spotted deer and sambur. During the day the Mulsers 
 had constructed a bamboo raft, which was moored about a 
 mile down the river. We crossed here next morning, and 
 soon found tracks of a solitary tusker, which we followed 
 for about twelve miles, but even then the droppings were 
 several hours old, and the tracks led away from home, so 
 we relinquished the pursuit. During this unsuccessful day 
 we saw one large herd of bison and passed fresh tracks of 
 several others. 
 
 A few days later we again crossed the Periar, and within 
 a mile hit off the fresh tracks of a herd — which Atlay had 
 walked over without noticing ; these we followed to the 
 base of a small hill covered with long grass, both the 
 Carders being in front, when I saw what appeared to be a 
 bull, some forty yards ahead, and slightly to the right- 
 front, in the usual pointing attitude — nose in the air and 
 horns almost touching the back. Directly Atlay cleared 
 my front I fired at the forehead ; he (Atlay) seemed to be 
 much more astonished than the bison, which, wheeling 
 round, bolted away, followed by the rest of the herd, which 
 we had not hitherto seen. Then ensued the usual scene of 
 finding blood on the leaves, coming on the wounded 
 animal, &c., until Atlay took up the trail, as the other 
 Carder was muffing it. He soon pointed out the wounded 
 bison, about ten yards distant, lying in wait under a thick 
 festoon of creepers, in which position I shot it, and was 
 disappointed to find it was a cow ; but the horns were very 
 large, being more than two feet from bend to bend. We 
 then took up the tracks of the big bull of the herd, there 
 was no mistaking them, and we knew by their size he was 
 an exceptionally heavy beast. After an hour we came 
 upon the herd in a thicket of bamboos, where it was very 
 
BISON. 143 
 
 difficult to select the bull ; but after half an hour's stalk- 
 ing, avoiding the cows, which were very suspicious, I got 
 two bullets into him as the herd stampeded. He was very 
 hard hit, and we tracked him for another hour, chiefly by 
 the blood, of which there were signs all the way ; three 
 times he started up within a few yards, but the dense 
 jungle screened him from view, and as night was 
 approaching we had to desist from pursuit and return 
 to camp. 
 
 On the 2nd August two Carders brought news that 
 this bull was lying dead near the foot of Cooramikul 
 Mullay, a high hill, along the base of which we had been 
 following him ; they had a long story about him which I 
 could not understand beyond the fact that he was dead. 
 It was my last day at Peri'incudavoo, and there was one 
 beat still untried ; so, as the Carders said they would get 
 two Mulsers to bring the head to Toonacudavoo, I deter- 
 mined not to waste the day on the dead animal. In the 
 evening Captain Barnett arrived, and I asked him to look 
 out for the bull in the course of his wanderings. He 
 did so, and found it lying at the place indicated, partly 
 devoured by a tiger. All round the spot were signs of a 
 desperate struggle, and there is no doubt that the tiger 
 scenting the blood of the wounded animal had tackled 
 him forthwith, probably when the poor beast was lying 
 down. A tiger would hardly attack an unwounded bison. 
 Barnett, who was a good and experienced shikari, said the 
 bull was the largest he had ever seen, and that his horns 
 were well over forty inches in breadth, but, owing to the 
 effluvia, he could not measure them jjroperly. A Carder 
 brought me a creeper and a bamboo marked with the 
 breadth, both of which showed it as a little over forty- two 
 inches, but these could not be relied on. 
 
144 BISON. 
 
 On the 30th July I got a bison near the Poolakul 
 Ibex Hill, after stalking it for two hours, at the end of the 
 time getting a snap shot which went through the heart ; 
 a very large beast, with shabby horns. It rained almost 
 incessantly from the morning of the 27th to mid-day on 
 the 29th, resulting in our being cut off from our depot of 
 supply at Toonacudavoo, and, as I could not touch bison 
 flesh on account of its strong odour, recourse was had to 
 jungle fowl and black monkeys for the pot. The former 
 were scarce, in fact I only got a shot at one, of which 
 there was but little left after a 12 -bore bullet had perfo- 
 rated him ; and the latter were unpleasant things to shoot, 
 although very good when curried. I only had nerve 
 enough to shoot one ; he was dismembered and mixed up 
 with the fragments of the jungle-cock — and I never 
 knew whether the food was bird or beast, it was a tasty 
 but distinctly cannibalistic repast. One evening I strolled 
 down to the river to examine some bison heads which 
 had been placed in the stream to clean, and saw several 
 good sized fish, presumably mahseer, swimming about 
 close to them. A fishing rod and tackle having been 
 improvised, some time was spent in unsuccessful attempts 
 to lure them with worms. The Periar here was about 
 forty yards broad, with a nice stream and several likely 
 looking pools, but an alligator on the opposite bank 
 represented some of its inmates, and dispelled the salmon 
 river illusion it otherwise would have given rise to. My 
 stock of hardened bullets becoming exhausted, I had to 
 melt down the handle of an old pewter mug which had 
 been my faithful servant on several shooting trips. From 
 this, five bullets were cast, which subsequently accounted 
 for three bison. Bamett had been using a Martini rifle 
 at these animals, but was not satisfied with its perform- 
 
BI80N. 145 
 
 ances, and no doubt the bore is too small for such heavy 
 beasts.* 
 
 On the 3rd August I marched to Toonacudavoo, taking 
 the Poolakul ibex hill on the way, but found no fresh 
 tracks of ibex, nor did I fire a shot that day. My trip 
 to Perrincudavoo had afforded capital sport, only four 
 days having been blank ones. The weather all this time 
 had been very wet, and, as has been already stated, we 
 had three days on short commons ; but these minor 
 discomforts were unable to dim the pleasures of that 
 expedition . 
 
 The undergrowth of these forests had vastly increased 
 since my arrival, in many places the grass, creepers, 
 cannae, caladiums, &c., being several feet in height; the 
 open spaces were gradually becoming choked with rank 
 vegetation, and this not only threw great difficulties in the 
 way of tracking by obscuring the slots of bison, but also, 
 by increasing the amount of covert, considerably impeded 
 the view, and the time was approaching when little could 
 be done with any animals except wild elephants. 
 
 Laying in a fresh stock of provisions and ammunition, 
 at Toonacudavoo, I started for Poolakul on the afternoon, 
 of the 4 th August, and the following morning entered the 
 forest in a southerly direction, finding numerous four days 
 old elephant tracks within a few hundred yards of the 
 camp, all leading towards the cardamom jungles of 
 Travancore, which, without the Rajah's permission, was 
 forbidden ground. After walking some distance we found 
 the trail of a large bull bison, and, while following it up, 
 heard the howling of a bear not far off. A voyage of 
 
 * Although knocked down, the majority recovered and 
 escaped. Even a 12 -bore is hardly large enough for so heavy 
 an animal. 
 
 L 
 
146 BISON. 
 
 discovery in his direction being" unsuccessful, we resumed 
 tracking the bison, but in a few minutes heard what I 
 thought was a tiger calling to its mate. Both shikaries 
 declared it was a tiger, and were not a bit keen on tracking 
 it up. We could find no signs of pugs, but proceeded in 
 the direction, and got quite close to the spot it emanated 
 from. Suddenly a tremendous crashing took place, and 
 the note changed. Both shikaries said " anee," whereupon 
 I put in elephant cartridges, loaded with 7|- drachms of 
 powder and hardened bullets. A few yards further on we 
 discovered a herd of bison, which had been giving vent to 
 these extraordinary sounds. A sufficiently clear sliot not 
 being obtainable, we followed the herd slowly, the cows, as 
 usual, presenting the most tempting shots, and, moreover, 
 keeping such a sharp look out, that, although we took 
 every advantage of Mnnd and cover, no opening occurred at 
 the bull. The cows bellowed, snorted, and rushed away, 
 taking the bull with them. Three of these stampedes took 
 place in the course of a ten mile stalk, at the end of which, 
 I got a long shoulder shot at what appeared to be the bull. 
 Away rushed the herd again, but the wounded one lay 
 down twice within a short distance in very thick covert, 
 and bolted on our approach. For several miles we con- 
 tinued the pursuit, till we arrived on the banks of the 
 Periar, where, instead of crossing the river, they turned up 
 the right bank. Twice again we roused it in thick covert, 
 but the shikaries were not to be blamed, for one could not 
 •see five yards ahead in the almost impenetrable tangle of 
 canes and creepers. We carried on the tracks till the sun 
 began to sink, and were proceeding down a slope covered 
 with clumps of bamboos towards the river, when the brute 
 isuddenly charged us from our left flank. The right barrel 
 brought it down as if shot through the brain, within 
 
BISON. 147 
 
 twenty yards. Reloading, we proceeded to bombard it in 
 the usual way with sticks, gradually approaching step by 
 step. After about a minute it jumped up again, and had 
 taken a few steps towards the river, when a bullet through 
 the heart laid it low — a cow nearly seventeen hands high 
 with twenty-three inch horns. The bullet, fired as it 
 charged, struck the left horn close to its base, rolling 
 it over as if dead, the core inside the horn being greatly 
 damaged by the shot. Next day we started eastwards 
 over Desperation Hill, and soon met with a herd, which 
 was very much on the look out, and stampeded forthwith. 
 For tw^o hours we followed them over hill and dale 
 without getting a view, and then they halted on a bamboo- 
 dad hill, and I sighted one browsing about sixty yards 
 distant ; at the same instant a large cow, starting up 
 within thirty yards, stared fixedly in our direction ; we 
 immediately sank slowly to the ground, and remained 
 perfectly still for some minutes, the cow still gazing 
 at us, although she evidently had not got our wind. The 
 further bison appeared to be the bull from its size and 
 dark colour, but the thick covert prevented his head being 
 seen. On firing I heard the bullet tell, and w^e followed 
 up the traces for three hours, but they were too much on 
 the alert, and never let us within one hundred yards, 
 although the wounded one had twice laid down. At the 
 end of that time we came to the foot of a steep hill ; up 
 which the tracks led, and, after a stiff climb for half a 
 mile, found ourselves on a plateau, covered with thick 
 sholah, where, within twenty yards, I saw what was 
 evidently the bull staring out at us, head thrown back and 
 nose projected in the usual bison fashion. It was an 
 awkward shot, but, aiming below the level of the eyes, I 
 
 pressed the trigger, but when the smoke cleared away the 
 
 L 2 
 
148 BISON. 
 
 animal was still in the same position, and on going up we 
 found a log of wood — part of the trunk of a tree — 
 perforated by the bullet, in a spot which oitj//if to have 
 been adjacent to the bison's brain. Atlay had been 
 hoaxed as well as I, and this was my only consolation 
 during my twelve mile trek home. He told me that some 
 years previously " cholera " (murrain) had attacked the 
 bison, nearly exterminating them, and that he saw over 
 one hundred carcases lying in the jungles, within a few 
 months, of animals that had died from the disease. He 
 said the shooting was now nearly over for the season on 
 account of the dense undergrowth, and that he and his 
 clan would soon be occupied with their ordinary work, 
 collecting jungle produce, such as saffron, ginger, wild 
 honey, and antlers shed by deer ; these they sold to 
 traders fi'om the low country who visit these forests 
 periodically. These Carders shift their camps when they 
 have exhausted the products of a given portion of jungle, 
 and sow a few wretched patches of grain in clearings near 
 their cold weather quarters. A few days later I left the 
 Annamullays and bade farewell to Douglas, who had been 
 most kind in helping me in every way, and without whose 
 co-operation nothing could have been done. Captains 
 Clay and Borthwick, of the 79th Highlanders, arrived 
 from Kamptee, and took my place. They had very fair 
 sport, especially with elephants, which had been attracted 
 from their usual haunts by the young growth of bamboos 
 here. My subsequent operations with bison were chiefly 
 restricted to the Muddoor and Bandipore jungles. 
 
 In June, 1881, I shot my last bison within a few 
 miles of the travellers' bungalow at Bandipore, where I 
 had arrived from Ootacamund. Mr. Harvey, who had 
 come out from England on a shooting expedition, and 
 
BI80N. 149 
 
 had been here for some days, reported that the jungles 
 were a good deal disturbed by grazing cattle, and that 
 there were but few herds of bison in the vicinity, still 
 he had had some sport with bears and other janwars, 
 including a rogue tusker, which he had fired at and 
 wounded, and which then chased him for a considerable 
 time, nearly catching him on several occasions, but a 
 heavy 8-bore double-barrel eventually gave the elephant 
 a quietus. I am writing from memory, but believe that 
 the encounter lasted for an hour. The tusks were nice 
 ones, but rather splintered by bullets during the heat of 
 the engagements. 
 
 This gentleman very kindly agreed to an arrangement 
 by which the road from Tippicado to Groondulpett was to 
 be the march between our respective forests, his tract to 
 lie to the west tow^ards the Mud door jungles, and mine 
 eastwards towards the Billiga Rungums. Very little 
 rain had fallen, and most of the natives were suffering 
 from fever; moreover, there was but little growth of grass 
 to tempt the bison fi'om the heavy forests lying towards 
 the Hona Matti Hills on the east, and Karkankottah to 
 the west. With much difficulty I secured a Sholigar as 
 shikari. He was just released from prison and was 
 anxious for a job, and, as he knew the jungles and there 
 was nobody else available except my hill shikari, who was 
 quite unacquainted with these parts, I took him into my 
 service for the trip. Starting next morning at ten o'clock 
 we walked in a southerly direction for two hom-s, passing 
 fairly fresh tracks of elephant, tiger, bison, bear, and deer, 
 but none were recent enough to follow. None of the 
 forest trees of the Annamullays were to be seen here, 
 and, although it was virgin forest, the trees were stunted 
 as a rule, looking as if the soil or climate was unsuitable 
 
150 BISON. 
 
 to growth, but the variety of wild animals was greater 
 than in any jungle which I had hitherto visited. This 
 was evidenced by their tracks which were everywhere to 
 be seen. About 1 p.m. we discovered fresh slots of four 
 bison, and tracked them for half a mile through some 
 bamboo scrub, whence we emerged into a large glade ; at 
 the opposite side of which in thick jungle some heavy 
 animals were making a great crashing, the Sholigar 
 immediately exclaiming " anee," but they were the bison 
 we had been tracking, A thick clump of saplings, inter- 
 twined with creepers, circular in form, and about thirty 
 yards in diameter, was situated in the middle of the glade, 
 and towards this we were in the act of crossing when a 
 native, who was herding cattle some distance off in the 
 forest beyond the bison, harangued his flock at the top of 
 his voice, whereupon the bison, galloping towards us, 
 entered the clump in front. The bull passed through it, 
 appearing immediately afterwards at the edge on our side 
 within thirty yards, snorting loudly and looking towards, 
 us, his horns festooned with the creepers, as we knelt in 
 the middle of the open ground, where there was little if 
 any covert. Aiming for the neck shot near the level of 
 his right eye, I pressed the trigger, the heavy 8-bore, 
 loaded with hardened bullet and 8 drachms of powder, 
 knocked me over, but it did the same to the bull, who 
 was shot through the spine, and turned his toes to the 
 sky, never moving a yard. At the same moment the rest 
 of the herd, consisting of two cows and a young bull, 
 galloped past within twenty yards, but they were not 
 worth firing at. The dead bull was a fine beast, with an 
 indifferent pair of horns barely 30 inches in breadth. I 
 measured him twice between uprights very carefully, and 
 found his height to be approximately 19^ hands, viz.. 
 
BISON. 151 
 
 77f inches; ii: he had been measured to the highest point 
 of the hump, which is not vertically over the shoulder, he 
 would have been some inches more. 
 
 A few days later all the servants and shikaries were 
 down with fever, and I had to march to Myoore. The 
 next news from those jungles was to the effect that Captain 
 Chamberlayne had fired at and wounded a bison, which 
 charged, and knocking him down, attempted to gore him on 
 the ground. Chamberlayne, however, made good use of a 
 strong pair of shooting boots, and gave the brute as much as 
 he got, and, although he returned for another bout, the result 
 was a drawn battle, both opponents, however, being consider- 
 ably the worse for wear ; in fact, Ciiamberlayne had to relin- 
 quish sporting operations for some time, and was lucky to- 
 escape with his life. In Captain Barnett's case, the bison 
 was lying down wounded, and he fired at the shoulder, but 
 this only seemed to put fresh vigour into the brute, which 
 got up and charged him, knocking him over, and then 
 gored him, but luckily only slightly, owing to the horns 
 being very much curved ; Barnett eventually shot the 
 brute. For bison, I used a 12 -bore rilie and hardened 
 spherical bullets, propelled by six drachms of powder ; but 
 1 found this was insufficient to penetrate to the lungs from 
 the point of the shoulder — at least, it could not always be 
 relied on to do so. I also tried a conical bullet with the 
 same charge of powder, but on the whole the spherical 
 one gave more satisfaction. In a broadside shot aim 
 behind, and a shade higher, than the elbow — the hump is 
 liable to catch the eye, and as a rule bullets are placed too 
 high in consequence. Bison are very fond of salt licks, 
 and it is well to make inquiries if any exist in the neigh- 
 bouring jungles, and to visit them, for tliis will show at a 
 glance what different kinds of game are about, as deer are 
 
152 BISON, 
 
 just as fond of these places as bison. In these spots the 
 earth is saturated with salt, which effloresces on the 
 surface, and all kinds of deer travel long distances to lick 
 the earth, and I believe to eat some of it. The paths 
 made by game will always be found to converge towards 
 where these licks exist. They are insignificant looking 
 spots, the ground being merely a patch bare of vegetation 
 for a few square yards, exposing the saline earth, which is 
 generally a reddish clay ; but there will be plenty of proof 
 all round of how they are appreciated by deer and bison. 
 Pig do not patronise them, probably because they do not 
 ruminate, but the tracks of elephants will often be found 
 at these places. Several existed in the Annamullays, and, 
 to the best of my recollection, three were to be found 
 between Muddoor and Tippicado. In the Nandair district 
 of the Nizam's dominions they were also numerous, and 
 the ambuscades of the natives, which were invariably 
 adjacent, proved they were equally attractive to the 
 denizens of those jungles.* 
 
 The shikaries, in jungles where elephants existed, 
 stated that those animals, as well as bison, suffer much 
 from intestinal worms, and that they eat great quantities 
 of saline earth to rid themselves of these pests. Moreover, 
 that when wounded, the elephants always travel to the 
 nearest salt lick to plug the bullet holes with the earth, 
 as this prevents the Hies from depositing their eggs in them. 
 The rutting season of the bison commences in the cold 
 weather, the cows calving about the months of July and 
 August, at which time they separate from the herds for 
 some weeks, until their offspring are able to trot about. 
 After some experience of herd bison, their pursuit becomes 
 
 * At every pool of water these anibu.^cades were hIso present, 
 and those jungles are gradually becoming denudid of game. 
 
BISON. 
 
 153 
 
 rather monotonous, there is but little variation in the 
 programme, and not much danger as a rule. Moreover 
 there is great waste of meat, in the remoter jungles usually 
 resorted to by them, owing to the absence of dhers — or 
 other pariahs — who in jungles nearer civilisation eat up 
 every morsel that can be found. The head as a trophy, 
 the tail for soup, the marrow-bones and tongue, will 
 supply the needs of most camps, and the remainder of the 
 immense frame w411 only benefit the tiger or panther. The 
 pursuit of solitary bulls is a branch of the sport which 
 affords more excitement, and is not so much open to 
 objection, for he is a morose and even dangerous animal, 
 and is useless to his own species. An 8 -bore double 
 barrel rifle, burning eight drachms of powder, with a 
 hardened bullet, would be my choice weapon for any future 
 bison stalking. It is a more humane one than a 12 -bore, 
 fewer animals getting away to pine and die of their wounds, 
 and, if elephants were encountered, it ought to acquit itself 
 well enough, in the absence of a 4-bore. 
 
 MY LAST BISON. 
 
CHAPTEE XI. 
 
 THE ELEPHANT {Elephas Indicm). 
 
 Distribution of — Shooting prohibited in 1871 — Damage caused 
 by — Heward formerly offered for — Elephant pits — Rogue 
 elephants — Dangers of elephant shooting — Where to aim — 
 Large bores desirable — Steel tipped bullets — Major Gordon 
 Gumming — System inaugurated by — Advantage of learn- 
 ing jungle dialects — Start with Gumming to shoot elephants 
 — Scene of operations — Gommencement of encounter — One 
 tusker killed — A stern chase — A record shot — Narrow 
 shave — Death of second tusker — Tusks disfigured — Beat 
 for sambur — Routed by cow elephant — Return to Banga- 
 lore — Baflfled Sybarites — How to scare a herd — Woodcraft 
 — Difference between habits of elephants and bison. 
 
 The haunts of the wild elephant in Southern India 
 comprise the virgin forests of Coorg, Canara, the Wynaad, 
 Coimbatore, Mysore, and Travancore, and their hill ranges, 
 together with the fringes of lesser jungle which abut on 
 the cultivated lowlands in those districts. They are, in 
 fact, identical with those inhabited by the bison. In the 
 forests near the Godavery the wild elephant is also found, 
 and when tiger shooting in those districts, news was occa- 
 sionally brought to camp of their presence in the vicinity. 
 Since the ukase issued by the Madras Grovernment in 
 1871 against the killing of wild elephants, and the subse- 
 quent cessation of kheddah operations, these animals have 
 increased enormously in the forests of Southern India, and 
 the outcry of the ryots cultivating lands adjoining these 
 tracts has become louder in proportion to the enhanced 
 
ELEPHANTS. 155 
 
 damage sustained by their crops each successive year. A 
 small herd of a dozen elephants will destroy many acres of 
 rice or jowari * fields during a nocturnal raid lasting but a 
 few hours, not only by eating it, but by tramping it down, 
 for, although when in the jungle they are much addicted to 
 travelling in single file, directly they debouch into arable 
 land they extend on a broad front, a formation better 
 suited for foraging, as otherwise the leaders of the herd 
 would annex all the tit-bits. These visits will almost to a 
 certainty be repeated by succeeding herds, which have 
 a habit of following the same routes as their predecessors, 
 and which are adhered to from year to year. A few years 
 previous to the veto against the shooting of elephants, 
 a Government reward of seventy rupees was actually paid 
 for every elephant killed, and great numbers were destroyed 
 by native shikaries with huge guns, fired from a tripod by 
 slow match. As one elephant per annum was sufficient to 
 keep the man living in comparative luxury for the whole of 
 that time, some of the jungle wallahs made a good thing 
 of it, especially as they also used pitfalls, which were dug 
 in the routes by which the elephants proceeded during the 
 rains on their annual visit to the bamboo jungles, in 
 search of the young shoots, of which they are very fond. 
 These still exist in some jungles, and are twelve feet long, 
 eight broad, and fifteen feet deep. A stick is placed across 
 the pit to break the fall of the elephant when it is intended 
 to catch him alive, but the depth is so great that the 
 unfortunate animals generally succumb to internal injuries 
 or broken limbs. I have a dim recollection of seeing some 
 pits in the Annamullays, in which a pointed stake had 
 been driven to kill the animal, which, if a tusker, occasion- 
 ally escaped by digging down the sides of the pits, and 
 * Same as cholum — a species of millet. 
 
156 ELEPHANTS. 
 
 grddually filling them with the earth thus displaced. The 
 pits were arranged in groups of four or live, two usually 
 being in front, and one on each flank to intercept those 
 that bolted on the collapse of the leading elephant. Bison 
 and sambur were not unfrequently victimised by these 
 contrivances. The Mysore Government also prohibited the 
 killing of elephants in the same year (1871), and since then 
 have only sanctioned enterprises against " rogues," which 
 are solitary male elephants addicted to infesting the 
 vicinity of roads, where they interrupt the traffic and 
 frequently kill any human being they may meet. A few 
 of these brutes were on the warpath almost every year in 
 the Mysore jungles. One was a well-known muckna 
 (tuskless male), and lorded it over the natives in the 
 Karkancottah jungles. Several men had been killed by 
 him. It was stated that he had been wounded by a sahib, 
 and that this had the effect of making him an implacable 
 €nemy to all mankind. Mucknas are credited with being 
 far more dangerous than the ordinary tusker, and it was 
 one of these brutes that killed Wedderburn in the old 
 muzzle-loading days, in the Wynaad jungle near Tippicado. 
 In 1880 and 1881 a rogue elephant was hanging about 
 the main road from Mysore to Ootacamund, near this 
 place (Tippicado) ; his beat extended as far as Bandipore 
 to the north, and to Madoor * on the west. I obtained a 
 " licence to shoot rogue elephants " through the kind 
 offices of Colonel Pearse (who was himself a thorough 
 sportsman), my intention being to first tackle the 
 Tippicado rogue — on account of his tusks — and then to 
 try conclusions with the Karkancottah muckna. Owing to 
 the exigencies of the service, leave could only be obtained 
 for short spells at a time, and on arrival at Bandipore he 
 * Or " Muddoor/' 
 
ELEPHANTS. 157 
 
 was invariably reported to be either at Muddoor or 
 Tippicado ; next day, on reaching Muddoor, he would be 
 on the return journey to either of the other places, and in 
 the journeys to and fro we never met. Then I got a 
 bullock-cart, and patrolled the road from Bandipore to 
 Tippicado, backwards and forwards for two days, in the 
 hope of "drawing " him, but it was useless ; finally I tried 
 strategy, by camping at Gopaulswamy, a position whiah 
 enabled me to act on Interior Lines, but an interview 
 could never be arranged. Moreover, these manoeuvres 
 occupied so much of my leave that the Karkancottah 
 rogue could not be visited on either occasion. The 
 ordinary wild elephants seemed to know that they were 
 protected, and were very much en evidence, in short 
 obtrusively familiar, being quite a nuisance when stalking 
 bison. But, although they were forbidden game, it was 
 most interesting to study their habits when bison were 
 not forthcoming. The few sportsmen who have had expe- 
 rience in this branch of shikar (they can be counted easily 
 on the fingers of one hand), with one notable exception, 
 are of opinion that it is the most risky type of sport, and all 
 have had several nan-ow escapes with wounded elephants. 
 The exception referred to was the late General Douglas 
 Hamilton, who declared bison shooting was more 
 dangerous, and to this opinion — founded on great expe- 
 rience — much deference is due. As a rule, the Indian 
 sportsman aims to strike the brain, which is small and oval 
 in section — one foot long, and nine inches in breadth. It 
 lies far back, and low in the head, and, on account of its 
 position, the bullet, before reaching it, must penetrate a 
 considerable thickness of bone and tissue ; therefore the 
 projectile should be hardened, and propelled by a large 
 charge of powder. The front shot is the favourite one ; 
 
158 ELEPHANTS. 
 
 the mark is well defined, and the path to the brain offers 
 but little impediment to penetration. Aim is taken below 
 the centre of the bump just over the trunk, when the 
 elephant is facing the firer, on level ground, the drawback to 
 the shot being that it is seldom offered. If the elephant is 
 on higher ground, aim must be taken lower, and vice versa, 
 the nearer the sportsman is to the animal the greater must 
 he the allowance for difference of level. The temple shot — 
 half way between eye and ear — aim so as to break in 
 half an imaginary stick joining the centres of the ears — 
 an angle of forty-five degrees with the plane of the length 
 will ensure this. The ear-shot — aim at right angles 
 through the ear-hole, not always an easy mark in the 
 gloom of the forest. The rear shot is in prolongation of 
 the temple shot ; try to break the stick in half by firing 
 from rear to front, at an angle of forty-five degrees with 
 the plane of the elephant's length. 
 
 The rules regarding differences of level apply to all 
 these shots. The eyes of the elephant are fair guides to 
 the level of his brain, except when the firer is on higher 
 ground. On level ground the eyes are below the brain, 
 but the tendency is to aim too high, and the heavy charges 
 used, increase the error. The elephant's sight is bad, but 
 his sense of smell is very keen, be careful therefore to keep 
 to leeward of him ; try the wind frequently with tobacco 
 ashes, bits of dry grass, &c., and you will have no difficulty 
 in getting within twenty yards of him, in ordinary 
 ground ; do not fire at a greater range, but if you can get 
 within ten yards do so, but don't go nearer. 
 
 These rules have been framed on the experiences of 
 several sportsmen who have had practical proof of their 
 truth ; one of them (Captain Buckle, R.A.) spoke of a 
 fifth shot which once saved his life, when an infuriated 
 
ELEPHANTS. 159 
 
 tusker was almost on the top of him, viz., through the roof 
 of the mouth. When an elephant charges with trunk curled 
 and head raised, as is sometimes their custom, few rifles 
 can shoot hard enough to reach the brain, as in addition to 
 the bony portion of the skull by which it is protected, the 
 trunk must first be perforated by the projectile, but in 
 most cases he would be staggered by the impact, and give 
 an opening for the left barrel ; if, however, the firer was on 
 higher ground this difiiculty would not exist, as he would 
 then be above the level of the ti'unk. Elephants are some- 
 times killed by the shot behind the shoulder, but a large 
 bore and heavy charge of powder are of course advisable, if 
 not absolutely necessary, for this. I once tried it with a 
 12 -bore rifle, burning 7^ drachms of powder, behind a steel- 
 tipped conical bullet, and, greatly to my surprise, found that 
 the bullet and tip had parted company, the latter emerging 
 behind the shoulder on the opposite side. The late Frank 
 Oordon Gumming, who was ^^dth me at the time, and had 
 put two bullets into the same tusker's head (which was 
 bidden from me), considered that the projectile had passed 
 between the ribs, this being the only way to account for 
 the extraordinary penetration — fuller particulars of this 
 incident are given further on in this chapter. On several 
 subsequent occasions the same thing occuiTcd with bison, 
 when the charge of powder was but six drachms. The 
 steel tip was smaller in diameter than the rest of the 
 projectile, and was very sharp at the point, but its base had 
 not much hold on the lead (vide illustration a on next page, 
 in which the shaded portion represents the tip), some that 
 were cut out of bison had assumed the shape d, when pro- 
 pelled by 2^ drachms of powder from my second rifle. 
 These had only penetrated a few inches, and were worse 
 than useless, merely goading the unfortunate animal. It is 
 
160 ELEPHANTS. 
 
 possible that the heavier charges of powder caused the bullet 
 to mushroom sufficiently to liberate the sharp and hard tip, 
 which would fly forward with the same velocity as the 
 bullet at the moment of liberation, its shape and smaller 
 
 («) (&) 
 
 surface enabling it to penetrate further than the rest of the 
 projectile, which was of ordinary soft lead, for when cast- 
 ing them it was assumed that, as the tip would bear the 
 brunt of penetration, hardened lead behind would be 
 superfluous. 
 
 I was first introduced to wild elephants when quartered 
 at Bangalore in 1870 by Gordon Gumming, who then held 
 an important position in the Mysore Commission. He had 
 perfected an Intelligence Department for shikar purposes, 
 by means of which immediate news of the presence of all 
 big game within fifty miles of that station was at once 
 transmitted to him. He had previously held a similar 
 appointment at Shimoga, where — by inaugurating a like 
 method of obtaining " khubber " — he had developed the 
 sporting capabilities of that district to the utmost extent, 
 and had had capital sport. He was a fair shot with a 
 rifle, moderately so with a gun, and plucky — and as cool 
 as a cucumber — when engaged with big game. Of course 
 with his exceptional advantages, he had acquired a good 
 knowledge of the jungle and the habits of its inmates. 
 At that time I had already made my dedid with tigers, 
 panthers, bears, &c., but knew nothing about bison or 
 
ELEPHANTS. 161 
 
 elephants. Shooting was my craze ; every day of my leave 
 
 was devoted to either gun or rifle, and when off duty 
 
 in Cantonments, all spare time was given to rifle practice 
 
 or small game shooting, the study of anatomy so far as it 
 
 related to the structure of elephants' heads, and the vital 
 
 points of wild animals generally, likewise to a colloquial 
 
 knowledge of Hindostani, Tamil, Telugoo, and Burmese, 
 
 with a view to shikar expeditions, an acquaintance with 
 
 these dialects being of incalculable advantage to the 
 
 sportsman when in remote districts, where, to be successful, 
 
 he must be his own interpreter. Before proceeding to any 
 
 jungle district, even a few weeks' study of its dialect is the 
 
 best preliminary to ensure good sport. Several of my 
 
 friends were also devoted to the jungle — how we used to 
 
 long for the leave season to come round ! — although, 
 
 without exception, we were zealous soldiers and fond of our 
 
 profession. 
 
 After muster parade on the 30th June, 1870, I started 
 
 on ten days' leave of absence with Gordon Gumming, to 
 
 look for some elephants which were reported to have 
 
 arrived near Hooliya, a small jungle hamlet some fifty 
 
 miles south of Bangalore. A drive of thirty-six miles took 
 
 us to the travellers' bungalow at Kankanhulli, where we 
 
 found that all our provisions and liquor had been sent on 
 
 to Hooliya by the amildar, * but it was too late in the day 
 
 to continue the journey, most of which led through a rocky 
 
 country covered with scrub jungle ; so we slept there, and> 
 
 starting early next morning, arrived in our camp in Hooliya 
 
 about noon, after a fatiguing march of fourteen miles, most 
 
 of which was performed on foot, the ground being too 
 
 rough and jungly to use our horses. The head shikari met 
 
 us on our arrival, reporting that the elephants — two 
 
 * District native ofl&cial. 
 M 
 
162 ELEPHANTS. 
 
 tuskers and a cow — were about two koss distant, in some 
 thick jungle towards the Eiver Cauvery, and that he had 
 left two jungle wallahs to watch them. We thereupon 
 held a council of war, deciding to tiffin and start after 
 them without loss of time, as they could not be depended on 
 to stay another night in their present quarters, and might 
 be forty miles away if we waited until next morning. 
 
 A walk of over an hour through park -like undulating 
 country, took us to a lonely valley surrounded by steep 
 hills, and about one mile in breadth, through the middle of 
 which a prettily-wooded stream wound down to the 
 Cauvery. The scouts, immediately descending from their 
 trees, came forward to report that the elephants, after 
 drinking, bathing, and skylarking in a small pond, had 
 betaken themselves to feed in a dense thicket of the smaller 
 kind of bamboo, which fringed the stream about half a 
 mile below us. Descending into the valley, we first 
 visited the pond, which was not more than twenty yards 
 square. The margin had once been covered with barroo 
 reeds, but these the elephants had demolished ; the place 
 was poached up in ev^ery direction by their tracks, 
 the steep banks had also been scaled, and high jinks had 
 evidently been going on all round ; indeed, the jungle 
 wallahs reported that this was a honeymooning trip, and 
 that the pond had been the scene of both love and war. 
 Also that the tuskers were rival suitors, and had had 
 frequent indecisive battles, as, although differing in size, 
 the smaller bull had larger tusks than his opponent, which 
 subsequently proved to be true. We then took the tracks 
 up to the thicket, and .soon heard the cracking of the 
 bamboos as they were munched by the elephants. Creep- 
 ing forward we got to within twenty yards of them, but the 
 covert was too dense to see anything, so, having ascer- 
 
H 
 
 M 
 
 w 
 
ELEPHANTS. 163 
 
 tained that there was little or no wind, we lay down at 
 the edge of a small glade, towards which the trio were 
 feeding, with our second rifles on the ground beside us. 
 The crunching of the bamboos got louder and louder by 
 degrees, and at last a huge brown mass, with a pair of 
 gleaming tusks emerged from the jungle on the opposite 
 side of the glade — some thirty yards across, and smelling 
 danger sounded the alarm by striking the end of his trunk 
 against the ground, thus emitting a metallic noise 
 resembling a log of timber falling on hard ground.* 
 His companions then drew up beside him, the female in 
 the centre. After a minute's deliberation they slowly 
 advanced, but in a hesitating manner, trying the wind 
 with their trunks and evidently suspicious of danger. 
 Each man was to take the tusker next him, the cow was 
 not to be fired at, we had a final look at our cartridges, 
 full cocked the rifles, and opened the cartridge pouches so 
 as to be ready for reloading. The elephants now in full 
 view had halted within twenty yards. A rifle in each hand 
 we both jumped to our feet, and ran forward to engage 
 them. At a close range I fired three shots at my tusker's 
 head and one for the other tusker's heart as he swerved off 
 to my right front, his head being obscured by the cow's 
 stem. They all crashed off through the bamboos, closely 
 pursued by us. Seventy yards further on, Cumming's 
 tusker collapsed stone dead in a kneeling position. In 
 addition to his shots in the head, the steel tip of my 
 bullet had, as already mentioned, passed through the body 
 in the line of the heart. After a minute we continued 
 the chase — a stern chase and destined to be a long one — 
 and soon afterwards saw the shadowy outlines of the two 
 
 * This noise can be heard at a distance of two hundred 
 yards. 
 
 M 2 
 
164 ELEPHANTS. 
 
 elephants who had halted to wait for their companion. 
 As we advanced they moved into an adjacent glade where 
 we again opened fire but without effect, for charging off 
 they crossed the stream into another thicket of " Seega 
 kye " * and bamboos, through which we valorously 
 followed till our clothes were torn to rags. This burst 
 lasted for ten minutes, when we emerged into more open 
 forest for some hundreds of yards, until we again found 
 ourselves in a hopeless brake of male bamboo, so thick 
 that it was impossible to see five yards in front. The 
 tracks separated here, so we did the same, each of us 
 following his own line, it was a regular maze, but by 
 following in the elephant's wake, a view was obtainable for 
 about ten yards in front. 
 
 When fifty yards inside the thickel, a loud crashing 
 close to my right was followed by the apparition of the 
 tusker, charging along the back track. He was twelve 
 yards from me, but the right barrel missed him clean, the 
 bullet cutting a bamboo stem just over his head (a record 
 shot). The left barrel, fired when he was almost on the 
 top of me, luckily turned him a little, and he passed 
 within a few feet on my left, and thundered away through 
 the bamboos like an express train. Done to a turn I 
 crawled out of the thicket and threw myself upon the 
 ground, where Gumming, having heard my shots, soon 
 arrived, dead beat also. The stream was close at hand 
 where a drink and wet handkerchiefs round our heads 
 soon revived us. We had a good laugh over my curious 
 shot, and a useful rest of ten minutes before continuing 
 the fray. To avoid the bamboos we then made a detour 
 and soon struck the trail of both the elephants, which led 
 us along the right bank of the stream for two hundred 
 * Thorny acacia. 
 
ELEPHANTS. 165 
 
 yards where it crossed and entered another dense patch 
 of jungle. On the opposite side of this, we viewed both 
 animals heading towards our left, and, running forward, 
 poured in a volley, a shot from Cumming's 8 -bore 
 muzzle-loader bringing the tusker to his knees, but he 
 got up again and bolted away as fresh as paint. Gum- 
 ming had to halt to reload, but I pushed on and was 
 slowly gaining on the tusker, whose ponderous hind- 
 quarters were about thirty yards ahead. The jungle 
 now was easy going, a few scattered clumps of bamboo 
 and no undergrowth, but the position of the tusker dis- 
 closed no vulnerable point. 
 
 At length, losing patience, the right barrel was fired at 
 the leviathan target in front, in order to provoke a charge ; 
 the effect was magical ; round he came screaming with 
 rage, ears cocked, and trunk uplifted. He was on slightly 
 higher ground, and came down the slope like a runaway 
 locomotive, but his trunk was still in the way. When 
 about twenty yards distant an overhanging bamboo caused 
 him to lower it, and to expose the bump. As the trigger 
 was pressed, I heard Cumming's bullet — fired from thirty 
 yards behind me — whistle past and " thud " on the tusker, 
 who, swerving slightly to my left, crashed into a bambbo, 
 and fell dead within twenty yards, getting another shot 
 from the 8-bore as he collapsed. The scouts had spoken 
 the truth, for this tusker was rather smaller than the first, 
 but had longer and more massive tusks ; they were cut out 
 very badly by the coolies, who, although specially warned, 
 left some nine inches of each in the skull. Cutting them 
 out is always a dangerous operation ; it is much better to 
 leave them for some days until decomposition sets in, when 
 they can be drawn out without difficulty. So far as we 
 could ascertain, by measuring the portions cut out, each 
 
166 ELEPHANTS. 
 
 tusk of the lighter pair was 42 inches in length, and the 
 others about 48 inches each ; and some months afterwards, 
 when the embedded portions were brought into Bangalore, 
 we found that our estimate was approximately correct. 
 When they are not cut out on the spot a piquet of three 
 watchers should be detailed to camp in the vicinity until 
 the tusks can be extracted, otherwise they will probably be 
 stolen, even in the remotest jungles. 
 
 Next day, when beating for sambur, the coolies 
 encountered the cow elephant, which was in a shocking 
 temper, and charged them vigorously. The beat had to be 
 stopped, and, although much inclined for another scrim- 
 mage, and a good deal annoyed by the interruption, we 
 decided to leave her unmolested. Poor lady ! she had lost 
 both her lovers. The tuskers' feet having been brought 
 into camp, the tissue and gristle — which was very much 
 like caoutchouc — were with difficulty scooped out, after 
 many hours' labour ; they were then coated internally with 
 arsenical soap, filled with charcoal, and taken to Canton- 
 ments, where they were transformed into foot-stools and 
 cigar-boxes. The tails mysteriously disappeared, having 
 been removed and secreted by some of our followers, who 
 believe the hairs to be a potent talisman in certain love 
 philtres. One of the skulls was brought to me in Canton- 
 ments several months afterwards, when the flesh, &c., had 
 disappeared, eventually finding its way to Europe with a 
 friend, whose regiment relieved us at Bangalore. We had 
 heard that the baked foot of an elephant was a dish for a 
 Lucullus, and reasoned that the tongue would be at least as 
 toothsome, if not more so. Both tongues were accordingly 
 put into pickle, and taken to Bangalore, where, together 
 with some bears' hams, which we had shot at Sawandroog, 
 about thirty miles distant from Cantonments, they formed 
 
ELEPHANTS. 167 
 
 the nucleus of a shikar luncheon at our mess some months 
 afterwards ; the tongues, however, proved to be impervious 
 to any knife in the establishment, being tougher than 
 indiarubber ; the bears' hams, too, although carefully 
 injected with brine, had become tainted near the bone, 
 so the baffled Sybarites had to be satisfied with more 
 civilised food. 
 
 Cholera broke out in the camp at Hooliya, the day 
 following the sambur driv^e ; we therefore returned to 
 Kankanhully, where, getting " khubber " of a tiger and bears 
 we had an unsuccessful beat on the 4th of July,* return- 
 ing to Bangalore the following day. The news of our 
 success had preceded us, but some jealous friend started a 
 rumour that we had shot Commissariat elephants, and we 
 got unmercifully chaffed about it for a long time after- 
 wards, many people believing the report to be true. If it 
 is desired to move a herd of elephants that you may not 
 fire at, but which are in the way, when bison stalking foi 
 instance, give them your wind, from some distance not 
 less than 100 yards; if you approach nearer, be prepared to 
 receive the charge of a cow, for they are always more 
 pugnacious than the bulls, being solicitous for the 
 safety of theii* calves. Several of my friends have 
 been thus charged, and obhged to shoot the cow in 
 self-defence. 
 
 When on the march the tuskers are usually in rear of a 
 herd ; at other times on the flanks, but seldom with the 
 main body, as the cows and younger taskers seem to bore 
 them. 
 
 Wlien to windward of a herd you wish to scare, test 
 the strength of the wind, and estimate how long the 
 
 * In a vast expanse of scrub jungle and boulders which 
 stretched away to the Denkanicotta forests. 
 
168 ELEPHANT 8. 
 
 taint will take to reach them ; the current of air is 
 sometimes so faint that it barely travels at the rate of 
 two miles in the hour. Experiments of this kind are 
 always interesting, and knowledge thus acquired may 
 prove useful. 
 
 One afternoon in the Annamulla^^s, I got a bull bison 
 by the exercise of woodcraft of this nature. The herd 
 was feeding in a valley, down which there was an almost 
 imperceptible drift of wind, as is often the case in such 
 situations, we estimated it to be moving at the rate of 
 about fifty yards per minute ; the bison were in an open 
 space devoid of covert, but on the windward side a 
 narrow belt of bamboos, about fifty yards long, ran out 
 from the surrounding forest to within easy distance of 
 the bull. To reach that point, however, it was 
 necessary to pass to windward, and within forty yards 
 of, three cows, on the hither side of this promontory, 
 therefore, nearly a minute was available to stalk and fire 
 at the bull after passing them. Ihe calculation was 
 correct, but it was touch and go, for, just before pressing 
 the trigger, the nearest cow got the wind from the spot 
 I had passed a minute before, too late, however, to save 
 the life of her lord and master. 
 
 Elephants and bison are often found in the same 
 tracts of jungle, the natural food of both being the 
 bamboo ; but the former animal is more nomadic in 
 his tendencies, and does not adhere to a particular locality 
 for any length of time, as is customary with the latter. 
 One reason for this is, that a herd of elephants will exhaust 
 and destroy the forage in a given district more quickly 
 than ten times as many bison. The elephant also differs 
 from the bison in his predilection for raiding grain crops 
 in cultivated land, which the latter animal never ventures 
 
ELEPHANTS. 169 
 
 to do, owing to his intense aversion to the presence of 
 man and his surroundings. The elephant, on the contrary, 
 is not so prejudiced, especially when he is a solitary one, 
 when he often continues to graze in spite of all the 
 efforts of the watchers to scare him. 
 
CHAPTER XII. 
 THE ELEPHANT {Elephas Indkus). 
 
 Expedition to Thaudi — Scarcity of water — Cicely — Expedition 
 to Perrabyoo — Our hut wrecked by elephants — We get a 
 facer — Flight of the herd — Carders fear of elephants — 
 Aversion to tracking — Staunch with tiger — Track up tiger 
 — The Javalee tuskers^Two exciting adventures — Elephant 
 tracking — Solitary males — Their habits — Strike trail of — 
 Atlay's mendacity — Skirmish with a sow — Gun carrier bolts 
 — Advance to attack — Atlay bolts — The encounter — Get 
 front shot — Tusker decamps — Is found dead — Tribal feud 
 — Murrain — Pitfalls — Kheddah elephants — Clothes for 
 elephant shooting — The foot shot — Lines of retreat to be 
 selected — To harden bullets — Excitement of elephant shoot- 
 ing — The Hassanore tusker — Primary attack fails — Is 
 followed up and shot. 
 
 The Ceylon and Burmese elephants are stated to be 
 identical with the Indian animal, but, for some 
 unexplained cause, those of Ceylon are tuskless — or nearly 
 so — only one elephant out of three hundred being a " dant 
 wallah." * This peculiarity does not, however, extend to 
 the elephant of Burmah, the percentage of tuskers there 
 being the same as in India. 
 
 When in Burmah in 1876 I had two trips after 
 elephants. The first was a solitary expedition to a village 
 named Thandi, on a delta of the Irrawaddy, south-east of 
 Eangoon, where a herd were in the habit of drinking at 
 a brackish pool, in the middle of a vast savannah of kine 
 
 * Tusker. 
 
ELEPHANTS. 171 
 
 grass, which was surrounded by a belt of impervious 
 jungles, some ten miles distant. As Thandi was several 
 miles from this drinking place, I decided to camp nearer to 
 it, under a solitary babool bush, on which a rug was 
 hung to act as a tent. The elephants came to drink the 
 second night, but got a slant of our wind, and made off 
 to the jungles, without being fired at. They did not 
 return the next night, and, as the supply of drinking 
 water had been exhausted that day, we started early next 
 morning on our return journey, in a Burmese boat, nearly 
 mad with thirst, which was not assuaged until we reached 
 Thandi about midday. I had some good cicely* shooting 
 on the river, which was the only redeeming feature of 
 that trip. 
 
 The next expedition was by the Pegu river to 
 Kayengan, where we (a party of four) arrived, after a 
 fourteen hours' journey on a steam launch. Early next 
 morning a message was received by the Deputy Commis- 
 sioner — one of our party — to the effect that a hut which 
 had been constructed for us, was attacked and wrecked 
 by the elephants. They were furthermore reported 
 to be very vicious, charging everybody who approached 
 them. 
 
 This good news pulled us through a long day's march, 
 until, on nearing Perrabyoo about 6 p.m., we visited a pool 
 where the elephants were accustomed to drink, and found 
 the dead body of a cow elephant, which had been shot 
 that afternoon by a Burman. She was one of the herd we 
 were in search of. This was a facer to all who were 
 acquainted with the habits of wild elephants, but some of 
 us lay down to rest full of hope for the morrow. Next 
 morning, however, the elephants had departed clean out 
 * Dendrocjgna (whistling teal). 
 
172 ELEPHANTS. 
 
 of the district, being scared by the death of their comrade. 
 So the rest of our leave was devoted to themyng, daray, 
 and small game of sorts. The Burman's bullet was 
 beautifully placed. The shot had been a frontal one, and 
 the lower edge of the lump had been perforated in the 
 centre, exactly the right spot for a man of low stature 
 and firing on level ground to hit. All the jungle tribes 
 who live in elephant country are much more afraid of those 
 animals than of tigers or bison. The Carders, in particular, 
 were very lukewarm about tracking them up, and pointing 
 out the burrowings of a beetle, which deposits its eggs 
 under the warm droppings, would declare it was useless to 
 follow the trail, as the elephants were miles ahead, and 
 were travelling at speed, &c., &c. Knowing something 
 about tracking, I was inexorable on these occasions. As 
 we approached the herd their apprehension increased, the 
 climax being reached on sighting the game, when they 
 became useless, and could not be trusted to carry a rifle. 
 One of them (Atlay Moopen) had been in the service 
 of General Michael, a famous elephant shot, and therefore 
 he probably had no faith in such small deer as me, but he 
 was staunch at bison, and he once tracked a tiger up to 
 the carcase of a bison which had been shot a few days 
 previously, and then carried the pugs on to a thick clump 
 of bushes, fifty yards distant, where we expected to find 
 the brute. The tiger was there, but when he appeared, 
 Atlay stood his ground like a man, not flinching in the 
 least ; indeed, he ran forward with me to try to intercept 
 the brute before he reached some thick stuff further off, 
 but we failed to do so, and as we only got a glimpse of him 
 now and then as he crept quickly through the grass, 
 he got clear off without being fired at. A few days before 
 my departure from Toonacudavoo Captains Clay and 
 
ELEPHANTS. 173 
 
 Borthwick, of the 79th Highlanders, had arrived on leave of 
 absence from Kamptee, and on my departure took Atlay 
 over as head tracker. I warned them that he was reliable 
 on all occasions except when tuskers were concerned, and 
 sometime afterwards received an account of their sport, and 
 of Atlay's behaviour, with which they were much dis- 
 gusted, as whenever elephants were encountered he 
 executed a strategic movement to the rear, a most pro- 
 voking occurrence when one's spare rifle also vanishes with 
 the truant. They had good sport with elephants, but the 
 grass was too long for successful bison stalking. More- 
 over, these animals had been much worried, and were 
 extremely wary, as Major Barnett and I had been having 
 excellent sport there for some time previous. A friend 
 told me of a narrow shave he once had with a tusker in the 
 Javalee Hills. Two very old tuskers had been there for 
 years, and various sportsmen had tried to annex them 
 from time to time, but all declared that their skulls had 
 become impervious to bullets, owing to ossification of the 
 cellular parts of the skull close to the brain, which sets in 
 as these animals increase in age. The natives told him 
 that, although repeatedly fired at, the elephants invariably 
 returned to their favourite haunts after some lapse of time. 
 He accordingly went down and fired at and wounded one 
 of the tuskers, but the pair went away as usual, seemingly 
 not much the worse for wear. Some months afterwards he 
 repeated his visit, and again wounded one of the tuskers, 
 which pursued him until he was almost dead beat, when he 
 fell, or threw himself into a hollow in the ground, the 
 elephant passing on, luckily without seeing him. He thus 
 owed his life to the defective vision of the animal. 
 
 This was pretty close work, but another friend of mine 
 had a far more thrilling experience. He was quartered at 
 
1 74 ELEPHANTS. 
 
 the time at Bangalore with the 16th Lancers, and during 
 an expedition to the jungles of Southern Mysore, he had 
 iired at and wounded a tusker, which, although severely 
 hit, charged, and chased him through some bamboo jungle. 
 Unfortunately the elephant had his wind, and, although 
 several times blinked by clumps of bamboos, the animal 
 invariably found him out again, and finally was on the 
 point of catching him, when he managed to double round a 
 big bamboo, but his further flight was barred by a rock, 
 alongside which the tree was growing. He now jammed 
 himself into a corner, but the tusker scented him out, and 
 made several thrusts at him with his tusks, most provi- 
 dentially missing him every time. The animal then 
 retired, probably imagining he had killed his antagonist, 
 or he may have been blinded or stupefied by the shot. 
 The latter seems a likely solution, as under ordinary 
 circumstances his trunk would have been used to drag the 
 victim out, in order to trample him to death. 
 
 Provided the trail of a herd is struck about midday, 
 and is not more than six hours old, it ought to be followed 
 up, even if leading straight away from camp, for elephants 
 generally rest for several hours when the sun is high, and 
 do not recommence feeding until three o'clock in the after- 
 noon. For instance, if at noon a six hours' old trail is hit 
 oft*, the elephant would have had four hours' feeding (on 
 the march) before the daily halt, about 10 a.m., and in that 
 time would have covered about six miles, therefore three 
 hours are available to catch the herd up before they move 
 again from the halting place, some six miles distant. 
 Another way of looking at the problem is that, in addition 
 to the morning's stroll of, say twelve miles, another six 
 miles, plus the distance from the finish to camp, must be 
 added for this enterprise, exclusive of that covered after 
 
ELEPHANTS. 175 
 
 touch has been obtained of the tusker ; but this is a 
 feature of the sport, and some keen shikaries will often 
 camp on the trail, continuing the pursuit next day. 
 Solitary males in cool weather frequently dispense with the 
 midday " snooze," and continue to travel throughout the 
 day, feeding as they go along. My last encounter in the 
 Annamullays was with a wanderer of this sort, not far 
 from Poolakul. At that time (August, 1871), the law 
 forbidding the shooting of elephants was actually in force, 
 but I had been in the heart of the jungles for the best 
 pai-t of the preceding six months, and knew nothing 
 about it. 
 
 The elephants were just beginning to emerge from the 
 unexplored recesses of the mountains, their refuge during 
 the hot weather, to make their annual foray in search of the 
 young herbage, bamboo sprouts, &c., in the forest south of 
 Toonacudavoo, the general line of march being by Poolakul, 
 towards the cardamom jungles in the Travancore country, 
 which was forbidden ground. It was therefore necessary 
 to intercept them before they crossed the boundary of 
 British territory, a river some ten miles west of Poolakul. 
 Starting early one morning in a southerly direction, we 
 walked for several hours without finding any fresh tracks 
 of bison, but about noon struck the trail of a large solitary 
 elephant, apparently over six hours old. The tracks of the 
 fore feet measured four feet eight inches clear round the 
 circumference, and as twice this is equal to the height, he 
 was nine feet four inches at least. The shikaries, as usual, 
 were not keen for the undertaking, pointing out that the 
 tracks were stale, and that they were taking us away from 
 camp towards the Travancore march, which was then some 
 eight miles distant ; but I insisted on following him for a 
 few hours, believing he would rest for some time in the 
 
! 1(5 ELEPHANTS. 
 
 middle of the day. At the end of an hour we reached the 
 brink of a stream running through a tract of bamboos, the 
 foot prints led down to a salt lick in the steep bank over- 
 hanging the water ; this had delayed him for a consider- 
 able time, he had wandered about and returned to it again, 
 and the red earth bore tracks which proved he was no 
 muckna, but a fine tusker, as my hand could fit easily into 
 the grooves made by his tusks in the soft clay. Thence 
 for another hour we pushed along quickly through the 
 bamboos, finding at intervals remains of sprouts which 
 had been devoured by him, some portions being over six 
 feet long, and as thick as a man's leg. This was a good 
 omen, as it signified delay, although on the other hand the 
 fragments were covered with small insects, and the beetles 
 had raised great mounds of earth close by the droppings. 
 Into the latter Atlay would thrust his foot, and after 
 remaining pensive for some seconds would murmur 
 " ratri " (last night) in a despairing way, which made me 
 long for Pochello, or Kistiah, or Baloo, or any of the 
 plucky and sanguine Deccan shikaries, instead of this 
 listless aborigine. On leaving the bamboos we entered an 
 open part of the forest, with thick patches of cannse dotted 
 about, and encountered a sow with a litter, which not only 
 barred the way, but twice charged up to within twenty 
 yards without any provocation, for we had halted directly 
 we saw her. However, she retired after the second demon- 
 stration, stopping at intervals and trotting back to see that 
 we had not moved. 
 
 These beasts are a horrid nuisance when stalking, but it 
 is better to be bullied by them than to alarm the jungle 
 by firing. An hour later, we were stepping over the 
 trunk of a large tree, which had been partly burnt, and I 
 was pointing out to Atlay that some ashes which had 
 
ELEPHANTS. Ill 
 
 been brushed off the elephant's feet, as he passed over, 
 were quite fresh, and had not been washed away by a 
 recent shower, when the second Carder — who was a few 
 yards in advance — came rushing back the pictui-e of 
 terror, and exclaimed " Ani " — then pushed the rifle he 
 had been carrying into Atlay's hand, and bolted to the 
 rear. We advanced twenty yards, to the edge of a 
 glade, at the opposite side of which, calmly munch- 
 ing a bamboo, stood the tusker eighty yards off. The 
 glade was full of elephant creeper* and longish grass. 
 I then inquired how the wind was. Atlay caught 
 up some hea^y leaves, and let them fall ; this convinced 
 me that he was suffering fi'om his companion's 
 complaint, and he ought to have been forthwith 
 deprived of his rifle and sent to the rear. There was 
 hardly a breath of air, and I proposed stalking him for 
 the front shot, but Atlay recommended the ear — so I 
 crept cautiously forward, and got behind a large tree 
 within a dozen yards of the tusker, who showed over 
 two feet of ivory, indicating that his tusks were about 
 five feet long. He fed slowly past towards the left, 
 but did not give an opening for the temple shot, his stem 
 being towards me, and I had no confidence in the rear-to- 
 front shot, at the back of the ear — although as he halted to 
 eat another young bamboo shoot — this was offered most 
 temptingly. At this stage I glanced round to see that 
 my second rifle was at hand, but to my intense disgust 
 found that the perfidious Atlay had withdrawn from the 
 competition, and had taken it off with him ! Five 
 minutes elapsed without a satisfactory chance for a shot — 
 except one, when he suddenly turned round and examined 
 me intently, for about twenty seconds, during which 
 
 * Bauhinia. 
 
 N 
 
178 ELEPHANTS. 
 
 trying interval, averting my eyes, I remained perfectly 
 ■steady ; this was from force of habit, for, as a rule, it is the 
 best course to adopt, but in this case it v^^as folly, seeing 
 that the front shot was overlooked, and that in all proba- 
 bility aim could have been taken and the shot fired before 
 he moved. Being satisfied with his inspection he recom- 
 menced feeding, and shortly after turned broadside on, 
 exposing the ear shot ; in the gloom of the forest the 
 ■ear-hole was indistinct, but I could wait no longer, so 
 aimed steadily, and fired. He first went a header into the 
 bamboos, and remained motionless for some seconds, 
 leaning against their thick stems ; then, recovering himself, 
 he rushed over an adjacent small tree, subsiding against a 
 larger one, which cracked with his enormous weight, as he 
 leaned his body against it, his legs inclined outwards, at an 
 angle to the ground. Although not more than twenty 
 yards distant, he was facing away, so to fire would have 
 been useless. This was a good opportunity to reload ; the 
 paper cartridges, however, had become so swollen from 
 damp that they would not enter the breech,* which was 
 rather awkward; he soon revived, and, cocking his ears, 
 began to try the wind with his trunk, and evidently 
 sniffed the " tainted gale," for he advanced, encountering 
 a tree on the way, through the side of which he pushed 
 one of his tusks. I now stepped into the open, to get a 
 ■clearer shot; on he came, in a shuffling sort of way, 
 without elevating his trunk, but clearly intent on busi- 
 ness; and when within ten yards I fired for the bump, and 
 •down he went on his knees — weak though the second rifle 
 was, it would have been welcome then. The tusker 
 soon recovered his legs, and, turning about, retired very 
 .groggily, cannoning against the trees that came in his 
 * Brass cases were not made in those days. 
 
ELEPHANTS. 179 
 
 way ; he was not blinded by the shot, but simply dazed, 
 though he had. sense enough left to cross the Travancore 
 river close by — ^up the opposite bank of which his track 
 led into the territory of the Rajah, where we could not 
 encroach. Atlay reappeared simultaneously with the 
 elephant's retreat, declaring that if a herd had been there — 
 instead of a soUtary rogue — he would have stuck to me all 
 the time. The scene of the skirmish was revisited on the 
 way back ; the blood that had fallen from the first wound 
 was in gouts resembhng liver, the range being nine yards ; 
 the second shot was fired at less than twelve yards range, 
 but to this day I cannot tell where either buUet struck, 
 although it is certain they were both very close to the brain. 
 Four days later two Carders came in to report that a Mulser 
 they had met the day before, had brought information of a 
 dead tusker, which had been found towards Nilliam baddy by 
 some jungle-wallahs, who had cut out and kept the tusks. 
 Atlay was sent for, and declared that it was within two 
 miles of where our scrimmage occurred, adding that his 
 clan were not on good terms with the natives of those 
 parts. I was incredulous, but promised that if the tusks 
 were brought in a good reward would be given. Two 
 Carders and the Mulser started off that day to negotiate 
 for them, but after an absence of two days returned empty- 
 handed, and apparently rather the worse for wear, stating 
 that a bargain could not be struck, and that the possessors of 
 the tusks had given them a sound thrashing ; this led to a 
 feud, which culminated in a free fight some months later, 
 in which two men lost their lives. 
 
 If an elephant is badly wounded, and goes away, as 
 this tusker did, he very seldom succumbs to his wounds ; 
 but occasional cases have occurred of their doing so, 
 
 probably from loss of blood. How this could result from 
 
 N 2 
 
180 ELEPHANTS. 
 
 a head shot, it is difficult to say ; perhaps an artery may 
 have been cut, the haemorrhage from which might not prove 
 immediately fatal in the case of so huge an animal. Some 
 years ago an account of an elephant's death from the bite 
 of a cobra appeared in an Indian newspaper, and, to the 
 best of my recollection, nearly twenty -four hours elapsed 
 before the animal died ; whereas, in the case of a human 
 being, death supervenes in about the same number of 
 minutes. Atlay, the Carder shikari, informed me that in the 
 year 1867, in the AnnamuUays, when great numbers of bison 
 died from murrain, many elephants also suffered from the 
 same disease, and that he got three hundred rupees for a 
 pair of tusks he then took from a dead bull elephant. In 
 those days they were in the habit of catching elephants in 
 pitfalls, the remains of which still existed in many parts of 
 these forests, as well as in the Tippicado district of the 
 Wynaad. 
 
 The Kheddah operations by Sanderson supplied great 
 numbers of elephants to the Grovernment, and put a stop 
 to the system of pitfalls ; but when in Bangalore in 1881, 
 I was informed that the last animal of his first catch 
 of elephants (numbering over fifty), had died that year;, 
 and, as they had not survived ten years' captivity, 
 there would appear to be something wrong in this 
 method of capture. I am unable to vouch personally 
 for these facts, but statements to this effect were 
 made to me by more than one person who ought to 
 have known the truth of the case, and whose veracity 
 was above suspicion. When in pursuit of elephants or 
 bison, very dark shikar clothes should be worn, the 
 ordinary khaki colour being much too light for the jungles 
 frequented by them. A friend of mine, who was wearing a 
 light-coloured coat, once had a very narrow escape from a 
 
ELEPHANTS. 181 
 
 rogue elephant in the Billiga Rungam Hills, which he had 
 fired at and knocked down ; the brute got up again, and, 
 seeing his light clothing, gave chase, and very nearly 
 caught him. 
 
 When bolting from an elephant, endeavour to blink 
 him by turning sharply off, down wind if possible. If in 
 bamboo jungle, it is not difficult to dodge liim, but he will 
 catch you within twenty yards if you get into ground 
 where there is undergrowth, which he will brush through 
 like cobweb, while you are struggling in it with difficulty. 
 The late Major Gordon Gumming had a theory that, by 
 laming an elephant with a shot in the foot, he could be 
 killed with greater certainty than by risking the usual 
 head shots, which in heavy jungle result in many animals 
 escaping badly wounded, owing to the difficulty usually 
 experienced in hitting the brain. He told me that one 
 day, in the Sacrabyle jungles, he had followed up a herd, 
 and found the tusker under a tree, standing on three legs, 
 in the way they are in the habit of doing while thus 
 resting in shady spots. He could not get a favourable 
 position for a head shot, so crept up and fired into the sole 
 of one of the hind feet, which was raised from the ground. 
 The poor brute turned round and attempted to charge, but 
 was dead lame, and the hunter had no difficulty in giving 
 him a quietus. 
 
 At first sight this appears a cruel method to adopt, 
 but, considering the large percentage of wounded elephants 
 that escape to suffer prolonged torture, it is probably more 
 humane than the ordinary plan. In addition to selecting 
 the usual tree of refuge near the firing point, it is very 
 desirable to scan the surroundings, to decide on lines of 
 retreat, free from impediments such as bushes, long grass, 
 and creepers, in case of having to make a bolt of it with 
 
182 ELEPHANTS. 
 
 an empty rifle, a contingency that sooner or later is 
 bound to occur when elephant shooting. To harden leaden 
 bullets for elephants two ladles are required, one of which 
 must be considerably smaller than the other ; into the 
 smaller one pour enough molten lead to make three 
 bullets, add one-tenth of quicksilver, and stir with a bit 
 of iron, so as to mix it well, then cast the bullets without 
 loss of time. If the quicksilver was added to the molten 
 lead in the larger ladle, it would evaporate too quickly. 
 Tin is also used to harden bullets, but, being lighter than 
 mercury, it lessens their penetration, and is therefore less 
 efficacious. There is no sport that can be compared to 
 tackling a solitary tusker, except, perhaps, following up a 
 wounded tiger on foot. In shooting tigers from trees, or 
 from a howdah, there is but little if any danger. The 
 charge of a wounded bison can be stopped or turned by 
 even a badly placed bullet ; dangerous though he be, the 
 size of a panther engenders a certain amount of contempt 
 for him ; a bear is not a very formidable opponent, 
 although a plucky one as a rule ; but in the case of a 
 tusker the fight is a fairer one. Your heavy rifle feels 
 uncommonly light in your hands as you approach him, and 
 study his vast proportions, and you know that on it alone 
 you must depend, and that if he is not killed the first shot, 
 the odds are pretty evenly balanced between you. 
 
 .After a victorious fight, you will, however, regret to 
 see your huge antagonist lying dead, his feet and tusks 
 the only portions of his immense frame that can be 
 utilised. One always feels these pangs of remorse after 
 the closing scene with all animals except tigers or 
 panthers. 
 
 The largest tusker ever obtained in Southern India, 
 was shot by Sir Victor Brooke and General Douglas 
 
ELEPHANTS. 18a 
 
 Hamilton, many years ago, at the southern extremity of 
 the Billiga Eungam Hills, near Hassanoor. I remember 
 hearing the story at Bangalore not very long after the 
 occurrence. The tusker was with a herd, and both 
 sportsmen fired at and wounded him very severely, but he 
 recovered himself and went off for many miles. Greneral 
 Hamilton — who was an experienced shikari — was of 
 opinion that this stern chase was a useless one ; but, in 
 deference to Sir Victor's entreaties, he accompanied him 
 in the pursuit, and at length they sighted the tusker 
 standing in a nullah, where Brooke knocked him over with 
 a shot in the ear, eventually giving him another shot in 
 the head as a coi/jj de (/race. 
 
 He was reported to have been eleven feet in height,, 
 and his best tusk measured about eight feet, the other was 
 diseased, and was not a good specimen. It was a great 
 piece of luck to get this splendid animal after the failure of 
 the preliminary attack — such cases being very rare with 
 elephants. He was probably a very old beast with a 
 hardened skull, which ma}'^ have stopped some of the 
 bullets which would have been fatal to a 3'ounger 
 animal. This tale proves the value of perseverance when 
 shikaring — in no class of sport is this more necessary, than 
 when in pursuit of wild elephants. 
 
e.\o" 
 
 SPEARING A WOUNDED ANTELOPE. 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 DEEE {CERVIDJE) AND ANTELOPES. 
 
 The Sambur — Description of — Stalking and driving tlie — Dogs 
 useful in — Fondness for cinchona — Neddiwuttum — Success- 
 ful stalk — Gopaulswamy Hill — Brahmin priests — Tippicado 
 — Muddoor — Get a right and left — Unexpected result — 
 Antler wounds — Sambur and wild dogs — Nilghai — Spotted 
 deer — Muntjack deer — Barking powers of — Yenison of — 
 Four-horned antelope — The black buck — Stalking the — 
 Spearing when wounded — Catching with hunting leopards 
 ■ — Ring-horned antelope — Mountain antelope — Mouse deer 
 Burmese deer — Daray — Effect of Express bullet — Shedding 
 of antlers. 
 
 The trees composing the jungles in the Madras Presidency 
 are mostly deciduous, shedding their leaves about the 
 middle of March, when the weather begins to get very hot. 
 For several months after this happens stalking cannot be 
 attempted with any hoj^e of success, owing to the noise made 
 by the dead leaves when trodden upon ; moreover, the 
 
DEER. 185 
 
 annual grass burnings will have driven deer to moister 
 localities, together with nobler game, to whose pursuit the 
 sportsman is more likely to devote himself. The stalking 
 season, therefore, may be said to be closed from the 
 middle of March to the burst of the monsoon in June. 
 
 The sambur (C. Aristotelis) is the finest specimen of 
 the deer tribe that roams the Southern Indian forests — a 
 good stag standing fourteen hands at the shoulder, and 
 weighing considerably more than any red deer of the 
 Highlands of Scotland.^ He is to be found in all wooded 
 parts of the low country, preferring undulating or hilly 
 ground, and on all the higher hills of the Western Ghauts, 
 Neilgherries, Pulneys, and Annamullays, and it is on the 
 grassy slopes of these ranges that he may best be stalked, 
 which is the most sporting way of securing him. Unfor- 
 tunately, however, this sport is confined to the few^ hours 
 immediately after sunrise, and from 4 p.m. to sunset. On 
 being wounded, or alarmed, he at once makes for one of 
 the numerous sholahs, which are generally within a mile, 
 and thus ends the stalk for that day, so far as he is 
 concerned, and in this respect it differs from, and falls 
 short of, the sport of the Highlands. He may also be 
 tracked like bison, or be driven in closer jungles, but 
 when this is attempted in the hill sholahs, dogs must 
 be used on account of the dense cover. Driving for 
 sambur has recently been prohibited on the Neilgherries, 
 and it is to be hoped that this restriction may be extended 
 to other districts, subject to certain reservations, such, for 
 instance, as old hinds, crop-destruction, and meat supply 
 for camp. 
 
 Old hinds are undesirable in many ways, and should 
 be thinned out, as is the custom in Scotch deer forests. 
 * Viz., about forty stone. 
 
186 VEER. 
 
 My first experience of sambur shooting was at Kulhatty, 
 on the Baba-Booden Hills, in April, 1870. We had a large 
 party, who were enjoying the hospitality of Colonel Hay, 
 the Deputy Commissioner of the district, and had a series 
 of picnics, in combination with sambur driving, which was 
 carried out in the sholahs, with beaters and a " bobbery " 
 pack of dogs, the guns being posted on the outskirts. In 
 the smaller sholahs we had very fair sport, but the larger 
 woods ran down the slopes to the heavy forests at the foot 
 of the hills, and the deer always beat us here. Our best 
 day resulted in five sambur, out of which there was but 
 one really good head, but at that time many stags are in 
 velvet. These hills are about 5000 feet above the sea; 
 and although the days were very hot, even with a breeze, 
 — the nights were delightfully cool. Further down the hills 
 at Santawerry we also got an occasional sambur, when 
 driving the coffee plantations and adjacent jungles for 
 spotted deer and jungle sheep. 
 
 On the Neilgherries, in May, 1881, we (a party of 
 three) made a trip from Wellington to the Orange Valley 
 and Peerput Mund, commencing each day by stalking from 
 five to nine o'clock in the morning. After breakfast the 
 neighbouring sholahs were beaten for sambur, jungle 
 sheep, and pigs, the latter being in an impossible country 
 for the spear. Hinds were very numerous, but were not 
 fired at. Stags were few and far between, and seldom 
 seen when beating, although occasionally met with during 
 the early morning stalks ; Captain Croker, of my regiment, 
 a good all-round sportsman, and one of the best snipe 
 shots I ever saw, getting a fine stag his first morning. 
 We had a motley crew of camp followers and hangers-on 
 of sorts, from dog boys to bandy wallahs (bullock men), 
 who clamoured for meat, and we got a mixed bag, which 
 
PEER. 187 
 
 satiated them, and converted the camp into a species of 
 shambles. No other beaters were obtainable, the Todahs 
 (a hill tribe) being scarce in those parts, and our beaters 
 were useless, after the second day, owning to their gourman- 
 dising propensities. My friends had then to return to 
 Coonoor, but I spent two days beating the Orange Valley * 
 sholahs, for a tiger which had been killing buffaloes, only 
 meeting with a small stag. These sholahs were smaller than 
 those at higher levels, and, by a judicious system of stops, 
 could be managed fairly well by one gun. The headman 
 of the Todahs came into camp at Koktal Mund on the 
 second evening to report that the tiger had been poisoned 
 by a sahib, who shall be nameless, only a few days before. 
 I then went on to Ootacamund, and thence to Neddi- 
 wattum, as the guest of the hospitable and genial Bob 
 Jagoe, who had a charming bungalow near the Government 
 cinchona plantations ; my colonel was also of the party, 
 and we had a very pleasant time. The sambur, being very 
 fond of the bark of the cinchona trees, were in the 
 habit of jumping the fences, some six feet high, and, after 
 luxuriating in the inclosures all night, returning to the 
 sholahs in the early morning. It was impossible to 
 intercept them, as they were clever enough to retrace their 
 steps long before daylight. We beat the sholahs one day, 
 but they were, as a rule, too thick for the beaters to 
 penetrate, although they put out one good stag from a 
 small sholah, which was hard hit, but escaped to the low 
 country. I had, however, some nice stalks in the 
 mornings and evenings. One morning, on peeping over a 
 ridge, I saw two stags — a large and a small one — ^feeding 
 towards a sholah on my left ; they were some six hundred 
 
 * So called from the abundance of wild orange trees which 
 adorn its slopes. The scarlet rhododendron is also prevalent. 
 
188 DEEB, 
 
 yards out in the open, and were much on the alert, as an 
 odious black monkey was hooting vigorously at me from 
 an adjacent tree. Having tried the wind, it became evident 
 that they would get it on arriving within two hundred 
 yards of the sholah ; we had therefore to intercept them 
 before they reached that point. 
 
 The intervening ground was studded with a few large 
 stones, and sloped gently down for about four hundred 
 yards ; but if a spot some two hundred and fifty yards 
 in that direction could be reached unseen, we would 
 be within a long shot of them by the time they got 
 our wind. 
 
 Crossing the top of the ridge— which was their sky- 
 line — when their heads were down, I got into the " back 
 position " on the slope ; and watching my opportunities, 
 and pushing the rifle alongside foot by foot, reached the 
 first stone safely, which was half-way to my objective 
 point. The abominable monkey now became more demon- 
 strative, shaking the boughs and swearing at me,* and 
 the stags trotted forward a short distance and stopped, 
 looking hard in my direction, but soon recommenced 
 feeding and trying the red deer dodge of putting down 
 their heads as if to graze, and then raising them sharply 
 to see if anything was moving. I remained motionless 
 during these agonising moments. Proceeding in this way, 
 I at length got within two hundred yards, and as they 
 might now wind me at any moment and gallop off, giving 
 a difiicult shot, I reversed my position and fired at the big 
 stag. The bullet went over his back, but he did not stir for 
 a few seconds, till the shot from the left barrel — aimed 
 
 * We subsequently found the fresh tracks of a tiger, which 
 had evidently retired into the sholah on our approach, and the 
 monkey's threats may have been intended for him. 
 
DEER. 189 
 
 lower — caught him in the neck and rolled him over dead. 
 I paced the distance and found it to he 172 yards. 
 
 In the afternoon I had a long and unsuccessful stalk 
 after another stag in undulating ground, where the wind 
 perpetually shifting betrayed us in the end. The best 
 sambur head I ever got was at the foot of Gopaulswamy 
 Hill, a famous tract for all kir^ds of game, and which can 
 be worked by camping on, or near the top of, the hill, which 
 is 4500 feet above the level of the sea, thus avoiding the 
 deadly malaria of the lower jungles. My camp was 
 pitched on a coll joining the two highest points of the 
 range, and close to a shrine dedicated to the Hindoo Pan, 
 the shepherd's god, Gopaul. Some Brahmin priests who 
 lived there paid me a visit soon after my arrival, imploring 
 me to prohibit my Madrassee servants — who were pariahs — 
 from drawing water from an adjacent holy well, and, on 
 being asked how cooking and washing water was to be 
 obtained, replied that if I drew the water myself all would 
 be well, but that the low caste natives would defile it, and 
 draw down the fury of Gopaul on all concerned. Their 
 wishes were of course yielded to. They subsequently in- 
 formed me that a sahib who had encamped there once before, 
 had not restrained his servants, who desecrated the well. 
 His tent was first blown down, and a severe domestic affliction 
 befell him soon afterwards. A friend of mine informed me 
 that these statements were not without foundation. From 
 here one could command the jungles from Muddoor on 
 the west, to Tippicado on the south, which were at one 
 time perhaps the best in Southern India for elephants and 
 bison, but notoriously unhealthy. The pull up the hill at 
 the end of a long day, although very stiff work, was the only 
 way to escape the malaria. 
 
 On one occasion, when following a rogue elephant at 
 
190 DEER. 
 
 Tippicado, I paid the travellers' bungalow there a visit, 
 and found everybody down with fever, and a notice posted 
 up recommending travellers not to stop the night there. 
 Death was in the air, and the warning was respected. The 
 Muddoor jungle is not so deadly when the ground has 
 been well soaked by the monsoon about the beginning of 
 July, but sambur are then in velvet ; indeed, in these 
 jungles, or the Annamullays, sambur were never shot by 
 me except when required for the camp. In the latter 
 forest they were fairly numerous, and in some cases 
 absurdly tame, never having seen a human being before. 
 I remember coming suddenly on a sambur stag when 
 tracking bison one day; he bucked and snorted across 
 the glade for twenty yards or so, and then turned round 
 to gaze at the curious looking- biped in shikar clothes ; 
 he then repeated the performance, and disappeared in the 
 covert. Pigs on these occasions, too, gave much trouble, 
 being full of curiosity, and distinctly hostile in manner ; 
 and with old boars it was awkward work, as one did not 
 wish to disturb the forest by firing. 
 
 One evening, in the Annamullays, returning from 
 CoochmuUay, Ibex Hill, we came to the edge of a glade 
 in the forest, and, peeping through some bamboos, saw two 
 stag sambur within easy range. 
 
 The Carders, pathetically patting their stomachs, pointed 
 at them to signify they wanted meat, so I fired right and 
 left. Much to my surprise, the second stag bounded away 
 apparently unhurt ; but, on going up to the spot where he 
 had been standing, I found a hind expiring in the long 
 grass. She had been standing alongside the stag, between 
 him and me, his antlers showing above her head, and her 
 body thus intercepted the bullet intended for him. On 
 approaching the stag, which was also dying, he kicked out. 
 
8AMBUR AND WILD DOGS. 
 
DEER. 191 
 
 just grazing my leg, therefore one slionld look out for heels 
 as well as horns of a wounded stag. The wounds caused 
 by the latter are supposed never to heal, a superstition of 
 long standing, as according to the old English rhyme : 
 
 From tooth of wolf or tusk of boar there is not much to fear. 
 But bad the smart from horn of hart, 'twill bring thee to thy 
 bier. 
 
 In front of the bungalow at Toonacudavoo a stream 
 ran over a cliff, forming a waterfall some thirty feet high. 
 This was a favourite refuge for sambui- when hunted by 
 the vrild dogs, which were numerous in the surrounding 
 forests. The base of the cliff, being hollowed out by the 
 action of the water, which also formed a deep pool in front, 
 an admirable stronghold existed, protected in T^ar by the 
 cliff itself, and in front by the falling water and pool. 
 Here sambur were frequently brought to bay, the event 
 being preceded by much " belKng " in the neighbouring 
 covert, the dogs, however, running mute on these occasions. 
 The rifle was only used to protect the deer from its assailants. 
 In the Nizam's dominions the sambur is to be found in 
 most of the wooded districts. They, like other deer, are 
 fond of the flower of the mhowa tree, and flock to the 
 jungles containing it in the month of March, and are to be 
 seen in herds of about a dozen or so, in the Parudi and 
 Pakhal districts. The venison is very like tender beef, the 
 tongue and marrow bones being considered great delicacies. 
 The next animal on the list is the nilghai,* an antelope of 
 semi-bovine build, and about the height of the sambur, but 
 bulkier in make. He is essentially a Ioav country animal, 
 and resorts to the same wooded districts as the sambur, 
 but is easier to stalk than that wary animal. I have 
 never seen the nilghai in any pai-t of Mysore, but they 
 
 * Portax picta. 
 
192 DEER. 
 
 are fairly numerous in the Nirmul and Pakhal districts 
 of tlie Nizam's dominions. The bulls are about 14^ hands 
 at the shoulder, the fore legs are comparatively short, and 
 the weight should be 6001b. They are of a slatey blue 
 colour, with dark mane, and a tuft of hair hangs from the 
 throat, the face being brownish ; smooth horns, less than 
 9 inches long, and a dewlap ; the skin of which is very 
 thick, and used for shields. He is more of an ox than an 
 antelope, the females are. of a reddish brown colour, and 
 smaller than the males, the flesh is indifferent, but the 
 tongue and marrow bones are esteemed as delicacies. A 
 solitary bull is worth stalking, but on the whole not much 
 sport is afforded by this animal. 
 
 They may sometimes be found in rideable country, or 
 may be driven to it and speared, but such an opportunity 
 never occurred to me. The axis, spotted deer or cheetul, 
 is essentially a deer of the woods, never being seen in the 
 maidan country, except in the vicinity of jungle. They 
 prefer park-like forest near water, studded with thick 
 clumps of jungle, and are not to be found above 4000 feet 
 elevation. The lower slopes of the Southern Indian hills 
 is the ground par excellence for them, and here they may 
 be stalked without much difiiculty, provided attention be 
 given to the wind. With this deer, driving is better sport 
 than stalking, and at Santawerry we often got sambur and 
 jungle sheep, as well as spotted deer, on such occasions. 
 Panthers, too, were sometimes turned out, and in some of 
 the beats a gun loaded with No. 3 shot was used for the 
 jungle and spur fowl which abounded there. It was a 
 more suitable weapon than a 12 -bore rifle for jungle sheep 
 and mouse deer, so the custom was to load with ball 
 cartridge at the commencement of the beats, when the 
 larger animals were generally on foot, substituting the shot 
 
DEER. 193 
 
 cartridges later on. One of the finest cheetul stags I ever 
 got was driven out of a small patch of coffee within ten 
 yards of me, and killed with No. 3 shot. Near the same 
 spot, a few days before, I got two jungle sheep and a 
 mouse deer in the same way, the gun on my left getting a 
 sambur stag. Except when beating over a hill we gener- 
 ally employed only a dozen beaters and five dogs — pariahs 
 of sorts — and found it ample, the most likely parts of the 
 jungles being narrow strips at the bottom of the valleys, 
 which could be easily commanded by four guns, two being 
 in front and one on each flank. At Yemadoody, near the 
 foot of these hills, Patterson and I found ourselves in 
 a valley swarming with cheetul, and had some nice stalking 
 in the early mornings, and two days' beating, entailing a 
 large expenditure of ammunition, as the covert was thick 
 and it was regular snap shooting. On the second day we 
 were joined by two friends, who rode down from Santa- 
 werry for breakfast. We beat a more open tract of jungle 
 near a lake, for three hours, and got five cheetul. The 
 meat came in useful for the coolies on the coffee plantation 
 belonging to our friends, and some of the heads were 
 handsome trophies. Out of many stags shot by me the 
 head of the last was the best, the horns being about thirty 
 inches long. It was at the end of a long day, during 
 which I had marched from Muddoor to Bandipore, thence 
 to a ridge some two miles to the south of the bungalow, a 
 favourite hunting ground of mine, and where it was 
 reported that a family of four tigers had taken up their 
 quarters, and were killing a number of cattle in the herds 
 which were grazing in the neighbourhood. I visited one 
 of the kills, and followed the tracks of the tigers (two) 
 along a sandy nullah, where they had stopped to drink in 
 
 some puddles, which were covered with small blue butter- 
 
 o 
 
194 DJEJEB, 
 
 flies, and were consequently full of decaying organic 
 matter, but after an hour the tracks led away from home, 
 so we gave it up. 
 
 On the way home we started a herd of cheetul, headed 
 hy a stag, which dashed away, but halted again a few 
 hundred yards off, croaking vigorously. Detaching my 
 Koorumber shikari to distract their attention, I got to 
 within ninety yards of the stag ; he was end on to me, and 
 the light was bad, but a lucky shot with the Express hit 
 him in the haunch (the " usual place ! "), this paralysed 
 him, and running up I finished him with another shot. 
 The remainder of the herd would hardly leave their fallen 
 leader, and kept within twenty yards of him until I ran 
 forward. It soon became pitch dark, the jungle was very 
 thorny, and although not more than three miles from the 
 bungalow, we took two hours to get back. The skin of 
 the spotted deer is very handsome, rather larger than the 
 fallow deer and glossier, and more richly coloured, the 
 white spots showing better against the rich brown hide ; 
 the horns are not palmated, and I have never seen them 
 with more than six points. The rib-faced, barking, or 
 muntjac deer,* also known as the jungle sheep, prefers 
 hilly ground covered with thick jungle, at not less than 
 1500 feet elevation; they are numerous on all southern 
 Indian hills, being found in thick brushwood and dense 
 sholahs up to 7500 feet elevation. 
 
 They do not exceed twenty inches in height, and are of 
 a light red colour. For so small an animal they bark 
 very loudly, much louder than the cheetul, when alarmed, 
 making the jungles resound by day or night. The male is 
 provided with two short, sharp tusks in the upper jaw. If 
 broadside on, a gun loaded with No. 3 shot will kill them 
 
 * C. muntjac. 
 
DEER. 195 
 
 Tip to thirty yards ; they have a habit of squatting like a 
 rabbit, and will then let you pass within a few yards with- 
 out moving, often starting up behind, within range, after 
 you have passed on. The venison is much appreciated, and 
 is supposed to be only inferior to that of the mouse deer. 
 The four-horned antelope * resembles the muntjac in size 
 and shape, but is lighter in colour, nor does it frequent 
 such high altitudes. The buck is provided with four 
 horns, the frontals being less than one inch in length, the 
 posterior ones over four inches. A perfect specimen is 
 very rare, and on the whole they are much scarcer than 
 either the muntjac or chikara. I once got a fair specimen 
 in the Bandipore jungle, in the country towards Gundul- 
 pett. The chikara, f or ravine deer, is found in undulating 
 country, covered with scrub jungle and intersected by 
 ravines and nullahs ; they are graceful little creatures, of a 
 light chesnut colour, with white neck ; both sexes have 
 horns, those of the doe being small and smooth. In open 
 spaces in scrub jungle, collections of droppings will often 
 be observed arranged on the circumference of a circle of 
 about 6ft. in diameter, the shikaris assert that these 
 deposits are formed by chikara, which form up thus — heads 
 facing outwards — to keep watch on all sides. 
 
 The black buckj is the most beautiful of all antelopes, 
 and affords better sport than any of the other species found 
 in India. He stands over seven hands high, and weighs 
 about six stone. The bucks are very dark brown all over 
 except on the belly, throat, and about the face, which are 
 more or less white. As they get older the coat becomes 
 darker by degrees until they arrive at the age of six years, 
 when it is almost black. 
 
 * Tetraceros quadricornis. t Gazelle Bennetti. 
 
 X Antelope Bezoartica. 
 
 o 2 
 
196 DEER. 
 
 In Southern India their horns seldom exceed eighteen 
 inches in length, but I have shot one with twenty inch 
 horns, and in Northern India they are not uncommonly 
 found with horns from four to six inches longer. The 
 does are hornless, uninteresting-looking animals, of a 
 yellowish colour marked with white. 
 
 This antelope is always found in maidan country in 
 herds of from six to sixty, and its favourite haunts are 
 large plains interspersed with tracts of scrub jungle, and 
 bordered by cultivated land, such as cholum fields — 
 which they raid during the night. 
 
 A few years ago antelope were plentiful near Sarjapoor 
 and Kulhulli, some thirty miles south-east of Bangalore, 
 in good stalking ground, the country being undulating, 
 and dotted with isolated clumps of bajr shrubs, &c. ; in this 
 district, too, some good snipe grounds existed, where, with 
 good luck and straight powder, bags of thirty couple were 
 obtainable. The usual programme was to dawk from 
 Bangalore during the night, so as to be on the antelope 
 ground at daylight, then to stalk until breakfast time, 
 about 9 A.M., devoting the rest of the day to snipe, which 
 lay better when the sun was hot. One morning at 
 KulhuUy, I had been ineffectually stalking a small herd of 
 antelope for nearly two hours, when some natives came 
 up, suggesting that they should drive them for me. The 
 neighbouring cholum crops had suffered much from their 
 depredations, and the ryots* were particularly keen on 
 getting them killed. At the opposite side of the main 
 road to Bangalore, was a large open plain fringed by 
 cultivated land, towards which the herd would probably 
 make, so I posted myself to intercept them as they crossed 
 the road. They first headed towards the upper end of a 
 
 * Cultivators. 
 
DEER, 197 
 
 large tank, about a quarter of a mile to my left front, as 
 I laced the beat, but the right wing of the beaters worked 
 round through some bajree (cholum-millet) fields, and 
 turned them back, the centre and left then advancing, 
 drove them into some swampy ground at the edges of the 
 tank, where three does became hopelessly bogged, and 
 were killed by the beaters, the remaining six, charging 
 the line, broke back. 
 
 To the east of Bano:alore near some casuarina 
 plantations at Maloor, some nice stalking was also to be 
 had, while, to the west, in the Chittledi-oog district, the 
 vast plains contained many herds, and further south near 
 Hassan, the main road to Bangalore ran through excellent 
 ground, where, by screening oneself with a bullock cart 
 shots could be obtained at half a dozen bucks in a few 
 hours. 
 
 In stalking a herd of antelope without the aid of a cart, 
 which can often be done in rough ground, the sportsman 
 should always shape his course towards the head of the 
 herd, if possible. 
 
 My favourite plan was to stalk them with my horse, 
 which was led by the syce carrying a spear, while I 
 endeavoured to make myseK as unconspicuous as possible, by 
 keeping step with the horse, and marching close to him on 
 the side remote from the herd, usually getting within 150 
 yards, when aim was taken from the knee, the syce and 
 horse continuing to move on to divert their attention from 
 me. If one was wounded the horse and spear were 
 available for a gallop, everything of course depended on 
 the position of the wound, and the buck usually coUapsed 
 within a mile ; but on one occasion, at Cadoor, I had a 
 ratthng gallop of over three miles, before getting within 
 spearing distance. Near Hyderabad (Deccan) they were 
 
198 DEER. 
 
 often killed by tame hunting leopards, which were taken 
 out on bullock carts driven by natives. When within 1 50 
 yards of the buck, the leopard was loosed and unhooded, and 
 usually overtook and killed his quarry within a few 
 hundred yards. It seldom exceeded 300 yards when 
 pursuing, and if unsuccessful, it would squat down and 
 sulk. This ground, named the Rumnah* was preserved by 
 the Nizam chiefly for this sport, and numerous herds 
 existed there, some stray bucks from which often crossed 
 the march into the Mowl Ali country, and afforded sport 
 to the officers quartered at Trimulgherry. The maidun 
 country about Beder and Kondelwaddy was also frequented 
 by antelope, and I once saw a herd of about one hundred 
 at the latter place. At Chamrajnuggar, near the scene of 
 Saunderson's Keddah operations, there was a variety named 
 the ring-horned antelope, of which, with much difficulty, I 
 secured a specimen — a fair buck, but not the best one of 
 the herd, which consisted of seven individuals.! The 
 mountain antelope, a rare variety, exists on the Neilgheny 
 and Pulney hills. I never met one, but heard of two near 
 Pykara ; it is said to resemble a doe antelope in size and 
 colour, but has a longer coat, and is provided with very 
 short and sharp horns. The mouse deer is a pretty little 
 creature, about the size of a hare, of an olive colour with 
 a yellow stripe and markings along each side. They are 
 found in the Mysore and AnnamuUay forests, and are not 
 at all uncommon. In Burmah, the theming or brow- 
 antlered deer, is found in the large plains, lying near the 
 Setang river. They are by no means plentiful, and, owing 
 
 ^ Lands on which the grass is allowed to grow long for 
 thatching, &c. 
 
 t I think it must have been a large chikara, the horns being 
 very similar to those of that antelope. 
 
BEER. 19^ 
 
 to the flat open ground they frequent, are difficult to stalks 
 Driving is usually resorted to, the preliminary stalking 
 operations having failed. The best specimen I ever saw 
 was shot by Captain Croker of my regiment, on an occasion 
 when we were both nearly bagged by one of the sportsmen,, 
 who enfiladed the Kne of guns. On that memorable day 
 we got a stag and a hind, both fine animals, nearly as large 
 as red deer, but lighter in colour. The venison tasted like 
 goose. I have a good head now in my possession, which 
 was shot sometime after in the same tract. 
 
 The daray, also a Burmese deer, much resembling a roe, 
 were very abundant in the large grassy plains thereabouts. 
 They were invariably driven by beaters and dogs, the sport 
 being a combination of coursing and shooting and not of 
 a particularly exciting description. 
 
 The first shot I ever fired wdth an Express rifle was at 
 one of these small deer not sixty yards off, a particularly 
 small one he was too. The bullet struck him in the neck, 
 none of the fragments emerging on the opposite side, 
 although there was not more than 3^ inches to be pene- 
 trated. This was with a '500 rifle, and its performance 
 made me sceptical about its powers if used against 
 dangerous game. 
 
 It is very doubtful whether the older sambur stags 
 shed their horns annually. Some sportsmen assert that 
 they do so ; others that it only occurs every third year. 
 A sambur stag is not fully developed till he has reached 
 the age of eight years. His antlers then are very massive, 
 and it is unlikely that the reproduction of so much 
 bony tissue should be thrown every year on the animal's 
 system. 
 
 The horns are at their best in the cold weather, and at 
 that time I have never met a sambur stag in velvet ; but 
 
200 BEER. 
 
 the spotted deer seem to have no fixed season for shedding 
 theirs, individuals being found in velvet throughout the 
 year, with perhaps the exception of the months of January 
 and February, when I have never had an opportunity of 
 shooting one, and can therefore make no statement on the 
 subject. 
 
IBEX GROUND. 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 THE IBEX {Capra Warryato) 
 
 Ibex on Neilgherries and Pulneys — Cause of decrease — Descrip- 
 tion of — Annamullay ibex hills — Coochmullay — " Despera- 
 tion Chasm" — Unsuccessful stalk — Shoot two sambur — 
 Pig^s nest — Perringoondah Mullay — Difficulties en route — 
 Fresh tracks' of elephnnts — The shooting ground — Kill a 
 saddle back — Demoralised Carders — Shoot another buck — 
 Find a herd — Shoot two bucks and a doe — Get a right and 
 left — Lose both animals over precipice — Awkward predica- 
 ment — Cobra — Leeches — Measurement of ibex — Return to 
 Toonacudavoo — Subsequently revisit hill — Tiger — Ibex in 
 Scinde — Ibex ground near Goodaloor — Scarcity of ibex — 
 Numerous on Annamullays — Stalking tactics. 
 
 In former years this animal, the wild goat of the Neil- 
 gherries — was plentiful in certain favoured localities on 
 
202 IBEX. 
 
 those hills and the Piilneys, but since the influx of tea and 
 coffee planters, and the gradually increasing crowd of hot 
 weather visitors from the plains, many of whom are keen 
 sportsmen, these unfortunate animals have been persistently 
 persecuted, and greatly reduced in numbers. 
 
 This chapter will be confined to the pursuit of the ibex 
 of the Annamullays, for, although I have stalked on some 
 of the Neilgherry ibex hills, the vicissitudes of the chase 
 invariably brought sambur on the tapis, and I could not 
 resist following that fine animal instead. The ibex of the 
 Annamullays is precisely the same animal as that of the 
 ISTeilgherries and Pulneys ; a good buck stands about ten 
 hands high at the shoulder, and is a strongly built, heavy 
 animal, but as active as a monkey ; the horns are curved 
 and about fourteen inches long. As he grows old the hair 
 on his back becomes light in colour, and that on the flanks 
 darkens, the contrast forming a mark like a saddle, which 
 catches the eye at once, so that there is no difficulty in 
 picking out the old bucks. There were four ibex hills 
 within reach of my headquarters at Toonacudavoo in the 
 Annamullays, the first and worst was about seven miles 
 off, near Poolakul, and was but seldom frequented by 
 them, being merely a refuge in bad weather, or when 
 they had been shot at elsewhere, or hunted by panthers 
 — their mortal enemies. 
 
 There were two hills at Coochmullay, some ten miles 
 off. These could be shot from Toonacudavoo by starting 
 early and returning late ; it was a real hard day's work, 
 but generally worth the trouble. The last and best hill 
 was named Perringoondah Mullay, which, being inter- 
 preted, means "the hill of the fruit track" or "pass." 
 Partly on account of the distance and partly of the inter- 
 vening rivers and nature of the jungle, it was necessary 
 
IBEX. 203 
 
 to camp here the preWous night ; the hill itself, too, was 
 large and required some hours' work to do it justice. As 
 the track led through part of the forest much frequented 
 by bison, the day of the march there was not always a 
 blank one. 
 
 My first day with ibex was at CoochmuUay. Starting 
 early we called at a Mulser \dllage on the way for a couple 
 of coolies. The Mulsers are a jungle tribe that live on 
 the lower slopes of the hills, and are looked dowTi upon, 
 literally and figuratively, by the Carders. A stiff pull for 
 two hours landed us on the plateau of the first hill. 
 We had suffered severely from the leeches which swarmed 
 in some parts of the jungles at the foot of the hills, and, 
 in spite of everj"^ precaution, had found their way to all 
 the tender parts of our frames. So after picking off all the 
 marauders, we searched round the hill most carefully, but 
 saw no ibex, although we found their fresh tracks in 
 several places. The plateau of the second hill was at a 
 higher level, and separated from the one we were on, by 
 a \eTj ugly chasm, only a few feet in breadth, but the 
 opposite bank was a mere ledge at the foot of a steep 
 cliff. It was, moreover, at least a foot higher than the 
 take off, and a false step would result in a sheer descent 
 of several thousand feet dowoi to the low country, as this 
 spot was on an overhanging cliff. The Carders gave me 
 a lead over. They were as active as cats, and, as there was 
 not room on the narrow ledge for more than one person, 
 they scaled the opposing cliff ; and hauled me up the face 
 of it with ropes they had brought for the purpose. 
 
 The view from this higher plateau was magnificent, 
 the primeval forest, nearly 6000 feet below, resembling 
 a vast gpreen sward, streaked by silver threads, such being 
 the appearance of the rivers from that distance, while far 
 
204 IBEX. 
 
 away to the north the blue peaks of the Neilgherries 
 formed a picturesque background. 
 
 A thickish mist now began to drive across the hill, but 
 soon finding fresh traces, Atlay and I pushed on. At 
 length he pointed out three ibex, much larger animals 
 than I expected, being about the size of dhobies'* 
 donkeys. 
 
 They were about 150 yards off — a rather difficult shot, 
 and as a strong wind was blowing, I knelt down to get a 
 steadier aim, but uttering a shrill whistle, they bounded 
 away before the sights could be aligned — and believing 
 more were close at hand I did not risk the shot. We 
 followed them round the hill, recrossing " Desperation 
 Chasm " — an odious experience — to the lower plateau, but 
 they were very wary, and after stalking them for an hour 
 they took refuge in a sholah, where it was useless to 
 follow them, so we dejectedly faced homewards, as the sun 
 was getting low, and the journey before us a long one. 
 On the way we shot two sambur, and found a huge pig's 
 nest, as usual situated in the middle of a thick clump of 
 the hill gooseberry, which almost excluded daylight. The 
 structure consisted of small branches piled up two feet 
 high, and covering a space fully twenty yards square. 
 Atlay was adverse to exploring it, but I insisted on doing 
 so, but found the family " not at home." These curious 
 constructions are to be found in all the larger jungles 
 infested by wild pigs in the Mysore country, but I have 
 never seen them in those of the Nizam's dominions. 
 
 My next expedition after ibex, four days later on, was 
 more successful. Owing to heavy and continued rains 
 the watercourses were much swollen, even the smaller ones 
 being waist-deep, but after an arduous march of six hours, 
 
 * Washerman. 
 
IBEX. 205 
 
 we arrived at two o'clock one afternoon at the foot of the 
 PeiTingoondah Mullay ibex hill, and set to work to light 
 a fire, while two of the Carders constructed a small but 
 comfortable little hut, of bamboo framework, covered by 
 leaves of the wild plaintain and tree fern , but lighting a 
 fire was a more difficult matter. It was raining heavily, 
 and everything was drenched ; the heads came off the 
 matches, so we had recourse to flint and steel. At length, 
 after an hour of dexterous manipulation, this was accom- 
 plished. Then they cut some bundles of long lemon grass 
 for my bed ; it was swarming with leeches, but by holding 
 it in the smoke of the fire we got rid of the majority — 
 some, however, remaining, as I discovered when I turned 
 in for the night. 
 
 The place selected for the camp was in a small natural 
 clearing on an under feature of the Ibex Hill, the ground 
 on each side sloping steeply away. A herd of wild 
 elephants had been foraging there, a few hours before our 
 arrival, and I was surprised to find their tracks in places 
 that seemed impassable for such ponderous creatures. 
 
 We started early next morning up the slope of the hill, 
 and, after a mile of steep clambering, reached the edge of 
 the shooting ground, a long grassy slope with patches of 
 coarse fern and brackens, interspersed wdth outcrops of 
 rock. The upper slopes were barer and rockier, the summit 
 being enveloped in dense fog, which cleared now and then 
 for a few minutes when the wind blew strongly. It was 
 what I once heard a ghillie term "level climbing," i.e., a 
 slope of about five degrees. Atlay and his companion 
 soon began to exhibit the effects of wet and cold, which 
 seem to stupify all natives, whether of the hills or plains ; 
 the former was leading, and we had only proceeded a few 
 hundred yards, when a grand saddle-back sprang up about 
 
206 IBJEX. 
 
 eighty yards ahead, unseen by him. I told him to lie 
 down, but he did not hear me, his head and ears being 
 covered with a cumbley (blanket). Luckily the buck 
 stopped to gaze at us for a few seconds, so, stepping aside, 
 I fired, and heard the bullet strike. Atlay fell down with 
 fright, believing he was shot, and the buck bounded oil, 
 apparently unhurt, and disappeared over some rising 
 ground in front. We followed his tracks some distance, 
 finding no sign of blood, but found him lying dead about 
 three hundred yards away at the foot of a small declivity. 
 The bullet had passed through the lungs in front of the 
 heart. This was the best buck I ever shot, a real old 
 solitary saddle-back — the solitary ones being generally 
 good specimens. As we gradually progressed up the hill, 
 the mist became thicker, and the shikaries correspondingly 
 useless from the cold, so I went on ahead, and presently a 
 puff of wind blew the fog aside and disclosed three ibex 
 within forty yards. They were moving slowly down the 
 slope, and suddenly disappeared from view in a hollow, but 
 quickly emerged on the opposite slope and stood for a few 
 seconds. Selecting the largest, a handsome buck, I fired, 
 and over he rolled, apparently quite dead, down the slope. 
 I ran after him for a short distance, but was stopped by 
 warning shouts from Atlay. The body continued to roll 
 down, and, gaining impetus as it descended, cannoned from 
 rock to rock, finally vanishing over the edge of a precipice 
 into asholah 200 feet below. The Carders said they would 
 get him next day, so we continued the ascent towards the 
 summit. 
 
 About half a mile farther on, I peeped over the edge 
 of a cliff, and discovered a herd of fifteen ibex about fifty 
 yards off, on a ledge of rock enveloped in mist, and was 
 lucky enough to kill the largest buck with my right barrel. 
 
IBEX. 207 
 
 but missed another buck with my left, the remainder ran a 
 few yards and halted, not knowing whence the danger 
 came, and eWdently bewildered, as I was above them, and 
 they kept looking everywhere except in that direction. 
 Creeping forward I got a buck and a doe right and left, 
 and had time to reload and fire a snap-shot at another buck 
 as he bounded off with the rest of the herd, but missed him. 
 They then disappeared into the mist, bounding from crag 
 to crag in a marvellous way. The shikaries begged for 
 one more ibex for their village, and as I knew there were 
 at least two very good bucks in front, being the ones I 
 had missed, on we went. 
 
 The herd had not gone more than a few hundred 
 yards, and we soon came upon them again, and I knocked 
 over two bucks, right and left, which were standing close 
 to each other on a pinnacle enveloped in fog. Atlay said 
 we should not be able to get them. I got close to the spot, 
 and found they had fallen over a precipice into a forest at 
 the foot of the hill, far, far below. Atlay explained that 
 it was impossible to reach them from where we were, even 
 with ropes, but that it could be done from our encamp- 
 ment, or from one of their collages near Perrincudavoo, 
 and that it would be a two days' job. This was very 
 disheartening, but could not be helped. Eeturning to 
 where the buck and doe had been shot, I climbed down the 
 face of the precipice to recover them, and had no difficulty 
 with the first one, which had fallen on a ledge just below 
 the plateau, but the other was in a very difficult spot to 
 reach on a sort of isolated pinnacle, the surroundings 
 of which could not be ascertained, owing to the thick fog. 
 The ledge on which the first one (a doe) had fallen, ran 
 along the face of the cliff to within a few yards of the 
 pinnacle, where the buck was stuck in a cleft, but then 
 
208 IBEX. 
 
 gradually got narrower. Along this I crept for some yards. 
 The Carders could not help me ; indeed they were utterl}^ 
 demoralised by cold and wet, and would not venture 
 beyond where the doe fell. The mist now cleared away 
 for a few seconds, and I found myself on a ledge barely a 
 yard wide overhanging the low country. It was too 
 narrow to turn round, and the only way out of the dilemma 
 was to crawl backwards like a crab for some ten yards. 
 This was accordingly done, but it was unpleasant work. 
 The ledge then became wider, and it was easy going, but 
 the buck had to be abandoned. While this performance 
 was going on solitary members of the scattered herd would 
 suddenly spring upon an adjacent peak, and after a good 
 stare at me would again disappear into the mist with 
 a shrill whistle. 
 
 The Carders being done — played out — and the sport 
 having been good, I decided not to harry the hill any more 
 that day, so sat down to smoke a pipe. Atlay presently 
 pointed to a tuft of grass at my feet, and there was a cobra 
 coiled up within a yard of me ! I was surprised to see him 
 at this elevation, but he was, like the Carders, torpid from 
 the cold. When the pipe was finished I pulled three large 
 hill leeches off my neck, quite different to the ordinary 
 sholah leech, being ten times the size, so with all their 
 advantages, these delightful hills are not without certain 
 drawbacks. The first buck was the best of the lot ; he 
 measured as follows : height, 10^ hands ; length from nose 
 to tail, G feet 5 inches ; girth, 4 feet 9 inches ; length of 
 horns, 14^ inches, 8 inches round base. We had a difficult 
 march back to Toonacudavoo that afternoon through the 
 leech jungles and swollen streams, not arriving till after 
 dark. The Carders and camp servants were so heavily 
 laden with ibex meat they could barely crawl along. They 
 
IBEX. 209 
 
 declared the meat of the bucks was the best for eating, 
 being full of flavour, but the musky smell was too strong 
 for me ; the doe, however, was excellent. On subsequent 
 occasions I revisited the ibex ground and explored the 
 peak, as a rule having good sport, but losing some fine 
 specimens over the precipices. One foggy day the whole 
 hill was traversed without seeing a single ibex, but the 
 cause was evident — a tiger had been before me, and his 
 fresh pugs were visible in many places. When quartered 
 at Kurrachee in 1869, ibex were reported to exist in the 
 hills to the north-west of that station, but that it was 
 useless to attempt shikaring there, owing to the jealousy 
 of a Grovemment official, whose myrmidons drove the hills 
 in front of every unfoi'tunate sahib who attempted to shoot 
 on what the great man evidently considered his private 
 preserve. 
 
 These ibex were quite different to the Southern Indian 
 species, being akin to those of the Himalayas, but smaller. 
 They are also considerably smaller than the Neilgherry 
 animal, being only five feet in length and less than eight 
 hands in height. Their horns, however, although similar 
 in shape, are much more imposing, being nearly three feet 
 long and thick in proportion. 
 
 The precipices overhanging the Goodaloor Pass — 
 which is the ghaut leading westwards from Ootacamund 
 to Cannanore, and which debouches into the Wynaad, near 
 the village of Goodaloor — were in former years much 
 frequented by ibex, as also were the high ranges lying to 
 the south-west, and these were occasionally visited by them 
 in the yeai's 1880-81, but the herds were small and as 
 wild as hawks, owing to the incessant harrying to which 
 they had been subjected, which will certainly lead to their 
 absolute extinction if persisted in, unless the Game 
 
 p 
 
210 IBEX. 
 
 Laws since adopted and promulgated, save tliem from 
 this fate. 
 
 In order to get good ibex shooting it was necessary 
 to go further afield, to remoter districts — such, for 
 instance, as the higher ranges of the Annamullays, that vast 
 extent of unexplored and uninhabited highlands stretching 
 away southwards into Travancore. 
 
 These ranges are difficult of access and quite unsuited 
 to the operations of sybarites, and have only been visited 
 by a few keen sportsmen, who did not mind roughing it, 
 and running the risk of fever in the lower valleys, which 
 must first be traversed in order to reach them. I had 
 projected a trip to these happy hunting grounds, but 
 was ordered home to the Depot, but my friend who 
 went there, told me he saw herds of ibex numbering 
 seventy individuals, which was probably an amalgamation 
 of several smaller herds which had been attracted by better 
 pasturage or been driven by stress of weather from the 
 higher peaks. 
 
 He obtained seven good bucks, three bull bison, and a 
 shot at a tusker during his last expedition, which extended 
 for a period of six weeks. 
 
 The ibex stalker always endeavours to get above the 
 herd, as they never seem to expect danger from this 
 quarter, and the sentinel — which is always posted on 
 the look out — devotes his attention to the ground lying 
 on a level with, or below the herd. The sport is exciting 
 in itself — apart from the dangerous nature of the ground on 
 which it is carried out — the scenery is beautiful, the climate 
 cool — considerable woodcraft is necessary to obtain a 
 prize, and altogether it is one of the most enjoyable sports 
 of Southern India. 
 
CHAPTER XV. 
 MISCELLANEOUS. 
 
 Description of jungles — Annual burning of — Result as regards 
 game — Hot weather best for tiger shooting — Water buffaloes 
 for ties — Use of^ with wounded tiger — Dhers — Garas — 
 Human victims — Maxims for the jungle — Cream-coloured 
 tiger — Tiger's annual meat bill — Precautions when 
 approaching a kill — Conduct if charged — Tracks of wounded 
 animals — Heavy charges of powder — Village shikaris — 
 Diplomacy necessary — Camp — Intelligence wallah — Food 
 supply in remote spots — Evergreen trees — Climbing tigers 
 — Duty on being posted — Tiger's larder — Tiger and boar — 
 Charges of wounded tiger — Gallop after a wolf — -Wild dogs 
 — !N^ative ideas of — Hyenas — Pythons — Adventure with — 
 Cobras — Hamadryad — Bis cobra — Tarantula — Where to aim 
 — ^Allowances to be made when aiming — Measurement of 
 bison horns. 
 
 The jungles of Southern India may be roughly classified 
 under two headings, ^dz., tree and scrub jungles — the 
 former being sub -divided into primeval or virgin forest, 
 containing large timber trees, such as the teak, rosewood, 
 and blackwood, of the Ajinamullays — and into ordinary 
 tree jungle, consisting of banian, peepul, olibanum (salei) 
 wood apple, mhowa, bastard teak, and trees as a rule not 
 exceeding forty feet in height, such as are found in the 
 majority of low-country wooded districts. Scrub jungles 
 are mainly composed of bushes such as the jamun, 
 caroonda, bair, custard apple, and kino trees, generally not 
 exceeding fifteen feet in height, but dotted here and there 
 with trees of nobler growth. The term "jungle " signifies 
 
212 MISCELLANEOUS. 
 
 wild, waste, or uncultivated land, and embraces everything 
 of the sort, from primeval forests down to grass rumnahs.* 
 Before the middle of March all these tracts in the low 
 country, which during the cold weather have afforded 
 grazing for theu' cattle, are burnt by the villagers to get 
 rid of the long and coarse grass, so as to ensure a young 
 growth with the advent of the rains. The ashes caused 
 by these burnings fertilise the soil, and in Burmah the rice 
 fields are enriched by the ashes of the long straw, which is 
 left standing with a similar object. The result of the 
 conflagrations is to deprive the greater part of the country 
 of cover for game of all kinds, which then betake them- 
 selveis to areas which may have escaped the ordeal. Certain 
 low-lying districts are annually exempted from burning, in 
 order to afford grazing for immense herds of cattle collected 
 from various villages and placed under charge of gowlees 
 (herds) during the hot weather, who drive them to fresh 
 fields and pastures new, as the grazing becomes exhausted in 
 a given district. 
 
 A few so-called " mango showers " fall at intervals during 
 the hot weather months of April and May, and the young 
 grass soon begins to sprout, under their genial influence, 
 in combination with the top dressing of ashes already 
 furnished by the fires ; but grazing is not in sufficient 
 quantity to tempt the larger kinds of herbivorous game 
 from their fastnesses before the middle of June. There- 
 fore the hot weather months are those usually devoted to 
 tiger shooting, as these animals, together with those they 
 prey upon, cannot exist without water and shade, and have 
 then to concentrate in the comparatively restricted areas 
 which fulfil these requirements. The majority of the 
 ^smaller tanks and nullahs throughout the country will 
 * Large expanses of meadow. 
 
MISCELLANEOUS. 213 
 
 have become dried up before these months set in, and it is 
 only in the bends of the larger nullahs that some pools will 
 remain ; here, too, will be found evergreen bushes, such as 
 caroonda and jamun, so that the two primary necessities of 
 game — viz., covert and water — are available. Few tiger 
 stories are read without some reference being made to a 
 nullah ; the above explanation is the solution of the 
 problem, but many of the cattle-lifter type of tiger follow 
 the migrations of the cattle herds, as already described, 
 few flocks being free from parasites of this kind. The water 
 buffaloes seldom accompany these flocks, as they can 
 generally be watered and grazed in proximity to their 
 villages ; they are less valuable than the ordinary bail, and 
 more easily obtainable for ties, but when in a herd, no tiger 
 will venture near them, as they are very plucky 
 animals, and when their blood is roused by the smell of a 
 tiger, they will pui'sue him through any jungle, and are 
 often used to oust a wounded tiger from his stronghold by 
 being driven into it. The tiger does not, however, 
 appreciate their beef as he does that of the ox, and he tn^II 
 often pass by tied-up haylas, and stalk and kill one of a 
 herd of the ordinary oxen, as some of these also are 
 retained in suitable localities which may exist near certain 
 villages, even in the hot weather months. On these 
 occasions, however, the kill is soon found out by the 
 Dhers, and the sportsman on repairing to the spot mil 
 often find that they have eaten up whatever portion the 
 tiger may have left after his preliminary meal. 
 
 The Dhers, also known as Begaris, are pariahs, or 
 outcasts, who are not allowed to live in the villages, but 
 are assigned some spot on their confines, and receive 
 certain portions of land rent free, in return for which they 
 are obliged to act as village scavengers, and as coolies or 
 
214 MISCELLANEOUS. 
 
 guides to travellers ; they are, moreover, entitled to the 
 carcases of all village animals that may die, or be killed 
 by beasts of prey, and they are always on the watch for 
 windfalls of this kind. 
 
 When a tiger kills a herd animal, the gowlees give 
 information to the Dhers, w^ho immediately sally forth and 
 appropriate whatever remains of the carcase, and it is only 
 in parts of the jungle remote from villages, that the 
 sportsman has any chance of anticipating them. 
 
 Both tigers and panthers kill their prey with the large 
 canine teeth, holding on to the neck and withers with their 
 claws, the marks of which will always be visible. 
 
 If a tiger kills an animal rather late in the morning, 
 when the sun is hot, after dragging the carcase to a shady 
 spot, he will often lie up close by to watch it, and to pre- 
 vent the vultures from eating it ; indeed, he not unf requently 
 kills these birds when thus engaged. These late kills are, 
 as a rule, made among herd oxen when grazing, and the 
 first thing to be done is to stop the Dhers from interfering 
 with them. The position of the kill will be indicated by 
 the vultures circling over it, and if none of them appear 
 to settle down ; it is a strong inference that the tiger is 
 there. Two courses are open : either to arrange for a beat 
 at once, or to sit over the kill in a mechaun. The shikari 
 will decide which is the better plan to adopt. If the tiger 
 is " ringed, " beating will be the best, otherwise the 
 making of the mechaun should be proceeded with forth- 
 with, so that it may be completed some hours before 
 sunset, as it is of the utmost importance that the place 
 should be perfectly quiet then. The selection of the tree 
 for the mechaun will depend upon local circumstances, and 
 the platform should be disguised by leafy branches, and be 
 of small dimensions, viz., only large enough for the sahib 
 
MISCELLANEOUS. 215 
 
 and one shikari ; moreover, the making of it should be 
 conducted as noiselessly as possible. If water is in the 
 vicinity the tiger will sometimes lie up near the kill until 
 he has eaten it all. I remember getting news of a gura 
 on a Sunday evening, which had occurred the previous 
 day ; beaters were not then procurable, but next day, 
 after a lapse of forty-eight hours, he was driven out from 
 a patch of jungle close by. 
 
 After drinking the blood — if the sun is not high, 
 as has been already stated — the tiger begins his meal 
 at the hind quarters, but the panther prefers the flank, 
 and works towards the stomach, being very partial to 
 the liver. Thus one can see at a glance by which 
 of these animals the gara has been made. On his 
 second visit — or sometimes when very hungry — the tiger 
 extends his operations to flank, belly, and Kver. It is 
 strange that when a human being is the victim, the feet are 
 usually the first portions demolished. The cannibals on 
 the West Coast of Africa always commence with the hands 
 and feet, and they probably know which are the best 
 tit-bits. When in pursuit of big game never appear 
 suddenly in a glade, nor over the top of a ridge, nor round 
 a rocky corner or point of jungle. Many a shot is lost in 
 this way. Always examine the ground in front before 
 showing yourself. On such occasions observe your shikaries 
 and jungle -wallahs, and imitate their movements. Adopt 
 their cautious demeanour, even when proceeding along 
 a path or track far from any spot where you expect to find 
 game. You may depend upon it, tliat these born and bred 
 jungle men, follow the best method of threading their 
 native wilds. It is almost superfluous to add a warning 
 against talking when on the look-out for game. When 
 your tracker wishes to call attention, he imitates the 
 
216 MISCELLANEOUS. 
 
 chirp of a squiiTel or cluck of a lizard, sounds well known 
 in the jungle, and which are easily learned. When copied 
 for a short time, this jungle demeanour becomes habitual, 
 and ceases to be irksome. If any of your followers show 
 the least disposition to cough when waiting for game — 
 send them away forthwith. It is caused by fear, and 
 will certainly break out afresh if the animal appears. On 
 four occasions I lost shots by the coughing of my 
 shikari before my experience was gained. On another 
 occasion, a tiger was walking down a nullah straight 
 towards a friend, who was posted on my right. His 
 shikari began to funk and coughed, whereupon the tiger 
 turned back, and, emerging within ten yards of me, was 
 killed by a single spherical bullet from my rifle. After 
 shooting a tiger, the body should not be permitted to 
 lie upon hot stones or rocky ground, as the hair will subse- 
 quently fall off the skiu at every point where it has been 
 thus touched ; nor is it wise to sit on the body of a dead 
 tiger, for as it cools the ticks leave it, and will settle on the 
 nearest living substitute. The pugs of a tiger are larger 
 and rounder than those of a tigress, which are oval in 
 shape, and not much larger than a bor batcha's, from 
 which, indeed, they are not easily distinguishable. The 
 tigress has seldom more than three cubs at a birth, of 
 which but two, as a rule, survive the first year. She then 
 teaches them huow to kill their prey, and they remain with 
 her till they are two years old, being then generally sent off 
 to shift for themselves. Occasionally a family party of 
 tigers will be found in some favoured locality, whose 
 younger members will be four years old at least, and will 
 have been killing for themselves for more than two years. 
 With good luck and proper management four, or even five, 
 tigers may then be shot in one day. 
 
MISCELLANEOUS. 217 
 
 Some years ago news was brought me of a white or 
 cream coloured tiger being in a certain district, where, 
 however, I never had an opportunity of shikaring him. 
 He was reputed to be stripeless. As a tiger gets old, his 
 stripes become faded, and less clear in outline, but this 
 cream coloured one was reported, on good authority, to be 
 absolutely devoid of any. The tiger kills at least once in 
 every five days, so his bag for one year would amount 
 to seventy-three head. Sixty of these would be cattle 
 averaging fully twelve rupees each in value, so at a 
 moderate computation, his annual bill for meat would reach 
 seven hundred rupees — a heavy sum to be visited on poor 
 villagers. In jungles that have been much shot over, 
 tigers become suspicious, and will often decline to kill 
 the tied-up animals, but by tying two or three within 
 twenty yards of each other, so as to resemble a herd, 
 he may often be induced to kill — his cunning, however, 
 may then cause him to avoid lying up in the neighbour- 
 hood. If a tigress with cubs meets with these animals 
 she will probably kill the lot, in order to teach her young 
 ones their business, but as young water buffaloes only 
 cost six rupees apiece, the outlay will not be very heavy. 
 It has already been mentioned that a herd of buffaloes is 
 often of service in driving a wounded tiger from some spot 
 he may be lying up in ; but if they are not forthcoming, 
 a herd of oxen, or even of goats, may be used for the 
 purpose — ^they will at all events often make him disclose 
 his whereabouts. 
 
 When approaching a kill, rifles should be full cocked, 
 and carried at the ready, and the most open ground 
 selected for the advance. The tiger will almost invariably 
 move off (if he happens to be there), but he may perhaps 
 attempt to drive away the intruders by a hostile demonstra- 
 
218 MISCELLANEOUS. 
 
 tion. The presence of two or more individuals is u sually 
 enough to force him to retire, but if he charges, every 
 man must stand fast, and for this reason a gara should 
 never be approached except when along with thoroughly 
 dependable men. A friend of mine was once charged 
 by a tiger near Luchwalli, in Mysore, on visiting a gara — 
 the brute rushing out roaring, in the orthodox way, but he 
 stood his ground, and the tiger changed his mind when 
 within a few yards, and skulked off through some thick 
 grass, which saved him — during his advance and retreat — 
 from being fired at. Wlien following up the pugs of a 
 wounded tiger or panther, if the claw marks show that 
 they have been driven deeply into the ground, it is a sure 
 sign of his being severely wounded ; and in the case of 
 deer or bison, the separation of the hoofs, as shown by 
 the slots, is a similar indication. When tracking up a 
 wounded animal, do not be discouraged by the absence of 
 blood, as owing to internal haemorrhage the mortally 
 wounded animal often shows no traces of it. When firing 
 heavy charges, the jar often causes both barrels to go 
 off simultaneously — a very unpleasant experience, which 
 should be obviated by only full cocking one barrel at a 
 time. When tiger shooting, the first thing to be done on 
 arriving at a village is to enlist the services of the local 
 native shikari at any price. He is always thoroughly 
 acquainted with the numbers and habits of the tigers and 
 other animals in the district, and is king of his own 
 jungle. No shikar party is complete without a shikari to 
 act in an administrative capacity, to elicit khabar, to 
 obtain haylas and beaters, and to square the village 
 shikaries — often a very difficult task, and one that requires 
 the greatest tact, for as a rule they resent inroads by 
 visitors, whose performances may dim their local reputa- 
 
MISCELLANEOUS. 219 
 
 tions as tiger slayers, and tliey are reticent and obstinate to 
 a degree. The points on whicli information is necessary 
 may be briefly enumerated as follows : — Number of tigers, 
 usual haunts, drinking places ; when and where last gara 
 occurred ; number of beaters obtainable ; whether other 
 sahibs have ever shot there, and with what results ; 
 whether any beaters were ever killed by a tiger ; if any big 
 game in addition to tigers frequent the jungle. 
 
 The Intelligence Department wallah must have at 
 least one day's start of the party. This can always be 
 aiTanged, for his duties as an executive shikari should be 
 very light. By the time you arrive at the new camp he 
 will have obtained some information on the above points ; 
 but, as the local man parts with his secrets slowly, you 
 must be patient, as a few days will probably reveal eveiy- 
 thing that is required. To avoid bringing too much pres- 
 sure on the food supplies of villages in remote districts, a 
 large quantity of rice, fowls, &c., should be taken with the 
 camp baggage. It is also desirable to purchase some young 
 buffaloes, to march with the caravan, as in many places the 
 people object to furnish animals for baits. 
 
 Natives say that the peepul tree affords the healthiest 
 and coolest shade for a camp, but mango trees and banians 
 are quite as good. The tamarind tree should be avoided, 
 as it harbours ticks, as large as beans, and they bite malig- 
 nantly. From the rustling of its leaves in the faintest 
 breeze, the peepul tree soothes one with the idea that it 
 is cool, perhaps the native opinion of its shade is 
 attributable to this circumstance. 
 
 Since writing the chapter on tigers, an account in the 
 Field, of the 7th April, 1894, has appeared, headed "Sport 
 in the Nirmul Jungle," in which details are given of a 
 tiger taking a man off a branch 20 feet 7 inches above the 
 
22Q * MISCELLANEOUS. 
 
 ground. The writer stated that this was not done by a 
 spring, but by regular climbing up a difficult tree. Some 
 years ago an account appeared in a Madras paper of a 
 tiger having been shot in a tree in the Neilgherry hills, at 
 an elevation of twenty feet above the ground. These cases 
 must be considered very exceptional, and any ordinary 
 wound ought to incapacitate the tiger from performing 
 such feats either by climbing or springing. 
 
 On being posted, the first thing to do is to scan the 
 adjacent jungle, to ascertain the passes by which the tiger 
 is most likely to approach, and, if in a tree, to take up a 
 position so that you can readily direct your fire on each. 
 
 In addition to cattle, the tiger also kills deer, wild pigs, 
 porcupines, monkeys, and even pea fowl ; and when hard 
 pressed by hunger, will eat frogs, and grub like the bear 
 under stones and cattle droppings for the beetles that 
 take refuge there. 
 
 Wild pigs are his favourite food and are more easily 
 caught than deer, as they are in the habit of grubbing up 
 the ground for roots, and while thus engaged are more 
 easily stalked. The tiger will seldom tackle the old boar, 
 who is too good a warrior for him, and sometimes worsts 
 him in single combat. 
 
 In the hot weather trips made by the sportsmen from 
 Secunderabad, one or more instances happened from time to 
 time, of wounded tigers charging those who were following 
 them up ; but an accident never occurred on these rather 
 ticklish occasions, as the brute was invariably shot dead or 
 turned by the fire of the group, every man of which 
 invariably stood firm ; all the same, there were some 
 narrow shaves, the wounded tiger often only swerving at 
 the last moment, and passing within a few feet of the 
 group of sportsmen. Under similar circumstances, a 
 
MISCELLANEOUS. 221 
 
 panther would probably cbarge borne, as be is a mucb 
 more courageous animal, altbougb inferior to tbe tiger in 
 power of jaw and claw, Tbe village sbikari invariably 
 sboots bis tiger eitber over water or over a kill, and in tbe 
 latter case be takes care to be at least twenty feet from tbe 
 ground, and ia tbe bad ligbt often misses or wounds tbe 
 animal, wbicb causes it to be very careful ever afterwards in 
 returning to a gara; but in jungles wbere be bas never 
 been fired at in tbis way, be is less suspicious tban tbe 
 pantber, wbicb bas an awkward babit of examining tbe 
 trees adjacent to tbe carcase. Tbe tiger sometimes takes 
 tbe trouble of covering tbe kill witb leaves, and in tbe 
 case of a buman victim killed wben tbe sun is bigb, after 
 di-inking tbe blood be wdll carry tbe body to some sbady 
 spot, and use tbe clotbing for tbat purpose. 
 
 Wolves are not often met witb in tbe Mysore or 
 Hyderabad (Deccan) country, altbougb some years ago in 
 tbe Central Provinces tbey became very bold, and were in 
 tbe babit of entering villages and carrying off cbildren. 
 Wben oobara sbooting in Scinde, tbey were frequently seen ; 
 but tbey knew tbe range of a gun to a nicety, and never let 
 tbe camel I was riding witbin eigbty yards of tbem. On 
 one occasion I tried to spear a wolf wbicb passed close to 
 me in tbe Neermul jungle one morning wben on tbe line of 
 marcb. He did not at first realise tbat be was being 
 pursued, and I got to witbin tbirty yards of bim at tbe 
 start ; tbis distance, bowever, be kept tbrougbout a long 
 gallop, during wbicb several spurts were made, wben be 
 increased bis pace correspondingly, and seemingly witbout 
 effort, and wben I reined my borse up dead beat, be was 
 still lobbing along at tbe same pace, and seeming to enjoy 
 tbe fun. Instances are on record of wolves baving been 
 run down and speared, but tbey were probably handicapped 
 
222 MISCELLANEOUS. 
 
 by a heavy meal beforehand. They hunt in packs of about 
 a dozen strong, and resemble the wild dog in their methods 
 of hunting and general habits. 
 
 The wild dog"*' resembles a lanky collie in shape, the 
 colour being a foxey red in the Annamullays, and a 
 brownish-red further north and in the Central Provinces, 
 both having a black tag to the brush. When in packs, as 
 they generally are, they are very bold, and sometimes not 
 only killed our haylas that had been tied up for tigers, but 
 made way for us very reluctantly when we appeared on the 
 scene. Our shikaries were very loth to inspect the kills on 
 such occasions, stating that they would be attacked by the 
 dogs, which feared nothing, not even tigers. They hunt in 
 packs of about a dozen strong, and wherever they appear 
 the jungles will be found to be denuded of game, from 
 deer upwards. The natives all assert that when a tiger 
 finds himself unexpectedly among wild dogs, he feigns to 
 be dead, and they subject his body to various indignities ; 
 all shikaries of Southern India from the Central Provinces 
 to the Annamullays, of every caste and creed, unanimously 
 agree on this point. Their pups were not unfrequently 
 brought for sale into Cantonments, but owing to an 
 idea that their bite was invariably followed by hydro- 
 phobia, they never found a market. 
 
 At Bangalore a brother officer bought a young hyena, 
 which grew up into a fine animal of its kind, and 
 apparently became quite tame ; until one morning, when 
 playing with it, his f^ot became entangled in its chain 
 and he fell to the ground, whereupon the affectionate 
 brute sprang on him at once, biting him savagely; but 
 an acquaintance who happened to be passing his compound 
 heard the noise, and, rushing in, rescued him with the 
 
 * Cuon rutilans. 
 
MISCELLANEOUS. 223 
 
 help of a heavy stickj with which he stunned the beast. 
 Down in those parts it was always said that the taming 
 of a hyena was impossible, and an encounter of this kind 
 had been frequently predicted. For the benefit of the 
 shikaries, who got a Grovernment reward of five rupees 
 for each, we occasionally shot these cowardly and revolting 
 brutes, which are associated in my memory with a horrible 
 scene which will not bear description ; suffice it to say 
 that they are veritable ghouls. 
 
 When in the AnnamuUays, a brother officer shot an 
 immense python, or anaconda — I saw the skin, which he 
 stated was 23 feet long when first removed. He was 
 bison stalking at the time, and saw what he at first 
 thought was the trunk of a tree lying on the ground, 
 which presently began to move, whereupon the Carders 
 bolted. He soon discovered its head, and put a bullet 
 through it, which made the reptile so lively that he made 
 tracks too. Next day he returned and cautiously followed 
 up the broad trail which it had made as it had writhed 
 along through grass and bushes, finding it dead some few 
 hundred yards distant. 
 
 The Carders tell wonderful stories about the size of 
 some of these snakes. I once got a young one — about 
 twelve feet long — and had it for two years, during which 
 time it grew about three feet. It was kept in a large 
 box, and fed regularly on bandicoots,* of which it would 
 eat three at a meal, and would then probably touch 
 nothing for a fortnight. It was a cross-tempered pet, and 
 repeatedly bit me severely ; its power of constriction, too, 
 was very unpleasant On two occasions I stepped over 
 cobras without seeing them. One instance has been already 
 related, the other occurred in Burmah when out snipe 
 * Large rats, three times the size of an English one. 
 
224 MISCELLANEOUS. 
 
 shooting. My friend who was with me saw the reptile 
 suddenly spring up at the edge of a small bund as I crossed 
 He fired at once and killed it within a yard of me. 
 
 The Bangalore country was full of cobras. I shot 
 three during my first day's florican shooting in the 
 large grass slopes near Soubadors Chettrum. Strong 
 gaiters to within a few inches of the knee render one 
 practically safe. If bitten, there were two alternatives — 
 to blow the piece out with the gun or to cut it out with a 
 knife ; there would then be some chance of life, but, 
 otherwise, absolutely none. A dusky hamadryad once 
 struck at me in Burmah ; he was in a small box, and for 
 some seconds I was not sure whether he had bitten me or 
 not ; luckily he missed his shot. This snake is allied to the 
 cobra, and is a cannibal, eating his own tribe — death ensues 
 about half an hour after being bitten. Many fatal cases 
 occur among natives, but those among Europeans are 
 extremely rare owing to their feet and legs being protected. 
 There is a rather mythical creature named a bis-cobra, 
 which the natives declare to be more deadly than the 
 cobra. Those that have been pointed out to me were 
 a smooth kind of lizard, striped with yellow, and snake-like 
 in appearance, but of timorous nature, but they have 
 the reputation of being aggressive at certain seasons, 
 when their bite is said to be the precursor of imme- 
 diate death. 
 
 Similar tales are extant of the large spider, so common 
 in the bungalows, which the Tamil servants call a " jerry- 
 mundlum." He is probably a species of " tarantula," but 
 is, so far as my experience goes, a most harmless one. 
 
 With regard to aiming — head and neck shots being 
 considered exceptional — the usual place with all animals is 
 behind the shoulder blade and half way between the top of 
 
Tiger's Head. 
 
 Spotted Deer. 
 
 Span 23 — length 29^ inches. 
 
 Brow-antlered Deer. 
 
 Span 32 — length 31i Inches. 
 Brow Antlers, 14J inches. 
 
 Sambur. 
 
 Span 39^ inches. 
 Right horn, 38^ inches. 
 Left horn, 39J inches. 
 
 Bison. 
 
 Elephant's Foot. 
 
 SPECIMENS OF HORNS, ETC. 
 (Length MeasnremeniB taken from Coronets. 
 
MISCELLANEOUS. 225 
 
 the withers and bottom of the girth. If the heart is 
 missed the bullet penetrates the lungs, which, although 
 not instantly fatal, is a deadly shot. If an animal is below 
 you — a deer or ibex for instance — aim near the girth 
 but not clear of the body; if he is above you, it is 
 not in accordance with my experience that any allowance 
 should be made, but some sportsmen say the point of aim 
 should be higher. In all these cases the animal aimed 
 at is supposed to be standing at ordinary sporting 
 ranges ; but, if moving, a proportional allowance must 
 be made for distance, direction, and rate of speed. 
 Practice alone will teach the amount, which with 
 Express rifles is very small. 
 
 The following measurements of the heads of two 
 bull bison are taken from one of my old diaries, and 
 are the largest that appear in it, but the most 
 symmetrical head measured about 33^ inches across the 
 horns, and the upper portion is shown in the plate 
 containing specimens of deers' heads. 
 
 Greatest breadth across horns, 39J inches ; 38 inches. 
 
 Breadth from base to base of horns, 14 inches; 13^ 
 inches. 
 
 Length from top of skuU to nose, 19^ inches ; 22 J 
 inches. 
 
 Q 
 
CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 MISCELLANEOUS. 
 
 Neilgherry (or Nilgiri) Hills — Nunjengode — Shoot two alligators 
 — Plucky fishermen — Nurseepoor — Another alligator — 
 Woman's ring found in him — Adventure at Sacrabyle — 
 Tulkaad — Sand drifts — More muggers — Small game — 
 Shooting clothing — Babool dye — Sambur skin boots — 
 Stalking shoes — Leggings — Spears — Boots — Nails and tent 
 pegs — Arsenical soap — Pegging out skins — Golden rule — 
 Rifles — Shells for — Detonating mixture — Malaria — Drink- 
 ing water — Camp precautions — Smoking — Unhealthy 
 seasons in jungles — Malarious spots — Quinine — DijB&culty 
 in obtaining tiger shooting — Good bags — Expenses — Soda- 
 water — Liquors — Shooting grounds — Monsoon precautions 
 — Tents — Black powder — Nitro powder — Conclusion. 
 
 Fever- STRICKEN Tippicado, which is on the eastern con- 
 fines of the great Wynaad forest, lies nearly midway 
 between Mysore and Ootacamund, and is ten miles distant 
 from the base of the Neilgherry Hills* at Seegoor. The 
 travellers' bungalow at Bandipore is eight miles north 
 of Tippicado, and is a more suitable spot for the sportsman, 
 the malaria being less deadly than on the banks of the 
 Moyaar. The road from Mysore to Ootacammid — seventy- 
 eight miles in length — runs nearly due south the whole 
 distance, crossing the Moyaar close to the bungalow at 
 Tippicado. A few miles south of Goondulpett, at a 
 
 * An isolated mountain range about seventy miles south of 
 Mysore city. It is thirty-five miles in length from east to west, 
 and twenty-five in breadth. Ootacamund, its chief station, can 
 also be reached via Metapolliam, on the Madras Railway. 
 
MISCELLANEOUS. 227 
 
 distance of forty miles from Mysore, the road enters the 
 outskirts of the jungle, near Gropaulswamy hill. This 
 point is within twenty-four hours of Bangalore by rail and 
 road, and within easy reach of the Chamraj Nugger jungles, 
 and therefore favourably situated for shooting trips limited 
 bv short leave of absence. 
 
 In December, 1881, when shikaring in the Chamraj 
 Nugger district, at the foot of the Billiga Rungum Hills, I 
 received a letter from my friend Colonel Pearse, advising 
 me to stay at Nunjengode, on the return journey to 
 Mysore, to beat for a panther which had been doing a good 
 deal of damage at that place, and to shoot some alligators 
 in the Cubbany River, which ran close to the Maharajah's 
 bungalow, in which I was to stay. This was situated 
 in a park, and had formerly been a shooting lodge, the 
 game in the vicinity being preserved by an ancestor of the 
 present Maharajah . Accordingly, on my way back, I 
 spent one day on the river, and shot two alligators, about 
 10 feet 6 inches long each, and wounded an immense brute 
 as he lay basking on an island about 100 yards distant, but 
 he got into a deep pool and was never seen again. The 
 fishermen brought their nets and dragged the pool for his 
 body, but could not find it. They were Yevj plucky, and 
 seemed to have no fear of being attacked by the alligators, 
 stating that, for many years, nobody had ever been killed 
 by them. From ]N^urseepore, eighteen miles off, however, 
 news arrived of several people having been carried off by a 
 mugger* which resided in a particular pool near that 
 village. I had arranged to meet Pearse there the following 
 day, so, leaving IN^unjengode that night, I arrived there 
 at 6 a.m., and pitched the camp in a shady tope of trees on 
 the bank of the River Cauvery. While my breakfast was 
 
 * Alligator. 
 
 q 2 
 
228 .MISCELLANEOUS. 
 
 being prepared, I strolled down the river in pyjamas, with 
 a local shikari, to have a look at the part where the 
 alligator was reported to stay. It was a deep sullen pool 
 at a bend of the river, about a quarter of a mile from camp, 
 and which extended about seventy yards to a sand bank in 
 the middle of the stream. On this bank, which was an 
 island, the mugger was in the habit of basking every day. 
 I went down the steep bank to the water's edge, and was 
 looking for tracks when the shikari called me up, saying, 
 " Come up, quick — the mugger will knock you into the water 
 and kill you." On ascending, he explained that this brute 
 was in the habit of knocking goats into the stream with his 
 tail, when they were drinking, and then eating them, and 
 that he had killed one the previous day in this manner. We 
 proceeded further down the river to try the Express at 
 some ruddy sheldrakes,* and on the way back to camp saw 
 the alligator basking on the sand bank. Although they are 
 lethargic brutes, they are often difficult to approach, and it is 
 no easy task to get within 100 yards of them, but this one was 
 successfully stalked, and at eighty yards' range I fired. His 
 body immediately assumed a crescent shape, the head and 
 tail being elevated, but he was too hard hit to leave the spot, 
 and died in a few minutes. He was then towed ashore, 
 and we had a post mortem on him, which resulted in a 
 quantity of pebbles and a woman's toe ring being 
 found in his stomach. The ring was promptly claimed 
 by one of the villagers, who stated that it belonged to 
 his wife, who had been carried off by this brute some 
 three weeks previously. 
 
 This story was corroborated by some of those present, 
 but the claim was withdrawn for three rupees, and the 
 souvenir is now in my possession. This alligator was 
 * Or Brahmini duck — Casarea rutilans. 
 
MISCELLANEOUS. 229 
 
 9 feet 8 inclies long. The upper jaw is perforated by two 
 holes, through which the canine teeth of the lower jaw 
 enter, the ends appearing above the snout. The victim is 
 seized by an arm or leg, and the alligator being dovetailed 
 to it by this ai-rangement, has simply to use his weight to 
 drown it, and can then devour it piecemeal at his leisure. 
 On one occasion, having returned from a long day's beating 
 for a tiger in the Sacrabyle jungles in Western Mysore, I 
 strolled up the Eiver Toonga for a dip, and, leaving my 
 rifle and clothes on the bank, walked through some shallow 
 water to a deep pool in the middle of the river. I was 
 luxuriating in this, when the peon from the Travellers* 
 Bungalow came running down, shouting, " Master, please 
 come back ; plenty big mugger got it." I lost no time 
 getting into shallow water again, and before reaching the 
 bank saw the log-like form of a huge mugger in the very 
 spot I had been bathing not a minute previously. If he 
 had meant business he could easily have seized me. Before 
 my rifle could be reached he disappeared. The peon told 
 me that this mugger had drowned a water buffalo a few 
 weeks before my arrival by dovetailing on to its nose when 
 it was drinking, and as he adhered to this story, in spite of 
 a severe cross-examination, and had nothing to gain by tell- 
 ing a falsehood, I believed his statement to be a true one. 
 
 The day after the death of the Nurseepoor alligator. 
 Colonel Peai-se, Mr. Dav}% and I, went to see Tulkaad 
 village — eight miles distant on the left bank of the 
 Cauvery. We waded across this river near a bend, where 
 an immense accumulation of sand has been formed. 
 During certain winds this sand is carried towards the 
 village, which is gradually becoming submerged by these 
 deposits. The sand drifts had already blocked three of the 
 largest streets, and the tops of some full-grown Palmyra 
 
230 MISCELLANEOUS. 
 
 palms, just appearing over the surface, had a very novel 
 effect. Three large temples had also been covered by the 
 drifts, but it having been decreed by some Brahmin priests 
 that, in order to stop an epidemic of cholera, it would be 
 necessary to perform poojah in two of these edifices, a 
 vast crowd had assembled a short time before our arrival, 
 and, after immense labour, had excavated a passage to 
 their interiors. The drifts on the side of the village nearest 
 the river were nearly thu-ty feet high. The following days 
 were devoted to more muggers ; and some small game 
 shooting, snipe being very plentiful in several places, Mr. 
 Davy getting a bag of twenty brace in a few hours. For 
 the hot weather the best dress for the jungle is a very 
 loose cotton jacket, shaped like a shell jacket, stained light 
 brown with the bark of the babool tree. Pockets are 
 useless, and only catch in thorns, &c. Inside the jacket 
 buttons must be sewn for a quilted cotton garment, which 
 should invariably be worn during the day, as it protects 
 the spine and liver from the intense rays of the sun. This 
 is removable at pleasure, and for early morning or evening 
 work can be unbuttoned and temporarily set aside, but it is 
 an absolutely indispensable protection at other times. The 
 headdress, whether helmet or sola (pith) topee, must be 
 dyed the same colour as the jacket. A sufiicient quantity 
 of the babool bark — about as much as a quart measure will 
 contain — is boiled in a chatty (earthen vessel), and the 
 clothing is inserted until the proper shade has been 
 attained. As the colour lightens after a few days' wear, 
 the tint of the cloth should always be deeper than what is 
 wished for, before it is removed from the dye. For breeches 
 a cloth called " char soutee "* is best, being stronger and 
 better suited for rough work, such as climbing and riding. 
 * Four-thread woven cloth. 
 
MISCELLANEOUS. 231 
 
 A capital shikar cloth is made ia the Bangalore jail, and 
 can be obtained from any durzee* in those parts. It 
 resembles the Lovat mixture of the Highlands, but is 
 greener in tint, and therefore better suited for forest work, 
 such as bison stalking ; moreover, it does not change its 
 colour when wet, and is on that account preferable to the 
 Scotch cloth. Sambur skin boots are the best for hot 
 weather wear, but are useless for wet jungles, where they 
 speedily become like pulpy brown paper. For rocky ground 
 indiarubber-soled tennis shoes are best. I always wore 
 spring leggings, buckled at the top and bottom. They 
 were easily put on, the spring caused them to retain their 
 shape when wet, and they gave complete protection from 
 snakes and thorns. A broad leather belt should be worn 
 round the waist, to which a pouch holding fifteen rounds 
 of ammunition must be attached. A shikar knife may 
 also be carried if desired. This belt also acts as a sort of 
 kummerbund. 
 
 When small game shooting a jacket with pockets will be 
 necessary for cartridges. My spears were made either by 
 Arnachellum, of Salem, or a famous maker at Aurangabad, 
 whose name I forget. One rifle should always be in the 
 sportsman's hands, the other being can-ied by a shikari. My 
 rifle was never relinquished until the shikaries assured me 
 there was no further chance of a shot, and very seldom 
 even then. I only remember to have met with game on 
 one occasion, when the shikaries were carrying both rifles. 
 
 During the monsoon, ordinary shooting boots are 
 preferable to those made of sambm- skin. The field boot 
 is also a good pattern, it dispenses with leggiugs and is 
 suitable for riding. A leather cartridge bag carried by the 
 shikari will hold extra cartridges, a flask, a sandwich, and 
 
 * Tailor. 
 
232 MISCELLANEOUS. 
 
 some smoking tackle. Tor night shooting I used a bit of 
 moist cotton wool on which the heads of some wet matches 
 had been rubbed. This was fixed close to the foresight — 
 that was before the days of luminous paint, which ought 
 to be the very thing for this purpose. About ten dozen 
 long iron nails should be taken for pegging out skins, and 
 some iron tent pegs will be found very useful for hard 
 ground, plenty of arsenical soap for preserving the fleshy 
 parts of the skin (nose, lips, and feet) will be necessary. 
 Ordinary wood ashes are best for the broad surfaces, and a 
 mixture of these with powdered alum should be well 
 rubbed into the skins before they are dried, which is 
 effected by pegging them out on the ground, hairy side 
 downwards, in the shade of a tree. They must be tapped 
 with a stick every haK hour to prevent the white ants 
 from attacking them. They must always be lifted at dusk 
 and stowed in a place beyond the reach of jackals or village 
 dogs, which prowl round camps at night and eat anything 
 they can find. 
 
 The following is a good recipe for arsenical soap : — 
 Powdered arsenic 2oz., camphor 5oz., powdered lime 
 2 drachms, salt of tartar 6 drachms ; these must be set 
 aside unmixed. Then take 2oz. of white soap, cut it 
 into thin slices and put it into a saucepan with a little 
 water over a slow fire ; stir frequently, and when melted 
 add the lime and salts of tartar, then the arsenic, and 
 finally the camphor ; let it simmer for a few minutes and 
 then transfer to an air-tight jar. Turpentine is also very 
 effective, and can be used in the absence of arsenical soap, 
 or in combination with it if so desired. 
 
 A golden rule for all big game shikaries is to " make 
 the most of your first shot, a better chance will seldom 
 occur." The rifle I took to India in 1867 was a pin-fire 
 
MISCELLANEOUS. 233 
 
 12 -bore poly groove by a celebrated maker, but had two 
 great defects which frequently placed me in danger, viz., the 
 cartridge cases often jammed after discharge, and it could 
 only burn 2^ drachms of powder. This absurd charge 
 behind a hollow bullet (which was recommended by the 
 maker) gave very little penetration. 
 
 After some experience I substituted spherical balls for 
 these with better results, but much was still to be desired. 
 I then had a 12 -bore central fire poly groove made to 
 order by Eigby, chambered to burn 7^ drachms of powder 
 (Curtis and Harvey's No. 6 coarse grain), barrels 24 inches 
 long. With 4 drachms powder and spherical bullets, it 
 could put shot after shot from both barrels well into the 
 centre of an 8 -inch bull's-eye at 100 yards. 
 
 Behind shells, the charge used was 4 J drachms powder, 
 and for bison and elephants 5-J and 7 J drachms respectively, 
 with solid, hardened bullets. I have shot some tigers, 
 panthers, bears, and a good many deer with a "500 Express 
 rifle, and in the majority of cases found it very effective ; 
 but it lacks penetration, owing to the bullet being too 
 light, too much metal is lost by the size of the ca^dty ; no 
 rifle could drive such a projectile through a tiger's shoulder 
 so as to reach the heart or lungs in a position which is not 
 unfrequently offered to the sportsman, viz., a three-quarter 
 shot facing you ; indeed, with even a very small cavity, it 
 is doubtful if any bullet from a sporting rifle can do so. 
 The detonating mixture for shells was composed of equal 
 weights of chlorate of potash and black antimony. This 
 compound was not too sensitive, and never burst until the 
 projectile had penetrated some inches ; its effect was very 
 marked, splinters of lead penetrating the softer tissues 
 to a distance of nearly a foot from the seat of explosion. 
 About 20 per cent, of these shells failed to explode ; 
 
234 MISCELLANEOUS. 
 
 but in these cases the projectile mushroomed out in the 
 usual way, inflicting a severe wound. On my next trip 
 I hope to use a *577 Express for tigers, bears, panthers, 
 &c., a double-barrel 8 -bore rifle for the larger animals, and 
 nothing can beat a '450 Express for deer and antelopes, 
 while in cei-tain favourable positions it is quite powerful 
 enough to kill a tiger. 
 
 The rutting season with sambur begins in October 
 and November ; the stags' antlers are then at their best, 
 and as big game shooting in the plains cannot be then 
 successfully followed, owing to the vast amount of long 
 grass and other covert, the sportsman can employ his time 
 with advantage in stalking these fine animals on the 
 slopes of the Southern Indian hills. The jungles at the 
 foot of these hills being very deadly at that season, had 
 better be avoided ; nor are they suited for stalking, 
 except in the month of July, when many of the stags 
 are in velvet, and consequently unfit to be shot. The 
 sambur does not adhere to a grass diet alone ; he is very 
 partial to several kinds of jungle fruits of the plum tribe 
 (as also are bison and elephants), and in many parts of the 
 Neilgherries the orchards containing peach trees were 
 much damaged by their inroads. 
 
 An old stag generally prefers to lie up for the day in a 
 small sholah on commanding ground, near the centre of 
 which he makes his form (like a hare's), and from which 
 position he can detect the approach of all enemies. In the 
 larger sholahs he is more at the mercy of the tiger and 
 panther, who can stalk him with ease in the dense under- 
 growth. All deer, too, are fond of the pods of many kinds of 
 trees, the babool, for instance, to eat which the antelope 
 will travel many miles. Nice stalking will be obtainable 
 in the month of March, when the pods are formed on 
 
MISCELLANEOUS. 235 
 
 these trees if they are in the vicinity of any plains 
 resorted to by these animals. On shooting the male of 
 any of the deer tribe, or ibex, the appendages should be 
 immediately removed, as they affect the flavour of the 
 venison. The skin of the sambur when tanned makes 
 excellent leather for gaiters, boots, and shika belts. It 
 will be sufiicient to peg the skin out in the usual way, 
 rubbing wood ashes and alum well in until it is quite dry, 
 tanning operations being deferred until return to civilisa- 
 tion. 
 
 To guard against malaria — the greatest enemy the 
 Indian sportsman has to contend with — a few grains of 
 quinine should be taken daily before dinner, and all your 
 followers should be similarly dosed. 
 
 In unhealthy jungles boil all water before drinking it — 
 filtering it alone is insufficient ; don't dig up the surface 
 of the ground in camp ; sleep at least three feet above the 
 ground level, and higher still if it can be managed ; always 
 sleep under mosquito curtains ; they keep off the breeze, 
 but after a few days' basking in the sun one gets case- 
 hardened and less sensitive to heat ; moreover, the beds 
 are always placed outside the tents at night. 
 
 During the rains calico curtains should be used in 
 malarious districts, as they afford better protection than 
 the ordinary gauze ones. A small fire at the door of the 
 tent or hut is also very desirable during the monsoon. 
 The rooms in some travellers' bungalows, which are 
 situated in damp and unhealthy districts (Bandipore, for 
 instance), are unprovided with fireplaces, which is a serious 
 oversight. But, in spite of all precautions, the sportsmen 
 can hardly escape getting fever in some jungles, the worst 
 districts in this respect being generally the best for sport, 
 as their evil reputation secures them immunity from all 
 
236 MISCELLANEOUS. 
 
 except the keenest sportsmen. It is therefore necessary to 
 decide whether the sport is worth the risk — the fever is 
 seldom fatal — and although in after years it may occasion- 
 ally inconvenience one, but few sportsmen regret their 
 original decision in the affirmative. Smoking is also a 
 salutary habit in malarious jungles, and before leaving the 
 tent or hut in the morning a cheroot or pipe should be 
 lighted. 
 
 In different jungles the malaria varies according to the 
 time of year in a very marked way, and shooting trips 
 must be timed to avoid unhealthy periods. In the primeval 
 forests, the unhealthy season lasts from the beginning of 
 November to the beginning of July, whereas in jungles of 
 the medium forest type, such as those of the Mahoor and 
 Neermul *•' districts, the malaria is least from the beginning 
 of March to the first rains in June, after which they 
 become very feverish. The annual grass-burning opera- 
 tions are undoubtedly of great utility in checking malaria 
 by diminishing the amount of vegetable matter, which by 
 its decay engenders malaria. 
 
 It occasionally happens that a jungle of good repute 
 plays a party false, and that the majority of its members 
 are suddenly incapacitated by fever. A case of the sort 
 occurred at Bangalore some years ago, when a party of 
 three officers — who had been shikaring in the Billiga 
 Eungums — were attacked by malignant fever, and obliged 
 to return to Cantonments, only one of whom survived the 
 illness. Even the Hyderabad jungles occasionally afford 
 similar cases in the hot weather, and they must be 
 attributed to bad drinking water, or unsanitary sites for 
 camps, such as spots near old burial grounds or bottoms 
 
 * Or Nirmul — this district lies south of the Godavery, in the 
 Nizam's dominions. 
 
MISCELLANEOUS. 237 
 
 of valleys, near accumulations of stagnant water, where 
 the shade afforded by trees fi'equently offers inducements 
 which outweigh all sanitary considerations. It is certain, 
 however, that a daily modicum of quinine modifies, if it fails 
 to prevent, an attack of fever. 
 
 Unless quartered near parts of India where tigers are 
 numerous, or acquainted with friends who will invite him 
 to join their shooting parties, a beginner will probably find 
 it difficult to bag even his first tiger. Of course, an 
 unexpected opportunity of doing so may occur ; but even 
 twenty-five years ago, when they were more numerous than 
 at present, I spent three months in the jungles before 
 shooting my first tiger, previous to which nearly fifty 
 hard days in the sun had been spent in unsuccessful beats. 
 
 The best bag I ever remember to have been made at 
 Secunderabad, was that in the hot weather of 1871, which 
 amounted to thirty-one tigers, and over fifty panthers and 
 bears, the average number of rifles being eight ; but several 
 of the sportsmen were unable to get more than one month's 
 leave, and changes consequently occurred at intervals 
 throughout that period. 
 
 The best bag made by a small party was that by 
 Captains Broadhurst, Thorney croft, and Travers in 1884, 
 who, in the Godavery district, shot twenty-four full-grown 
 tigers and three bears in two and a haK months, and 
 caught two tiger's cubs and two young bears in addition. 
 Their largest tiger measured 10 feet from tip of nose to 
 tip of tail along the curves. Captain Thorney croft, of my 
 regiment, shot an exceptionally large tigress which 
 measured 9 feet 2J inches along the cm-ves. Major 
 Mansel Pleydell, 12th Lancers, was also a very successful 
 sportsman, killing fortj^'-four tigers to his own rifle during 
 a comparatively short term of service in the Deccan extend- 
 
238 MISCELLANEOUS. 
 
 ing over a few years. Three of these tigers were man- 
 eaters, for one of which he received a reward from, the 
 Mysore Government of Rupees 300. On two occasions he 
 shot four tigers to his own gun in two days. Only one 
 tiger out of the forty-four was over 10 feet in length. 
 Major Pleydell was a keen sportsman and spared no 
 expense to ensure good spoi-t, his arrangements heing 
 perfect, and his shikaries the best at Secunderabad. 
 
 The expenses of a tiger shooting trip average about 
 350 rupees a month for each individual of a party of three 
 guns, exclusive of liquor. If there are more members the 
 expenditm-e decreases in proportion to their numbers, the 
 heaviest items being payments for beaters and for garas 
 by tigers. Whenever a tiger was shot the beaters got 
 double pay, \dz., 4 annas apiece ; as 120 were gene- 
 rally employed, the amount expended came to only 
 Eupees 30 for the day's work. The outlay for garas 
 came to about Eupees 250 per mensem. This included 
 small presents for the use of the haylas as baits, viz., about 
 4 annas per diem apiece. Of these we had never less 
 than one dozen, and sometimes as many as thirty tied up, 
 so that the total amount for beaters and garas exceeded 
 Eupees 500 per mensem. 
 
 Soda-water is an absolute necessity in the jungle in 
 hot weather. Large quantities must be taken out, and 
 arrangements must be made to send back the empties and 
 to obtain fresh supplies periodically. Nothing is so 
 refreshing as soda-water when drunk from the bottle so as to 
 imbibe as much as possible of the gas. No other liquor 
 except water should ever be taken while under arms 
 during the day; cold tea soon ferments and becomes 
 nauseating, nor is it possible to keep it cool. Claret and 
 hock mixed with soda-water, and an occasional glass of 
 
MI8GEL1jANE0US. 239 
 
 beer, will take the place of stronger drinks in camp, spirits 
 becoming distasteful after one has been exposed to the sun, 
 but some brandy and champagne should always be avail- 
 able in case of need. 
 
 A grand field for sport exists in that vast expanse of 
 mountain and forest, stretching over one hundred miles in 
 a south-westerly direction, from Denkanicotta (forty miles 
 south-east of Bangalore), to Danaikencotta, which is 
 situated in the valley of the Moyaar, twenty miles west of 
 the junction of that river with the Bowani. This tract 
 extends from Collegal on the north, nearly to Erode, a 
 distance of sixty miles in a southerly direction, and 
 comprises the valleys of the Moyaar, the Bowani, and the 
 Cauvery, with their tributaries, together with several hill 
 ranges, chief of which are the Billiga Eungums,* and the 
 Hona Mattys, the former consisting of three parallel 
 ranges, which run nearly north and south, from the Cauvery 
 to within twenty miles of the Neilgherries, the Hassanoor 
 Ghaut being close to their southern extremity, and which 
 are thirty miles in length by ten in breadth. The western 
 range of these hills is in Mysore, the two others being in the 
 Coimbatore district, British territory. The Hona Mattys 
 are close to the Billiga Eungums, and consist of two 
 ridges, each thirty-five miles in length, and ten in breadth ; 
 they are uninhabited, and almost unknown to any shikari. 
 At their south-eastern extremity lies Guddysal — a good 
 camping ground. These magnificent forests contain every 
 kind of Southern Indian game except ibex and buffalo. 
 All this area is bounded on the south by the Bowani, 
 which receives the waters of the Moyaar — formed by 
 the northern watershed of the Neilgherries — at Sattimun- 
 galum, and thence flows eastwards, until it joins the 
 * White rock mountains. 
 
240 MISCELLANEOUS. 
 
 Cauvery near Erode, a station on the Madras railway. 
 This would form a convenient point of departure, and 
 one at which it would be easy to obtain supplies and 
 transport, or if preferred a start might be made from the 
 northern side, either from Bangalore or from Mysore, the 
 latter for choice, as bases for supply are more numerous 
 at the foot of the hills in that direction, and the 
 operations would not necessitate crossing the Cauvery. 
 The discomforts of camping during the monsoon would 
 have to be faced, at which season only can these jungles 
 be entered with comparative safety ; but all disagreeable 
 experiences should be effaced by the good sport which 
 ought to be obtained in the course of such a trip. The 
 AnnamuUay and Travancore hills, which extend from the 
 village of the former name nearly to Cape Comorin, the 
 southernmost point of India, over a tract of country 
 two hundred miles in length, and varying from fifteen 
 to forty ipailes in breadth, is also a possible hunting 
 ground that should not be forgotten, and one where the 
 ibex will be found on the higher peaks, some of which 
 attain an elevation of nearly 9000 feet above the sea. 
 Either the village of Annamullay, or that of Cochin, in 
 Travancore, would form the best starting point. The 
 Pulney Hills lie about forty miles south-east of 
 Annamullay village, and also afford good sport including 
 some ibex shooting. For monsoon work, be careful to 
 take waterproof covers for the rifles, and ground sheets 
 for every individual of the party. Tents for a hot 
 weather trip should alwaj^s include a hill tent, with 
 double fly, for refuge during the heat of the day, A 
 good one can generally be picked up for Rupees 250, this 
 with a bechoba and a rowtee, should suffice for a party 
 of three guns. 
 
MISCELLANEOUS. 241 
 
 A bechoba costs about Eupees 100, and is light and 
 commodious, and when pitched under trees, such as the 
 mango and peepul, affords sufficient protection from the 
 sun's rays. A rowtee for the use of the servants costs 
 Bupees 60. For shooting in remote jungles, where coolies 
 are scarce and no other transport is available, the Regula- 
 tion single pole bell tent, conical in shape, and which can 
 be carried by two men, is everything that can be desired 
 for a solitary sportsman. Accommodation can be supple- 
 mented by the construction of huts if necessary. 
 
 In the sheltered valleys of these forests, on a damp, 
 muggy day in the monsoon, the smoke of black powder 
 hangs terribly, enveloping the firer in an opaque cloud, 
 which not only prevents him from seeing the effect of 
 his shot, but is very likely to give a clue to a wounded 
 animal as to his position. 
 
 In jungles where bison have seldom been harassed by 
 sportsmen, they undoubtedly often mistake the report of 
 firearms for thunder, which is prevalent at the breaking of 
 the monsoon, and for a month afterwards, this too, being the 
 usual time for stalking. On several occasions I have fired 
 at a bison without disturbing the remainder of the herd, 
 who would merely start on hearing the report, but recom- 
 mence grazing immediately afterwards. Native shikaries 
 also assert that tigers and panthers which have been fired 
 at, and missed, over a kill at night, often return to it after 
 a few minutes, mistaking the flash and report for lightning 
 and thunder. Whenever a waterproof nitro powder is 
 invented which can be used in large charges without 
 danger of detonation, it will entirely supplant black powder 
 for shooting in heavy jungles. 
 
 On account of the difficulty in keeping cartridges dry, 
 when under canvas, during the rains, and the tendency of 
 
242 MISCELLANEOUS. 
 
 paper cases to swell when damp, thereby impeding rapid 
 loading, it will be desirable to use only those in which the 
 paper portion is enclosed in a brass cylinder. 
 
 Several chapters on small game shooting in Scinde, the 
 Deccan, and Burmah were compiled from my diaries 
 with a view to publication in this volume, which, how- 
 ever, has already exceeded its contemplated proportions, 
 and must now be brought to a close, with apologies for 
 its imperfections. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 \ 
 
 
 A. 
 
 
 Adventure with alligator 
 
 
 . page 229 
 
 bear . 
 
 
 6, 8, 13, 16, 29, 32, 34, 37 
 
 bison 
 
 
 128, 130, 140, 146, 151 
 
 black monkey 
 
 . • 
 
 127, 130, 135 
 
 cobras . 
 
 
 77, 208, 223 
 
 elephant 
 
 . 
 
 164, 173, 174, 175 
 
 panther 
 
 
 . 48, 53, 55, 56, 57, 60, 63 
 
 pig. . 
 
 
 .53, 176 
 
 python . 
 
 
 . . .223 
 
 tiger . 
 
 69, 
 
 75, 80, 88, 93, 100, 103, 116 
 
 Aim 
 
 
 6, 151, 157, 224 
 
 Ambuscades 
 
 
 . 5, 46, 152 
 
 Ammunition expenditure 
 
 
 20,22 
 
 Amusing stampede 
 
 
 86 
 
 adventure. 
 
 
 11, 104 
 
 Antelopes : black buck 
 
 
 195 
 
 chickara 
 
 
 195 
 
 four horned 
 
 
 195 
 
 mountain 
 
 
 198 
 
 nilghai 
 
 
 191 
 
 ring-horned . 
 
 
 198 
 
 Antlers shedding . 
 
 
 199 
 
 wounds by 
 
 
 191 
 
 Ants 
 
 
 ... . 19,91,232 
 
 Arsenical soap . 
 
 
 232 
 
 Atlay Moopen 
 
 
 172 
 
 Bababooden hills 
 
 B. 
 
 120 
 
 Bags of tigers 
 
 
 237 
 
 Bamboo . 
 
 ^ 
 
 131 
 
 R 2 
 
244 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Bandipore ..... 
 
 imge 148, 226 
 
 Bangalore, cobras at . 
 
 . 224 
 
 Banian ...... 
 
 211,219 
 
 Bears, antics of . . . 
 
 . . . 35, 36 
 
 addicted to drink 
 
 3 
 
 bone of . 
 
 . . . .25 
 
 description of . . . 
 
 . . . 2 
 
 difficult to aim at . 
 
 5,6 
 
 difficult to kill . 
 
 . 10,29 
 
 meat 
 
 5 
 
 method of attack 
 
 . . . 5 
 
 man-killing . 
 
 12, 15 
 
 spear .... 
 
 26 
 
 spearing 
 
 . . 17, 21 
 
 sport with .... 
 
 ... 23 
 
 shamming death 
 
 20, 84 
 
 varieties of . . . 
 
 . . . 1 
 
 Bees ..... 
 
 . 31 
 
 Benkipore man-eater 
 
 . . 101 
 
 big tiger of . 
 
 . 103 
 
 Billiga Rungum Hills . 
 
 239 
 
 Bis cobra ..... 
 
 . 224 
 
 Bison 
 
 118 
 
 haunts of . . . 
 
 . 118, 119, 133 
 
 small feet of . . . 
 
 134 
 
 large bull 
 
 . 143 
 
 in ambuscade 
 
 130, 146 
 
 measurements 
 
 . 119 
 
 my first .... 
 
 128 
 
 my last .... 
 
 . 148 
 
 noises made by . 
 
 146 
 
 shooting 
 
 . 151 
 
 strong smell of . 
 
 135 
 
 summary of shooting 
 
 . 152 
 
 Black buck . . . . '. 
 
 195 
 
 monkey 
 
 . 127, 130, 135, 144 
 
 panther .... 
 
 40 
 
 Boar, charge by . . . 
 
 . 53 
 
 Bokur ...... 
 
 9 
 
 Boots 
 
 231 
 
INDEX. 245 
 
 Brahmins page 189, 230 
 
 Buffaloes 213 
 
 Bullets 160 
 
 Burning jungles . . . . . . .212 
 
 C. 
 
 Camp precautions ...... 235 
 
 unhealthy 236 
 
 Carders 122 
 
 Caroonda bush . . . . . . .212 
 
 Cartridges 242 
 
 Cattle for driving tiger . . . . . .213 
 
 Cervidae ........ 184 
 
 Chagul 102 
 
 Charges of bison 120, 140, 146 
 
 bears 13, 33 
 
 boars ....... 63 
 
 elephants 164, 165, 178 
 
 panthers ...... 48, 55, 57 
 
 tigers . . . . . . . .220 
 
 Cheetah . 39 
 
 Cheetah and antelope ...... 198 
 
 Cheetul 192 
 
 Chokra and monkey . . . . . .127 
 
 Clothing, shooting ...... 230 
 
 Cobras 77,208,223 
 
 Cochin 240 
 
 Cold, effects of 205 
 
 Crops, destruction of . . . . . . 155 
 
 Curtains ......... 235 
 
 D. 
 
 Daray ........ 199 
 
 Deer 184 
 
 axis 192 
 
 themyng ....... 198 
 
 mouse ....... 198 
 
 muntjack . . . . . . . 194 
 
 sambur . . . . . . . 185 
 
246 INDEX. 
 
 Death of officer and his shikari . . . page 90 
 
 Captain Doig . . . . . . 114 
 
 Shikari ........ 87 
 
 Detonating powder . . . . . . 233 
 
 Devaroy Droog . . . . . . .115 
 
 Dher caste . . . . . . . . 213 
 
 Dogs, wild . . . . . . . 138, 222 
 
 Duties on being posted ..... 220 
 
 Dyebabool 230 
 
 E. 
 
 Elephant . . . . . . . . 154 
 
 Burmese and Ceylon . . . . .171 
 
 charges of . . . . . 164, 165, 178 
 
 habits of 167, 168 
 
 and bear ....... 29 
 
 bobbery . . . . . . . 109 
 
 large . . . . • . . . 183 
 
 pits . . . . . . . . 155 
 
 points to aim at . . . . . 157 
 
 pursued by . . . . . . .173 
 
 rogue ....... 156 
 
 sight of 158 
 
 tusks ....... 165 
 
 tracking . . . . . . . 174 
 
 tongues ....... 166 
 
 Erode .... . . . . .240 
 
 Expenses . . . . . . . . 238 
 
 Explosion, both barrels . . . . . .218 
 
 Express rifle 33, 199, 225 
 
 F. 
 
 Felis tigris. 64 
 
 pardus . . . . . . . 39 
 
 Fever 235, 236 
 
 Fight, bison and tiger ...... 143 
 
 Flowering bamboo . . . . . . .131 
 
INDEX. 247 
 
 Fly bison . . . . . . . page 134 
 
 Foot shot 181 
 
 Fruit jungle 234 
 
 G. 
 
 Gaiters 231 
 
 Garas .63, 70, 107, 214, 215 
 
 Gaur 118 
 
 Grazelle (chickara) ...... 195 
 
 Goodaloor 209 
 
 Gopaulswamy ....... 189 
 
 Ground sheets . . . . . . .240 
 
 Gun covers ........ 240 
 
 H. 
 Hamadryad ........ 224 
 
 Hardening bullets ...... 182 
 
 Hills, Annamullay ....... 240 
 
 Bababooden 120, 186 
 
 Billiga Eungums 236, 239 
 
 Hona Matty 239 
 
 Neilgherry (or Nilgiri) . . . . . 226 
 
 Pulney ....... 240 
 
 Travancore ....... 240 
 
 Hot weather shooting . . . . . . 212 
 
 Human victims ....... 70 
 
 Hunting leopard ...... 39, 198 
 
 Hinds 185 
 
 Huts 205 
 
 Hyena . . . . . . . . .222 
 
 I. 
 
 Ibex 201 
 
 decrease in numbers ..... 202 
 
 description of ..... . 202 
 
 ground ........ 203 
 
 homs 202, 208 
 
248 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Ibex [continued) — 
 stalking 
 venison 
 
 Indian bison 
 
 page 210 
 
 209 
 
 . 118 
 
 Jackal, mad 
 
 tiger's provider 
 Jadu wallah . . 
 Jamun .... 
 Jungle . . 
 
 fever, see " Malaria " 
 
 fires 
 
 maxims . 
 
 produce 
 
 scrub 
 
 tree . 
 
 9 
 
 . 79 
 
 30 
 
 . 213 
 
 211 
 
 212 
 215,217 
 148 
 . 211 
 211 
 
 K. 
 
 Kaweets .... 
 
 Kheddah elephants 
 
 Kills by tigers, vide " Garas 
 
 Komalapully 
 
 Kowlass .... 
 
 6 
 
 180 
 
 104 
 76 
 
 L. 
 
 Language, study of 
 Leeches . 
 Leggings 
 Leopards . 
 Loashera panther 
 Lost in forest . 
 
 161 
 127 
 231 
 39 
 57 
 137 
 
 M. 
 
 Malaria 
 Man-eaters 
 Mango showers 
 Maxims, jungle 
 Mechauns 
 
 235, 236 
 
 31, 65 
 
 212 
 
 215,217,232 
 
 50,214 
 
INDEX. 249 
 
 Mhowa tree ....... i^agre 3 
 
 Mulsers ........ 123 
 
 Munchals ......... 95 
 
 Muntjack deer ..... . . 194 
 
 Murrain . ........ 180 
 
 Murrel ........ 19 
 
 N. 
 
 Nails for skins ........ 232 
 
 Neilgherry liills ....... 226 
 
 Nightingale, Colonel 22, 44 
 
 Nilghai 191 
 
 Nirmul jungle malaria ...... 236 
 
 Nocturnal noises ....... 124 
 
 O. 
 
 Old tuskers 173 
 
 Ootacamund ..'.... 226 
 
 Orange valley . . . . . . • .187 
 
 Ossification of skulls . . . . . . 173 
 
 P. 
 
 Panthers ......... 39 
 
 boldness of ...... 56, 63 
 
 charges by ..... • 48, 55, 57 
 
 classification of ... . . 39 
 
 description ....... 39 
 
 distribution 39, 40 
 
 kiUs by 45, 63 
 
 man-killing ...... 50 
 
 shooting 41, 63, 220 
 
 spearing . . . . . . . 43, 59 
 
 traps ........ 43 
 
 young 49, 54 
 
 Pakhallake . . . ... • .109 
 
 Peepul 219 
 
 Pegs, tent ........ 232 
 
 Perseverance . . . . ... 183 
 
 Pigs nests in Annamullays . . . . .204 
 
 S 
 
250 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Poolakul 
 Poppinapett 
 Powder, black 
 Primeval forest 
 
 page 123, 145 
 
 . 1, 9, 71 
 
 241 
 
 . 211 
 
 Quinine, necessary 
 
 Q. 
 
 235, 237 
 
 R. 
 
 Red ants . 
 Rewards for animals 
 Rhododendrons 
 Ringing tigers 
 Rivers : Boodra 
 
 Bowani 
 
 Cauvery 
 
 Cubbany . 
 
 Godavery 
 
 Moyaar 
 
 Periar 
 
 Toonga 
 Rifles 
 
 Robbers' cave 
 Rogue elephant 
 Rope, useful in trees 
 
 19,91 
 
 74 
 
 . 187 
 
 83, 107 
 
 . 108 
 
 239 
 
 227, 239 
 
 227 
 
 . 73 
 
 226, 239 
 
 . 144 
 
 229 
 
 . 234 
 
 64 
 
 . 156 
 
 117 
 
 S. 
 
 Sacrabyle . 
 Saddle back ibex . 
 Salt licks 
 Sambur. 
 
 stalking 
 
 driving 
 
 and wild dogs 
 
 right and left at 
 Sand drifts 
 Scinde ibex 
 Scouts 
 
 . 229 
 
 202 
 • 151 
 
 185 
 
 . 185 
 
 185, 186 
 
 . 191 
 
 190 
 . 229 
 
 209 
 9 
 
INDEX. 
 
 251 
 
 SMkari, village 
 cougliing 
 
 Shooting parties 
 grounds. 
 
 Shore commons 
 
 Snakes 
 
 Spearing bears 
 panthers 
 wolf . 
 
 page 218 
 
 '. 216 
 
 73 
 
 . 239 
 
 144 
 
 . 224 
 
 . 17, 21 
 
 43,69 
 
 221 
 
 Smoking ......... 236 
 
 Soda-water . 238 
 
 Supplies . .219 
 
 Tairbund bears 
 
 Tamarind tree . 
 
 Tarantula 
 
 Tarcherla, tragedy at 
 
 Tea, cold 
 
 Temple shot 
 
 Tents .... 
 
 Tigers .... 
 
 charging . 
 
 cunning 
 
 climbing 
 
 danger of wounds by 
 
 danger unavoidable 
 
 eating carcases 
 
 fat . 
 
 following up . 
 
 and bison . 
 
 in temple 
 
 meat, bill of 
 
 my first . 
 
 shikari killed 
 
 retribution 
 
 ringing 
 
 man-eaters 
 
 sense of smell . 
 
 13 
 
 . 219 
 
 224 
 
 . 90 
 
 238 
 
 . 158 
 
 240, 241 
 
 . 65 
 
 220 
 
 83, 217 
 
 . 90, 219 
 
 . 93 
 
 99 
 
 69, 107, 215 
 
 80 
 
 113, 114 
 
 143 
 
 ; 84 
 
 217 
 
 . 96 
 
 . 87, 90 
 
 . 92 
 
 . 83, 107 
 
 65, 71, 101 
 
 81 
 
252 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Tigers {continued) — 
 
 shooting on foot 
 short tailed 
 white 
 young 
 
 Tippicado 
 
 Toddy . 
 
 Tongue, elephant 
 
 Toonacudavoo 
 
 Trackers . 
 
 Tusks . 
 
 Tuskers . 
 
 Tying up baits 
 
 page 113 
 
 108 
 
 . 217 
 
 . 66, 105 
 
 . 226 
 
 3 
 
 . 166 
 
 122 
 
 . 124 
 
 165, 179 
 
 . 167 
 
 75 
 
 UUeepoor 
 Unhealthy seasons 
 Ursus, species of 
 
 U. 
 
 30 
 
 236 
 
 1 
 
 Variety of game . 
 Vegetables, want of 
 Victorious tiger 
 Vigil, a ghastly 
 Village submerged 
 
 109, 149 
 
 . 78 
 103 
 
 . 70 
 229 
 
 W. 
 
 Water buflfaloes 
 drinking 
 proof sheets 
 
 Wild dogs 
 
 Wolf 
 
 Wynaad 
 
 . 213 
 235 
 
 . 240 
 138, 222 
 
 . 221 
 226 
 
YP 0253a