146 INDIAN BIG GAME chap. 



only, with some No. 1 cartridges, as my wife had 

 asked me to try and get her a pea-fowl; and I 

 had with me only three ball cartridges. Anyway, 

 before leaving the path and entering the jungle 

 in the direction from which the noise came, 

 I exchanged the magazine for my Explora, and 

 wished I had brought more ball ammunition, 

 as the men hinted at two bears being the cause 

 of the row. 



Just before turning off the path I pointed 

 out to the trackers that crows seemed greatly 

 interested in something in the direction we were 

 going, and I queried whether the noise we had 

 heard might be accounted for by a tiger. They 

 agreed, so we went with extra caution. Every- 

 thing was in our favour ; it was still fairly early, 

 the wind was gently blowing towards us, and 

 although it had not rained for the last few days, 

 the leaves were very wet after the night. I 

 myself had on an excellent pair of rubber crepe 

 stalking boots, and I was careful that no sound 

 should be made, so much so that when, as often 

 happens, a " wait-a-bit " caught my clothes, I 

 signed to the man following to disentangle me. 

 Keeping our eyes well skinned, we proceeded 

 slowly forward, and as we neared our objec- 

 tive, a solitary vulture flapped from a tree 

 close by, and we nodded to each other signifi- 

 cantly. A few paces more and again Kerta 

 the tracker paused, and now occurred an extra- 

 ordinary thing. Although many's the time I 

 have spotted something before the tracker in 

 front of me, one knows that he is hampered 

 not only by having to keep a look-out, but also 



