84 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1816. 



resident's escoi-t, went forth in 

 search of the animals. The place 

 in which they were said to have 

 taken shelter, was covered by 

 bushes of the mogree flower plant 

 extremely thick, and standing' 

 about four feet high, with narrow 

 pathways, occasionally intersected 

 by hedges of the prickly milk 

 bush, and low and thick ramifi- 

 cations of the aloe tree. 



" The party beat about the 

 jungle (foi- it had this appearance, 

 rather than that of a garden), 

 when by great good fortune it 

 had a glimpse of one of the ani- 

 mals making off with some rapi- 

 dity. It was first taken for a 

 large grown calf, a misconception 

 very natural, as the sequel will 

 show, and as by the report of the 

 morning, the party expected to 

 meet with tigers. The appear- 

 ance of the animal, however, 

 gave a stimulus to the exertions 

 of the gentlemen, who moved 

 forward in the low jungle, sur- 

 veying every bush, and expect- 

 int^ each instant to hear a tre- 

 mendous roar, or perhaps to en- 

 counter the savage attacks of the 

 animals. Little more search 

 brought the two beasts in Ml 

 view, when one of them startetl 

 off, receiving a ball from a gen- 

 tleman in the side. It went ra- 

 pidly past two others of the paity, 

 and was wounded by a single shot 

 in the flank. These wounds ap- 

 peared to have produced no de- 

 cided efl'cct, and a ijuarter of an 

 hour had elapsed before it was 

 again discovered crouching in a 

 thick plantation of aloe trees. It 

 was here that a few sepoys and 

 one of the gentlemen, advancing 

 within 8 paces, brought the beast 

 prostrate on the ground ; when. 



for the first time, considering 

 the indistinct view obtained in 

 the low jungle during the pur- 

 suit, it was found that, instead of 

 tigers, the objects of the chase 

 were lions of considerable size I 

 Some danger attended the death 

 of this animal (which was a li- 

 oness), as the other party were 

 diametrically opposite to the aloe 

 plantation when the volley was 

 fired into it. Tiie balls whistled 

 over their heads and around them, 

 but happily without bad conse- 

 quences to any body. 



" The success which attended 

 the fiist hunt redoubled exertion, 

 and with great management the 

 party scoured the bushes in search 

 of the lioness's companion. Some 

 time passed, and a great deal of 

 laborious exertion, before the ani- 

 mal was traced by his footsteps 

 to one of the high hedges which 

 intersected the garden. The party 

 approached within eight yards, 

 when, by previous concert, two 

 gentlemen and two sepoys fired, 

 inde[)endently, with effect. The 

 animal moved off immediately on 

 the other side of the hedge, and 

 in ten minutes more, he was dis- 

 covered lying under another hedge 

 groaning with rage and pain. 

 Some pieces were instantly fired, 

 which exasperating him, he ran 

 out, and nobly charged his as- 

 sailants, his tail being curled over 

 his back. In his advance he was 

 saluted, with great coolness, with 

 several balls from all the gentle- 

 men and a few sepoys of the 

 party who had com.e up ; and 

 though within a few yards of the 

 objects of his attack, he suddenly 

 turned off (it is supposed, on ac- 

 count of being severely wounded), 

 and sprung upon a sepoy detached 



to 



