( 82 ) 



to employ some Assamese and their hunting dogs, to run down the 

 wounded animals, for we were only shooting with No. 3 shot to 

 avoid accidents, there being a good many people about. I must 

 confess, when first I saw the dogs I was incredulous of all that was 

 said in their favour ; certainly their looks belied them : poor, mis- 

 erable, half-starved-looking wretches, with crouching gait, and tail 

 well between their legs, only too glad to bolt on the approach of a 

 stranger, I thought it impossible they could be good for much ; but 

 I was vastly mistaken ; for, no sooner was a deer wounded, than 

 they were on the track, and seldom failed to run it down. The 

 cruel manner in which the poor brutes were belaboured with kicks 

 and blows when the huntsmen came up to find they had already 

 commenced to devour their prey, was a most distressing sight, and 

 I was only surprised to find such cruel treatment had not utterly 

 ruined the pack for sport. The greatest havoc we committed was 

 among the ducks and geese ; of these, we generally managed to kill 

 sufficient of an evening for ourselves and followers. Fortunately, 

 the natives show a preference for the more oily and fish-tasting 

 water-fowl, and at all times prefer quantity to quality — a pelican 

 being more acceptable than a duck; so we had little trouble in sup- 

 plying their wants in this respect. I also managed to make a 

 couple of tolerably good bags of snipe (fifteen, and twenty-four and 

 a half couple), among which were a solitary bird, two painted, and 

 seven jack : a list of the remaining variety of birds I collected here, 

 will be found at the end of the first section of this chapter. The 

 only animals I bagged, or even saw, were some deer, a wild cat 

 (Felis javanensis), a handsome brute about the size of a dog, yellow 

 ground and black spots, and remarkably fierce ; a red squirrel 

 (Sciurus ferriigineas), also S. barbei, and a flying squirrel (Pteromys 

 petaurista cineraceus) ; tigers, and leopards are also common, and are 

 often heard at night within a* few yards of the Residency, but I 

 never saw any. In the neighbouring mountains we hear game of 

 all sorts abounds, including elephants, bison, pig, bear, samber, and 

 those common to the plains. 



155. Christmas day was entirely devoted to sport, as the most 



pleasant amusement we could select. 

 Conversation of certain Chinese 0ur gtart was delayed by some Chinese 



Visitors on Christinas day. ... , , -, J J . ,, ., • 



visitors, who had come to call on the 

 Assistant Resident; they spoke with confidence regarding the 

 speedy suppression of the Panthay war, but said until all was 

 quiet again, it would be unsafe to continue the cotton export 

 trade with Western China. They mentioned that Tussa Cone's 

 army had been reduced to 1,200, and were surrounded by 30,000 



