132 RIFLE AND SPEAR WITH THE RAJPOOTS. 



they make. The beaters are collected from the inhabit- 

 ants of the neighbouring villages, and each village brings 

 its private band. And such excruciating instruments of 

 torture ! Tom-toms, big drums, horns, whistles, and an 

 occasional huge serpentine trumpet, which takes two men 

 to carry and makes a roar like a steam siren. Now and 

 again hoarse shrieks start from one end of this long line 

 of men, and run up and down the ranks like the firing of 

 a feu-de-joie. It would be a brave leopard who would 

 face such a pandemonium of noise ; and unless he breaks 

 back through the advancing beaters, he must pass the 

 narrow gorge in which we are posted. 



Soon a perfect bouquet of rochetting hill pheasants scud 

 across, high overhead, and one or two "gooral" (Himalayan 

 chamois) rush past. A sounder of wild boar break through 

 the line of beaters — but no leopard. Until we were certain 

 he was not on foot, of course we would not shoot at smaller 

 game ; but evidently he was a beast of discrimination and 

 had slipped away before the beat commenced. 



A sooral now bounded down the rocks, and the 

 Maharaja knocked him over. Another galloped past Alan, 

 who brought him down with a long shot. By this time 

 the beaters had closed up in a big semi-circle in front of 

 us. Nothing had been seen of the leopard, but a black 

 bear had charged back through the line, and mauled one poor 

 man. Bhurie Singh was much annoyed at the leopard's 



