20 SAMBHALPUR, HARDA, DELHI, PETERHOF 



opening was very small and the cave pitch 

 dark. 



On the 8th of April I left Sambhalpur with great 

 regret and reached Harda on the loth. There I 

 stayed with a retired merchant who has built 

 himself a bungalow in the heart of the jungle, and 

 was kindness itself. In his day he was a great 

 shikari, having killed twenty tigers with his own 

 rifle in the Sunderbunds alone. The district seems 

 to me to have been cleared out of game by strolling 

 officers. I tried to get a good sambhur, but saw 

 nothing but young stags, and the old ones had 

 shed their horns. I saw a nylghai bull, but he 

 also was, in my opinion, too young to shoot. I 

 do not care to shoot anything unless it is worth 

 shooting, and for that reason I let off two beautiful 

 half-grown leopard cubs which came close to my 

 machdn, and literally played around it like two 

 kittens. It was one of the prettiest sights I ever 

 saw. I got one big black bear, a very fine speci- 

 men, and that is all I have been able to do in the 

 way of sport. 



Previously I had had rather an exciting time of 

 it over a large she-bear which Moberly wounded 

 badly. She had four small cubs, and after going 

 a considerable distance, took up a position inside 

 a large hole on the side of a hill. Moberly was 

 above and I was below the bear. I took my rifle 

 from the bearer, and then to my vexation found 

 that the man who carried my cartridges had 

 vanished, and I was in the pleasant position of 

 being within 10 yards of an angry, wounded she- 

 bear, showing every inclination to charge me. I 

 had nothing but my knife. Fortunately she would 



