STALKING IN BED 07 



his four wives and one son was seen no more. I 

 never saw him at all. It was cruel ill-luck, but I 

 felt almost more sorry for Moberly and the devoted 

 jungli folk than I did for myself, and that is saying 

 a great deal. The heat throughout was very 

 severe, and the air was laden with hot ashes from 

 the forest fires, which have been very prevalent 

 this season. 



I returned to Calcutta a sadder, a sorer, but a 

 keener shikari than ever. But I shall never shoot 

 a bison. I am past the stalking age; besides, 

 stalking hi bed is hardly a likely way of getting up 

 to bison ! Disappointment-week number one. 



Early in the winter I received an offer to organise, 

 and to manage for me, a shoot in Nepal. I asked 

 Sir Chandra Sham Shere Jung, Prime Minister of 

 Nepal, to be so kind as to grant me a permit to 

 shoot at the foot of the Nepalese Himalaya Moun- 

 tains. The Nepal Government were kindness itself, 

 not only granting me a permit, but altering the dates 

 and the locality twice to suit my convenience. 



All through the winter and during my heavy 

 work I looked forward with the keenest pleasure 

 to the trip to Nepal. The Nepalese or Gurkhas 

 are a most interesting people for whom I feel great 

 sympathy and regard. 



I left Simla just at the end of April and found 

 myself, after two days and a night's travelling 

 by rail, motor, and elephant, on the banks of the 

 Sardah River a beautiful river, watering a 

 magnificent grazing country, which in years gone 

 by must have been very full of game of all sorts, 

 but which has now become a valuable and fairly 

 well populated grazing country. 



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