ROUND THE CAMP FIRE 317 



doubt over the claim to good sportsmanship laid by the 

 man who has " slain his hundred tigers." 



To continue our theme. 



As a rule the Indian mind seems to attain its greatest 

 brilliance when engaged in the congenial occupation of 

 khat-pattt& petty intriguing and childish cunning that 

 derives its power from its very weakness and apparent 

 insignificance. Here indeed is something that the Oriental 

 thoroughly understands, for the sake of which he readily 

 deserts his usual condition of apathy, and on which he 

 enters with a perverted zest that in a better cause would 

 command our admiration, applying thereto all the wile of 

 a brain the workings, the inconsequence, and the vagaries 

 of which are often incomprehensible to Western ideas. 



In addition, the Indian, even of lowly degree, is no mean 

 student of human nature, and is keenly alive to the benefits 

 that may accrue to him by the judicious conciliation of 

 those set in authority over him. We find, therefore, that 

 he is an instrument that can be played on with a light 

 touch and remarkable success by quite an ordinary 

 performer. 



Keeping in view the direction of these preliminary 

 observations, let us imagine some Indian " district " which 

 contains good hunting-grounds giving shelter to a typical 

 fauna, including tigers, and that in such a district an 

 " outsider" desires to indulge his fondness for sport. Now 

 it is possible that he may imagine that all his difficulties 

 end with the receipt of permission to shoot in those 

 jungles ; but, if he is wise, he will recognise that there are 

 a few preliminaries to settle before arriving at this delight- 

 ful consummation. 



It may be that all of the district officials are keen on 

 shooting : and this is certain to complicate matters, and 

 make the case the most difficult of all for our "outsider" to 

 tackle ; for there is no avoiding the fact that the officials 

 administering a district in various capacities are usually in 



