230 THE HIGHLANDS OF CENTEAL INDIA. 



Driving a large extent of country witli a long line of 

 beaters is the commonest method of hunting sambar. 

 It is frequently successful, and often secures a good stag ; 

 but for my own part I have very rarely resorted to it. 

 It is difficult often to get a sufficient number of beaters 

 without oppression, and accidents often occur to them 

 from the enclosure of dangerous wild beasts. The whole 

 country is disturbed ; the shooting of a creature driven 

 up to you, without the exercise either of skill or any 

 other manly quality on your own part, is not sport ; 

 and lastly, to prove successful, a large number of sports- 

 men are recjuired to guard the numerous passes ; and it 

 never has been my fortune (not that I have much 

 regretted it) to be out with a large hunting party in 

 India. A few times, however, I have helped to drive 

 a jungle, generally for some other game than sambar, 

 and these have sometimes proved memorable occasions. 



In the Jubbulpiir district, I was beating a wooded hill- 

 side for sambar as the shades of evening were drawing 

 on, and the beaters had nearly reached the end of the 

 drive when I suddenly saw them swarming up trees, 

 and the shout reached me of " Two ti2:ers are afoot ! " 

 I was then trying for the first time a rifle made on 

 Jacob's principle for explosive shells, and congratulated 

 myself on having so good an opportunity for testing it. 

 Anxiously I waited behind my little green bush, the 

 beaters creating a din enough to deafen a dozen tigers, 

 till at last I saw a striped form glide across an open spot 

 in front, and advancing in my direction. AVith finger 

 on the trigger I was awaiting his appearance at the next 

 break in the low jungle, when suddenly I heard the 

 bushes crashing on my left, and a large tiger bounded 

 into the jungle pathway on which I was standing, and 



