SWAMP DEER 297 



as if the fiends of hell had broken loose. Only bears 

 fighting or making love ! " I'll look out for you 

 to-morrow, my friends"; and I dropped off to 

 sleep. 



Before dawn I was out of bed, and having furnished 

 the inner man with tea and scones, I sallied forth rifle 

 in hand, with Puddoo carrying another, wondering 

 which of the beasts I had heard singing the night 

 before I should chance on first. The barasingh stag 

 for choice, or a good sambur, but of course if by 

 chance I came across a tiger ! But this was too 

 much to expect ; it is not often he gives you a 

 chance, unless you beat him up, or sit over a kill in 

 the dusk of the evening. 



The first beast I came across was a barking deer, 

 within a couple of hundred yards from camp, but I 

 let him be, and he rustled off through the grass. 

 Then a sounder of pig came into view. Puddoo's 

 mouth watered, no doubt, and he looked at me 

 appealingly, but I let them be. I had gone about a 

 mile from camp, through forest and glade, every now 

 and again catching a glimpse of some beast as I went, 

 but nothing worthy of a shot. Suddenly Puddoo 

 pointed to a slot quite fresh, " Barasingh, Sahib, and 

 a big one ! " There was evidently a fair number of 

 hinds with him, and 1 followed the herd cautiously. 

 As we went the forest thinned, and we came to an 

 opening covered with pretty high grass. Puddoo 

 touched me, " They are probably here, Sahib." The 

 glade was only a few acres in extent, but the grass 

 was high, and here and there clumps of " bher 



