PATNA DURING THE MUTINY. 187 



which I had longed for many years, and I would not have changed 

 places with a king upon his throne elsewhere. 



A cloudless sky was overhead, and not a leaf was stirring, for the 

 Indian jungles on a calm day seem very still and lonely. The long- 

 tailed Magpie* perhaps may call cook-lee, cook-lee, at intervals, and 

 the distant dreamy crow of the jungle cock may sound a note of 

 challenge, or perhaps the stately tread of wild peafowl as they search 

 for scorpions or centipedes among the grass and stones, may make 

 the hunter cock his ear as he lies concealed, and cause him to 

 whisper, " Hush ! what's that ? " Eagles and vultures too, which 

 abound in India, are pretty sure to be soaring overhead, and make me 

 remember the tom-tits and robins which I caught in England with 

 feelings of contempt. 



But the spasmodic silence is soon broken with a horrible din 



** The sixpenny drum and the trumpet of tin," 



besides a hundred men trying who can shout the loudest, in order 

 to stir up every living thing, from a tiger to a bul-bul. 



The native hunter squatting by me, and whom I subsequently 

 discovered knew a few English words, touches my elbow and 

 whispers, " Ham I Sahib, Ham ! " and with lightning speed the 

 word was turned over in my head. "The Garden of Delight" which 

 I had been reading in Hindustani, and dictionaries were mentally 

 searched in vain. I could not make out what the fellow meant by 

 " Ham ! " But the mystery was quickly solved, as a large wild boar 

 came leisurely trotting up the jungle track leading to where I sat. I 

 bowled him over with my first barrel, but up he jumped again, and 

 went off at a tangent, receiving my second bullet as he fled. 



These were the first shots fired, and Colonel Rattray was soon 

 beside me, enquiring what was up, and when I told him, he took 

 the post of danger and followed on our quarry, I bringing up the 



* Many species of Indian Birds recall very pleasant memories. Amongst them may be mentioned the Cook- 

 lee, which was ever calling in the garden, whilst I was reading with my Munshi. Another bird I loved was 

 the Brown Shrike, whose chatter in October announced a speedy advent of the cool season ; as the wild song 

 of the Missel-thrush heralds the coming Spring, and warmer weather, in England. 



