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CHAPTER VIII. 



THE GOORKHA8 AS SOLDIERS AND SHIKAREES THEIR SERVICES DURING 

 THE INDIAN MUTINY A BIG DRINK GOORKH AS VERSUS TIMBER 

 THE BHABER SHOOTING THEREIN JUNGLE FIRES THE TAROOS 

 AX INQUISITIVE LEOPARD HE PAYS THE PENALTY A RIDING- 

 CAMEL JUNGLE - FOWL STRANGE BEHAVIOUR OF A LEOPARD 

 MALARIOUS SWAMPS FLORIKENS THE NEELGHAI RAVINE DEER 

 BLACK BUCK ENORMOUS BANDS OF ANTELOPE THE HUNTING- 

 LEOPARD METHOD OF USING IT THE OUNCE THE CLOUDED LEOP- 

 ARD LEOPARD CHASING A WILD CAT. 



A FEW words respecting the men who form a very small but 

 most valuable item of the army of the British empire, and 

 with whom it was my good fortune to serve for thirty years, 

 may not be out of place in these pages. As light infantry 

 soldiers the Goorkhas are second to none, and as shikarees 

 they are unequalled. Indeed their aptitude for the former 

 capacity is probably in a great measure due to their excel- 

 lence in the latter, for a good stalker must necessarily be a 

 good skirmisher. 



On our return to the outpost I found that some of my 

 recruiting men had returned, bringing with them a lot of 

 wild-looking, sturdy lads, with round flat faces, small eyes, 

 bare feet, and hair hanging down to their shoulders. This is 

 the " Goorkhali," or Goorkha, as he is called in the service, 

 pure and simple the rough diamond as found on the moun- 

 tains of Nepal. When he has passed through the hands of 

 the barber, the tailor, and the drill-sergeant, after having 



