TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER 



Kanara sportsman, who told me of it himself, and though 

 there was a comic side to the story, the incident in itself 

 came near to ending in as terrible a tragedy as it would be 

 possible to imagine. It appears that on one occasion while 

 shooting with a young civilian, just out from home, he was 

 climbing to his position when the ladder slipped, the fall 

 breaking his thigh. The youngster ran to assist him, and 



P , who was in excruciating agony, and hardly knew 



what he was saying, called out, " Oh, for God's sake shoot 

 me!" 



A few moments later, having recovered his composure, 

 he found, to his horror, the muzzle of a rifle pointing to 

 his head and the trembling young civilian evidently about 

 to carry out the request he had involuntarily uttered ! 

 I refrain from describing the language he used, but it was 

 not complimentary to the intelligence of his friend, who 

 in his opinion, as he told him, was fit only for a mad-house, 

 or at best, an appointment in the Secretariat ! 



In a village of the Dharwar district, near to Ranu- 

 brunner, there is a very interesting temple dedicated to 

 the worship of the god Khundobar, a very ancient deity 

 to whom, however, there are now very few temples re- 

 maining. 



The special one referred to stands on the summit of a 

 small hill, and is deserving of mention if only for the very 

 curious attitude adopted by the worshippers at this shrine, 

 who, when practising their devotions, assume the characters 

 of dogs. Tradition has it that this particular god to whom 

 the temple is erected, was a great shikari, and, with his 

 pack of hounds, hunted the hills around, but strangely 

 enough in the one or two other temples, to this god, still 

 remaining, there is no trace of the canine portion of the 

 legend at all. 



Girls are still dedicated to the use of this temple, and the 

 dog-devotees are furnished from the villages round about, 

 certain families undertaking to supply a number, presum- 

 ably in each generation. They live on the villagers, 

 apparently do no work, and are in fact a perfect pest. 



When the temple authorities are informed that any 

 official wishes to see the temple, they generally make as 

 imposing a show as possible, collecting a number of the 

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