54 Incidents of Foreign Field Sport. 



the Thouk-y-gliat, put up there that night, and the 

 next morning, accompanied by my lugalay, or Burmese 

 boy, I set out to visit the village of Shoaydeik, 

 distant about twelve miles, intending to sleep there 

 and make inquiries about a reported man-eater. 

 A coolie also carried a few necessaries, especially a 

 set of curtains for mosquitoes, for these wretches 

 make life a burden to all in Burma unless pro- 

 tected by a muslin curtain which enwraps the whole 

 of one's crib. When safely ensconced thus, I could 

 sleep on anything, but without it, sleep even on 

 the downiest couch would be impossible. My lad 

 carried a short double-barrelled No. 12 rifle, 1 a 

 splendid weapon, and my special favourite, smooth 

 bore which threw ball and shot at short range 

 equally well, and were the first breechloaders I ever 

 possessed. 



We had gone probably six or seven miles with- 

 out seeing anything, but in crossing a well- wooded 

 watercourse a sambur ran up the hillside, exposing 

 the whole of his broadside at a distance of not more 

 than fifty yards. A lucky shot with the left barrel, 

 which was loaded with ball, broke his back. I cut 

 its throat, and as the head was a particularly fine 

 one for Burma I wanted to preserve it entire, and 

 was proceeding to cut it off and hang it on a tree 

 until our return, when the coolie said there was a 

 small village about two miles off, and the people would 

 be glad of some of the meat, and that we could send 

 in the head and the rest of the flesh for the use of 

 the workmen at the quarry. So I told him I would wait 

 there until his return, but he said he was afraid to go 

 1 They were made in 1863, by Westley Richards. 



