258 Incidents of Foreign Field Sport. 



beasts to keep on the move ; later on the rains have 

 set in, whilst in the cold season, November, December 

 and January, the grass becomes twenty feet high. 



May 4th. i was the first to reach our destina- 

 tion, my boat being faster than Lloyd's ; so I ordered 

 all the elephants, which had arrived the evening 

 before, to be got ready and packed for an immediate 

 march inland, then sent for the three shikaries, 

 Shoay-jah, Monwine and Shoayoo. Because en route 

 thamine and hog deer abounded I did not send the 

 camp ahead. Lloyd arrived about 7 A.M. There was 

 no delay, so mounting our ponies and followed by 

 the shikaries we went on. In the first two miles our 

 route lay across paddy fields then dry, of course- 

 afterwards we entered a forest of various trees which 

 extended for three miles. On emerging from it, in front 

 of us the country consisted of patches of open ground, 

 long grass, and belts of forest. The shikaries now 

 went ahead, while the syces were told to be near to 

 hold our steeds in case of any game turning up. 

 Before long we saw several doe thamine, but would 

 not fire at them, as they were numerous close to our 

 hut in the " quin." We also disturbed a few hog- 

 deer. We had gone half way through the first plain, 

 when in a small tope we saw standing, somewhat 

 apart, a couple of stags. Dismounting, we attempted 

 to stalk them, but they had heard us and went off 

 long before we got within shot. This country we 

 both knew, having hunted over it many times, so 

 separated, Lloyd with Shoay-jah going one way, 

 I with the other two men went another. I made 

 straight for the " quin," sending my pony on by the 

 path, as he could not scramble through such ground 



