Spearing Game out of Boats. 293 



SPEARING ANIMALS OUT OF BOATS DURING INUNDATIONS. 



This is a sport, I should say, peculiar to Assam and 

 portions of tropical Africa. The Assamese, although a 

 debased and cowardly race, yet join in this method 

 of netting game. The Cacharies, when they take to 

 these modes of sport, far excel the Assamese, from 

 their superior physique and pluck, and there was a 

 fine old fellow at Burpettah who was credited with 

 having killed over 100 tigers. Eeceiving a letter 

 from Campbell, at Burpettah, saying that the country 

 was completely under water, and that he was going 

 to have a hunt on a certain day, I got into my boat 

 and was with him the evening before the appointed 

 date. The next morning there were assembled fully 

 fifty boats, these holding according to their size from 

 six to ten persons. Each man was armed with a 

 dhaw, something like the two-handed swords of the 

 Burmese. The head man stood at the front, spear in 

 hand, and several more spare ones were laid in the 

 bottom of the craft ; an experienced man held the 

 tiller. C. went in one boat, I in another, and at a. 

 given signal away we went racing over the submerged 

 plain, which resembled a vast lake, with small islands 

 (telahs or prominences) dotted about. The noise the 

 people made was deafening. I took an old breech- 

 loader with me. C. was used to the sport, and was ac- 

 coutred like the Assamese even to a sparcity of clothing. 

 I too had on very little raiment, for going at the rate we 

 did, the water splashed over and rapidly soaked us. 

 A few cartridges in a waterproof bag I carried, and 

 though assured I should not require to use the gun, 



