Reminiscences of Jungly pur, 149 



certain localities, will take when startled, and these are 

 often known to the jungle-man ; however, on this occasion 

 a mistake was made. I took up the best apparent position, 

 posted stops, and the beat began a long way off, round a 

 shoulder of the hill. 



I have heard " beating for sambar " criticised as a most 

 unsportsman-like method " stalking is the only legitimate 

 means of shooting deer," etc. I am afraid these arm- 

 chair critics know but little of Cervus unicolor, the real 

 Simon Pure, as found " at home." There are, of course, rare 

 occasions when these deer may be stalked I have done it 

 myself; but in ninty-nine cases out of a hundred the thing, 

 in its stricter interpretation, cannot be done once he is in 

 his Central Indian fastnesses. A belated stag may be found 

 at very rare intervals in ground suitable to a real stalk ; a 

 stag in horn during the rains may offer a like opportunity ; 

 or you may hit off and intercept a beast going home in the 

 twilight of the dawn ; but these are exceptions to the rule 

 that this cautious nocturnal animal is usually well into 

 his thick jungle by the time it is light enough to see your 

 rifle sights, and, once there, you will rarely move him, so 

 as to get a shot, unless you rouse him with beaters. Then, 

 again, this beating for sambar rarely results in having 

 the deer walked up to your post to be rolled over in inglo- 

 rious ease : the beaters are merely the finders, the rousers 

 of the game ; when that is done the affair has only begun. 

 The stag may take almost any line ; the sportsman's busi- 

 ness is then to intercept him, cut him off, watch him till he 

 halts, and then creep in on him, etc. tactics that look 

 very simple on paper, but which cannot be recommended to 

 the lazy or poor-conditioned sportsman, accustomed per- 

 haps to the comparatively confiding habits of spotted 

 deer, swamp deer, etc., whose habits and habitat admit of 



