Round the Camp Fire. 183 



he was going, this particular spot being an unusual one in 

 which to find sambar. 



On turning my head, as a movement caught my eye, a 

 wild dog quietly walked into the bed of the nala, and stood 

 gazing in the direction the stag had taken, while another 

 emerged from behind a rock, ' nosing ' slowly along. 

 I should have liked to watch their movements, but was so 

 exposed to view that the dogs must see me next 

 moment ; so fired at once, knocking over the nearer of the 

 two. As I did so, a third bounded away to my left. The 

 one I had hit dragged itself up the bank and into some 

 grass, where it was found dead. 



While examining it, the other. dogs were heard calling 

 to each other in some neighbouring ravines ; so I tried 

 to copy their curious whistling note as best I could. 



To my surprise one of the dogs returned. He came 

 trotting enquiringly back along the bed of the stream, 

 stopping suddenly as he caught sight of my hat ; and 

 I missed him as he turned and ran. However that 

 was not a bad morning's work, for no fewer than ten 

 pups were removed from the female I had shot, toge- 

 ther with a large quantity of freshly bolted meat, some 

 scraps of sambar hide, and the complete fore pads of a 

 hare! 



The sportsman should never lose an opportunity of 

 destroying wild dogs, even at the expense of disturbing 

 other game which he may be following at the time. If 

 some wholesale method of getting rid of these deadly 

 vermin could be devised, the now attenuated herds of deer 

 and other creatures on whom they prey would have some 

 chance of regaining their former abundance. 



As yet the only useful method seems to be that of rais- 

 ing the amount of the Government award for their destruc- 



