Bstburp Xereson 509 



he Is now practically forgotten : his books are hardly 

 known even by name to the present generation ; and 

 though he only died in 1876, he is utterly ignored by 

 the editors of " The Dictionary of National Biography," 

 albeit many far lesser celebrities find a place there. 



Why has this neglect fallen upon a once popular 

 author ? The answer to that question is, I think, to be 

 found in the fact that even his contemporaries who read 

 him did not take " the Old Shekarry " seriously. There 

 was an air of romance, of almost Munchausen-like 

 extravagance, about many of his yarns which raised the 

 suspicion that he was playing upon the credulity of the 

 public, that he was a greater performer with the long 

 bow than with gun, rifle, or spear. This was certainly 

 the impression which many of his thrilling adventures 

 left upon me. And yet, even when all due deductions 

 are made on this score, it must be admitted that " the 

 Old Shekarry's" career as a hunter of big game was 

 a very remarkable one. I can best prove that assertion 

 by a brief sketch of his life, with a few illustrative 

 extracts from his books. 



Henry Astbury Leveson was born on June i8th, 1828. 

 On the subject of his parentage he was reticent, and 

 I shall not attempt to lift the curtain which he chose 

 to drop on his early life. At the age of seventeen he 

 received a commission in the Honourable East India 

 Company's service, and sailed for Madras. He soon 

 gained himself a name as a tiger-slayer and pig-sticker, 

 and his adventures in Hyderabad and with the Deccan 

 Hunt will be found, narrated with great spirit, in his 

 early books. 



