94 GUN, RIFLE, AND HOUND. 



because they are so tame, they are rarely molested 

 in India, except by Tommy Atkins, who cannot be 

 deterred from shooting them either by stringent 

 orders, or by the prospect of a free fight with a whole 

 village should he be detected. 



After breakfast we had another turn, with the 

 guns this time, and bagged some quail and jungle 

 fowl. It is a pity that the latter bird is so desperate 

 a runner, for when he does get on the wing he 

 resembles a cock pheasant a good deal. Of course 

 when in hand the resemblance ceases, the bird being 

 in appearance something between a game fowl and 

 a golden pheasant, but with the colouring of the 

 former. 



Before we started that night a native for whom 

 Will had sent turned up. Though he had by no 

 means the ability of the east coast trackers, Jim Crow 

 (a perversion of his native name) had often acted as 

 tracker to those Englishmen who had tried their luck 

 on the less well-stocked country about Chilaw, and 

 it was to act in this capacity that we had sent for 

 him. He informed us that there was a fair amount 

 of game at a place two days off to the north-east, and 

 we told him to instruct the drivers accordingly. 



The next camp was not any good for big game, 

 but we got some waterfowl. In the evening, Jim 

 Crow said if we liked to put off our start a few hours 

 there was a water-hole where the bears often came to 

 drink, near the camp. Will absolutely declined to 

 sacrifice his slumbers, but I, who was younger and 

 keener, said I would go. Jim Crow accordingly went 



