SHOOTING THE FELID.E OVER BAITS 69 



yards of the pit in which I was lying, and have 

 seldom congratulated myself more sincerely than when 

 I emerged in safety with my rifle, covered by the 

 fire of a brother sportsman. The main advantage of 

 a pit is, of course, the facility of concealment. A pit 

 can be dug, and all traces of the digging removed, 

 where the construction of a machan would be im- 

 possible. The length of the pit should be sufficient 

 to permit the sportsman to recline lengthwise, and 

 the roof should certainly be so much raised as to 

 permit the inclusion of a mosquito-net with the 

 bedding, or the situation is likely to become almost 

 untenable. If this is impossible, mosquito-oil may be 

 carried, but the effect is very transient. The rifle 

 will, of course, be aligned on the bait, and there 

 should be a revolver under the pillow, with possibly 

 a spare rifle to the left of the sportsman. A water- 

 bottle is an absolute necessity, preferably the leather 

 pattern known in India as a chagal. Supper will 

 presumably take some form that can be disposed of 

 in silence and with celerity. The bait ought to be 

 tied in some well-defined pathway, where tracks have 

 been seen on previous occasions, and obviously the 

 pit should be dug in such a situation that a creature 

 stalking the bait will not approach it. This is less 

 difficult than it sounds, for all felines invariably use 

 the pathways, and one can prophesy the line of 

 approach with fair accuracy. I preferred to dig my 



