AUTHOR'S NOTE 



appear, nor the names of any persons or places mentioned, 

 lest these should betray him ! 



I had no option but to accept these conditions, and with 

 the assistance of his papers, and the records of the stories 

 already in my possession, have compiled this narrative, 

 which is a plain, unvarnished yarn, aspiring to be nothing 

 more than what it is viz. a record of sport and adventure 

 experienced in the jungles of Bengal during a period of 

 nearly forty years. 



Many of the adventures and incidents related having 

 happened whilst in the pursuit of tigers and other dangerous 

 game, it has occurred to me that it might be of advantage 

 to non-Anglo-Indian readers if, before embarking on the 

 volume, they could learn something of the methods em- 

 ployed in hunting these animals, and of the nature of the 

 dangers to which the hunters are exposed. 



Such, then, being my object, it must also serve as an 

 excuse for the long but I trust not altogether unin- 

 teresting dissertation on the subject, given in the intro- 

 ductory chapter, from which it will be evident that when 

 after big game in India, the sportsman takes as large a 

 share of risks as when hunting dangerous game in other 

 portions of the globe. 



In the chapter referred to, I have purposely omitted all 

 mention of the weapons generally used, for every sports- 

 man has his own ideas on this subject, and usually some 

 particular make or bore of rifle which he swears by. Per- 

 sonally I have found a D.B. -577 Express to possess all the 

 stopping power necessary for tigers, and if used with solid 

 steel-tipped bullets, also for buffalo, rhinoceros or bison; 

 while for leopards, bear and all other soft-skinned animals, 

 the smaller bore -500 I have never known to fail. 



Of the latest big-game weapon the comparatively 

 small-bore cordite rifles I have had no experience. 

 Doubtless they are more powerful, but their extra weight 

 should be against them for snap-shooting; hence in the 

 dense jungles of Bengal, where snap-shots often have to 

 be taken, a lighter rifle should prove the more useful 

 weapon. 



MENTONE, AUTHOR. 



March, 1913. 



vi 



