TIGERLAND 



By ten o'clock, feeling rather tired, I retired to bed, 

 when those told off to watch the camp came crowding 

 round the fire before taking up their respective positions 

 for the night, and an hour or two later, save for an occasional 

 howling of the jackals, the camp was as silent as the grave. 

 The tents being pitched near a jungle, I was awakened 

 by a weird and curious sound as of someone sawing wood,* 

 and while wondering at such an occupation at that hour of 

 the night, recognized the call of some hungry leopard, 

 prowling round the camp, and later was fortunate enough 

 to hear the roar of the distant tiger, calling to its mate. 



Being a sportsman, such sounds were as music to my 

 ears, and I lay awake enjoying them, hoping the animals 

 would lie up near the camp ; but I could not help thinking 

 that if I had not possessed sporting instincts, or been of a 

 nervous disposition, what my feelings would have been, 

 for a tiger's call at midnight has an awe-inspiring sound ! 



Fortunately or otherwise, according to the tempera- 

 ment of the listener such sounds are rarely of long dura- 

 tion, and as the dawn approaches, fade into the distance 

 as the animal returns to his forest lair, as happened now, 

 giving place to the marsh partridge, with his noisy cackling 

 challenge, calculated to wake the heaviest sleeper ; but as 

 I was already awake, I took this opportunity of making a 

 good bag before commencing the more serious business of 

 the day. 



As I had an elephant with me in camp, my success was 

 assured, for the birds were found in the small " purundi " f 

 jungles fringing the marshy lowlands, and difficult to 

 negotiate on foot, and where I also came across the leopard 

 heard during the night, and, after some trouble, bagged 

 him too. After an hour or so of pretty shooting, with the 

 birds rising all around me, I eventually returned to camp 

 with half a dozen brace of partridge, a couple or two of 

 snipe, and the leopard carried triumphantly behind me 

 slung across the pad, for such is the " glorious uncer- 

 tainty " of sport in India that renders it so fascinating. 



A refreshing tub and breakfast, and I was then ready 



* So close is this resemblance that in some parts of Bengal the leopard 

 goes by the name of the " Araknsier (Sawyer) Bagh." 



t Wild cardanrmm. 

 192 



