CHAPTER XXV 



UP to the present, all my tiger and leopard shooting had 

 been done, as I have shown, off elephants or " machans " 

 both, under ordinary circumstances, comparatively safe 

 methods of hunting these animals, or other dangerous 

 beasts, such as the rhinoceros or bison and, in the district 

 where I was stationed, the only methods possible, the 

 jungles being too dense and impossible to negotiate on foot. 



On one occasion, however, hearing of some " sambhur " 

 said to have been seen in a part of the district which I 

 knew to be comparatively open, I determined to stalk them 

 on foot shooting such harmless animals off elephants 

 being to my mind a poor kind of sport. 



I had ample time at my disposal, for, as it so happened, 

 all the public offices were closed on account of the " Durga- 

 Pujah " holidays a great Hindu festival, lasting over 

 ten days and as the place was only some fifty miles from 

 the station, I could cover the distance in a day by driving, 

 provided I could obtain the number of horses necessary 

 for the journey, for in India a horse is seldom driven over 

 ten miles in one day. My brother officials were all very 

 pessimistic as to the success of my expedition, declaring 

 that without the aid of elephants I could not possibly 

 succeed. Finally, however, I persuaded the doctor to 

 accompany me, and, combining our respective steeds, we 

 easily accomplished the fifty miles, arriving at our camp, 

 which we had sent out the day before, shortly after midday. 



After a tub and breakfast, we lit our pipes and sent for 

 the " shikari," one Karram Sing, a man with a good deal of 

 the sporting " Gurkha " blood in his veins, and conse- 

 quently keen, in order that we might plan out our nine 

 days' campaign to the best advantage. 



As the " shikari " approached my heart sank, for I could 

 see from the expression on his face that he had nothing 

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