DEPRESSING NEWS 



The " shikari " started off in pursuit, and tracked him 

 for a long distance by the blood, which was very plentiful, 

 proving that the animal had been badly hit. However, 

 night was coming on, and we were a long way from camp, 

 so, much to our disgust, we had to abandon the pursuit ; 

 but before leaving the spot, I told some people of an 

 adjacent village, who had joined in the beating, that I 

 would give a reward to any one who would find and bring 

 the beast into camp. 



We then started homewards, much better pleased with 

 ourselves and things in general than we had been for some 

 time past. But we were not destined to remain long in 

 this comparatively blissful condition, for on our way home 

 the " shikari " told us that from inquiries he had made 

 from some wood-cutters whom he met on his return from 

 tracking the wounded stag, he had ascertained that this 

 and the one we had already bagged were the only two deer 

 they had seen about for some days past, and as these wood- 

 cutters practically lived in the jungles their statement 

 was more than likely to be correct. 



This information, coming as it did from so reliable a 

 source, naturally depressed us considerably, more especially 

 as we had now been shooting or, to speak more correctly, 

 been out in search of something to shoot for eight 

 consecutive days, and, so far, our bag consisted of one 

 " sambhur " only ! A poor return for all our hard work. 



Our leave, too, was nearly up, and we were due back to 

 our duties the next day but one ; there was thus but one 

 day left to us in which to retrieve the crushing bad luck 

 that had hitherto attended us. There was no fresh 

 " khubbur," and altogether things looked exceeding black, 

 and our dinner that night, in spite of our recent success, 

 was a very dismal feast. However, with the after-dinner 

 pipe, assisted by a whisky and soda, we cheered up con- 

 siderably, and buoyed each other up with the many 

 instances we had both read of in which the last day of a 

 shoot had often proved the best. 



Personally, I had no hopes of increasing our bag, but 

 I felt sorry for my companion, and did my best to make 

 him believe there was a " good time coming," and by the 

 time we turned in had quite convinced him, and half 



199 



