CHAPTER XXVIII 



ANOTHER week's camping with my friend brought us to 

 the limits of his domain, where we halted a couple of days 

 together then parted, as my tour now lay through a 

 portion of the district outside the limits of his charge, 

 to which his touring was confined. 



***** 



It was strange to think that for the next eight months 

 perhaps but for an occasional visit from some passing 

 official he would see no European nor even speak his 

 own language except to his English-speaking clerk. Yet 

 such is the life many an Englishman in India is forced to 

 live, and should he, unlike my friend, not be a sportsman 

 or stationed where no sport is to be had his life must 

 necessarily be a dull one, for however interested a man 

 may be in his work as most are still work without 

 some relaxation becomes monotonous after a time, hence 

 is apt to be ill done. Besides, in a country teeming with 

 dangerous animals, sport, in the sense of shooting, is not 

 the mere killing for amusement as it is in Europe, but on 

 the contrary practically a necessity for the protection of 

 the people, who have no means of protecting themselves 

 much less their cattle from the ravages of these beasts. 



During the course of my tour, for example, it was no 

 uncommon occurrence, while marching through or halting 

 near a village, to find the people in a panic-stricken con- 

 dition owing to a tiger or a leopard, as the case might be, 

 having taken up its position in some adjoining jungle, 

 whence it would carry off a bullock or calf at night time, 

 and in these circumstances the sudden appearance of one 

 not only able but willing to wage war against the beast, 

 was, as may be imagined, hailed with considerable de- 

 light, for they knew that even if I failed to kill the animal, 

 218 



