CHAPTER XXIX 



VERY pleasant were the days I passed camping with the 

 magistrate and his friend the sporting engineer, who 

 despite the loss of his left arm was still an excellent shot ; 

 utilizing the rails of his howdah as a rest, he had by 

 constant practice acquired the art of using his rifle with 

 one hand as efficiently as before, and seldom missed an 

 animal to his front or on either side of him. 



The mornings from sunrise till late breakfast about 

 mid-day, were devoted to our respective duties either 

 of inspection, or in the hearing of reports; and the after- 

 noons to feather shooting, often combined with local 

 inquiries or investigations. This was our daily routine, 

 except on rare occasions such as now to be recorded 

 when a tiger or leopard was reported, in which case, from 

 early dawn to sunset, the day was spent in the scarcely 

 less important task of ridding the neighbourhood of a 

 pest as obnoxious to the people as a burglar or " dacoit." 



One afternoon as we rode into a new camp, the first 

 news that we were greeted with on arrival was that one of 

 the " baits " had been killed the previous night. 



Being too late to do anything that day, a beat was 

 arranged for the next morning. Some hours before 

 sunrise the beating elephants were sent out to the cover, 

 and took up their position as silently as possible, being 

 placed so as to drive towards the forest, as it was unlikely 

 the tiger could be induced to break in any other direction. 

 Soon after dawn the howdahs with the three sportsmen 

 arrived, and were posted at intervals within the edge of 

 the forest, concealed, yet commanding the comparatively 

 clear strip of ground between them and the isolated jungle. 

 The intervening space, being about 120 yards wide, would 

 give the guns a fair sporting chance. 



The "shikaris" having posted the howdahs and duly 



Q 225 



