48 SHIKAR SKETCHES. 



the adjacent hill-station of Mussourie, where the 

 regiment had a comfortable bungalow, and a 

 detachment mess. I was deaf, however, to all 

 these kind suggestions, and, though a perfect 

 1 griffin' as far as regarded the pursuit of big 

 game, I determined to go and see what I could do 

 in that line. 



With this end in view, I borrowed a ten-bore 

 double-muzzle-loading rifle, and this, with my 

 own twelve-bore double breech-loading ' Greener,' 

 and ditto shot-gun, constituted my battery. I 

 had dispatched my camp-kit to Hurdwar (a large 

 native town on the banks of the far-famed and 

 sacred Ganges) the previous day, with instructions 

 to my head-servant to secure the services of the 

 best local shikari he could find, and make with 

 him such arrangements as would ensure my having 

 sport. I had a pleasant ride out, and the little 

 1 tattoo,' or pony, I was riding made short work 

 of the distance, titupping along gaily, snorting 

 and playing with his bit as if he was as delighted 

 as his rider to be en route for the jungles. I 

 arrived about an hour before sunset, and found 

 my little camp pitched snugly under the shade 

 of some giant mango-trees,* about a mile and a 

 half beyond the town, and on the banks of one 

 of the tributaries of the main river. After dinner 



* Mangifera Indica. 



