TACKLING A TUSKER. 49 



Ramiah, the local shikari, presented himself with 

 many profound salaams, and gave me a most 

 flourishing account of the game to be found in 

 the adjacent jungle, According to him, sambur, 

 cheetal, hog-deer, swamp-deer, and muntjak were 

 in swarms, whilst pea-fowl, hares, jungle-fowl, and 

 black partridge were, like the Irishman's snipe, 

 'simply jostling one another for room.' There 

 were also tigers, bears, and panthers, ad lib., and 

 some elephants. 



' And,' he added, ' if the sahib had only come 

 a month sooner, I could have shown him an enor- 

 mous ' dantwallah ' (tusker) , ' with tusks so long,' 

 extending both his arms to their full width 

 4 he is a great i bobbery wallah ' (rogue), c and has 

 been doing much damage, pulling down houses 

 on the outskirts of the town even, and destroying 

 rice-fields right and left, and doubtless, if your 

 highness had seen him, he would have eaten your 

 lordship's bullets.' 



I replied, with the self-satisfied air of a superior 

 being, ' that doubtless he would,' and expressed 

 a hope that I might have the opportunity of 

 offering him such delectable food, which doubtless 

 he would swallow with avidity ! 



Much desultory talk ensued, and I finally dis- 

 missed Mr. Ramiah with the promise of a good 

 ' inam,' or reward, if he managed to show me the 



E 



