128 SHIKAR SKETCHES. 



hurry. The quieter and more steadily you 

 advance the greater will be the chance of your 

 succeeding. 



In the grain districts round Delhi, and in the 

 north-west provinces, however, their pursuit is 

 another thing. They are there so tame and so 

 abundant that one is almost ashamed to shoot 

 them. The Hindoos consider them sacred, and 

 often disregard of the villagers' wishes on this 

 subject may get one into hot water. In fact 

 before the Mutiny peafowl shooting was forbidden 

 by Government in many of the Hindoo states. 



I remember once, coming back from a day 

 amongst the snipe with another brother officer, 

 we bagged seven peafowl walking along the road 

 to our camp, the last one I ruthlessly potted 

 actually in a large banyan-tree,* under which our 

 tents were pitched. It was then so dark that I 

 first thought he was a vulture, arid only saw it 

 was a peacock by seeing his tail against the fading 

 light. His sudden descent, crashing and tumbling 

 through the branches, caused quite a commotion 

 amongst our horses and cart-bullocks. 



In the same locality too on another occasion I 

 tired at a splendid peacock, but he flew away 

 apparently unharmed right out on to an open 

 plain, and I could just see him alight, and run 



* Ficus Indica. 



