46 DAYS AND NIGHTS OF SHIKAR 



which fell, and of course released the dog's chain, 

 and was so much surprised at the tent falling about 

 his ears that he bolted. 



Laximan came with news, a day or two after- 

 wards, that a goat had been killed near the village, 

 so there was a leopard about; we had a beat for 

 him which was successful. 



Reports came in from the village that the whole of 

 the Kanara jungles were closed for five days and 

 all shooting was to be stopped, as the then Governor 

 of Bombay was marching through on a shoot. Now 

 I was shooting mostly in Belgaum, although the 

 camp happened to be in Kanara, so I knew I should 

 be all right if I kept to the Belgaum side. Follow- 

 ing on these reports came a Police Inspector and 

 with him several sepoys; he brought a written 

 order to say that no one was permitted to shoot in 

 the Kanara district, within certain dates. I had 

 seen in the papers the list of villages the shooting 

 party would pass through, and as I was thirty miles 

 from the nearest point, knew that I should not spoil 

 the sport, and said so. The Inspector salaamed and 

 pointed to the paper. I said I had a permit, but 

 that did not seem to be of any use for the five days. 

 Then I said, though my tent was pitched on Kanara 

 soil, I was shooting in Belgaum district, and that I 

 would shoot on that side for the time. The Inspector 

 had done his duty, had no authority beyond his own 

 district, so went away more or less satisfied; and 

 left me hoping that the tiger with the face " so 

 big " would not think fit to cross the boundary into 

 Kanara until His Excellency's shoot was over. 



