XIV 



KURUKWAHI 



IT is not often that one has to complain of too 

 much shikar, but this day in February I saw 

 really more bears than were healthy. I was 

 camped in a place called Kurukwahi ; Abdulla went 

 out to visit the ties and I went out early with the 

 local shikari, Mahadu, for a stroll through the jungle 

 in search of anything we could see, the men hoping 

 I should shoot them something to eat. Mahadu 

 talked a sort of patois and I could not understand 

 him well, though that was not strange : I was always 

 stupid at languages, especially German, which was 

 too much for my brain, as a lazy child, with a stupid 

 governess : although I could say " ein glas Bier " 

 specially at Munich, and " komm hier Schwan " 

 there were some on a pond at Engelberg quite 

 fluently. 



I think Mahadu said if I would go the way he 

 directed we should be sure of finding nilgai, or blue 

 bull, I should say, and I tried to make him under- 

 stand I would not go far after them. We walked 

 a round of several miles and saw nothing, then as we 

 got to within a few yards of the edge of the forest 

 and close to camp I handed him the rifle, put at safe, 

 to carry. He was walking in front when, from under 



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