SHOOTING IN BURMA 529 



out as a bait, but the villagers refused had quitted the machan the evening 

 to sell me even one. I was thus forced before. The Burmans and Karens then 

 to rely on the chance of finding a kill told me that its pair must be the animal 

 of a wild animal in the forests. I was which had dragged the kill during the 

 rather lucky in this, as about three night. I immediately had another 

 weeks after I had arrived, one of my machan erected and went off to work, 

 men one morning came upon the body I went out to the kill that evening at 

 of a sambur stag which had been killed about 3.30 P. M., but when I arrived 

 by a tiger on the previous day. In the there I found that the body had been 

 course of the day I had my machan dragged again by the beast during the 

 erected on a conveniently situated tree day. To enable me to see the carcass 

 and at about 4.30 P. M. I started off clearly from the machan, I had the place 

 the kill, accompanied by two Burmans. around it slightly cleared, but whether 

 When I arrived there, to my great stir- this cutting frightened the animal or 

 prise I came face to face with the tiger not, nothing turned up that evening, al- 

 having its meal. However, before I though I sat up till it was too dark to 

 could get a shot stripes was off. I felt see. The tiger, or whatever it was, 

 inclined to return to my camp, thinking came, however, the same night and 

 that the beast would not come back that dragged away the kill again. I had an- 

 evening, but acting on the advice of other machan erected near the new spot 

 my Burmans, I changed my mind and and sat up again that evening. When 

 went to the machan followed by my it was almost dusk, to my great surprise, 

 men. We had hardly been seated for instead of a tiger a huge black bear 

 half an hour, when I saw the huge cat shambled out from the undergrowth and 

 coming stealthily along towards the kill, started eating at the carcass. I soon 

 taking cover most carefully for about settled him with a shot through his 

 four or five seconds behind every bush breast. I then naturally concluded, that 

 it came across. As it approached nearer it must have been the bear that had 

 and nearer to the kill, I gradually dragged the body of the deer the day 

 brought my rifle up to the present, and before. But the Burmans and Karens 

 as soon as it came into the open near would have it that it was a tiger and 

 the carcass, I aimed for its heart and even showed me fresh pug marks of 

 fired. As soon as I had done so, the the huge cat. They also solemnly stated 

 beast gave a wild jump, let out a loud that the tiger had not come because it 

 roar and rolled over. At first I thought was afraid of the bear, and that it 

 it was dead, but after a short time it would come again now that the latter 

 got up and disappeared from sight into was dead. I may here state that when 

 the thick undergrowth. As it was I was skinning this animal the villagers 

 getting dark by then I decided not to were very keen on getting hold of a 

 follow up the wounded animal, but re- part of the intestine they called the 

 turned to camp as soon as possible. The the-gay. I do not know exactly what 

 next morning, accompanied by almost organ of the bear's body it is, but it 

 all the villagers who having heard of the was considered very valuable as a medi- 

 affair had early flocked to my tent, I cine by the people, and one villager 

 went in search of the tiger. When we even offered me Rs. 5 for it. He was 

 came to the site to my great astonish- greatly surprised when I declined to sell 

 ment I found that the kill had been it to him, but gave it away gratis to the 

 dragged during the night. This could man who had helped me most in the 

 mean either I had not mortally wounded shoot. Well, to revert again to the kill, 

 the tiger or else there was another ani- I found the next morning that it had 

 mal feeding on the kill. The first sup- been dragged yet again, and I was thor- 

 position was soon dispelled, for we soon oughly astonished. In the evening I 

 after struck the trail of blood and found sat up again on a newly-made machan, 

 stripes lying cold and stiff in a chaung but it was in vain, as nothing appeared, 

 close by. It was a tigress I had shot, The next evening, however, I was more 

 and it measured 8 feet 6 inches. The fortunate, but again, instead of the ex- 

 bullet had gone clean through its body, pected tiger, another black bear came to 

 and it must have died shortly after we the kill, and I easily disposed of him. 



*Courtesy The Indian Forester. 



