THE NARBADA VALLEY. 71 



generally tries the effect of his bared teeth on his pursuers 

 before running very far, and only the most resolute hounds 

 can be brought to face them. I have several times had my 

 dogs chased back close up to my horse by a wolf they had 

 encountered when out coursing foxes and jackals ; and only 

 once saw the dogs get the better of one without assistance 

 from the gun. On that occasion I had out a couple of young 

 greyhounds, crossed between the deerhound and the Eampore 

 breed ; and along with them was a very large and powerful 

 English bull-mastiff, rejoicing in the name of "Tinker," 

 whose exceedingly plebeian looks in no way belied his name. 

 He was an old hand at fighting before ever he left the 

 purlieus of his native Manchester ; and in India had been 

 victor in many a bloody tussle with jackal, jungle cat, and 

 pariah dog. His massive head and well-armed jaws com- 

 bined in a high degree the qualities of a battering ram and 

 heavy artillery ; and his courage was in full proportion to 

 his means of offence. On the present occasion the three 

 dogs espied the enemy sitting coolly on his haunches on the 

 top of a rising ground ; and the young dogs, taking him no 

 doubt for a jackal, went at him full speed, Tinker as usual 

 lumbering along in the rear. Soon, however, the hounds 

 returned in a panic, with their tails well down, and closely 

 pursued by the wolf, a large dark grey fellow, snapping and 

 snarling at their heels. The greyhounds fled past Tinker, 

 who steadily advanced, dropping into the crouching sort of 

 run he always adopted in his attack. No doubt Master Wolf 

 thought he too would turn from his gleaming rows of teeth 

 and erected hair, as all his canine assailants had done before. 

 But he never was more mistaken, for the game old dog, as 

 soon as a pace or two only remained betwixt him and the 

 enemy, suddenly sprang to his full height and with a bound 



