THE TEAK REGION. 235 



servants, lascars, and Bheels, besides our horses, dogs, etc. 

 The grass on the lower hills had mostly been burnt since we 

 were last here, and the Mhowa flowers had been falling for 

 some time. Sambar nightly visited some fine clumps of that 

 tree in the bottom of the valley, a little higher up than the 

 camp. 



The next morning we sent out about half a dozen pairs of 

 Bbeels to look out on the hill tops long before daybreak ; and 

 soon after ourselves started up the valley to a point where we 

 intended to separate and take different beats. A colony of 

 monkeys in the trees overhanging the river were " swearing" 

 lustily about half a mile to our left, and presently we found 

 the remains of a sambar that had been killed during the night 

 under the Mhowa trees by a tiger. The brute himself was 

 doubtless making off up the valley when seen by the mon- 

 keys. Many sdmbar had been feeding on the Mhowd, and 

 fresh tracks led off in almost all directions. Just where we 

 were about to separate a long spur ran down from the hills 

 on the right to the valley up which we were proceeding ; and 

 as we approached it we saw in the dim grey light a long line 

 of deer file over the top, each pausing for a second on the sky 

 line before passing over to the far side. Watching them for 

 a few seconds, we saw that they were followed by a large stag 

 at a good distance in the rear. In fact he had just com- 

 menced to climb the spur when we saw him ; and at the 

 same time he must have seen us pausing on the path, for his 

 leisurely walk then became a run, the low crouching run, 

 almost like a tigers, with antlers thrown back, often adopted 

 by a stag who wants to escape quickly and without being 

 seen. We only saw the ridge of his back and the tips of his 

 horns as he stole up the other side of the spur after the hinds 

 It is of no use for two men to follow one lot of sdmbar ; so, as 



