AN EXPLOKATION IN THE FAE EAST. 423 



a relative of the TMkur of Mitin, who had stolen out after 

 me, and, coming up unperceived in the grass, had lain still 

 enough till the formidable aspect of the man-killer had over- 

 come his opium-shaken nerves. He looked so utterly wretched 

 and ashamed of himself that I could not tell him all that I 

 thought of him. There was also rather a panic abroad just at 

 the time, as not long before a young son of the Thalmr of 

 Uprora" had been taken out after some elephants which had 

 come down near the plains, by some sportsmen from BiMspur ; 

 and a large tusker charging down on them, after having been 

 followed and shot at for half a day, was trampled up before 

 he could get clear. It was a terrible disappointment, and 

 neither B. nor I ever had another chance at an elephant which 

 we might shoot. I made a number of little excursions from 

 Mdtin to the principal elephant haunts of the neighbourhood. 

 All about there were great quantities of game of other sorts, 

 spotted deer along the N&lds, and red deer in nearly every 

 glade of the sal forest. Bears were numerous, and I saw a 

 few prowling about in the early morning, but, being unable to 

 work on foot, never got a shot. I picked up four or five deer, 

 of sorts, shooting from the elephant ; and, having to follow up 

 the tracks of several which were wounded, had an opportunity 

 of admiring the wonderful tracking powers of these wild 

 Bhumi&s. An ordinary track that I could barely see, they 

 ran breast high, and scarcely looking at the ground, and it 

 was not till all sign disappeared to other eyes that real interest 

 in the work began to be displayed. No natives of these 

 highlands can compare with a Bulimia" in real knowledge of 

 woodcraft. A short distance north-east of M^tin is a small 

 hill called Malindeh. Many bones of elephants lay strewn 

 about below the steep precipice at one end of this hill ; and 

 it seemed that, the year before we were there, a singular acci- 



