TIGER SHOOTING IN S. INDIA 



the sportsmen must not be posted so that the wind 

 blows from them towards the beaters and the 

 anticipated line of advance of the tiger. 



One caution I must give here regarding the 

 tricks often played by the beaters in tiger shooting. 

 Too many of them try to scamp their work, and 

 when his post happens to be one from which he 

 can see their advance from some distance off e.g., 

 on a rocky hill or some such post of vantage the 

 sportsman will observe that in place of coming on 

 in line, they will shirk all the thick places, and 

 will follow one another in a string along any paths 

 or opens. This is very difficult to avoid, and 

 all that can be done to prevent it is to warn the 

 beaters that any such conduct may cause the tiger 

 to go back and so escape, to promise them a 

 reward in the event of success, and to distribute 

 amongst them, at intervals in the line, any trust- 

 worthy men who may be in the sportsman's employ, 

 to keep them as much as possible in their places. 



Another favourite trick is for men to join the 

 beaters before pay -time in the evening, and, 

 though they have done no work (or next to none) 

 to claim pay for the whole day. To prevent this, 

 I used to muster the beaters in line before sending 

 them to begin the day's work, and I gave each 

 of them a small piece of paper with my own initials 

 in autograph written upon it. After the last beat, 

 I again caused them to form line, took back all 

 the vouchers (which I then destroyed), and paid, 

 according to the number collected, at the rate of 

 four annas (about fourpence) per man. Small 



121 



