i 4 4 WILD SPORTS OF BURMA AND ASSAM 



trees, but nothing came our way. In the evening Lloyd and 

 Clarke got a deer apiece. 



January 23. We went towards Gna-Eein, a pool not far 

 from the base of a spur of the Yomahs. At first we had not 

 any luck : we saw lots of deer, but they kept out of shot, but 

 Lloyd shot a sow for the pot. I had all the luck to-day, and 

 'bagged several deer. One stag I thought I had missed he 

 doubled back and ran on as if untouched ; but hearing a 

 noise as of something kicking against a tree, I went back, and 

 found it lying dead between two trees. We came upon a 

 sambur just killed by a tiger ; we beat for him everywhere, 

 but failed to find him. W T e came to the conclusion that this 

 was not the season for sport in those jungles. 



24th. We again tried for the tiger, but had no luck. We 

 only shot a hog deer and a pig between us. 



The Burmans attributed our indifferent luck to the in- 

 fluence of evil spirits, so we gave them a few rupees to do 

 pojah with. I had found somewhere I forget when or where 

 two small images (twin-jointed) of Gaudama, the only ones 

 of the sort I ever saw. I had them with me, and placed 

 them in the fork of a tree overhanging the Gna-Eein. The 

 Burmese were delighted, and said as long as they remained 

 there, the pool would never dry up. Nor did it for three 

 years, but when we went there the fourth, they were gone 

 and the pool hard and dry ! Whether the shikaries in their 

 wanderings had seen the pool dry and removed the images, 

 I do not know ; but I strongly suspect they did, to verify 

 their own prophecy. It is a fact that for the three years 

 they (the images) were there, the pool always had water in 

 it, though it was more liquid mud than aqua puris. It was 

 full of a coarse fish, and our mahouts used to jump into it 

 and catch numbers of them. There were also salt-licks about, 

 so it is no wonder that game abounded near that spot. We 

 came across three elephants, one a fine tusker, but could not 

 get near them for a certain shot. I fired very badly to-day, 

 and Lloyd and Clarke got three deer between them. Tired 

 of this work, we mounted our ponies and rode back into 

 Tongho. 



We next thought we would try spring shooting, so Lloyd 



