SPORT ON FOOTLEPANGOUNG 189 



evidently he had scented me. I threw up my rifle for the 

 front shot, but a pendant bamboo caught the barrels and my 

 rifle exploded in mid- air, and before I could bring the left 

 barrel to bear, he was off and away. 



How I cursed my own awkwardness ! I tried following 

 him up, but there was a large plain of interminable long grass 

 near into which he rushed, and, as I heard various trumpet- 

 ings, I fancy he joined the rest of the herd, and he was lost 

 to me for ever. Of course, as is usually the case, he had 

 splendid tusks. 



The next adventure relates to the same locality ; but it is 

 not my own, it occurred some years after I left the Province, 

 but I had coached my friend where to go, and he had a 

 wonderful four days' sport. This is the last but one record 

 of sport on foot in Burma that I shall relate, with the 

 exception of those of my colleague, who will have something 

 quite new to say of sport in a portion of country which 

 to me is unknown. 



Tongho, an eastern frontier station, was always a quiet 

 place in the old days, for the communications with the outer 

 world there were very tedious. No rail had been constructed, 

 and a boat trip up the Sittang, extending as it did from 

 twenty to thirty days, was not enviable. After the annexation 

 of Upper Burma the garrison was greatly reduced, and as 

 there were constant requisitions on the part of the civil 

 officers for troops to quell a rebellion or to chase dacoits, we 

 could not depend on any prolonged stay in the station, and 

 could not even obtain the usual privilege leave. 



I had several times applied for temporary leave of but a 

 week or ten days, and it had invariably been refused. But 

 one day I met Shoay Boh, a local shikarie, who said since the 

 recent disarmament of the people game had become very 

 plentiful, the jungles near Lepangoung were just in a nice 

 state for stalking or beating, and if I could come with him he 

 thought he could show me good sport. I went instantly to 

 my commanding officer, who was also the commandant of the 

 station, and solicited three days' leave from Monday. That 

 day was Friday. I was not on duty on Saturday or Sunday, 

 so I calculated that if I were successful in my application I 



