408 WILD SPORTS OF BURMA AND ASSAM 



they invariably enter the jungle before the beaters have begun 

 work and start a hunt after some animal on their own account, 

 thereby alarming the whole jungle. When untrained dogs 

 are used, the hunted animals invariably dash away at a tre- 

 mendous pace in the opposite direction to that in which the 

 sportsman has been posted, and very often the dogs are shot 

 by some one in mistake for a barking deer. Dogs are only 

 useful for bringing big game to bay, to enable the sportsman 

 to walk up and fire at the animal with the best head, for 

 running down a wounded animal, or for locating a tiger, 

 leopard, or bear. 



Should the sportsman be the only armed European present 

 at a drive, he should see that he is posted in the best position, 

 which is usually the centre. Two stops, some fifty or a hun- 

 dred paces ofT, should also be placed in likely spots on his right 

 and left. These two men should be instructed to turn inwards 

 any animals which may appear in front of them, so as to afford 

 the sportsman a shot. 



To avoid any disappointment it is well to see, before a drive 

 is begun, that each beater understands the point for which he 

 has to make. 



A wrong line is often taken, and the sportsman is left alone 

 wondering why the noises made by the beaters are growing 

 fainter and fainter, the beaters having moved off in an entirely 

 opposite direction to that in which the sportsman has been 

 posted. The men should also be instructed to stop beating 

 only when they have come within a yard or two of the guns. 

 They have a knack of scattering and stopping to talk to one 

 another, taking it for granted that there are no animals left 

 between them and the sportsman, but I have seen both 

 barking deer and pig break away past the guns when the 

 beaters have been only a few yards distant. 



It is simply wonderful what can be turned out of a patch of 

 jungle by beaters. The first animal to put in an appearance, as 

 a rule, is either the sambur or barking deer. Should the former 

 put in an appearance first he will be seen moving along slowly 

 with a wonderfully noiseless tread. He will often appear 

 quite suddenly in front of the sportsman without giving 

 any warning, at other times, when startled suddenly, 



