PURCHASING ELEPHANTS 433 



I got a curt reply " Purchase what you want at the price 

 mentioned" (which was Rs.2Ooo, instead of Rs.isoo). 

 I lost no time in procuring the best I could, and where 

 requisite, added out of my own pocket the difference asked. 

 I also bought two for myself. I was offered nearly double 

 what I paid for one, but refused ; but she was stolen, her 

 young one left behind, and taken across our frontier, and I 

 never got any redress. I did not know the people, nor the 

 language Hindoostani was of very little use. My clerks were 

 bad, my subordinates worse decent workmen would not go 

 to Assam there had been thirteen Executive Engineers of 

 the Lower Assam division in one year before my transfer. I 

 should have preferred remaining in Burma, but I knew Assam 

 also swarmed with game. Being a willing horse, I had tacked 

 on to me the Nowgong-Darrung, Goalparah, and the Cossyah 

 and Jynteah divisions, in addition to Kamroop. There were 

 military buildings to erect in the stations, surveys and levels 

 to be carried out, and all I had were two assistants. We 

 could never have done the work had I not risked advancing 

 large sums, and getting contractors to undertake .the heavy 

 embankments, which eased us a bit, as after marking out the 

 line of roadway or railway curves, we only measured the 

 earthwork every month or so, and then paid for the work 

 done. It was a life of constant activity, and as roads did not 

 exist, to reach the many localities under me I had to go across 

 a country swarming with wild game. 



Whilst marking out the road to Nowgong, I used to put up 

 at Chunderpore, Kullung river, a garden belonging to the 

 Bainbridge brothers, both capital sportsmen, as was also their 

 cousin Frank. Between Gowhatty and the Kullung I found 

 that gaur were to be found in some low hills, and hunted them 

 with varied luck, sometimes getting one, at others none. 

 There were also buffaloes about, and in the first six months I 

 shot twenty-two, and then rather tired of the sport. 



At Lowqua-ghat I have killed rhinoceros, tigers, buffaloes, 

 and deer. In March 1867 I was shooting there with Sir 

 Charles Reid, of Delhi fame ; he shot two with a very small 

 bore rifle, and I lost one on that occasion, but killed many 

 afterwards. I had to go to "Burpettah in June 1867, as it was 



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