TRAPPING GAME IN NETS 477 



to follow. These were to form the outer barrier to intercept 

 large animals, such as buffaloes, who would scatter the frailer 

 nets, but could not break through those. 



The nets are never made more than 8 feet high; when 

 employed in hunting they are kept upright by bamboos, the 

 lower portion being fastened down with forked bamboo pegs 

 driven into the ground. When a rush takes place, the net 

 falls forward on to the intruder. Men and boys, armed with 

 spears and dans, take up their position in rear of these 

 obstructions, hiding behind bushes, long grass or anything, to 

 administer the coup de grace to such animals as are snared. If 

 the first line is broken, the watchers retreat to the second, and 

 if that too be demolished, they take up their final position 

 behind the impregnable nets. It is seldom that any one is 

 ever hurt in these encounters, which look perilous to a degree. 

 The nets enclose a large space, and when every one is in his 

 place the army of beaters commence " tom-toming," cholera- 

 horn blowing, and yelling like demons. As the game advances, 

 the nets in the rear are pushed on, curtailing the circle gradu- 

 ally. In half-an-hour the circle would be considerably dimin- 

 ished, many deer slain, and fallen nets re-adjusted. Some 

 of the deer, scenting the people ahead and the blood of the 

 slain, attempt to break back, but they find their retreat cut 

 off more fully than even the front, so in despair a grand 

 rush is again made, and more animals are killed. On the 

 occasion I particularly allude to, I saw many of these beasts ; 

 a tigress at one point, and a three-parts-grown cub at another, 

 were in the meshes. The latter was easily killed by the men 

 opposing it, but the former had only two boys to deal with ; 

 they gave her many a stab, but were not strong enough to 

 drive the weapon home. I hurried up, rifle in hand, but the 

 boys said they could manage her ; but as I saw she had got 

 her head through the netting, I thought it quite time to blow 

 out her brains. While this was going on at one place several 

 buffaloes had broken down two sets of nets and had carried the 

 third some way with them in their rush. I hurried there and 

 found the natives stabbing the full-grown animals, but noosing 

 the cow-calves. One bull tossed a man, and I had to shoot 

 him. This is about the commonest mode of sport amongst 



