THE TERM : SPORT OF PRINCES 22£ 



elephants and staff of men to a ' griffin,' or one who did 

 not know the habits of tigers, he would back the tiger 

 to get away without giving a shot or being seen at all. 

 On the return to camp, through an open country of shortish 

 grass, permission to fire at all kinds of game was given, 

 and the whole line of elephants and howdahs beat across 

 the plain. Very pretty practice was made with the rifle 

 at hog-deer, spotted deer, and pigs, which were started 

 frequently, and bounded or ran at a great pace across 

 the front of the line. Many were knocked over at from 

 100 to 200 yards with the bullet. Standing in the howdah, 

 the unsteady rolling of the elephant must be counteracted 

 by a swaying motion of the body from the rider's knees, 

 alternate with the step of the animal. The rifle must be 

 thrown forward of the moving mark at the moment of 

 firing, so as to strike the game in a vital part. 



As a rule, only deer with horns are fired at, as the 

 slaying of females is not considered sportsmanlike, 

 though, alas ! it is often done by people who should know 

 better. Peacocks also are shot occasionally with the 

 bullet, and aJso hares. Pigs are never spared, and are 

 easily shot, as they go in a very straight line and run in a 

 deliberate and sulky manner, as often as not coming 

 straight for the elephant with an angry grunt-grunt. 

 Elephants dread a pig more than a tiger, as he runs 

 between their legs and strikes with his tusks, giving fearful 

 gashes with astonishing speed. The shooting at smaller 

 game when there is a chance of a tiger being in the 

 neighbourhood is quite forbidden. One shot might easily 

 render futile all the arrangements for locating and sur- 

 rounding the tiger, as he will quietly slink off through the 

 long grass, going a long distance to another lair. A fox 

 is said to be the wiliest beast, but he does not come near 

 a tiger, which, being a much larger animal, is less easiW 



