PREFACE. 



IN view of the numerous books on sport with big game 

 which have been published, it requires a good deal of 

 nerve to tackle such well-beaten ground ; and although 

 friends, on seeing the sketches in my shooting diaries, have 

 repeatedly urged me to publish their contents, I have 

 been very reluctant to do so. 



A few months ago, however, it having become evident 

 that a further spell of service in India was threatening me, 

 I determined to follow their advice, and accordingly set to 

 work on these rather hastily compiled pages, which were 

 sent to the publishers in the month of June. The inser- 

 tion of the half -page illustrations entailed some delay, as 

 the letterpress could not be proceeded with until their 

 precise positions and dimensions were fixed. The diaries 

 which afforded me the necessary information were my 

 companions during my jungle expeditions, and have 

 suffered much from the wear and tear of camp life, more 

 especially during the Monsoon trips, when many pages 

 became obliterated by wet and exposure, or were lost 



