TIGERS. 77 



when a coolie brought news of a gara near Shamantapoor. 

 After breakfast we started back, and beat unsuccessfully all 

 day. I stepped over a cobra without seeing it, which 

 immediately rose and struck at my gun bearer, luckily 

 missing him, as he saw it just in time, and sprang into the 

 air. It had been lying in some short grass at the edge of 

 a dried up tank, and I was quite unconscious of what had 

 occurred, until the natives shouted " Samp " (snake), 

 " Khabardar, sahib " (take care, sir), when turning round 

 I saw the gunbearer in mid-air. Only two days previously 

 I had remarked to my shikari on passing this spot " All 

 the snakes for a mile round have probably collected here," 

 to which he replied " Be shak," i.e., " undoubtedly." 

 Bears having been reported to exist in the ruins of the old 

 fort close to camp, we went out early next morning, and 

 had hardly been posted, when two came in straight towards 

 Manley, who made a very pretty shot at the leader, killing 

 him stone dead ; the other broke through our line, receiving 

 leaden contributions from each rifle, but made good his 

 escape into the fort. After breakfast news came of another 

 kill at Shamantapoor, but the delinquent turned out to be 

 a panther. The town of Kowlass was situated on some 

 rising ground, about half a mile from the glacis of the fort 

 on which we were encamped, the intervening valley 

 affording us our water supply. In the evening the Eajah 

 with his retinue came to pay us a visit, bringing the 

 customary presents of limes and sweetmeats. We were 

 quite ashamed of our jungle get-up and disreputable 

 appearance, when contrasted with his white linen, silken 

 garments, and neat attire ; but he was a nice gentlemanly 

 fellow, like most of his creed, and said, in reply to our 

 apologies, that he would have been surprised to see us 

 in any other garments when on a jungle expedition. 



