152 SPORTING AND 



feathers," and the piebald tattu in addition, 

 I fancy I won the old gentleman's heart. 

 At the last moment he handed me a hand- 

 some double-barrelled gun, saying : " I 

 have had this lying by for some time, and 

 it will give me great pleasure if you will 

 do me the honour of accepting it." I 

 was delighted at the old man's generosity 

 and forethought ; and, although the 

 Honourable East India Company's Sahibs 

 prohibited an officer taking a present 

 from a native, still, feeling that mine was 

 a most unusual case, I at once accepted 

 the offer, only too delighted to carry 

 home my prize. On giving it a trial 

 I had the satisfaction of finding it a first 

 rate gun. I tried it at a squirrel, knock- 

 ing him off a tree at a great distance, 

 and, when I picked him up, he was 

 stone dead ; this I considered a fair test 



