A TRUSTY OLD SHIKAREE. 59 



An old Goorkha, a shikaree whom I was in the constant 

 habit of employing, was the first to initiate me in the mys- 

 teries of preparing one of these artificial salt-licks for deer. 

 Old Jeetoo was about the best shikaree I ever came across. 

 He was one of those men who talk little and do much, and 

 had such a quiet business-like way of doing things withal. 

 He was like a steady old hound, for his voice was seldom 

 heard without good reason, and from being somewhat deaf, 

 he seemed to anticipate one's intentions from one's looks. 



One day I was surprised to see his long grave visage and 

 gaunt figure at the door, for he seldom left the vicinity of his 

 home except for shikar. He had come to inform me that, if I 

 cared to sit up for it, he could almost ensure my getting a shot 

 at a large stag with horns " like trees," as he described them, 

 that came and ate the Jcar every night, not far from Ms vil- 

 lage. The few traps necessary were soon packed up, and, 

 after a tramp of about twelve miles, we reached a little ham- 

 let, on the hill above which the Jcar was situated. 



On arrival, just before sunset, I heard that a leopard had 

 the day before killed a cow within a few hundred yards of 

 the place. As one of the villagers had rigged up a kind of 

 ambush in the fork of a tree near the remains of the carcass, 

 with the intention of sitting there for a shot, I promised him 

 a doitfeur for his chance of a shot, and at once proceeded to 

 take up my post, to which I was followed by several men 

 from the village. Against this latter proceeding I remon- 

 strated, but Jeetoo set my mind at rest by informing me for 

 what purpose they accompanied us. He said that as soon as 

 we were ensconced in our ambush, they would set up a shout- 

 in. u r as if with the intention of scaring any animal away fnm 

 the carcass. This row they would continue to keep up until 

 they got back to the village. The leopard, which was prob- 

 nbly lying pretty near, hearing the noisy ones depart, ami 

 their clamour IK-COIIM- fainter as it grew more distant, ami 

 thinking from this that all was now safe, would most proh- 



