62 THE SHIKARI 



a crawl or a wriggle flat on the ground ; then if the 

 country is in any way open it must be done with great 

 caution and slowly, and it is then often better for the 

 stalker to carry his rifle himself, so that he can take the 

 shot at the exact moment that the beast offers itself in 

 the right position. 



When crawling, great care must be taken that the 

 muzzle of the gun is not dipped in the ground, and 

 also that the safety catch is on, so that any twig or 

 obstruction catching at the trigger will not explode it, 

 and either put the game away or as likely injure the 

 stalker himself. 



Always approach as near game as the nature of 

 the ground, wind, etc., will allow before firing, not 

 only because it means a surer kill, but the best beast 

 can be picked out. This, again, is very much a question 

 of practice, and a beginner would do well to be guided 

 by his tracker — in his first stalks at least. 



In country devoid of trees longer shots can be taken, 

 as not only is it difficQlt to approach very near, but 

 the light is good and the animal very distinct, so that 

 sure shots can be taken far farther than could be done 

 in bushed land. Of course, in any dense cover like 

 primeval forest a head must be approached close to 

 see it at all. 



In the open shots up to 400 j^ards can be taken 

 by the man with the steady hand and straight eye, 

 but in forest you can seldom see farther than 100 yards, 

 and usually much less. 



