30 A WISEACRE REPROVED. 



morning's tracks ; could we find these we should be able to discover his 

 lair. It was cold, and the two trackers, Dodda Sidda and Murga, strode 

 along in front of my riding elephant, their mouths muffled in their cloths 

 after the sensible habit of all natives during the raw early hours. The 

 path was dusty, and footprints were clearly visible. Presently the large 

 square " pug " of the tiger we were in search of appeared, traversing the 

 path before us. Some of the beaters who were following ran up in great 

 excitement, and one asked the trackers if they had no eyes. Dodda Sidda 

 removed his muffler for a moment as he still held on, to say, " Yelah, Korna, 

 navu pattay-gararo ? Koombarar6 ? eely yesht' hottinelli tiroogardootavo ? " 

 " Buffalo " — native synonym for stupid — " are we trackers or potters ? 

 When do the rats run about ? " The questioner fell back abashed. The 

 Indian field-rat (the jerboa-rat, Gerhillus indicus) issues from its burrows in 

 great numbers during the night, but is always home again before daylight. 

 The trackers had observed these creatures' tiny footprints overlying those 

 of the tiger, and knew the latter had passed in the early part of the night. 



On another occasion a panther's footprint in soft soil was under dis- 

 cussion. Some of the men contended it was of the evening before, others 

 that it had been made about dawn. The minute threads of mould thrown 

 up by a small earth-worm in the print made by the larger pad of the foot 

 decided the date. That kind of worm only worked near the surface during 

 the night. The print had been made the evening before. 



Native shikaries are often very plucky fellows, and even those who 

 are not so, and who know anything about their work, will do many things 

 from their acquaintance with wild animals that they know they may do 

 without risk, but which to the uninitiated sportsman appear venturesome. 

 Even timid jungle-men who would not approach a horse, it being an un- 

 familiar quadruped, will lead the way after a vicious elephant or a wounded 

 bison. They understand the habits of the latter, but from never seeing the 

 former they do not know what to expect of it. 



Men who serve a judicious master and who know they will not be 

 unnecessarily exposed gain great confidence, and behave with a courage 

 which the sportsman cannot but feel compHmentary to himself, as reflecting 

 their reliance on his coolness and skiU. It is only right that a sports- 

 man should remember not to allow any of his men to do that at which he 

 would himself hesitate. I laid down this golden rule for myseK early 

 in my sporting days, and it is a great pleasure to me to think that I have 

 never had a man killed in encounters with wild animals. I have often 

 restrained beaters when they would willingly have ventured on some too 

 dangerous service, and if natives see such consideration exercised on their 



