144 The Hunting Grounds 



four of my brother officers, listening to the regimental 

 band, and cogitating upon the vapid life I was lead- 

 ing, when suddenly my chochra (a young Mussulman 

 lad, whose office it was to assist me to dress and 

 wait at table) rushed up with frantic haste, exclaim- 

 ing, "Sahib, sahib, Chineah iya hy!" (Sir, sir, Chineah 

 has come !) Now Chineah was my head shekarry or 

 huntsman, who had been out on a reconnoitring 

 expedition after large game, and a great man in my 

 establishment. 



" Let us have him in at once," said B , " and 



hear where he has been, and what shekar-khubber 

 (hunting news) he has brought." 



So Chineah was sent for, and in a few minutes was 

 salaaming before us. 



" Well, Chineah," said I, " what great news have 

 you brought, that you have been away so long ? 

 From not having heard from you, I have been 

 expecting you back every day for the last fortnight, 

 and at last began to imagine that some accident had 

 happened, for three or four of your women came up 

 to me declaring that they had heard in the bazaar 

 that you had been eaten by a tiger." 



" Women no good, master," answered he, " tell 

 plenty lies, go too much to the bazaar; plenty, 

 plenty talking, never do any work. I go away 

 nearly two months, then come home, find no cloth 

 in go-down,* no rice, no nuffiri. To-morrow 

 * Go-downservants' quarters, generally out-offices. 



