320 The Hunting Grounds 



for trails, and the Gooroo and the rest of the gang 

 were busily engaged in denuding the dead tigers of 

 their spoils. 



After breakfast we strolled towards the lake, 

 where we found Hassan, who attracted our attention 

 to an enormous fish which lay basking as if asleep on 

 the surface of the water, whilst several others of the 

 same species, but smaller, kept rising from time to 

 time in different parts of the pool. He informed us 

 that he had been trying for several hours to catch 

 one of these monsters with a rod, but that they were 

 too cunning to take any bait. Knowing from expe- 

 rience that Hassan was a first-rate fisherman, I felt 

 sure that I (who at the best of times am but a 

 bungler with the rod) should have a poor chance of 



succeeding if he could not, so I left B to amuse 



himself with bait and fly, whilst I returned to the 

 hut to make preparations more in my line. 



I took a common musket which Chineah used for 

 wild-fowl shooting, and to the centre of the iron 

 ramrod I firmly attached a piece of double wire, 

 about two yards in length, to the end of which I 

 fastened a strong log-line. This done, I loaded the 

 piece with powder and a thick felt-wadding, and then 

 inserted the ramrod, with the flat head downwards, 

 keeping it in its place in the centre of the bore with 

 a second wad which fitted tightly in the muzzle. 



My preparations completed, I returned to the 



