CHAPTER III 



THE PATLI DUN 



THE Ramganga, in the Patli Dun, is a beautiful 

 little river running through a reserved sal forest, 

 which is teeming with animal life ; and when I 

 was Commissioner of Northern India Salt Revenue 

 I made two expeditions to the river from Bijnor 

 in the United Provinces. 



On the first occasion I combined shooting with 

 fishing, and two incidents which occurred in the 

 course of the expedition made it a very memorable 

 one. The Divisional Forest Officer gave me a 

 permit to shoot for fourteen days, and an elephant, 

 which was said to be staunch, was lent to me. 

 I accordingly secured the services of a local 

 shikari, and purchased three or four young 

 buffaloes on the chance of getting a shot at a 

 tiger. The buffaloes were tied out, and before 

 many days had passed one of them was killed 

 upon a forest line. The place was not favourable, 

 and the buffalo had been securely tied to a tree- 

 stump to prevent the tiger from dragging the 

 carcase into some long grass, which was immedi- 

 ately adjacent, and where there were no trees. 

 At the site of the kill there were some trees, and 

 a machan was tied for me in a leafy tree almost 

 immediately over the kill. There was no moon 



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