MAHSER FISHING 69 



which is not visited by sightseers as often as it 

 deserves. There were tigers about, and we had 

 an unsuccessful beat for a tiger; but I spent 

 most of the time fishing. On one day, as we 

 were approaching the river, Mihtab Khan drew 

 my attention to the skin of a very large snake, 

 which had recently been cast. I did not pay 

 much attention, but went on to the river and 

 began to fish. There was a long, low rock in the 

 stream, three or four yards from the right bank 

 on which I was ; and I waded in and began 

 to fish from behind the rock. I had made a few 

 casts when Mihtab Khan shrieked out : " Come 

 here, come here ! " I turned, rather annoyed 

 with him for startling me, and, as I turned, my 

 eyes fell upon an enormous snake, which was 

 lying curled up sound asleep upon the lowest 

 portion of the rock, with the water lapping the 

 coils on either side. I retreated hastily enough 

 and armed myself with a stout walking-stick 

 which had been given to me at Forsinard, in 

 Scotland, and then returned to the snake. The 

 head was hidden and I did not know where to 

 strike. " Leave him alone," counselled Mihtab 

 Khan, but this I absolutely refused to do ; and, 

 while the snake slumbered peacefully, we organised 

 a combined attack. Mihtab Khan and a Bombay 

 peon, who was with us, armed themselves with 

 big sticks, and we advanced together. At a 

 signal from me, the three sticks landed with a 

 whack on the sleeping snake ; and, as he uncoiled, 

 the head appeared, and I bashed it to pieces 

 with my stick. We dragged him through the 

 water and stretched him out. The length was 



