GREAT MORTALITY FROM SNAKES. 25 



is earned in the fields and woods, and who are destroyed by 

 thousands every year, notwithstanding the rewards given for 

 the destruction of venomous snakes at all district and sub- 

 district headquarters ; but, after all, the good done in this 

 way extends to only a small proportion of the whole country, 

 and thus the tale of deaths reported year by year does not 

 materially decrease, nor is it likely to decrease until the 

 people see fit to defend themselves by killing every reptile 

 met with, undeterred by superstitious fear and notions. 

 Official returns give the deaths caused by snake-bite annually 

 as about 20,000 in British India, but of course the actual 

 number is very much greater, since the police who collect 

 the statistics cannot possibly receive reports of all; thus a 

 fourth, or even a third, are probably never heard of or 

 recorded. 



We proceeded for several days in the manner above de- 

 scribed as far north as Chatuk, on the Soarma river, till the 

 low, pale blue, and almost level line of the Khasya hills rose 

 high and distinct, and not a tiger did we find, hearing the 

 same story everywhere that the tigers had gone to higher 

 grounds some weeks before our arrival. We beat a dozen 

 small isolated hummocks and the heavier jungles round 

 Atgaon all to no purpose ; recent lairs of tigers we found, also 

 abundance of bones of their victims, and we might too have 

 filled our boat daily with water-fowl of miscellaneous sorts 

 had we chosen to do so, but beyond shooting sufficient to 

 feed our servants and crews, we did not molest them. Our 

 elephants appeared to enjoy themselves mightily, eating all 

 day long as they waded or swam with the " Mahouts," or 

 their " mates," on their bare backs, accompanied always by 

 the boat with the " howdahs," chains, ropes, grain, and other 

 necessaries. Whenever we desired to beat a jungle on dry 

 land, the boats were moored, the " howdahs " fastened on, and 

 we mounted from the boat itself, without putting foot to 

 ground at all ; and except buying some fish occasionally from 

 passing fishermen, we depended entirely on supplies taken 

 with us for the entire trip. 



