106 SPOET IN BENGAL. 



towing up stream, whose fate would never be known beyond 

 the limits of their native villages. In this manner many 

 lives are lost every year, and never reported, the numbers of 

 human beings destroyed annually by tigers and panthers, as 

 shown by the official returns, being gre atly exceeded by the 

 actual casualties. 



The jungle now before us was a long strip of high grass, 

 growing in bunches, much traversed by cattle paths. In 

 length some eight hundred yards from east to west by two 

 hundred in breadth, it was divided into three nearly equal 

 parts, by two straight paths crossing it from side to side, 

 rendering the beating comparatively easy, since, by placing a 

 scouting elephant or two at the end of each alley, we could 

 make sure whether the tigress had or had not passed on. On 

 the north was a small piece of water with marshy borders 

 overgrown with rushes, wild cardamom, and wild rose-bushes, 

 full of wild hog, the country around being open, and most 

 excellent for hunting them. Numerous footprints of the 

 tigress upon the mud of the morass, and the half-eaten carcase 

 of a sow recently killed, proved that her ladyship was " at 

 home ; " but although beaten up and down, and afterwards 

 diagonally piece by piece, the grass was drawn blank, as was 

 also the swamp on the north, out of which we drove several 

 sounders of hog. We returned to camp about one o'clock with- 

 out firing a shot, vexed and disappointed at the ill-luck which 

 clung to us. 



The next day the elephants were not mounted till noon, 

 as we waited for some report of a kill being brought us; 

 but none coming in we sallied forth at that hour, and till 

 three o'clock beat patches of thatching grass, mixed with 

 wild roses, on the skirts of the long grass jungle searched the 

 day before, finding only wild hog, hares, "kya," partridges, 

 and quail in abundance, which of course was not fired at at 

 all. Once more the marshy grass was entered and thoroughly 

 explored bit by bit, the previous trampling having rendered 

 our labour much lighter. The appearance of the covert was 

 of course greatly changed by the passages of a score of 



