CHAPTER XV. 



Rhinoceros and Rhinoceros-shooting, continued A Trip to the Sea-face 

 of the "Soonderbuns" Boats and Boating Spotted Deer Wild 

 Hog hunting Crabs on the Beach Abundance of Game A ticklish 

 Position Unexpected Sport with Rhinoceros A huge Python 

 Porpoises and Sharks Intricate Navigation A Tiger roused 

 Another Rhinoceros killed A Tiger shot Shooting Deer from a 

 Boat Death of a monster Crocodile Big G-ame near Calcutta 

 A large Rhinoceros found and lost near Baraipoor Rhinoceros 

 very abundant in the "Soonderbuns" Epidemics among Wild 

 Beasts Shooting off Elephants impracticable. 



FINDING myself once, in the course of a tour, within reach of 

 an ebb tide of the mouth of one of the many rivers which 

 pour their waters through the Eastern " Soonderbuns " into 

 the Bay of Bengal, I was induced to continue my way down- 

 wards ; first by a desire to visit a portion of the sea-face 

 with which I had no previous acquaintance, and next to 

 test the glowing reports of the abundance of spotted deer 

 to be there seen, 



The time was January, a day or two before the full 

 moon ; the weather tolerably cool, and the breeze light and 

 northerly; all favourable for a run down to the sea, not 

 approachable at all seasons in country boats. 



For the whole of that day, from early morn, I had sailed 

 swiftly and smoothly down a broad stream, both banks of 

 which were covered with forests of " soonderee " and other 

 trees, much thinned by wood-cutters, till a little before sunset 

 I anchored, and made all snug for the night in a reach, below 

 which the river widened considerably. 



Weighing anchor early the following morning, we started 

 under sail for our port of destination, leaving behind the 



s 2 



