272 SPORT IN BENGAL. 



broke up the deer, and hung it up on the fork of a tree 

 close to the water's brink, with a wisp of cotton cloth as 

 a mark. 



After this no more shots were obtained till we had pro- 

 ceeded so far, that it became desirable to abstain from firing 

 at deer, with the chance before us of a shot at larger game. 

 Gliding on noiselessly, we had proceeded altogether four or 

 five miles, when the creek narrowing considerably, and throw- 

 ing off many branches, it became a matter of difficulty to 

 select the right one. The distance along the seashore to the 

 second clearance, where the rhinoceri were found, may have 

 been three miles, almost due east ; allowing, therefore, for the 

 turnings, and consulting my pocket-compass, it seemed that 

 the time had come for hitting off a branch to the right ; ac- 

 cordingly, sweeping out of the main stream, we went up a 

 branch heading southward, soon to discover our mistake, for 

 it narrowed rapidly, and led us into a wilderness of gigantic 

 " hurtal/' and a labyrinth of small and shallow rivulets, very 

 clearly out of our course. Our situation then became dan- 

 gerous, as the jungle almost met over our heads, and a hungry 

 tiger could have whipped off one of us out of the boat 

 before a shot could have been fired ; but worse still, we were 

 on the wrong track. 



We now returned to the main stream, and going up it 

 till we came to another fork, one branch turning sharply to 

 the north, we followed the other in a south-easterly direction, 

 and in a quarter of an hour came upon the carcase of the 

 rhino last killed, and then perceived that the other branch 

 we had ascended, had led us to the " hurtal " covert, out of 

 which we had turned away towards the open the pre- 

 vious day. 



The hind quarters of the dead beast had been much torn 

 by crocodiles, but the forepart, fixed in the deep mud, had 

 resisted their efforts to drag it into deep water. Leaving the 

 carcase, we landed on the opposite bank, and took up the 

 track leading to the other, advancing cautiously, and a surly 

 growl proved that caution was not uncalled for on that 



