In an Indian Jungle 



of the country nearly a thousand years ago. In 

 many respects it resembled the old British camps 

 with which we are so familiar at home ; but situ- 

 ated, as it was, in the very heart of the jungle, 

 it had been better protected from the ravages of 

 time and the foot of man. The mound and ditch 

 of circumvallation were there, and also remains 

 of the old walls and gateways a powerful strong- 

 hold once, but now given over to the wild beasts 

 of the forest. Truly a place to see the ghosts of 

 the armed invaders and their victims when the 

 moon shines through the great trees ! On this 

 occasion, though, we were much too cheery a 

 party to think of that sort of thing. The "we" 

 consisted of our host, his wife and daughters, who 

 were as keen as any of us and marvellous at 

 spotting game, though they did not use the rifle, 

 and two more experienced sportsmen, I being the 

 green hand of the party. We had nine elephants, 

 four as a rule carried howdahs with a sportsman 

 in each, the rest had "pads." Our host himself 

 could rarely be induced to use a rifle, but confined 

 himself to showing us sport. When he did perform 

 himself, I have never seen a safer shot before or 

 since. 



Unfortunately, the Christmas rains had been 

 late and prolonged in fact, we had many wet days 

 even then ; the consequence was that the jungle 

 was higher and denser than it should have been. 



5 



