CHAPTER I. 

 BLACK BUCK. 



BY whom was the rifle made ? I regret that it would be a bit of a 

 puff for me to give that information, but I can assure my readers it was 

 by one of our best-known makers, and was chosen by our musketry 

 instructor a well-trained shot, from whose hands it passed into mine. It 

 was only a single-barrel, and therefore not suitable for tigers and 

 panthers ; but for all the other game met with in Northern India it was 

 quite sufficient. As a matter of fact, the musketry instructor killed a 

 tiger or two with it ; but then he was in a howdah on an elephant, and 

 had a double gun by his side loaded with ball, which is a most effective 

 weapon on those occasions. I often wished it had been a double, but I 

 cannot recall any instance in which I lost a good head or skin owing to its 

 being a single. It was so accurate that it was always a feeling of 

 certainty that I should kill or miss. I could not blame the rifle when the 

 latter occurred, but always myself, and I am sure that the greatest charm 

 of sport can only be enjoyed tvhen you feel that all else is perfect, and 

 only yourself doubtful. My yarns are not intended to do more thaii fill 

 up some of the odd hours for those who love the sport and like a tale 

 about it. 



The dear old weapon fired 4^drs. of powder and was sighted point- 

 blank up to 150 yards. There was one flap sight marked 200, and you 

 had to exercise your judgment as to which was correct, whether on the 

 level plains, the sweltering oorial ground, or the grand corries and ravines 

 of the Himalayas. On the first there was not much trouble in deciding 

 correctly, after a certain amount of practice, but on the second and third 

 so many difficulties presented themselves that, even after mature delibera- 

 tion, you often decided wrongly. When you are on one side of a corrie, 

 buried in deep shadows of early morn, and the game is opposite, a sad 

 longing for a rifle point-blank up to 300 yards will arise. The distance 

 looks about 100, but you must allow for the mistiness of the air, the bad 

 light, the respective colours of the game and background, the respective 

 positions of the former and yourself if above or below and the fact 

 that the foresight is a big black ball in such a light, with a very ill-defined 

 contour. Happy is the man who can count few misses under these 

 circumstances, but I have yet to meet him ; the results generally acknow- 

 ledged have confirmed the saying that " the best may err." 



For a wily blackbuck a light '450 is very handy ; and with this slung 

 on one's shoulder, and a steady pony that will stand fire under one, there 



