CHAPTER III. 

 CHINKARAH, BUSTARD, AND COOLUN, 



THE beautiful chiiikarah or raviiie-deer is not a very difficult game to find 

 and stalk, but, owing to its diminutive size, offers a decidedly small mark ; 

 it is plentiful in some parts, unknown in others, and may be shot with 

 smaller bores than '450. However, it was with the latter I tackled it, 

 and never found too much damage done, provided I hit fair behind the 

 shoulder. 



One cold weather I determined to look for them, so sent out the syce 

 with a rifle about fifteen miles to await my arrival next morning. I rode 

 out, and, having secured a native to carry some lunch, cold tea, and the 

 rifle, started oft' along some low sand-dhunes to a patch of thin jungle 

 that spread over a good deal of that country. After about an hour's walk 

 I found some of the game feeding in an open glade, with no cover near 

 them save some tussocks of short dry grass. The binoculars showed one 

 fair head, so, having taken the rifle and enjoined perfect concealment on 

 my follower, I prepared to stalk. They were moving little, feeding 

 about the grass, so when I saw all heads down, I crawled forward on my 

 hands and knees, carrying the rifle in my right hand and laying it down 

 each pace, most carefully, with my eyes strained up to watch for a head 

 showing ; their bodies were visible about as far as the medial line, and 

 whenever a head rose, I was motionless until it dropped again. My clothes 

 were identical in colour with the sandy soil and rough grass, and, if 

 motionless, I could not have attracted the eye of any game. As I got 

 nearer, it became a matter of screwing myself along on my elbows and 

 the toes of my boots ; it was not easy work nor pleasant, for the Punjab 

 sun was beating down on my back out of a beautiful blue sky. At last I 

 arrived within 150 yards, after many anxious moments while being 

 scrutinised by the does. The buck I at last spotted for certain, and tried 

 to aim off my stomach, biit I was too low, and the grass hid him com- 

 pletely ; it is wonderful what short grass will conceal a man lying on his 

 face, and interfere with his aim at an animal some 2ft. high at the 

 shoulder. There was no help for it but to try and get on the knee. I 

 succeeded in doing this unobserved, but as I fixed my aim the buck looked 

 up as if by instinct ; it was too late, for the bullet reached him before he 

 had decided as to the identity of the queer lump so near. The others 

 scampered off, unmolested for two reasons : there is much danger in 

 snapping off in a thin jungle, as natives and cattle may be anywhere 

 about, and unless the next best pair of horns are good, it is unnecessary 



