78 CHINKAEAH, BUSTARD, AND COOLUN. 



destruction. The native ran up and " hallaled " him (cut his throat) in 

 the orthodox Mussulman fashion ; the horns were fair, about 13in., and 

 the skin a nice one. We had to work out to the edge of the jungle and 

 secure another native to carry the game back to where the syce was halted 

 for the day. I wandered about all day but fired at nothing, and reached 

 cantonments in time for mess. 



Another day I was more successful, bagging two, but I missed a snap 

 shot at a hyena at close quarters, the only one I have ever seen. As we 

 were walking to the jungle from the road, I noticed the tracks of a very 

 large -footed dog in the sand, damp with the morning dew, and questioned 

 my follower, who at once declared it was a " lacker bagher " or hyena. 

 The same word is used in some places for the leopard, but I need hardly 

 point out that the tracks of the latter show no marks of claws, while the 

 former show them just as they appear in those of a dog. Leopards do 

 not frequent open dak jungle either. He had evidently been visiting the 

 village hard by, looking for some carrion probably, and as the tracks were 

 fresh, I decided to follow him up. After many times being thrown out 

 on hard dry ground, we at last tracked him into a very thick patch of 

 grass and bushes, perhaps 20ft. across. I stood close to the edge, looking 

 down and into it, for it was only some 3ft. high in parts, while my man 

 belaboured the bushes on my right. Suddenly there was a rush, and an 

 indistinct form passed out and away on the far side. I made a hurried 

 snap, but certainly missed, and when the smoke cleared the brute had 

 quite vanished amongst the jungle. I never saw him again. 



Great luck sometimes happens to one, and I can well recall one of the 

 last days I had in this same little jungle. I started at early dawn as 

 usual, and on reaching my point for halting, turned into the country with 

 the native, who had become quite trained to my requirements and ways ; 

 he always brought a youngster with him (the proverbial " bhai ") to carry 

 the game, for it is truth that I never visited the spot without bagging at 

 least one buck. Luck was with me still, and I had a stalk behind a thin 

 bush, mostly on my stomach over hard dry ground, after a solitary buck ; he 

 was nibbling the shoots of the bushes, but very fidgety, rushing about at 

 times most erratically. At last I got well up to the bush and knelt down 

 on the right side, from which position I got a fair shot at about 150 yards, 

 and killed him. I found his horns a pretty pair, much about 13in., but 

 his coat all rough and staring on the back. On investigation I found the 

 skin punctured with many small holes, with lumps under each. These 

 proved to be " bots " or maggots, some three-quarters of an inch long, 

 with their heads buried in the flesh and tails protruding into the small 

 hole in the skin. On removing the skin they remained fast in the flesh, 

 making it look most loathsome ; the natives in my compound did not 

 object in the least. The irritation of these pests caused all the uneasiness 

 I had noticed while stalking. I had heard of the mad bolts and rushes of 

 bucks and does at certain seasons, but saw the cause and effect at last. 



Having despatched the carcase to my halting place, I had much 



