A TRIBUTE TO COLONEL PROBYN 



Officers who have the means — personally or through their 

 subordinates — of smoothing many difficulties, or of creating 

 them! The goodwill of these officers is. tlicrcforc. very 

 desirable to acquire. 



I regret now that I did not keep an exact record oi the 

 number of tigers I have slain. As Tiger Slayer to the 

 Bombay Government, however, I had to submit a weekly 

 return of tigers killed, and during my term of office the 

 figures, so far as I remember, reached about two hundred. 

 These did not include the number I killed before being 

 appointed to that office, or during any period of leave. 

 I may safely say, therefore, that the number of tigers I 

 have shot cannot be much under three hundred in all. 



My biggest bag for one year in Khandesh was thirty-one, 

 and for one week, six. At one time, indeed, I remember 

 being almost tired of shooting tigers, they were so plentiful, 

 and in so many cases shot without any greater effort on 

 my part than holding the rifle straight. 



The largest bag of tigers on record for one day, so far 

 as I know, was in a beat in which Lord Harris was present, 

 the one that fell to his rifle being a very large, heavy beast 

 with an enormous head, the largest, I believe, that 

 Rowland Ward has ever set up. 



I always shot on foot or, when more convenient or 

 advisable to do so, from a tree or macharo ; but even in 

 these cases, it was often necessary to follow the wounded 

 beast on foot, instances of which have been given in 

 previous chapters. 



Many of my earlier adventures with big game were 

 experienced in company with my old ti'iend and mentor, 

 the late Colonel Probyn, under whose kindly and able 

 guidance I embarked on my sporting career, and to whom 

 I attribute much of my subsequent success ; for taking him 

 as my model, I wisely decided to follow in his footsteps, 

 a resolution I happily adhered to. 



Oliver Probyn is still a name to conjure with in Khan- 

 desh. In addition to being a thorough sportsman, he was 

 the beau ideal of a soldier and a gentleman. His influence 

 among the Bhils was so great that his word was law, and 

 yet he was loved as much as he was feared. 



His appearance, though somewhat rough — the result, 



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