Tiger'Shooting 279 



practically denuded of game, and it is a thousand 

 pities. 



In Mysore there are strict game laws, but in 

 Central India there are none, and the native village 

 shikaris are rapidly ruining the country. These 

 shikaris shoot simply for food ; and as they kill 

 hinds, does, young, etc., indiscriminately, there are 

 no deer left. They .avoid tigers, panthers, and bears, 

 as a rule, partly because their guns would seldom 

 kill them and they themselves would run considerable 

 risk, partly because these animals are of little use for 

 eating purposes. 



The endlessly long days of inaction and of furious 

 heat were trying to all our tempers ; and though 

 we were not as bad as a party I knew, who, after 

 being for some time not on speaking terms with 

 each other, threw up the expedition altogether, and 

 went their various ways, yet we had several somewhat 

 strained situations. Weeks after our shoot was over, 

 I was much amused with J.'s and Captain F.'s 

 diaries. In the latter I read : 



" I was glad we got the tiger, but consider it a 

 great shame of J. to shoot him when he was sixty 

 yards off, as he would certainly have walked right 

 under my tree." 



J.'s interested me more : 



" On my return to camp surprised to find Edith 

 both rude and bad-tempered ; she is becoming a 

 perfect bore with her fits of temper. F. before the 

 beat was almost insulting, and told me that if I fired 



