48 TWO TEARS IX THE JUNGLE. 



question was settled. As soon as possible the boat was brought 

 down to feny me across, and a pistol shot in the neck ended the 

 troublesome reptile. 



But for the almost perfect accuracy of my little Maynard rifle 

 up to three hundred yards, ray gavial hunt would have been almost 

 a total failure, for in only two or three instances did I succeed in get- 

 ting a shot at a less distance than one hundred yards. I loaded my 

 cartridges with the most scinipulous care, kept my rifle thoroughly 

 clean, and did my shooting as if I were firing at a target for a 

 prize. It often happened that my only chance to kill a gavial was 

 to fire across the river, fi-om the high bank to the opposite sand- 

 bar. Under such circumstances I would leave three men on the 

 same side as the crocodile, and from my post on the oppo- 

 site side direct them by various signals where to take up a position. 

 Then at the signal they would sit down upon the hot sand and 

 wait patiently, hours if necessary, for further developments. I 

 would then take up my position, and with my field-glass carefully 

 examine the position of the crocodiles, and decide upon the exact 

 spot to fire at. After carefully estimating the distance, the di- 

 rection of the wind, and the amount of " windage *' to allow the 

 bullet, I would adjust my peep-sight, lie flat upon the ground, and 

 rest my lifle upon the leather-case of my field-glass, or the top of my 

 solar topee. It was firing to hit a gray, horizontal Une, the actual 

 mark to be struck being smaller than a man's arm. A long, care- 

 ful aim, a holding of the breath, a firm grip, a steady pull and a 

 sharp " bang," would be the climax of perhaps two or three hours 

 manoeu\T.'ing in the scorching sun. If all the gavials upon the op- 

 posite shore skurried into the river and plunged out of sight in a 

 twinkling, I made no further demonstration ; but if the jaws of the 

 largest one flew wide open, I would spring to my feet, wave my 

 solar topee in a circle, and the men would jump up and rush across 

 the sand-bar to our victim. On one occasion I killed a gavial, measur- 

 ing 11 feet 6 inches, a large specimen, with my peep-sight elevated 

 for 225 yards, and the largest one I secured during my hunt on the 

 Jumna measured just 12 feet, and was killed at 200 yards, across the 

 river. From fii-st to last I killed eight gavials by firing across the 

 river at long range and hitting their spinal column. Once I was so 

 far from my game that when I fired and overshot the mark the 

 gavials did not even take the water. I fired again, and undershot, 

 and still they did not take alarm, but having now got the exact 

 range, a third shot struck one of the gavials and cut its spinal cord 



