MISCELLANEOUS. 203 



Patience and perseverance are absolute essentials if success is to be attained. Some 

 men seem to expect to find ' Large Game ' as easily as they would find hares and pheasants 

 at home, and become disgusted if they are not continually firing off their rifles. 



Such men had better not attempt Himalayan shooting, for they will certainly be dis- 

 appointed. There is still abundance of game in the Himalayas, but it is not to be obtained 

 without hard work. 



In many places the natives will deny the existence of game, and will tell any number 

 of lies to induce the traveller to leave their village and go to some other one, where they 

 assure him that he will obtain excellent sport. On his arrival at the place named, the same 

 story will probably be repeated, and very likely the sportsman will be told that if he had 

 remained at the last village he would have found game to his heart's content. 



This anxiety to get rid of sportsmen is partly caused by the unwillingness of the people 

 to furnish the supplies required by travellers ; but I fear that it is partly to be attributed to 

 the conduct of Englishmen, who have thrashed or abused villagers for not showing game, 

 when they were doing their best. 



It is, therefore, always advisable to be as independent as possible of the products of the 

 country, and to limit one's requisitions to absolute necessaries. 



If you have good reasons for supposing that game is to be found in any locality, do 

 not believe any assertions to the contrary, but insist upon having a guide and look for 

 yourself. 



The presence or absence of tracks will show whether there is game or not, and it must 

 be remembered that a hill may be full of game and yet that not a head may be seen for 

 several days. 



In almost every village at least one man may be found, who does a little hunting on his 

 own account ; and if you make friends with him and administer judicious ' bakshish ' when 

 he shows you sport, he will generally do his best for you. 



Shepherds usually make the best Shikaris, and, even if they are not professional hunters, 

 their knowledge of the country makes them valuable as guides. 



The professional Shikaris who hover about hill stations, and the still more numerous 

 soi disant Shikaris to be met with in Kashmir, are to be looked upon with the greatest 

 suspicion. The latter especially are generally arrant impostors and rogues, who know little 

 or nothing about 'shikar? 



In conclusion I venture to give a few hints, which, though superfluous for experienced 

 sportsmen — some of whom may also disagree with me on some points — may be useful to 

 those who are beginners in the arts of rifle-shooting and stalking. If any of these hints 

 are considered trivial, I can only say that it is by attention to small details that great suc- 

 cesses are achieved. 



1. 



Never give a loaded rifle to a native if you can possibly help it. Now that breech- 

 loaders are in universal use, it can seldom be necessary to do so, except when in pursuit of 

 dangerous animals. 



