1837.] Lodiana to Mithankot by the Satlaj river. 205 



These ambuscades resemble in their relative positions an inverted 

 funnel, the mouth of which joins that into which the game is driven. 

 The Nawab occupies the first place in front of the opening ; at a 

 short distance behind him, branching out to right and left, are two 

 more ambuscades not far apart; behind these are others farther apart, 

 and so on with the rest, which are so arranged that the sportsmen 

 fire clear of each other. The ambuscades are formed of small hedges 

 of the jhau high enough to conceal a person when seated on the 

 ground : in the very high jungles platforms of eight and ten feet 

 high are used for the same purpose. 



When the tract of jungle is circular, it is first surrounded by a very 

 high fence of the jhau, between which and the jungle a space iss left 

 for a road ; then from the circumference fences are drawn towards 

 the centre like the radii of a circle ; the centre is freed from jungle 

 and left open for the formation of the ambuscades. A number of 

 dogs of all sizes and breeds, and from three to four hundred sawdrs, 

 according to the extent of line they have to cover, are then sent into 

 the jungles from the outside, and close their ranks as they approach 

 the narrow end of the enclosed space, hooting and shouting to drive 

 the game before them. The Nawab and his courtiers meanwhile 

 lounge at their ease in their ambuscades. Conversation is carried on, 

 at first freely, but as the beaters draw near, in whispers only. A 

 crackling of the jungle or a waving of the grass is sufficient to put 

 every one on the alert — the hand is instinctively directed towards 

 the trigger, and you are prepared for tiger, deer, hog, or any thing 

 that may make its appearance. The eye is strained to bursting to 

 catch the moment of the beast's leaving the jungle, when, whatever he 

 is, he will assuredly give a spring on finding himself in the open sp;ice f 

 At last he bursts cover, and the object of your fond anticipations 

 proves to be nothing more than a jackal ; but before you have time 

 to recover from your vexation at having your nerves unstrung by so 

 unworthy a beast, and before you have time to brace them again, the 

 jungle again crackles, the boughs break — you catch a glimpse of some- 

 thing bounding through the grass, and out springs a fine buck deer 

 with his head low and haunches hard pressed by the hounds. He 

 either stops for an instant amazed, or he has pa.-sed you before you 

 can raise your gun to your shoulder : in either case you miss. At the 

 report or your gun he stamps the ground in disdain and bounds on 

 to fall a prey to some cooler sportsman among the twenty or thirty 

 who send their balls whizzing after him. The Nawab has as many 

 as eight or nine rifles loaded and placed before him, and he uses them 



