THE NARBADA VALLEY 61 



Dogs that are in tlie way of hunting jackals will readily 

 pursue a wolf, so long as lie runs away. But the wolf 

 generally tries the efiect of his bared teeth on his pursuers 

 before running very far, and only the most resolute hounds 

 can be brought to face them. I have several times had 

 my dogs chased back close up to my horse by a wolf 

 they had encountered when out coursing foxes and jackals ; 

 and only once saw the dogs get the better of one without 

 assistance from the gun. On that occasion I had out a 

 couple of young greyhounds, crossed between the deer- 

 hound and the Rampore breed ; and along with them was 

 a very large and powerful Enghsh bull-mastiff, rejoicing 

 in the name of " Tinker," whose exceedingly plebeian 

 looks in no way belied his name. He was an old hand 

 at fighting before ever he left the purlieus of his native 

 Manchester; and in India had been victor in many a 

 bloody tussle with jackal, jungle cat, and pariah dog. 

 His massive head and well-armed jaws combined in a 

 high degree the qualities of a battering-ram and heavy 

 artillery; and his courage was in full proportion to his 

 means of offence. On the present occasion the three dogs 

 espied the enemy sitting coolly on his haunches on the 

 top of a rising ground, and the young dogs, taking him 

 no doubt for a jackal, went at him full speed. Tinker as 

 usual lumbering along in the rear. Soon, however, the 

 hounds returned in a panic, with their tails well down, 

 and closely pursued by the wolf, a large dark-gray fellow, 

 snapping and snarhng at their heels. The greyhoimds fled 

 past Tinker, who steadily advanced, dropping into the 

 crouching sort of run he always adopted in his attack. 

 No doubt Master Wolf thought he too would turn from 

 his gleaming rows of teeth and erected hair, as all his 

 canine assailants had done before. But he never was 

 more mistaken, for the game old dog, as soon as a pace 

 or two only remained betwixt him and the enemy, sud- 

 denly sprang to his full height, and, with a bound, buried 

 his bullet head in his advancing chest. I saw the two 

 roll over and over together, and then the gallant Tinker 

 rose on the top of the wolf, his vice-like jaws firmly 

 fastened on his throat. At this point of a combat he 



