68 THE HIGHLANDS OF CENTEAL INDIA 



thick growth of teak poles from old stumps of trees; 

 and many of the fields had been hewn out of these 

 coppices, the poles being burnt on the ground 'as manure, 

 in the manner to be hereafter described. The clear and 

 pretty stream of the Denwa, which comes down from 

 Puchmurree, was crossed several times by the track we 

 followed, and contained on its sandy banks many foot- 

 prints of tigers. There was evidently a good deal of 

 forest game about. The valley is one of those tracts on 

 the border between open plain and dense jungle, where 

 much of the nocturnal life of the forest creatures is passed. 

 In such a tract the traveller will often be astonished at 

 the quantity of signs of animals he will see in the morning 

 all about his night's camp, while not a wild creature of 

 any sort will he find in the neighbourhood if he goes to 

 look for them after the sun is up. The fact is that deer, 

 bears, pigs, etc., travel such long distances at night to 

 their feeding grounds, and depart again to the remoter 

 hills so early in the morning, that unless a very early 

 start be made, nothing but the tracks they have left 

 behind will ever be seen. The tigers and panthers, again, 

 which prey on them, although not usually retreating so 

 far, yet seek the most secluded thickets and ravines of 

 the neighbourhood at an equally early hour, and in the 

 cold weather are so much on the alert, and can so easily 

 hide in the thick vegetation, that the chances with them, 

 except by sitting up over a bait at night, are equally 

 poor. The native shikari, watching by night, kiUs a great 

 deal of game at this season. But it is very slow and 

 cold, as well as rather poaching work, and few Europeans 

 are cat-like enough to succeed in it. Now, as most 

 Europeans who attempt shooting at all in India (and 

 who does not at first ?) only go out during the cold season, 

 and never go deeper into the forest than this semi-cleared 

 belt, the reason of much of the want of success complained 

 of is not far to seek. To ensure success the animals 

 must be followed up into the deeper jtmgles. ' 



