186 THE HIGHLANDS OF CENTRAL INDIA 



Driving a large extent of country with, a long line of 

 beaters is the commonest method of htmting sambar. 

 It is frequently successful, and often secures a good stag ; 

 but for my own part I have very rarely resorted to it. 

 It is difficult often to get a sufficient number of beaters 

 without oppression, and accidents often occur to them 

 from the enclosure of dangerous wild beasts. The whole 

 country is disturbed; the shooting of a creature driven 

 up to you, without the exercise either of skill or any other 

 manly quality on youx own part, is not sport ; and lastly, 

 to prove successful, a large number of sportsmen are 

 required to guard the numerous passes ; and it never has 

 been my fortune (not that I have much regretted it) to 

 be out with a large hunting party in India. A few times, 

 however, I have helped to drive a jungle, generally for 

 some other game than sambar, and these have sometimes 

 proved memorable occasions. 



In the Jubbulpiir district, I was beating a wooded hill- 

 side for sambar as the shades of evening were drawing 

 on, and the beaters had nearly reached the end of the 

 drive when I suddenly saw them swarming up trees, and 

 the shout reached me of " Two tigers are afoot ! " I was 

 then trying for the first time a rifle made on Jacob's 

 principle for explosive shells, and congratulated myself 

 on having so good an opportunity for testing it. Anxiously 

 I waited behind my little green bush, the beaters creating 

 a din enough to deafen a dozen tigers, tiU at last I saw a 

 striped form glide across an open spot in front, and advanc- 

 ing in my direction. With finger on the trigger I was 

 awaiting his appearance at the next break in the low 

 jungle, when suddenly I heard the bushes crashing on my 

 left, and a large tiger bounded into the jungle pathway on 

 which I was standing, and cantered towards my position. 

 Wheehng round, I delivered the right barrel of the Jacob 

 in his left shoulder, on receiving which, he rolled over like 

 a rabbit. At the moment I fired my eye caught a glimpse 

 of the other tiger close by, in the direction I had fiist seen 

 him ; so, seeing the first disposed of, I again fronted, and, 

 with a steady aim, gave No. 2 the left barrel through the 

 neck. As luck would have it, the spine was broken, and 



