224 THE HIGHLANDS OF CENTRAL INDIA 



to loosen his tongue, and then Lis statements will likely 

 be studiously vague. His hearty services must be secured, 

 however, for he alone knows intimately the ways and 

 haunts of the tiger, and he alone will have the pluck to 

 accompany you or your shikari to mark him down. If you 

 are known to be a good paymaster he wiU wUhngly serve 

 you, otherwise you must promise him a handsome douceur 

 in case of success, to induce him to spoil his own chance of 

 claiming the Government reward. This reward was, tiU 

 financial difficulties reduced it to half, fifty rupees (£5); 

 and, as all sportsmen were entitled to claim it, it used to 

 go far to cover the cost of the hunt. I used always to 

 divide it equally between the village shikari, if he worked 

 weU, and my own shikari and elephant driver. Now, how- 

 ever, the sportsman will find himself a good deal out of 

 pocket by every tiger he kills. 



More precise information must be sought for by the 

 sportsman himself. The village shikari knows nothing 

 of our system of hunting by attacking the tiger in his mid- 

 day lair. His personal experience of him has probably been 

 confined to nocturnal interviews from the tops of trees ; but 

 he will be certain to know his habits and usual resorts, and 

 also whereabouts he is at the time being. It is necessary, 

 therefore, for some one to go out with him who knows our 

 style of work and what particulars to note for guidance 

 when the actual hunt commences; for it is absolutely 

 necessary to have some prehminary knowledge of the 

 groimd, and habits of the particular tiger, to ensure success. 

 In my earlier sporting days I always went out to make the 

 prehminary exploration for tigers myself; and this is the 

 only way to learn the business thoroughly, so as to be able 

 afterwards to devolve the labour on your shikaris. A 

 sportsman who is not thoroughly master of this business 

 wiU never have a rehable shiiari; and the best men are 

 those who have been trained up in it along with their 

 masters. 



The morning is the best time for this work. It is then 

 cool, and every footprint of the previous night is sharp and 

 clear. All the wild animals, from whose movements 

 much is to be learnt, are then on the move. The move- 



