110 BIG-GAME SHOOTING IN UPPER BURMA 



came into my possession when she was six 

 months old. Fortunately, she had never been 

 taken out shooting, so I had virgin soil to work 

 on. Her education, however, started badly, 

 as when first introduced to firearms she proved 

 to be very gun-shy. I cured her of this in a 

 few days by a combination of patience, kindness 

 and severity which would take too long to 

 describe. In a short time the sight of gun or 

 rifle in my hands would send her frantic with 

 delight. In order to cure her absolutely of 

 gun-shyness, and to give her a taste for sport, 

 I had to shoot some doves and partridges, 

 allowing her to run up and sniff the dead birds ; 

 but always keeping her at heel until told to 

 go forward. As soon as she got keen I stopped 

 this, and then took her out two or three times 

 after deer, always keeping her at heel, even 

 after firing the shot. She was then taken up 

 to the dead animal. Now came the hardest 

 part of her education. I had been obliged 

 to enter her on birds and deer, because it was 

 necessary to make her keen, and because I was 

 debarred from practising on tame cattle, which 

 would have been the best education for her. 

 She had now to unlearn what she had been 

 taught. I used to take her out where birds, 

 hares or barking deer were plentiful, and put 

 up as many as I could, always carrying an 

 unloaded gun. When anything got up I strolled 



