TRACKERS AND TRACKING 181 



In such cases the hunter must use his own judg- 

 ment, bearing in mind that a really good tracker 

 will not readily abandon the pursuit of an 

 animal while there is a fair chance of coming 

 up with it. Any time spent in waiting to allow 

 a beast lying up to come out and feed again 

 must, of course, be added to the time it will 

 take to get up to it. A good tracker should 

 possess keen eyesight and hearing, and should 

 know the jungle thoroughly within a radius of 

 ten miles from his village. In addition to being 

 able to track well, he must be both persevering 

 and staunch. If he is afraid of the quarry, he 

 is not likely to exert himself particularly to 

 bring the sportsman within shot of it. Besides, 

 his nerves are likely to play him all sorts of 

 tricks just when success seems assured. The 

 writer has had some splendid fellows as trackers, 

 men who would follow up a wounded bison or 

 tsaing as eagerly as a terrier does a rat, and to 

 whom the meaning of the word fear was un- 

 known in connexion with big game. The diffi- 

 culty with such men has been to restrain their 

 ardour when a beast has been wounded. But 

 there have been others who have purposely lost 

 the tracks when drawing near an unwounded 

 beast, or have bolted just as the shot was about 

 to be taken, thus effectually alarming the animal. 

 And this with inexperienced trackers has hap- 

 pened over and over again. TheJJworst of it 



