186 BIG-GAME SHOOTING IN UPPER BURMA 



bounds of possibility. ' Lying up ' and merely 

 lying down have very distinct meanings as 

 applied to tsaing. Of course, the,, sportsman 

 would not think of usurping the tracker's 

 place while the game is still some distance ahead, 

 unless he is himself an experienced tracker. 

 He leads only when the beast is expected to be 

 viewed at any moment. The object is to get 

 over the ground as quickly as possible, until 

 signs are met with that the animal is not far 

 off. The sportsman and tracker then change 

 places, and the former may find that he will 

 still have to lead for a mile or more before his 

 beast is sighted. Rising ground should always 

 be very carefully negotiated. More often than 

 not tsaing, both when solitary and when in 

 herds, will be found on the top a short distance 

 from the crest, where they will be quite invisible 

 from below. 



Whenever possible it is worth while to ride 

 to the ground, sometimes four miles away, or 

 even farther. There is no object in making a 

 labour of what should be a pleasure, and the 

 ride in the early morning is a great saving of 

 fatigue. It will be found that on an average, 

 the sportsman, having ridden on to his ground, 

 will still have a tramp of ten to fifteen miles, 

 all told, before he is back again in his tent or 

 zayat. In some places it is even possible to 

 ride for a little while looking for tracks; but 



