56 SOANE VALLEY. Chap. II. 



for bears and other wild animals. From the top, the view 

 of rock, river, forest, and plain, was very fine, the eye 

 ranging over a broad flat, girt by precipitous hills ; — West, 

 the Kymore or Vindhya range rose again in rugged 

 elevations ; — South, flowed the Soane, backed by ranges of 

 wooded hills, smoking like volcanos with the fires of the 

 natives ; — below, lay the bed of the stream we had left at 

 the foot of the hills, cutting its way through the alluvium, 

 and following a deep gorge to the Soane, which was there 

 hidden by the rugged heights we had crossed, on which 

 the greater part of our camp might be seen still straggling 

 onwards ; — east, and close above us, the bold spur of 

 Mungeesa shot up, terminating a continuous stretch of red 

 precipices, clothed with forest along their bases, and over 

 their horizontal tops. 



Prom Sulkun the view of the famed fort and palace of 

 Beejaghur is very singular, planted on the summit of an 

 isolated hill of sandstone, about ten miles off. A large 

 tree by the palace marks its site ; for, at this distance, the 

 buildings are themselves un distinguishable. 



There are many tigers on these hills ; and as one was 

 close by, and had killed several cattle, Mr. Felle kindly 

 offered us a chance of slaying him. Bullocks are tethered 

 out, over-night, in the places likely to be visited by the 

 brute ; he kills one of them, and is from the spot tracked 

 to his haunt by natives, who visit the stations early in the 

 morning, and report the whereabouts of his lair. The 

 sportsman then goes to the attack mounted on an elephant, 

 or having a roost fixed in a tree, on the trail of the tiger, 

 and he employs some hundred natives to drive the animal 

 past the lurking-place. 



On the present occasion, the locale of the tiger was 

 doubtful ; but it was thought that by beating over several 



