THE INDIAN EMPIRE 
THE PLAINS, HILLS AND JUNGLES 
* LTHOUGH the big game of India have been much thinned 
down of late years, there are still enough left for those 
/ who know where to go and how to set about it; 
/ 1 “\ moreover the jungles are so dense and so vast in 
% extent that there is no fear of the tiger, at all events, 
V becoming extinct. 
The important point to bear in mind is that the conditions under 
which one shoots in India are quite different from those of most other 
countries. A sportsman cannot select a certain district, and just hire a 
caravan and go where he chooses, as can be done in most parts of 
Africa; for in India nothing can be accomplished without the cordial 
co-operation of the forest officers and other officials, and without friends 
to assist one there is very little chance of success. 
Of course in a native state, as the guest of some Maharajah, you may take 
part in a shoot with a number of other sportsmen, where a big bag is 
made and everything made easy for you; but the real joy of hunting can 
only be felt when shooting by yourself or with one friend, when you are 
at liberty to make your own arrangements or “ bandobast,” to use the 
comprehensive local word. 
One of the difficulties for a visitor is the language. Although it is 
easy enough to hire an English-speaking servant to translate for you, it 
is much more satisfactory to acquire a moderate knowledge of Hindustani ; 
for the jungle native is so shy and secretive by nature that you are much 
more likely to find out what is really in his mind by talking to him yourself 
than through an interpreter. 
As regards seasons, the most deadly time to hunt for the generality 
of game is in the hot weather, when the jungle grass has died down 
and the water pools are few and far between; most game, like the 
tiger, cannot go far from water, but the heat is then very trying, and 
a tiger skin at this season cannot compare with one killed in the cold 
weather. 
Another disadvantage of hunting at this time is that the jungle is dry 
and crackly, and it is very difficult to walk noiselessly when after sambur 
or other deer. After the rains it is much easier to track bison and such 
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