THE GUN AT HOME AND ABROAD 
like animals, and one can travel comparatively quietly; but it is rather a 
feverish period, especially in the jungles of Southern India. 
The winter climate is delightful to camp out in, and, strange to say, 
it seems always safe to sleep out in the open, if so inclined, even in 
a tiger country, unless there is a man-eater about; whereas in Africa, 
where there are lions anywhere near, it would be taking considerable 
risks to do so. 
Transport is cheap in India, and one generally travels with large tents 
and a considerable amount of impedimenta, in fact the whole business is 
much more luxurious than in most countries. 
The climate in the hot weather is very trying, and it is a mistake to 
stint oneself in the matter of luxuries, as it is very easy to get run down 
from hard work. As most of the water met with is unsafe to drink, it is 
advisable to take a good supply of soda, which is made locally and can be 
procured for about eightpence per dozen; this compares favourably with 
the price of soda water at the Victoria Falls of the Zambezi, where I had 
to pay two shillings a bottle for it, but this was Schweppe’s and had to be 
imported. 
The game regulations vary in the different provinces and districts, and 
care should be taken to find out what they are before starting. In the central 
provinces the “ block ” system has been adopted, and the sportsman must 
ask in advance for a particular section if he wants it ; but it does not follow 
that he will be successful in his application, as there may be several others 
after the same “ block.” The attempt at game preservation has not always 
proved satisfactory, as sometimes, as in parts of southern India, the result 
has been to leave too large a proportion of hinds to stags among sambur, 
with a consequent deterioration in the quality of the heads. 
For all the bigger animals, such as bison, buffalo, and rhino, a large-bore 
rifle should be taken, and something pretty powerful should be used for 
tiger and bear, as no one wants to run the chance of having a beater mauled 
by a beast he has wounded. 
Of course, for blackbuck, chinkara and most deer, a small-bore rifle 
is sufficient, but one of the troubles is that any long range weapon is very 
dangerous to fire at some of these animals, which frequent cultivated 
land quite near villages where there are a good many inhabitants. It 
must be remembered that the importation of the *450 and *303 rifles into 
India is prohibited. Shooting from the back of an elephant is by no 
means easy, even when your mount is supposed to be standing still, as 
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