THE GUN AT HOME AND ABROAD 
money is sure to be kept back, and in consequence those who follow him 
may find difficulty in procuring supplies and beaters. 
Before a drive every man employed should be handed a gun wad or ticket, 
which he must return when receiving payment for the day’s work, other- 
wise every native in the vicinity will turn up in the evening and say he has 
been taking part in the beat and claim payment for it. Unless some such 
plan is adopted it is a very difficult matter to determine whether he has 
been helping or not. 
Tents and all the shikar clothes requisite can be got much cheaper in 
India than at home; sambur leather boots, with rope soles, are excellent 
for jungle work, in dry weather at all events, and stout gaiters should be 
worn with them as a protection against snakes. As a good deal of riding 
may have to be done, breeches of some kind are recommended. A solar 
topee is a necessity, and a pad down the spine, to button on to the coat, is a 
useful thing. I personally always take a white umbrella for the sun, though 
it is supposed to be the mark of a “ tenderfoot.” A native chargaU or skin 
water bag, keeps your drink cooler by evaporation than any form of water 
bottle; lime juice and soda makes about the best drink while out hunting, 
and it is better not to take alcohol before sundown. 
The men who take part in big shoots, where everything is managed for 
them, lose most of the real pleasure of hunting, which can only be appre- 
ciated by those who have carefully studied the habits of the animals they 
are after, and do much of the shikar work themselves. Of course no white 
man can hope to attain the proficiency of a Gond native tracker, but there 
is enormous interest in endeavouring to work out the trail and to notice 
the marks relied upon by the trackers, such as the dryness of the sap where 
a twig has been bitten off. When the line is lost, one can sometimes pick 
it up ahead of the tracker by going forward a little to a spot past which you 
think the animal is most likely to have gone, while the jungle man is 
puzzling out the trail step by step. Those who have done much of this 
kind of work can usually guess pretty well which is the most likely route 
for the animal to have chosen, but care must be taken not to make the 
trackers* work more difficult. 
When there is any chance of seeing game the sportsman should always 
carry a rifle himself, as many chances are lost by not doing so; if you 
suddenly come in sight of a beast, stand absolutely still and do not attempt 
to stoop down quickly. 
There is a great fascination in sitting up for an animal at night, over a 
74 
