170 
WILD BEASTS AJVD THEIR WA YS 
CHAP. 
case in which I recommend an expanding bullet. 
The long projectile of the *400 should have a 
very shallow hollow ^ inch at the point, and only 
inch in diameter. As the bullet will be 1^ 
inch in length, it will not smash up into films 
or shreds, but, if composed of pure lead, it will 
flatten out at the point for about half an inch, 
and form a mushroom head, that will prevent it 
from passing through the body, and perhaps 
ricochetting into some village a mile on the other 
side. 
At Bertulla, where we were camped for some 
time, the village was benefited by the presence 
of a Hindoo priest. This fellow was an extra¬ 
ordinary personage, as he combined the ascetic 
with the acrobat. Naked, with the exception of 
the smallest waist-cloth, he was smeared from head 
to foot with ashes: his begrimed face had the 
unearthly appearance produced by this ghastly 
colouring, and his large eyes shone with that 
peculiar brilliancy which may be so frequently 
remarked among the religious enthusiasts of India. 
This holy man was an important personage at 
Bertulla, as he possessed a small temple upon 
the outskirts of the village, which represented 
all that was ecclesiastical in this portion of the 
district. The temple, or church, was about 8 feet 
square, therefore it was somewhat limited in 
accommodation ; it was glaringly white, with a small 
shrine, painted with divinities, which appeared to 
be in an advanced stage of scarlet fever. 
