XXV 
THE SAMBUR 
301 
The iron bullet generally passed completely 
through the body of a sambur stag: always so, 
when Gholab used English powder. 
It may be readily imagined that such Nimrods 
would severely punish the game throughout an 
extensive area. I shot last winter, December 1888 
and January 1889, through the same ground as that of 
three years previous ; we only killed fifteen sambur 
where we had killed forty-three. Of these, six were 
stags. There could not be a more deplorable proof 
of the disappearance of game. 
A native has a better chance than a European 
when squatting in the jungle, waiting patiently for 
his opportunity. His patience is inexhaustible. 
His limbs and joints are like india-rubber, and will 
bend to any required position. He is never stiff 
or uncomfortable, neither does he comprehend the 
meaning of the word “cramped.” He will sit for 
an hour upon pointed stones, and double himself up 
into a space so small that it is incredible how he can 
pack himself away to avoid discovery. 
All this is highly favourable to jungle shooting; 
there is nothing to equal invisibility. A native 
watching-place is a very simple affair. If a drive is 
to be arranged for sambur, it will include all other 
animals that may pass the hidden guns. Such a 
man as Gholab Singh, or his brother, would have a 
thorough knowledge of the habits of the game, and 
he would select his position accordingly. He would 
then cut a sapling half through, the thickness of a 
man’s wrist, about 2 feet above the root. This 
