places which are never dry, and the tigers will all be found congregated there, while miles of ground, where there is no water obtainable, are often beaten by parties, who go home and complain there are no tigers left in the country; when, had they only hunted in the vicinity of water, they would have had good sport.

The first trip I ever had with a regular tiger shooting party, was from Dinapore. A gentleman who was in the habit of going out invited F. and myself to join him in a month's excursion, to which, of course, we most readily assented. Having obtained leave, therefore, we laid our dâks to Betteah, seventy miles from Dinapore, where we were to meet Mr. J., and one morning, directly after muster, stepped into our palanquins, and started on our journey. We went on well enough until we arrived at Mazufferpore at 12 o'clock that night. Here the bearers put us down, and informed us there was no relay waiting. Fortunately, the post-master of this station had formerly been doing duty with our corps as assistant surgeon, and as he was a very good fellow, we determined to go to his house and knock him up to see if we could, by his means, be spared farther delay on our journey. He informed us there must have been some very bad management on the part of the post-master at Dinapore, as he

66

SNIPE SHOOTING.

had received no notice of a dâk being required, and he was quite sure there was none laid. He, therefore, recommended us to have our palanquins brought to his bungalow, while he ordered beds for us to sleep there, and in the morning he would do his best to forward us. This was pleasant, after having paid our money for the whole distance to a government functionary; but there was no help for it, and we accepted our friend's kind offer with thanks. Next morning he gave us a lift in his buggy fortwenty miles to Mooteearree, where he informed us a most capital fellow, Mr. T, an indigo planter, resided. Some shooting might be had at snipes and wild fowl, and while we were engaging ourselves in that way, our palanquins were to be brought on by a number of bearers who would take us then to Peprah, some thirty miles farther. A princely fellow, indeed, we found Mr. T. He was delighted to see us, and the snipe shooting was first rate. I never saw such thousands of these birds in my life. The marsh was very extensive, and they got up in clouds, so many at once, that we hardly knew which to fire at. After this capital sport, we returned to dine at T's hospitable mansion, and that evening took leave of our liberal host, who warmly pressed us to stop the month out there.

We arrived next morning at Peprah, and with

the assistance of another indigo planter there, obtained a fresh supply of bearers to take us to Betteah, where we found our horses waiting. Mr. J. had gone on, leaving word for us to join him at Boggah, some twenty or thirty miles farther. We breakfasted at Betteah, and there mounted our nags and proceeded, but lost our way; and after riding about the jungle all day got into Boggah late at night, tired to death, and hungry as hunters. From this place, we found Mr. J. had again moved on; and consequently we could get nothing to eat. His encampment was eight miles further on in the jungle; our horses were knocked up, and we had nothing for it but to bivouac under the trees for the night. In the morning we rode on, and met Mr. J. just going out. He had killed a tiger the day before, and we found our howdah elephants all ready with fourteen others for beaters. The howdah generally is made something like the body of a phaeton. The sportsman sits in the front seat, and on each side of him, are two divisions for the butts of his guns, the barrels of which rest upon a kind of splash board in front, in which grooves are made to admit them. There is a door on each side of the front seat, which is secured by strong iron hooks. In the seat behind, a native is placed, whose business it is to hold an

68

ADVENTURE WITH A LION.

Some people

men; but I

umbrella over his master's head. have their guns loaded by these should decline trusting that operation to a native, The howdahs thus described are liable to many objections. The doors weaken the frame very much, and frequent accidents have occurred to sportsmen, when leaning over the front piece to get a shot, by its giving way, and precipitating them into the jaws of the infuriated animal.

An accident of this kind occurred to an officer, when lion-shooting. The front of his howdah gave way, and he fell close to the lion, which immediately seized, and walked off with him. I do not exactly know how he was rescued from this perilous situation; but he used to tell the story at mess, and amuse everybody very much by the quaint way in which he related it. "I was worse off than Daniel," he used to say, Daniel was in the lion's den,-but by Jove, I was in the lion's mouth."

" for

When in Calcutta, I saw another officer who had been carried off by a tiger, and was only saved by his extraordinary presence of mind. I believe he also fell into the jaws of the brute by his howdah giving way; but however that was, the tiger seized, and carried him off. His friends were afraid to fire at the beast, lest they should kill the officer. Fortunately, he had a

AWKWARD PREDICAMENT.

69

brace of pistols with him; and, while the tiger was taking him away, he drew one and discharged it into his body. The only effect which this produced, was to make the savage beast clench his teeth still deeper into the flesh of his victim, and growl with rage. But one chance now was left, and our friend was resolved to make the best of it. By getting firm hold of the long hair about the neck of the animal, he managed to work himself round in the tiger's mouth, so as to be able to feel with his hand where the heart of the monster beat strongest, and firing his remaining pistol in that place, killed him on the spot. His friends attracted by the shots came up, and found him senseless, and the tiger dead. The gentleman recovered, however, but was always lame, from the dreadful lacerations he had received.

The best howdahs are those made without doors, of a strong wooden frame, covered with buffalo hide. It is easy when mounting to step over the side, and this plan precludes the possibility of the front coming out. Four guns are necessary for the howdah, two on each side, and it is most convenient to have them of the same bore. I have found great trouble when a tiger was on foot, and I was loading in a hurry, from the bullets being of different sizes, getting one