time. Our two Bengal friends had each a riding camel, which, strange to the man in the dark on these points, they preferred to horses! Each day as we mounted to ride to the ground, we found our two friends some six feet above us in the air, screwing along about twelve miles an hour; well accoutred with spurs and hunting whips, and, as occasion required, making use of both very freely. The evening we found the well tiger was the first time I had ever seen a brute of the kind when let out, and I am perfectly certain from the pace my horse was going that, for some part of the road out (we were pressed for time), the camel was not going under fifteen miles an hour! Indeed, my own firm belief is that for a short time he was going more, judging from the matches that I have seen against time. This day, however, the 18th, showed that, sure-footed as they are universally allowed to be, accidents will happen, and when they do they are no trifles. We were on our return home when one of our high mounted performers, wishing to get by some of our people on horseback, who were smothering him with dust, came to a large stump on the roadside. In vain he roared out from his airy perch the usual warning to his hunchbacked slave: "mull toker" resounded through the air, but alas, the camel's nose was straight for the skies, his legs took the stump, and down thundered the clumsy brute, master and all. How the latter escaped as well as he did is wonderful. A violently sprained ankle, though painful enough it is, was all the mischief; an escape more owing, I suspect, to my friend's strength of bone and muscle than chance, the whole weight of the camel's body being at one time on his leg. ""Tis nothing when you are used to it." My friend shook himself to see if there were any spare pieces of bones sticking in his leg, remounted, and off home to bed and poultices. The 19th produced a tiger and tigress, which were disposed of in good style; one of them, however, before he gave in, took a trifling liberty with the leg of one of the elephants, to which he hung for some seconds, the elephant having nothing left for it but to run. 21st. Changed ground to Tulloda, where a splendid day's work awaited us. We took the field early, and commenced at two tigers, in a small, low, thin, thorn cover. These were disposed of one at a time, when, about half a mile distant, we came to another detachment of bheels, who had another surrounded. We tried down the cover first, and found nothing but samber, four of which got out almost under the elephants: these were of course suffered to walk off untouched, whilst we tried back, and presently put up a fine bear, and whilst engaged in putting a few balls into him up got the tigress. Bruin was here allowed a short respite, whilst his more noble companion of the woods demanded our undivided attention. We went in to her without loss of time, and she returned the compliment by charging gallantly, and, after several well meant attempts to maul one of the elephants, was floored. We now returned to the bear, who had attempted to leave the jungle, but was turned by the bheels, who had surrounded the cover; he was soon again on his legs, and was within a few steps of an elephant when he was shot dead. The tempting shots which the samber had offered at an unlucky moment had made our mouths water for one more view, and we accordingly followed in the direc tion they had taken, but without success. We turned back for the tents, where we found intelligence of another tigress surrounded within a short distance of the cover in which we had first found the two tigers. There she was certain enough; was on her legs almost immediately, and five minutes more had settled her. A finer specimen of hunting with bheels could not have been produced, and I believe our Bengal friends were quite satisfied with the artistlike manner in which three separate detachments of them had not only hunted down their prey, but had surrounded them so as to render a chance of escape quite improb. able. Had we known more of our ground, we might have dispatched all four samber without at all endangering the loss even of the bear or tiger. Found a tiger each day on the 23rd, 24th, and 25th, killing all three handsomely; and on the 27th added to our number an immense brute who, in charging Hyder from about 60 yards distant in most determined gallant style, was knocked clean over when under his nose. Returned to the charge again, and was shot when almost under his hind legs, which turned him for an instant, when Sing Motee advanced. He charged gallantly at him, was again floored, and again repeated his attempt. Being foiled in every charge, he retreated to a nullah, where exhaustion alone prevented a fresh attack; and though unable to rise from the ground, it took at least six more deliberate shots before he gave in. Three shots in the head, and at least five in the left shoulder apparently direct for the heart, shew another instance of what little chance a man on foot, how ever cool and good a shot, could have had with a monster like this. To a man in such a situation such a charge as the first at Hyder must have proved certain destruction. Viewed on the other hand from an elephant, the sight was such as no sport but tiger-hunting can produce. God knows it is at times but tame work, but one such sight as that I have noticed no pen or pencil can describe, and none but a man who has witnessed it can appreciate. 28th. Killed three bears and a tiger this day after great labour, 44 miles being computed to have been passed over before our work was done. Thus, in the short space of twenty-two days we had been at the death of twenty-five royal tigers and four bears, which, whatever it may be on the other side of India, is, I believe, sport unparalleled in these parts. On the last day of April another bear was killed; and on the 1st of May we bid adieu to our Bengal friends, who were to return to Neemutch by a pass leading through the Sautpoora range near Sultanpoor, a pass through which no Europeans have ever before been. There was but one feeling that reigned throughout the camp on that day, regret-unmingled and universal regret everywhere prevailed; and could it have been otherwise when we bid a long adieu to two as true sportsmen and agreeable companions as India can produce? When I say they came the whole way from Neemutch to see tiger-hunting in these parts, it is sufficient to prove their keenness for sport, and none but real sportsmen could have laboured on, day after day, without the smallest success, in the manner they did previous to the 7th of April, without being utterly disgusted. Each had his elephant: both small females, and one of them as perfect a hunter as can be produced. Her owner, a cool deliberate dead shot, and herself as yet untouched; it matters not how close a tiger approaches, she stands as firm as a rock, and long may she hold on the high reputation to which she is so deservedly entitled. This day a tiger was killed, and a cheeta saved his life by going to earth; and on the 3rd a bear made good his escape. On the 7th, at Bamungaum, a tiger and cheeta were bagged; and on the 8th a fine tiger and tigress were added to the list. Nothing could have exceeded the sport on this day, though unluckily there were but few in the field to enjoy it. Intelligence of only one tiger had been brought in, and two elephants were all that were required to accommodate the party. They advanced in line through thorns and high grass, and had proceeded but a short distance, when a tiger was discovered by those on Motee, couched directly between them and Hyder; and whilst they were manoeuvring to obtain a clear shot without endangering their friends, those on Hyder also discovered a tigress to their right, which with one shot was brought to the ground. This of course alarmed the tiger to their left, which made off without a shot from either howdah, though immediately pursued by both elephants. The cover being thick, the tiger was enabled to sneak about for some time without being fired at, till at last he came on the dead tigress, at the sight of which he became furious to a degree: no longer the sneaking brute he had first shown himself, he stood with his fore-legs on the carcase of his dead companion, a picture of savage ferocity; and no sooner did he get a sight of an elephant, than he charged it instantly whatever was the distance. No sooner was his charge over, than he returned to the tigress, and again awaited the approach of his foes. This had continued for some time with indifferent success, till seeing Hyder advancing, though not within a hundred yards at the time, he rushed out in the most gallant style, and though twice knocked head over heels in this single charge, he rose nothing daunted, and, under a heavy fire, made good his hold. of the elephant, though luckily without doing much injury. Though severely wounded, immediately the elephant again approached he charged as gallantly as ever, was again floored; again he charged, nor was it till he was shot almost to pieces in repeated attempts to reach the elephants, that his strength failed, and the coup de grace was administered. On the following day, the 9th, a tigress, supposed to be a maneater, was killed, without showing the least sport, although a few splendid opportunities to charge were offered. On the 14th, near Pimpalnair, a tiger was floored in the first discharge; another, near the same town, was killed on the 17th; and at Moolleir, on the 19th, three bears were numbered with the dead. On the 20th a cruel accident occurred, which completely damped our sport, and caused a gap in the bheel department which cannot, I fear, be filled up. Poor Khundoo, the leader of this choice band, had gone in pursuit of an immense brute, the terror of the neighbourhood, and the very animal which but last year dreadfully mauled one of a party of officers, who had gone after him on foot, and killed a bheel beside him dead on the spot. The haunts of this immense brute were well known, and but the day before he had killed close to each other two very large buffaloes in the Moollier valley. Poor Khun doo was accompanied by one or two of his own men, and a few village bheels, and whilst hot on the track of the tiger, one of the latter pointed to what he supposed to be it, concealed in a large bush. Khundoo, doubting the eye of any one but a practised hand like himself, scarce looked to the bush at the time, but, taunting his companion with his want of knowledge of what a tiger was, went deliberately up to the edge, and stooped to look in. Alas! it was too clearly proved that his game was there, for, in the twinkling of an eye, a rush and the fall of poor Khundoo discovered the tiger. The whole thing was instantaneous, but an instant under the jaws of a tiger is an age. A litter was procured; and whilst the most part watched down the tiger, the rest bore the wounded man to Moolleir. Whilst this was happening, we were killing a bear in an opposite, direction, and on our return to the tents were apprised of what had occurred. Everything that could be of use was sent to the sufferer, and on our way to avenge his loss, we proceeded to the huts where he was lying. Often had the poor old fellow predicted that he should be killed by a tiger; and though we tried to convince him and ourselves too that he might still live to prove the destruction of some hundreds more, he shook his head. My time is come," said he; "I am dying." It was in vain to attempt to raise his spirits. He called for his infant son, and directing his attention to his master, who was standing close to his bedside, "There," said he, "is all you have in the world to look up to; he has been as a father to me, and in him you will even find a fathermother-all." It was indeed a chilling sight, nor was the scene rendered less painful by the tears and lamentations of the bheel women, whose cries, some one at the time observed, were alone sufficient to send a poor fellow out of the world before his time. At Khundoo's request, we left him to be attended to by our native doctor, and proceeded to the elephants, and a short time sufficed to find the tiger. The jungle was extremely thin, in fact, scarcely deserving the name of cover; the ground level, with here and there a small nullah; a road ran close by, and in addition to two or three men whom he had killed outright on it, not a few have been half dead with terror, on hearing his growl within a few feet of them. The natives, who at last well knew his haunts, declared that, contrary to the practice of tigers in general, he would never move off at the near approach of a man, but warned him of his danger by a deep growl, which signal was, it may be supposed, readily taken. In some few cases, however, where the warning was either not heard or disregarded, the death or severe wounding of the unfortunate traveller immediately followed, though in no instance had he been known to eat the smallest portion of his victim. As I said above, he was soon found, there being nothing to conceal him, and powder and ball came briskly into play. Wherever he had the opportunity he charged furiously, but was each time luckily stopped. Game to the last, when surrounded by the elephants, he charged gallantly up a steep bank for Hyder, the guns in whose howdah were by no means idle. Six or eight barrels saluted him in succession from that howdah alone, besides others from the opposite side. A shake of the head and a growl told full true, each time, that the lead had reached its mark. Still determined, he dragged his bleed ing body forward to the charge, and had with tremendous efforts reached within a few steps of the top of the bank, when a finishing shot from the opposite side took him in the back, and down he rolled dead. A finer specimen of A finer specimen of a tiger could not be, either as regards size, beauty, or ferocity. His head was very properly preserved with great care, and transmitted as a present to the gentleman whom on a former occasion he had so nearly provided for. We returned to our sick patient; his wounds had been dressed and all that human aid could do was tried; but what art could save a man in the centre of whose shoulder the teeth of such a monster had actually met ? The whole of the bones, from the point of the shoulder to the very neck, were almost I may say ground to pieces, and another awful bite through the neck itself would alone have decided his fate. The whole of these tremendous wounds were the work of an A instant, and entirely effected by the teeth; he was untouched by the paws. Unremitted attention from master and doctor proved unavailing, and poor Khundoo, after showing symptoms of delirium, expired at ten on the night of the following following day. This proved a settler to spirits and sport, though for a few more days we toiled hard to bag a few bears. In vain we climbed hills and rocks, and fired shot after shot; we could not kill a single one. hill tiger kept us hard at it all one day, and two cheetas promised sport another; but the charm was broken. For the second time all seemed proof against our balls. Our toi proved unavailing for six whole days, although for four out of these six our game was found and hunted. All our efforts failing to effect a single kill, we struck our tents for Malligaum on the 27th, with a list of killed amounting to one cheeta, nine bears, and forty-six royal tigers. NIMROD IN THE EAST. July, 1831. THE HUNTING OF THE BOAR. Every man hath his own delight, Come! come away, all ye that may, |