Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1886-10-28
A LEOPARD HUNT.
a Thrilling Story of tho Indian
Jungles.

JungleS-
II was my good fortune, a great
Il. ~ years ago, to be cantoned at
Julbarri. l say "good fortune" for
30 | considered it; but | am afraid. if
you had asked at our mess for votes as
to whether ! ought to qualify the word
fortune with the adjective "good " or
bad" | should have got very few to
vote for my word. Good fortune |
considered 1t, nevertheless; for l was
an ardent sportsman; Julbarri was al
most untried ground; AMI the neigh
boring jungles aboundcd in game of
many kinds, among which the rhi-
noccros, the tiger and the leopard
were by no means few and far be-
tween. And yet can not deny that
Tor any one who was not sportsman.
Julbarri was about as slow a station as
could be picked out IN all the length
and breadth OF our vast Indian empire.
IL was situated in an out-of-thc-way
corner of Bengal; and there was no
large station within q couple of hum
dred mile5 of us where n man with so-
cial and grcgarious tastes could 90 for a
lew days to get rid of the oft-told tales
and well thrashed-out politics OF the
limited circle OF our small mess-table.
Julbarri was, alas, singlc-corps sta
non. aud except civil officer or two
the whole society consisted of the gal
liant British officers of the distinguished
Sevcnty-sixth native infantry; a nice
set OF fellows enough, | allow; but
still the best Of listeners must in time
grow inattentive to Smiths ideas on
the comparative merits of Arab and
English horses; and it is difficult 10
wage any real warfare with Jones as
he challenges you for the hundreth
time to defend Lord Coughs tactics at
Chilianwalla.
AT the time Of which write our So
ciety was nj pccul ariy low ebb. The
drill season was over. the hot weather
was coming on and the leave season
had begun. There was so little work
~ be done th.s our Colonel had
taken pity on our isolation, and
had been unusually, perhaps almost
unautho:izcdy, liberal in the mat
ter of leave; and our mess. small
enough at its best. had dwindled and
iwiDdled, until now not more than
half dozen unfortunatcs daily
stretched their legs beneath its we'll
spread mahogany. For me, the an
proaching heat had no terrors, the
smallness of our society no ennui, and
the prospect OF escape from Julbarri
no charms; for the beginning of the
hot weather is the very time when the
best shooting can be obtained. and |
had long been watching the drying up
OF tlie grass in the junglcs, and had
been looking forward to the time
when we might start n tiger with some
chance Of bagging him. There was
one thing IN which we were particu-
lnrly fortunate; We had attached 10
our regiment nine elephants as part
OF our regimcntal transport / need
scarcely say that il was not long be.
fore we had the elephants and their
pahouts (drivers) thoroughly trained
for shooting. The largest elephants
we trained TO carry our howdahs. and
the smaller we used TO form line 10 |
beat the jungles and drive out the
game. Nith ,hese elephants we had
lots OF fun, and there were few weeks |
after the shooting season began in |
which some OF us did not 90 out two |
or three times. We generally took II
in turns; four Of US went out. and two
remained behind to look after the reoi- |
mont and the station.
We kept three or four shikarees
tnative hunters). who were constantly |
going about the villages and jungles
within a radius OF six or seven miles OF
canionmentS; and as soon as they
heard OF n tiger having killed bull |
lock or any other animal. or as soon
ns they discovered the fresh fooimarks
Of any animal worth goiAg after. they
would como in and give the kiu6ber
(news); aud then those whose turn Il
WIS would send the elephants and
their arms on towards where the game
bad been seen, and would follow them
selves on horseback as quickly as pos
sible. The best kind OF khubJcr was
when bullock or any other large ami
nal had boon killed. Ghe tiger usual.
" prowlg around some village or some
place where cattle is paStured and kept
Tor the night; and when he secs his op-
lortunity, Will spring on sOmo unfort-
innate animal which has got separated
from The rest OF the herd, or has re- {
NAMED out TOO late In the iun0,e.
hoedless Of the herdsman's call home
sill XII II with blow Of his paw. and :
irag u into some neighboring Jungle ,
lhickrr and denscr than that imme- q
lately around the village. !
Nothing shows more the marvellous |
ifcngth possessed by the tiger than .
he way In which he carries his victim
'way. l remember the first tinia WAS !
'hown whore tiger had dragged a
nll-grown bullock. Icould not helieyo q
: possiblei and Il was not until after 4
ye had killed the robber only AN or !
llnary-sized ,igTess--nnd / had care
ully gone over on foot the ground 4
Fhoie she had dragged her prey thai A
onnd that she had not only dragged 4
he dead bnllock--an animal, / should a
lnnk, considerably beyond her own n
Weight over very rough ground and g
trough a dense cane-brake, hat that r
, some places, as the mark3 showed Il
no must actually have lifted the fore a
narer Of tho bullock OH the ground d
b her mouth. aud have walked several 4
ards with Il Ia that position. When q
ne victim has heon dragged 10 what n
Ao tiger cons dors a position Of SECURE ~
a viii ~ down and make good ii
ienl, and then retire short distan6e a
'nm - prey " some particularly fiick n
uH'. n iptt "a Efass. aud there IoDiain "a
H''' i''N Following nignt aud them ~ a
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