The National tribune., 1899-03-30

traversed at will, the shy and lonely animal
is satisfied. Here, therefore, is its favorite'
haunt, and there is not much use in looking
for specimens anywhere else.
Our party had come down from the mount
aims north of Bhotan, and were guests of
q sporting native niagnate, the Talook ar
Dharma Singh, whose possessions lay rear
Rungpore. His residence exhibited a queer
mixture of barbaric splcndor and an attempt
at civilized furnishing; but there was no pre-
tense about this potentate's human belong
ings, for the scores of retainers were as un-
couth set of picturesque semi-barbarians as
anyone could hope TO see. Among other safe
lites Dharma Singh of course included a
band of Shikaris-hereditary hunters-whO
ranged the country and brought him news Of
large game.
One sweltering day Nuzzur Punt, chief of
these trackers, saiaamed himself into his
masters presence. and said that by reason of
heavens well-known partiality for this son of
wealth, the blackest, biggest, boldest rlinoce-
ros mortal eyes ever beheld had been sent
into their neighborhOod, and was now wait
ing his highDess' pleasure Heat-languor
disappeared instantly, all were afGot, and
amidst our hosts hasty directions for the
coming hunt, everyone drew on riding-boots,
assumed sun-helmets, besides looking care
fully 10 rifles and cartridge-belts.
In the first moments of joyous excitement
Dharma Singh counted upon killing this
brute but shortly bethought himself that
one HOosein Var Jung Bahadur, living not
tar of, possessed captive Of the kind and
who was he? mere second-rate Talookdar
an upstart, scarcely able 10 count back his
ancestry for 500 years. Could such a dis
tinction be tolerated? Eli We accursed.
Where is the tigers trap ordered prepared !?
Tear out its front end, break down the parti-
ton, and provide stout bamboos to fill it in
Sahibs, we will capture tits infidel and if he
is contumacious, then let him dieD
As We descended into the courtyard to
mount, broad, square platform car carrying
what looked like small log cabin with its
chinks unstopped, drew up in front of the
main gateway. This was our expected
quarry's cage, and fully three-score punging.
prancing hoTsemen arrayed in tattered
habilaments Of vivid hues, with as many
footmen equally dilapidated, surged and
screamed and cursed around it. That is the
style III which important persons here go
hunting. They have about as much idea OF
any proper proceedings under such circum-
stances as Hindu has of skates.
1he head Shikari led us towards that point
where his men were watching, and long
before it was reached dust had choked
Dharma Singh's tumultuous retinue into
quletness. After a time the light, friable
suriace-soil of that undulating plain over
which we rode began to be mixed with
grayelly clay its low rounded ridges rose
up INTO hills, often separated by sharply cut
ravines, and withered shrubs set in clumps
gave place 10 stunted trees. Here and there
patches of elephant OF tiger grass appeared
While shallow depressions, sometimes smooth
and sometimes tussocky, showed that this
was an inundation region sculptured by
foods
The Ihincccros, as some scouts informed
us, had been driven into deep and narrow
gully, where he still remained; kept there in
the simplest and most natural manner by
men who understood the traits and habits of
his species perfectly. 1t would have been
like trying to stop whirlwind with incanta-
tons, this plan SO successfully put in
practice here, if the brute had belonged TO
African groups. Rhinoccroses of that country
are, perhaps, bolder, more fierce and im-
placable, than any other wild beasts. They
constantly seek occasions for aggression. and
VIII charge when mans scent reveals his
presence, without waiting to catch sight of
their enemy.
ms rhino represented n more amiable
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES he might have es.
caped easily; for nothing was don. but build
an ihtrenehment of stones, logs and thorn
pushes behind him, and put two men in front
whose door would blow dowa the gulch
towards his exquisitely sens tive nostrils.
NO animals OF this order see we'll; but with