The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1901-05-27

| earth. The delta stretches along TIT
northern face of the Bay of Bengal TO
| two hundred miles. It's western half Il
clothed with forests, while in the east
ern part the shores are mud banks
where the ebb tide retires for twenty
miles from the high water mark, al
though the rise and fall does not exceed
twelve feet. The Soonderbun region Is
covered with dense mass Of stpntet
trees growing on swampy land, which
is fighting continually for existence Will
the ocean. Innumerable rivers and
creeks thread the matted jungle, and
miasma reeks from the morass. The
| Soonderbun fairly swarms with tigers
fierce wild boars, buffaloes, crocodiles
and pythons. The tigers swim the dark
waterways, going from place to place in
search of new hunting grounds, and
their yellow heads, lit by fiercely glar-
ing eyes, are seen more frequently than
boats upon the creeks and rivers which
wind their sluggish course through the
dark and gruesome jungle.
A part of the forest Is reserved by the
government for supply of timber, but
in the parts not reserved efforts are be-
ing made to bring the land under cult
walton. But it is hard to get natives to
work the land, even with the most libe-
raj inducements, for the oultivator lives
in constant dread of the army of the
jungle. Wild boars mangle them out
of all recognition, crocodiles drag them
down into the depths of the noisome
lagoons, and tigers bound into their
fields and villages and seize them and
carry them off to the jungle to be de-
voured, or the buffaloes trample their
crops and impale the laborers on their
horns.
This region will be one of the fields of
operation for the sportsmen's army
when it takes the field against the jun
gle people" and sportsman who can
not come back from the Soonderbun
with enough trophies of big game to
make him proud man for the rest of
his life, envied and the admired Of the
stay at-homes, is unworthy of the name
of sportsman. One weeks hunting in
the delta Of the Gauges ought to furnish
enough material for him to brag about
the rest of his life, and many reminis-
cences Of big game shooting with which
he can bore his grandchildren in his old
age. The Soonderbun lies not far be-
low the seat of the Indian government,
the great city Of Calcutta, an excellent
base of operations from which the ex-
petition would start, and the water
ways of the delta can be navigated by
small steamers, so there will be no diff
ficulty in penetrating into the region
where the big game abounds, Indeed,
a considerable amount of shooting can
be done from steamers and smaller
boats without risklng the hardships and
dangers Of the jungle trails.
Elephants, from the nature of the
cannot be used in the hunting
If the tigers Of the delta, so they either
Will be stalked on foot or shot from plat
'orms in the trees or from boats. In
hunting the tigers In other parts of In
lila there will be sent out, where the ma
ure of the country will permit, expedi-
ions provided with trained elephants,
rom the backs of which the tiger 4
shooting viii be DONE This is the grand
Ind stately way of hunting the Jungle
the way of rajahs and princes
When men go forth to hunt in this man.
There are the great numbering ee-
1hants with their mahouts or drivers
lstride their necks and the howdahs
illed with hunters on their backs. Fol-
owing them are supply trains with
ents and camp equipage, that the sa-
ibis rest after the fatigues- of the day
nay be surrounded with luxury and
omfort. Then there are hordes of beat
RS, under the direction of experienced
hikaris, who beat the jungle with dis
ordant noises to scare the tigers in the |
Erection of the elephants, and long re-
inues of servants, gun bearers. etc. |
sajahs, maharajahs, nawabs and other
ative "heavy swells" take a glittering
art in such hunts, and the whole af- |
air, for gorgeousness, beats a circus
treet parade.
If the elephants were not trained for
he sport they would turn and run at |
he first appearance of the great cat of |
he jungle. The sport, even with ele-
hants, is not devoid of danger, for
ometimes wounded tiger springs in
is fury on the elephants bank and
lies to tear the hunters from {he how
abs, And sometimes, too, the ele-
liant, although trained, may bolt and
linge in his fight through the forest,
here the low-hung limbs of the trees
weep the hunters from his back.
Another method of hunting the tiger
to build platforms in the trees, on
hich the hunters take their stand,
lille the game is driven toward them
Y the beaters.
If the government decides to give it's
-eat hunting party, all these methods
bagging the tiger will be employed,
i'd the expeditions organized on
ale never before seen. The organiza-
on of an army Of sportsmen seems to
! the only way Of successfully con-
letting the war with the Jungle and
lch war must be Waged and prose-
tied with vigor. 1t will not do to have
Early thirty thousand people killed
oh year by wild beasts and venomous
ptiles, even If the number of the !
ain would stop at that figure. When
e numbers yearly climb UP it is time
r action--time to put an army in the ]
Id and declare a war of extermina-
on against the forces of the Jungle. ]
Besides the tigers, there are plenty of
Dives to be killed These animals, S
1ich kill their hundreds of people eve
year and slaughter many hundreds 9
cattle, roam about the open country
ID carry terror to the settlements {
ley are particularly given to sneaking 8
to a village and carrying off young
ildren. In one year thirty children S