sounds of the drums and the trumpets, and the yells of the people,
as nearly a thousand of them marched through the jungle towards us,
driving before them every sort of game. I should tell you that we
kept our elephants close at hand in case of the worst. You cannot
imagine the excitement in such watching as this. Two or three miles
off the most fearful yells from 1000 men, close around you utter
silence; your eyes roaming in every direction, not knowing at what
point a deer or a tiger may break out.
Ha! listen! there's a crack among the branches, and out rushes a
noble stag. Bang goes G.'s gun. We had agreed that he should have the
first shot. He's down! "Hush! here's something else in this patch of
jungle." "Where?" he whispers, as he loads. "There, I see it now:
look out; here it comes!" And sure enough out rushed seven pigs,
followed almost immediately by three others. Now a wild boar is a
most awkward animal to fight on foot, and we had agreed we should
not fire at them. However, they rushed right towards us. What's to
be done? "Get on the elephant," says G. "No time," said I; "follow
me:" and we both fairly turned tail, pursued by a herd of pigs until
we came to a bush, or rather a patch of bushes, round which we could
make a short turn to escape them, and then back to our own station,
laughing as hard as we could. But really a wild boar is no laughing
matter as he rushes along tearing up the earth. If he charges, as he
almost invariably does, with one movement of his head he could cut
both legs to the bone, dividing the arteries, and probably killing
the man.
Presently a young stag rushed into one of the bags with such force
as to break both his horns close off. There we found him when we
examined the nets. We were sitting watching for what should come
next, when G., raising his finger, whispered to me, "What's that down
there in the plain? That's a deer: no, it can't be: do you see how
it slouches along? Depend upon it it's not a deer." "Well, at any
rate it's coming this way; we shall soon get a look at it." Another
pause of half a minute and the beast was concealed in a little patch
of jungle a few hundred yards from us. I now had time to examine it.
"I'll tell you what, G.; that brute's a regular tiger." "Well, so I
thought, but I hardly liked to say so: what shall we do if he comes
this way?" "I say keep close where we are." "But suppose he should
make a spring over the hedge in front of us?" "Lie flat down, and
let him go over us: yet I think I could hardly resist having a shot
while he was in the air." "Oh! pray don't fire; what in the world
could we two do on foot against a wounded tiger?" However, our fears
were needless: as the beaters advanced, the animal slunk away into
a more distant piece of jungle, and we saw no more of him. Two of
our people were rather hurt to-day--one by a deer leaping over him,
and cutting his head with his hoof; a rupee, however, made him quite
happy again: the other was a man who, as a large stag rushed past,
made a spring at its horns, thinking to pull it down, whereby he got
severe fall and prevented us from firing.
Pooree, April 26, 1845.
[Sidenote: FATAL ILLNESS OF AUTHOR.]
I have had another attack similar to last year; it came on in
the same way and whilst I was in the pulpit. In the midst of the
sermon my teeth began to chatter; I could not speak; my face became
perfectly white; a cold blast seemed to enter my left side and spread
over the surface of my body, and then gradually penetrate to the
very innermost part, whilst I was obliged to cling to the sides of
the pulpit for support. It did not last above a minute and a half,
and I managed to finish my sermon; but it was enough to astonish the
congregation and to warn me of what was coming. All my old symptoms
returned, though not so strongly as before--utter restlessness at
night and heavy sleepiness during the day, a painful cough when I
lay down, and other alarming signs. We came down to Pooree, where my
favourite doctor lives, and I already feel much better.
There is a billiard-table in the house where we are now staying, and
the doctor desires me to play as much as I can every day. Of course
playing for money is never allowed. The game of billiards is about
the best exercise for India. It is not too violent, yet it gives a
man about three miles of walking in the hour, and brings all the
limbs into play.
May 8, 1845.
I am too weak to write much, and shall therefore continue at another
time.
[NOTE.--On the 17th of May the author's life was closed.]
THE END.
London: Printed by WILLIAM CLOWES and SONS, Stamford Street.
* * * * *
Transcriber's Notes:
Obvious typographical errors were repaired. Archaic and valid
alternate spellings were retained.
Hyphenation inconsistencies were standardized.
p. 145, "I believe the Buddhist religion": Original read "Bhuddist."