Seonee : or, Camp life on the Satpura Range; a tale of Indian adventure

Front matter

OSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY

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Preface

IT HAVE BEEN ASKED why I have adopted the form in which this narrative of Indian life appears, instead of _ treating the subject in the first person, the incidents all being personal experiences of my own and my friends.

I had several motives for so doing.

For the sake of making the book more interesting to my youthful readers; to enable me to impart much information in a pleasant colloquial manner, without the pedantry which might have been too obtrusive in an egotistical narration ; and, finally, to allow me to select from a mass of notes, jotted down at various times, those eases only which exhibited certain peculiarities in the animals concerned, and to arrange them in such a way as to carry the reader month by month through the successive seasons of the year.

I had no intention, when I took up my pen, of writing for the veteran sportsman, though I dare say there are many bits in the following pages—notices of birds and plants and insects, and traits of animal character—that will recall fond memories of the past to many an old shikaree. My book is written chiefly for younger followers of Saint Hubert, whether they be bound for India or not, and my aim throughout has al PREFACE.

been to inculcate a love for nature, and to make secondary to it the mere destroying of wild beasts.

The European characters have been created for the work, but. the natives are real beings. Some of my readers will not only recognise the scenes, but will remember old Sheykha, Soma the Lebhana, and my old follower the Lalla. The death of the latter bya tiger has ‘been vividly described by Captain Forsyth in his ‘ Highlands of Central India,’ though the story of his life is incorrect; the true account will be found in the Notes at the end of this volume. In the nomenclature of the birds and mammals I have followed Dr. Jerdon, an old friend and encourager of the natural history proclivities of my youthful days. For the botany Roxburgh’s ‘Flora Indica,’ Voight’s ‘ Hortus Suburbanus Caleuttensis,’ and Balfour’s ‘ Trees of India,’ have been my authorities.

The legend of Taj Khan illustrates the superstitious’

customs of the Mahomedans, who are firm believers in witchcraft and the raising and casting out of devils. The Lalla’s story is a sample of the art of the Hindoo zmprovvisatore. |

A short topographical and historical account of the district appears in the Appendix.

Rospert A. STERNDALE.

TuamMes Dirron: March 1877.

Chapter I

PAGE Tntroductory—The blue bull —Halal or not Halal ?—Major Fordham— The ride to camp—The friend’s arrival—-The camp—Bhoora—The wild cats—Kutcherry in camp—Nazir and Serishtadar—Avrrival of the blue bull—Principles of land tenures—The disputed boundary —Pathan versus Ponwar—The Gond’s evidence—Dongerdeo—The Punchayet—Rifles, old and new—Water-fowl—The snake-bird— The peregrine faleon—The chikara—Netting a hill—The rib-faced deer—An unexpected boar—A. run for life—The long shot, ‘Plugger’ retrieves his character—Paying the beaters . Alec 1

Chapter. II

Sheykha the shikaree—Gond men and women—Stalking a panther —Loading matchlock—Sheykha reports himself—Spear-grass—The dead panther—Jungle flowers—Muttol mutta—A risky shot—The she-bear—Cubs—Tomahawkine—Beating up Bruin—A critical moment—Green pigeons—The pangolin—The panther’s skull— Rearing young cubs—An evening stroll—The black buck—A. dead _ shot—Pea-fowl—Jungle warnings—Meeting a tiger—A narrow escape—Tigers on the high road—The man-eater—The shikaree’s death . as. s ; : ! , ? wy

Chapter III

Character of tigers—Sheykha’s proposal—Chand Khan’s opinion— Tempting a tiger—The cocoon and its uses—The fate of Rajoo— Story of Urjoon Telee—An exciting stalk—The destroyer destroyed —Measuring the tiger and measurements in general—Sambur— Karly rising— Watching for deer—The hind—The shikaree’s ruse —The stag approaches— Disappointment—Milford’s success— vill CONTENTS.

PAGE Painted partridge—Hornbills—The lost stag recovered—Native — bird-catchers—Moula, the Lalla—A suspicious tiger—The machaun —Sheykha’s stratagem—Wearisome watching—Luminous sights— The tiger wounded — Travelling on elephants— Tracking the wounded tiger—The elephant at work—A charge home — Bussunta’s revenge—A receipt for a stout heart . : ; : eee

Chapter IV

Milford’s home letter—Murdering a tiger—The quail trapper and kingfisher snarer—The Marabou adjutant—The Lalla’sargument—Four-horned antelope—The iguana—Spotted deer and panther— Cromlechs—Kookra Deo’s revenge—Umma Maiee—The sacred spring—A wary stag—Dongerdeo’s complaisance . ai 1 pe # AS

Chapter V

Seonee of the present—Seonee of the past—The environs of the station —The Ban Gunga river—A camel ride and camels in general—The pit at Barelipar—Night shooting—The sambur—A robber—The doctor’s elephant— Un enfant terrible—A serious plight—The doctor anathematizes ‘Snuffles’—The tic polonga—The tank at Chownree—Water-fowl—The Lalla snares a hawk—The camel breaks his leg—A. new dish—Derivation of names— Demoiselle cranes—Spotted deer and tiger—Hide-and-seek—Poisoning fish— Alligators—A village belle—An unprovoked attack—Death of the fighting tiger ; 5 : : ; . . 145

Chapter VI

Machagora—The Mahseer—The walk to the river—Fordham shoots a panther—From the sublime to the ridiculous—F lying-foxes—The , lamps of the angels—Starting a sulker—Milford gets a sixty-five pounder—Black buck—Driving a herd--A mysterious disappearance—Cooking a bustard—Eley’s cartridge at forty yards—The road to Bamunwarra—The blue bull at bay—The wild dog— Chappara—A_ panther by lamplight—Return to Seonee—A man killed—The tiger in the street—Bussunta put to flight—An uncowed cow . ; : AP seat : : : - 7 186

The Koraie Pass—

CONTENTS:

Chapter VII

A narrow escape from the Rookhur man-eater—The dak bungalow—Drongo shrikes—The Singhara plant—A faithful buffalo—The Lalla tempts Milford—A pacalioht expedition—A_ left-shoulder shot—The tiger lost— Allikutte—Dongertal—Shooting nyleai from a cart—The fakeer— The argument—The hermit’s blessing—The Pathan war1ior—Raja Bukht Buland—The first step towards fame—An athletic damsel —The sorcerer—The curse—The disguised rival—The hermits caye—The incantation—The vision and the warning—The combat —Returning to die

Chapter VIII

Ironworks at Pukhara—A forest on fire—The mouse-deer—Sirdaree’s adventure — Native heroes— Strength of tigers — Four-horned antelope—The legend of the Shah bulbuls—Bees’ nest—An uncertain remedy—The chameleon—Soma the Lebhana—Breaking of the monsoon—The Bunjara camp—Teak-wood tar—A Bunjara stag hunt—A morning stroll—A snap shot—Boar versus tiger— The result of over-confidence.

Chapter IX

Bison jungles—The bison in the path—A jungle hamlet—Crossing a flood—The Baiga hut—Striking’ a trail—A Sonawani torrent —The' close of a fruitless day—The solitary bull—The gaur—A

- shot in the forehead—A cow—Large red squirrel—Day dreams—

Another solitary bull—Failure—Fish shooting at Ashta—Terray ins —Pied kingfisher—Chikara horns—A_ fretful porcupine

CHAPTER X. _ Autumn in Central India—Fordham’s house—Zalim—The menagerie

—The Paradoxurus—Pips the mungoose—A strange recovery— Camel surgery — Musk-rats—An unwieldy patient— Elephantine dentistry—An unruly princess—Pe-icans and sea snakes—Hdible roots—Coming a cropper-—-Thirsty reflections—A resuscitated bull.

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CONTENTS.