I
i4l
K I L L I N G GAME AT THE INUNDATION OF AN ISLAND. 1,32
,1,., Ib,.cc <.r 11» ,o Ix. dh-octcl .o .he new ¡.l»nj . i,. case It cannot
stMHl il. -ron.Kl In the .an.e n.anne,- a„ island freqnenlly proves the destruclim,
„ f l l , e next below I.; wl.ieh vanlsl.es, and it, component part.cles, alter
lloa.ing for miles, are probably arrested by some neu acenmnlat.on,
, owe Iheir fonnalion to a root ol'lhe./oB, « l.ieli is a very large
planl, always prove .lie n.ost soli.l and dnrablc. The yo.
Sncli islaiiils 1
n,ereases very fas., and soon ¿ovc.-s .he snrfacc : its stro.ig and ex.ens.ve roots
l.i.Kl .he soil, and .he foliage decaying annnally. snpplies the st.rfaee not only
w i . h an addi.ional s.ra.mn, liut an exeelleii. maniire.
Ironi this
great rivers
,ve are .o .nulers.ainl, Ilia, .he chains of islands tlirmighon. the
,rc ill a constan, s.a.e of removal downwards towards the sea,
where lliey form those exiensive lands wliieh may he reckoned among the
„ a . i i r a l .lefenees of Bengal, and are so extremely dangerous even to such as
from study or habit are best ae.|oaialed wi.h .heir si.uations. It appear, plain,
thai .he large tract of country overgroivn „ illi woods and nnderwood, and so
intersected ,vi.h rivers and small s.reams, most of then, navigable, loiown by
.1,, name of the Saiiderbniuls, wa, once a part of the Bay of Bengal. There are
snilicieii. grounds indeed .o eonjecturc lira, .he present
abonl six miles soiltll-eait from Calcutta, w
ocean in tha. ipnir.er.
1 wa.er lake, dis.aiit
former times, the limit of the
The fiaiie-es and the Baranipooter are the two largest rivers in Bengal, and
what i , highly eiirion,, they tak,> .heir rise from differeo. sides of the same hill.
A f t e r diverging in.o opposite directions, so a, to be u,,wards of
ihousand
miles asunder, they meet again about .wcn.y
where, losing .heir res]iee.iie designa.ions,
called .he Megna. Throilghou. tile
iles below the city of Dacca ;
form .ha. immense river
course .hey are replete with such periodical
islaiKls ai have been described. Of these many arc four or five miles in
len"tb, and having in course of .inie become covcrcd wi.h a ,ub, .ant ial cpiantlty
of xitr/ilfi grass.
ny occasions builalos, tigers,
ml o.hcr cover, arc rcor.cd .0 by wild bea,.s in general.
T h o u g h some of lliese islands are richly cultivated, and conic nndcr the
c o g n i L i i c e of .he collectors' servants, yet many arc, from varion, cause,, uninha'bited.
Up .he Gog,a and the Soanc in particular, those large rapnl rivers,
wbicli issue from ranges of nioiui.ains covered and skir.ed wi.h immeasurable
jungles, and subject .o sudden iimnda.ions, the game is most frcipiently
dislodged.
O n the banks of the Gogra, the rliinoeeros and the elephant are seen in great
unmbers; nor are tigers wanting. As for deer and wild hogs, they will frequent
any place airording cover and the means of snbsistcnee. Hence it occurs,
thai ill .hose seasons when the rivers rise to an unusual height, which they
soinetnnes do the extent of three or four feet beyond their general plenitude,
vast numbers of animals are dislodged from haunts where, for many years, they
may have existed ami bred in quiet. These are launched, much against their
w i l l , into an iinmeuse expanse of waters. On in
deer, hogs, &e. may be seen lloating in groupes.
T o the biidalo it is mere pastime; that animal being almost amphibiou,, and
fond of floating about in deep water, , in which he i, apparently more refreshed
than fatigued.' To the tiger, however, it is a serious moment, and totally repuo
nant to his general ideas of privacy and safety. Hogs do not seem to be,
by any means, so much distressed as cither .igere or deer; .hey swim very
s.'rong, and are of.en known to land far below where o.hcr animals have been
found in a state of complete exhaustion.
When it is perceived that thewatere are rising, so as to create an expectation
that the islands will be submerged, the villagers make .he necessary prepara-
.ions for availing .hemselves of the opportunity offered, both of acquiring a
supply of garae,''skins, &c. auti of destroying those animal, of whose depredatory
habit, thcY have probably had abundant proof,. The boat, are held n,
readiness, while a few are scut among the long sarput grass, ivhieh perhaps may
be twelve or fourteen feet high, .0 watch closely .he effect of the inundation.
The spears are sharpened, as also the or broad-swords; the bucklers are
fitted, the matchlocks cleaned, and in fact all is in trim for the occasion. The
buffalos generallv are the last to qui., bo.h as being .he largest, and least
alarmed at .he in.lux of ihe element. However, they sometimes attempt to
escape, and attack the boats when in shallow water. The prudent crew, composed
of all classes and professions, such as fishermen, peasants, sheearries,
and other adventurers, gradually decoy llie buffalo into deep water, where his
horns become quite useless, on aeconn. of .he impossibility of .heir being broiigh.
to the charging position without the animal's head being far under water; he i,
thus rendered incapable of making a competent resistance, and is speedi l y killed.
T h e tiger sometimes makes a most desperate defcocc, and rearing up in the
water a, the boats approach, plunges toward, .hem with the intent to board.
I have been told that some have succeeded ; which I .liink very likely, when
w e consider what a mo.ley gang are leagued .o assault liiin. However, even
if a shot should miss, or not disable him, a good stroke of a tukar over the
paw eould rarely fail of its intent. At such moments In, motion, are very
d e c i s i v e ; for his whole s.renglh and activity are sunimoneil lor the critical
Under coinmou circumstances, although a tiger may hold out, and
much eonfusimi for a while, 1 should think he eould not possibly
villi imj)uiiiLy.
essay.
occasio
escape
Hogs and deer are generally attacked with confidcnec ; the former are best
secured by a smart cut over the loins, ivhich iiistanlly deprives the aiinnal of
power either to re,i,t or to escape; and the latter arc mo,tly knocked on the
head by a lattie, an oar, or whatever may be at hand.
T h e Plate will give a correct idea of the form of a dingy, and of the manner
K I L L I N G GAME AT THE INUNDATION OF AN ISLAND.
1.33
in which it is plalfortnoil willi bamboo laths. The vessel seen at a distance is a
coinnion baggage or merchant vessel. Boats are baled by means of wooden
scoops, some thing like the shovels used for watering cloths in bleacliing
g r o u n d s ; the right liand grasps ihe handle, whi l e the left liolds a cord fastened
near to the broad part, serving to raise the scoop when filled, wliile the right
hand, with a swinging motion, casls the water over the edge of the boat.
I t is pleasant lo see with .what ease a large quantity of water is raised in
some parts of India; a palmira or cocoa tree being scooped out, and the buttcud
closed wilh a board, &c. is fixed on a pivot on a level with the place to
w h i c h the water is lo be raised ; a man having a pole lo sustain bini, throws
! L
his weight towards llie biitl-eii.l, whicli thus sinks into tiie water, when the
balance being again changed to the otln;r end, the water is raised a, the buttend
ascends, and shoots into a channel or reservoir made for the purpose. The
quickest method, however, is by means of an osier scoop, about tliree f,-et
square, and having a raised ledge on every ,ide, except that which i, immersed
into the water. Two men phiec .hem,elves on tlie opposite side, of the ri'si-rvoir
wheiicc the water i, to be raised, and by means of four rope,, one at each
corner of the .scoop, and passing lo the men's liands respectively, tlic wali-r is
raised by a swinging motion to abou. four or live feet above its former level
A l l these methods are excellent. They lift immense quantities, and are exempt
from the expense, aL.cndant on all maeliinerv.