62 D R I V I N G A TIGER OUT OF A JUNGLE.
liovildoring tlie already ¡islonislied tiger ; wliicli, after rcpealocl efibvls to avoid
ill« falul snare, uL length in tlic iiiomenl of conslernalioii and despair, rushes
fi)nviird, conscioiis of llic ilaiigcr, but nilii a violent resolulioii to bear down all
before liim !
The hhauns, however, are not very safe engines, licing apt to turn hack towards
those who iiso tlieni. They are ninch employed among the native ¡¡owers,
who kvc\) a large eslahlishnient of nn-u and camels exclusively foi- tliis purpose.
Tlic coulrivanee is very simple, being nothing more than a hollow cylinder of
iron, of about, len Indies or a fool long, and from two to three Indies in
diameter, closed at the fore end, and at the other having only a small aperture
left, for llie purpose of filling willi a composition, similar to what is used for
nniking serpents, See. These cylinders are tied very strongly to lutlics, or wild
bamboo staves, of about six or seven feet long. Thus they are lirmly fixed
parallel l.o the tliid<cst end of the lat/ic, when the fuse at the vent being
lighlod, and a direction given by the operator, as soon as the fire gains
suilicient Ibrce, a slight cast of llie haiiil commences its motion, and the dangerous
missih-, urged by its encreasing powers, proceeds in the most furious
manner lo ils deslination ! The panic it occasions among cavalry is wonderful !
Tt would doubtless be the most foruiidahle of all destructive inventions, if ils
course ami distance could be brought nuder tolerable regulation. When it
does light where intended, ils efieut is inconceivable; all fly from the hissing,
winding visitor; receiving perhaps some smart strokes from the lattie, which
gives (lirection to the tube, often causing it to iiiake the most sudden and unexpected
traverse. So ilelicate, indeed, is the management of this tremendous
weapon, thai, without great precaution, those who discharge them are not safe;
and it rocpiires much ])ractice not only lo give them due elevation, whereby
tlieir distance is proportioned, but to ensure that they shall not, in the very act
of discharging, receive any improper bias, which wouhl infallibly produce niisdiief
among their own party.
With resi)ecl to the number of elephants proper lo be employed in driving
tigers out of covers, that must, as in hog-hunting, depend entirely on the nature
of tile cover, and especially on ils breadth; it being evident thai a narrow
hiinil will require fewer elephants lo form a suilicient line, than a broad one.
Whalevcr may he the expanse of cover lo be searched, care should be taken
that the line be snilicicntly close and compacl; else a party " may toil all day
and eatcb no tigers." The elephants should not be more than ten yards
asunder on any account, in bunds-, tliough in grass jiingles not exceeding three
or four feel in height, double that distance may be safely allowed; as the
ele|>hanl will soon wind the tiger, which in such a situation cannot easily c.scapc.
Although a Jiunierous body of elephants is certainly very desirable, yet as soon
as the tiger is roused, it is best lo collect all not immediately of service, thai is
to say rejecting such as are nol furnished with fire arras, causing lliem to
remain couii)acl and out of the way of the hunters, whose shot might else do
mischief ; e parly.
N i n e t y nine in the hundred of tigers are first discovered by dephants, and
announced by (heir significant motions and noises. Whenever dephants display
iheir usual tokens of uneixsiness, the cover should be closdy watched, and the
slightest rustling of the grass, or bushes, be marked with the most scrupulous
attention. If the motion of an animal through the gmss I)e perceived, llie
nearest elephant should be halted; and, its left shoulder being pointed towards
(he moving object, as the most favouralile position for taking a good aim, the
hunter should fire without hesitation ; observing lo proportion his level, as far
within tlie space between himself and the lops of the yielding grass, as llie
height of the cover may dictate : by this precaution, which is equally necessary
when shooting fish that are in any degree beneath the surface of the water, llie
ball will, in general, take effect. If the tiger be wounded, he will in all probability
spring up Avith a hideous roar, and, bounding through ihe cover, make
towards the nearest dephanl, his nioulh open, his tail erect, or lashing his
sides, and his whole fur bristled up ! This kind of onset is certainly productive
of awful sensations, and forms such a principal feature in this work, that i
have devoted an entire Number in this series lo its »lisplay. At present I shall
confine the description to what is contained in the Plate appertaining Lo this
Number. ^
Wlien a tiger, as often happens, endeavours to steal away, in lieu of
augmenting his apparent bulk by erecting his fur, be seems lo draw in his
breath, and to do every thing in his power to appear as diminutive as possible;
sneaking in the most subtile manner, and keeping as low lo the ground as
possible. This is often done with such success, as to enable the artful animal
lo ellect an escape among ravines, where it would be the height of madness to
allempl a ])ursuit. And such is the deeepliou with respect lo the size of a
t i g e r , thus intent on evading his pursuers, that, if he be brought to bay, many
of the party, and especially those of least experience, can scarcely believe that
Ihe fierce distended brute is the same lhal but awliilc before appeared to be
little more than a half grown cub.
N o t h i n g can appear more truly contemptible than a tiger when skulking
before a line of ele])hants; such eagerness lo hide behind every bush ; such a
cringing, sly, jealous and cowardly demeanour ; one really cannot, without some
ililliculty, believe him to possess such fire, and energy, as lie displays when
driven to extremities! A few, however, die, as it were, quile resigned ; and absolutely
disgust the hunters by a passive, lame, and imbecile demeanour, nol
only contrary lo the nature of the animal in general, but rendering the chase
quite insipid and disinteresling.
The native gentlemen are more disposed lo hunt tigers than to ride after
hogs. The former sporl is more conformable to iheir pageantry, and to tlial
oliitm cam dignitate so ])itrlicularly characlerislic of Asiatics in general. However,
it is rarely lhal ihe great man does much himself; the tigers being or<linarily
roused, pursued, and killed by a few dashers, who fail not lo rdjn((uish, in llie
D R I V I N G A TIGER OUT OF A JUNGLE. G3
presence of their chief, and of bis bost of followers, all dalm to commendation;
re^i^'nin- to the all-powerful prowess of the proud chief ihc enlire merit ol the
alchievinenl; and, if peradventure his highness should have discharged his
piece during the chase, appropriating the fatal wound to bis unuemng aim.
Many of ibe mokouts, or elephant drivei-s, are wonderfully keen, and handle a
spear with great dexterity. When confident in regard to iheir respective
clephanU, and of ibe spirit and skill of the genllemeu who compose the party,
they display mudi energy and.courage.
MohoiUs are for the most part Mussulmans, an<l, in general, very dissipated
characters. They drink fredy, and smoke the ga„jith, which is a slup.fyu.g
herb to great excess. They drink also of the which is a beverage made
from the same plant; and, like ihe ganjah, when prepared for smoking,
generally renders those who partake of it in any quantity completely unfit for
business. Those who once lake to drinking or smoking ih^ gunjuh, may lliencef
o r l h be considered incorrigible debauchees. As in all situaUons of life Urere
are various degrees of promotion, so do the coolm, who commence as
to the dephants aspire to being ullimatdy mohouts lliemsdves. Sometimes
they are devated by accidenl, but generally f rom some necessity, or irom
lono- service. As to merit", but few would rise who should rdy on so slender a
claim ! After having a competent knowledge of the pi-ofession, which does not
require any very tedious servitude, nor arduous application, they often leave iheusituations;
and, repairing to some distant camp, produce, as is very common m
India forced certificates of faithful service in ihe employ of some gentleman
whom they apprehend to be in another (luarter; when the strange Qiulilatioa. ot
European names, so genei-al among the natives, added lo other circumstances,
occasions at times very unexpected discoveries. As to the certificate, a few
annas or a rupee will ordinarily suffice to bribe some mean European, a i ortuo
ueze writer, or some such pe«ou, to pen a famous good chaj-acter. A man,
who was once a candidate for employment in my own service, veiy dekb
e r a t d y put into my hands a certificate, staling that he bad been ,n my employ
for many years, and that he was quite a paragon ia bis way ! 1 he facility wilJi
which such errors may occur will be easily understood, when it is known that
Colonel Ironside, who served thirty years in India, was invariably called Colonel
Rung ! This is only one of thousands e([ually mis-called. Nor can the natives
reiiie<ly so slrange a system of error; which must appear llu; more exlraor<linary,
since ihcy do nol want for ear, and in their own languug«; ¡»ronounce
very correctly !
To me, the avocation of mohoni appears intolefable ; and can, in my idea, be
surpassed only by that o{ stuisun, or camel keeper : the inolion of an dephanl,
and particvdarly when seated on bis neck, is extremely un|)leasanl, and must he
injurious to health. That of the camel is len-fold worse ; and no doubt tends
much lo that early senesccnee so remarkable iii lhal profession, indeed, 1 do
nol consider longevity lo be al all the diaraetoristic of India : whether it procecil
from the excessive heats, or from indolence of the superior classes, and from the
drudgery of the lower orders, might be diiTicull lo determine; but it is an undoubted
fact, lhal a man of sixty is very rarely to be found. Here and (here,
among the venerable Hindoos, we do occa.sionally ineel with years in proportion
to the symptoms of age; but those arc very rare cases, Thousands wlio
appear old are found, on examination, to be far less advanced in life lhan one,
nol aware of the truth, would imagine. The women, in particular, do i»ol
number many years ; which may be attributed lo their very eariy marriages,
and it being by no means uneommon for a wife just entering her leei« lo have
a diild at l,be breast. It is singular, lhal throughout India a giri's reputation
would suffer, were she lo arrive al puherly iu a slate of celibacy! ! ! T was
never able to obtain any satisfactory information as lo the origin, or cause for
so extraordinary a circumstance. All I could ever extract, from the many to
whom I applied for information, was, lhal, some particular stigma must be with
a family where the daughters were not, all married al a proper age ; namely,
when from six lo ten years old. The reader is lo observe, lhal, properiy
speaking, children are only betrothed at such times, and that the final ceremonies
do not, in general, take place until some years after; when the bridegroom
conducts hisyii/r acquisition Lo bis own residence.