. The diary of a sportsman naturalist in India. Hunting; Game protection. CHAPTER I THE JUNGLES OF CHOTA NAGPUR The jungles of Chota Nagpur—A fine shikar country—The Kols and their villages—Bishu, head shikari—Marvellous tracking powers of the Kols—The Indian gaur or bison—Pick up the tracks of an old bull—Deserted villages in the forest—Villagers' hopeless struggle with wild animals, malaria, and the encroaching jungle—-Promising young tree crops occupy areas—Follow the bull—River terraces— Giant old trees and feathery bamboos—A rocky ravine and beautiful scenery—Come up with the bull—An unlu
. The diary of a sportsman naturalist in India. Hunting; Game protection. CHAPTER I THE JUNGLES OF CHOTA NAGPUR The jungles of Chota Nagpur—A fine shikar country—The Kols and their villages—Bishu, head shikari—Marvellous tracking powers of the Kols—The Indian gaur or bison—Pick up the tracks of an old bull—Deserted villages in the forest—Villagers' hopeless struggle with wild animals, malaria, and the encroaching jungle—-Promising young tree crops occupy areas—Follow the bull—River terraces— Giant old trees and feathery bamboos—A rocky ravine and beautiful scenery—Come up with the bull—An unlucky contretemps—A grateful halt—Set out again—A long trek—Again find the bison— Face to face with the bull—A hurried retreat—The bull badly hit —Follow him down the valley—A last shot—Bishu's determination —Death of the bull. SOON after dawn, one December morning, a score of years ago, I stood leaning on my rifle and surveying a scene of great beauty which lay out- spread before me. The point reached after an arduous chmb was the summit of one of the higher ranges of hills in the wilds of Chota Nagpur, at that time forming the Western division of the province of Bengal. Below stretched a sea of brilliant green forest of the valued s41 {Shorea robusta) tree densely clothing the valleys, ravines and lower part of the sides of the tumbled chaotic mass of hills upon which I gazed. Away in the distance a yellow ribbon with a silver streak (a tributary of the Mahanadi River, the only river of importance in Chota Nagpur) ser- pentining across it, over which hung a white filmy mist, showed where the hills dropped into an elevated area of cultivated table-land. The sun had just risen and was rapidly sucking up the white vapour which lay in the deeper ravines. Here and there a faint smoke rising above the deep sea of green pro- claimed the presence of a jungle village, consisting of a collection of miserable mud-walled thatched huts, th
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1920, booksubjecthunting, bookyear1920
