A Popular Account of the Manners and Customs of IndiaAcland, Charles
History
A Popular Account of the Manners and Customs of India
Acland, Charles
India -- Description and travel; India -- Social life and customs
We had sent men the day before to trace a path through the jungle,
and they had tolerably succeeded. But unfortunately I was weak and
far from well, and was completely knocked up before I got half-way
to the top. One of our party was a medical man, and he insisted on
my not attempting to go any farther. I felt deadly sick, my face was
as white as snow, every pulse in my head and chest throbbed as if it
would burst, my mouth was not dry but clammy, and when I lay down
on a piece of rock I almost doubted if I should ever rise again.
However, I soon felt better, descended the hill, got a glass of beer,
and lay down in the tent for an hour or two. The others reached the
top without much difficulty, though two of them avowed that, if the
summit had been a hundred yards farther, they could not have reached
it. They were very thankful for some beer and brandy-and-water which
I sent up for them. They saw no animals, though in several places
traces of bears were observed. The Rajah says there are no tigers in
these parts.
We had but little hunting; while we were there one of our party
killed a beautiful spotted deer. I shot some peacocks and a
jungle-cock. Talking of hunting reminds me of an adventure which I
must relate. The commissioner is the stoutest man I have seen in
India, although my wife did insinuate the other day that I was nearly
as big, but I am not.
The other day Mr. D., Lieutenant H., and the commissioner went out
hog-hunting. This sport is always performed on horseback with long
spears. The beaters soon turned out a magnificent boar. "A boar! a
boar!" was the shout, and up galloped the commissioner and plunged
the spear into the animal; but, in consequence of his horse swerving,
he was unable to withdraw the weapon, and the boar ran off with it
sticking into his back. Lieutenant H. now came up; the boar charged
him, cut both the fore legs of his horse to the bone with his tusks,
and tumbled horse and man over on the ground. In the mean time the
commissioner had seized another spear from his syce, when the boar
rushed at him. His horse swerved at the moment that he was making a
thrust with his spear, and the poor commissioner rolled over on the
ground. Fortunately the boar was nearly exhausted, too much so to
charge again; but he did what perhaps no boar ever did before,--he
seized the commissioner by the coat-tails as he lay on his stomach.
Feeling the snout of the beast, he at once expected to be cut, if
not killed, by its tremendous tusks.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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