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The way it used to be

Lion-Hunt in Hurriana

“Lion And Lioness In Their Native Haunts”. Drawn by William Kuhnert. Harmsworth Natural History: A complete Survey of the Animal Kingdom, Vol I, 1910

A good number of black partridge are still to be found in the preserved grass of the stud department; the district is still famous for the stoutness of its hares, and I should think the banks of the Cuggur and the Batty country must still afford a good sporting tract, and where occasionally a lion may be met with. There are abundance of wild hogs, and the country is particularly safe for riding.

The first lion hunt I ever was present at was the most beautiful sight I have witnessed. The party assembled at Hissar, where some of the sporting elephants of the Marquis of Hasting’s retinue were stationed. A Duffadar’s party of Skinner’s horse accompanied us . The presence of suwars in lion hunting is very necessary; the plains being extensive, the animal is liable to be lost after the first onset unless suwars are at hand to go out on the flanks or to push on ahead to mark the jungle the lion retires into. In general when a lion is pursued, he will either endeavour to get away by sneaking off or take to the open country and there await the attack; the latter a tiger is never known to do, and I consider it to form the only peculiar difference of the two kinds of sports. A lion that takes to this open fighting gives by far the most exciting sport of anything I have seen in tiger hunting and is the most trying for the elephants.

Our party started form Hissar after an early breakfast, and although we had no particular information, we soon came to a jungle in which it was pretty certain the animal we were seeking was tenanted, as the whole population of neighbouring village, large and small, of both sexes, had come out to see the sport, and anxious to have a good view posted themselves on an open and high spot near the jungle we were about to beat. Soon after entering the jungle the lion was put up and fired at; the suwars, perfectly understanding their part, charged out from both flanks to watch him. To our astonishment the lion made directly for the villagers; it was impossible for us to give them the least assistance till our tardy elephants came up when it would have been too late, but two of the servants behaved nobly, and saved the crowd from the anticipated visit, for the villagers had already taken to flight and were hard pressed, when the first suwar rode close up to the lion, whose attention was immediately attracted and turned round upon him taking fearful springs, and was just about making a finale of the horse and rider, when the second suwar dashed in directly between the two; the lion now pursued him, when he reined his horse up, and waiting for the lion, cut him in the mouth with his sword, while at the same instant, his horse bounded off at full speed and saved himself from the return of the compliment.

The lion disappointed and foiled in his purpose, retired back to the jungle, where we followed and killed him at the first volley. He was a young but nearly full grown male, stood exactly three feet high and was nine feet long; his mane was nine inches in length; the cut made by the suwar’s tulwar was about three inches long and two inches deep on his upper lip. The women of the village were exceedingly anxious to burn the lion’s whiskers, which they did in spite of every remonstrance; in this part of the country it is done with a view to ensure connubial happiness, and they also hold it sound doctrine that offerings made to a male lion propitiates muhadeo in favour of barren women.

To the eastward, tigers’ whiskers are carefully burned because they are considered very poisonous; if a person could contrive to bolt pieces of them cut into lengths of a quarter of an inch they might irritate the stomach to that degree so as to cause death, otherwise, there can be no reason to suppose they are poisonous. The flesh of lions and tigers is esteemed by natives a good medicine in certain diseases; for this purpose it is dried and made into a powder, and the fat is very valuable for external applications.

From Bengal Sporting Magazine

(Excerpted from Treasures Of Indian Wildlife)

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The Ark was made by amateurs. Experts built the Titanic.

Mehul Kamdar