miiiiliiiiiiiiii: BYJ.C.GREW iiilii C!(acneU Hmneraity Iltbcatg 3tliata. Ktm lurk CHARLES WILLIAM WASON COLLECTION CHINA AND THE CHINESE THE OIFTOF CHARLES WILLIAM WASON CLASS OF 1876 1918 Cornell University Library SK 231.G84 Sport and travel in the Far East / 3 1924 023 611 381 Cornell University Library The original of tinis bool< is in the Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924023611381 SPORT AND TRAVEL IN THE FAR EAST ei u a O H u O < z 5 u ><" o a: z f- o Hi w SPORT AND TRAVEL IN THE FAR EAST BY J. C. GREW WITH EIGHTY ILLUSTRATIONS FROM PHOTOGRAPHS BY THE AUTHOR LonOon CONSTABLE & CO. Limited BOSTON AND NEW TOBK HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY 1910 UNIVI: ;;%1 I Y COPYRIGHT, I9IO, BY JOSBFH CLARK GREW ALL RIGHTS RESERVED TO MY WIFE " So for one the wet sail arching through the rainbow round the bow, And for one the creak of snow-shoes on the crust; And for one the lakeside lilies where the bull-moose waits the cow, And for one the mule-train coughing in the dust. Who hath smelt wood-smoke at twilight ? Who hath heard the birch-log burning ? Who is quick to read the noises of the night ? Let him follow with the others, for the Young Men's feet are turning To the camps of proved desire and known delight I " Let him go — go — go away from here ! On the other side the world he's overdue. 'Send your road is clear before you when the old spring-fret comes o'er you And the Red Gods call for you ! " CONTENTS I. Marseilles to Singapore i II. Through the Malay Jungle 22 III. Impressions of Northern India: Bombay, Jaipore, Amber, Agra 47 IV. Impressions of Northern India: Cawn- pore, Lucknow, Benares 66 V. Waimungu and the Hot-Spring Country OF New Zealand 91 VI. The Journey into Kashmir 110 VII. Ibex-Shooting in the Mountains of Bal- tistan 134 VIII. Markhor and Sharpu Shooting in Baltis- tan 158 IX. Black Bear Honking in the Valley of Kashmir 193 X. Kashmir to China 204 XI. Hunting the Cave-Dwelling Tiger of China 226 Index 255 Note, — Some portions of this book have already appeared in Harper* s Maga- usitie, Outing, and the Badminton Magazine of Sports and Pastimes. ILLUSTRATIONS Tiger shot near Amoy, China, October 3, 1904 Frontispiece Ceylon Coast Scene showing Catamarans 3 Street Scene in Singapore 6 A Road in Colombo 8 A Malay Bullock Cart 11 The Harbor, Singapore . . . . , 14 The Harbor of Penang, British Straits Settlements . 14 A Malay Village or Kampong 19 A Malay Town 22 Rest House at Kwala Kangsar 22 A Water Buffalo or Caribao, the beast of burden of THE East 27 Our Pack Elephants 30 The "Outfit" 32 Wild Boar Shooting in Malay 35 The Bamboo Raft 38 A Typical Indian Group 51 Street Scenes in Jaipore 54 The Elephant which takes one up the hill to Amber 59 The Taj Mahal 62 The Angel of the Resurrection 67 Memorial over the Massacre Well at Cawnpore Hindus 70 A Hindu Water-Carrier 70 xii ILLUSTRATIONS The Residency, Lucknow 75 The Cawnpore Bazaar 75 Ghats and Temples at Benares 78 The Ghats at Benares 83 Some of the Great Palaces at Benares 83 Mount Tarawera and Lake Rotomahana 86 The Lava-Formed Country surrounding Waimungu . 86 The Burning Ghat, Benares 88 Three bodies are in the process of cremation; a fourth lies in its shroud on the slope, while a fifth is being brought in on the shoulders of two coolies. The Crater of Waimungu 96 Geyser at Whakarewarewa 99 Steam issuing from holes in the rock with the regular BEAT OF steam ENGINES 102 The Great Wairakei Geyser 105 Maori War Canoe 107 The "Ha Kahaka Tamahin^" 107 The "Orphan" Konimbla Valley, New South Wales, Australia . . , . no The " Three Sisters," Konimbla Valley, New South Wales, Australia no Thomas 112 The Tonga 112 Houseboats on Canal at Srinagar 115 Choosing Shikaris 118 The Shikaris, Choto-Shikaris, and Tiffin-Coolies . .118 Scene near Srinagar 120 Our Outfit 123 ILLUSTRATIONS xlii Entrance to the Sonamarg Gorge 126 The Kashmir Bag 128 A Balti Village, showing stone huts 131 A Balti Native Dance 131 A Balti Boy Coolie 134 Rope Bridge across the Indus 139 Ibex Head 142 The 44-INCH Head 142 Searching for Ibex 147 Ibex Country 147 My Six Ibex 150 Centre of the Rope Bridge 156 The Bara Maharajah Sahib and his Staff . . . .161 The Rajah of Shigar and his Suite 161 The Meeting between the Rajah and the Bara Maha- rajah Sahib 163 A "Road" in Baltistan 166 The Two Markhor Heads, showing Kadera, Sidka, and the local Shikari 168 A "Road" in Baltistan 171 One of our Camps in Baltistan 174 Sharpu Head, Kadera, Sidka, and local Shikari . .176 Coolies waiting to be paid after a day's march . .179 A Cultivated Valley in Baltistan 182 AsTORE 187 Bandipur Village 190 Camp near Bandipur 195 Camp in the Bear Country 195 xiv ILLUSTRATIONS The Great Flood of 1903 in Kashmir 198 Showing doongas, the Kashmir travelling boats Bear and Shikaris 203 Burmese Worshippers 206 Worshippers on the terrace of the Shwe Dagon Pagoda 209 The Kuthodaw Pagoda, Mandalay 211 Pavilions surrounding the Kuthodaw Pagoda, Manda- lay 214 The Kuthodaw Pagoda, Mandalay 214 Entrance to the Kuthodaw Pagoda, Mandalay . . 214 One of the Griffins of the Kuthodaw Pagoda, Man- dalay 2x6 City of Hongkong from the Harbor 222 Hongkong Harbor 222 Water Scene near Amoy 227 Chinese Junk 227 Thomas, Lim, and the Huntermen with their tridents 230 Huntermen, Goats, and Torches 235 Tiger Caves 238 A Typical Tiger Cave 238 Return to the Village after Tiger Hunt 240 The Village of Chi Phaw 243 A Chinese Theatrical Company 246 The Harbor of Amoy 250 Sampans 250 SPORT AND TRAVEL IN THE FAR EAST SPORT AND TRAVEL IN THE FAR EAST CHAPTER I MARSEILLES TO SINGAPORE 5HEN, on the morning of the fifteenth of September, 1902, the steamship India of the Peninsular and Oriental Line backed from her berth at Marseilles, slipped through the crowded shipping along the water-front, and, leaving behind the yellow cliffs, the hot sun-baked houses of the town, and the grim white walls of Monte Christo, steamed slowly out into the cool Mediterranean, it seemed that nothing was left to be desired in the pleasure of the prospect before us. The anticipation of eighteen free months to be turned to good account in seeing as much as possible of foreign lands must at all times be most pleasing. Especially is this so when the traveller plans, as we had done, to combine a maximum amount of sport with a minimum of stereotyped sight-seeing. For several years the prospect of such travels had led me, 2 SPORT AND TRAVEL and the various friends who at one time or another had considered joining the party, to spend many a winter evening poring over maps and formulating delightfully hazy plans, from which the elements of time and conditions of travel were entirely elimi- nated. But as the date for setting out approached, the only arrangement which could be called quite decided was our intention to avoid so far as possible the beaten track of tourists, and, by taking trips into the interior of the various countries we visited, to combine what sight-seeing should really attract us with plenty of big-game shooting, a certain amount of roughing it, and much valuable experience in becoming familiar with the more natural and primi- tive parts of foreign lands. Even up to the time of starting, our arrangements had taken no more definite shape than this. Tele- grams had come to me from Mr. A. H. Wheeler and Mr. H. P. Perry, who were at the time travelling in Japan, one dispatch asking me to meet them in Sydney, Australia, whence we could take a previ- ously discussed cruise among the South Sea Islands, and a second, shortly after, requesting that I come instead to Yokohama, in order to go on a tiger- shooting trip in Korea. When, a few weeks later, came a third telegram, saying " Cholera Korea, meet Singapore," and for a second time I was obliged to MARSEILLES TO SINGAPORE 3 ask that my steamship tickets be changed to so radically different a destination, I believe the clerk in the P. & O. office must have thought that he was dealing with either a lunatic at large or an abscond- ing bank cashier. At any rate, the alteration was effected, my berth cheerfully booked to Singapore, and in delightful ignorance of the purpose of this change or what lay before me, I found myself, that bright September day of starting, in the possession of the three conditions most necessary to the perfect contentment of the average traveller — little bag- gage, fewer cares, and no plans at all. From the moment of setting foot on the India, I felt that I was already in the East. She smelled of the tropics, her cabins and wide decks were built to secure the greatest possible amount of ventilation in tepid seas and breathless eastern ports, and the barefooted Lascars with their simple blue tunics and red turbans and their inimitable monkey-like agility in going aloft, might have come straight from the Indian jungle, so little did they resemble white sailors. At night the British officers, of whom there were, as always, many on board, returning from leave of absence to their posts in India, wore cool duck mess-jackets with silk cumer bunds, which contrasted cheerfully with the sombre black of the staid western evening dress; the deck piano was 4 SPORT AND TRAVEL always opened after dinner, and with the noted good-fellowship of all Anglo-Indians, the evenings were spent in music-making, in which every one, whether soloist or chorister, took his part. Only the low temperature and the long Mediterranean swell served to show that many miles still separated us from Suez and true eastern waters. For five days we steamed peacefully along, dropping down be- tween Sardinia and Corsica, on to the Straits of Messina, between Scylla and Charybdis, and so past the barren cliffs of Crete to Port Said. On the third night of the voyage we were afforded what must be, I believe, the most imposing spec- tacle produced by natural phenomena, namely, the eruption of a great volcano. The Lipuarian Islands, which lie off the coast of Sicily, were to be reached about two in the morning, and rumor had gone around that Stromboli was in eruption. When that splendid solitary cone of earth and lava rose slowly into sight, cropping up out of the sea in perfect profile against a white moonlit sky, every passenger was in the bow, waiting and watching. Suddenly from the flattened top of the cone which forms the mouth of the crater a great round mass of what seemed to be molten gold appeared, poised for a moment on the brink, then rolled in bright bur- nished streams down the steep sides of the moun- MARSEILLES TO SINGAPORE 5 tain. There was no noise of any kind, the molten lava quickly cooled, and in a moment only the dark form of the volcano remained in view, all the more dim and mysterious for the sudden contrast of color. Ten minutes later the same thing was repeated, and so it continued at intervals until Stromboli was lost to sight on the horizon. I do not envy the lot of the unfortunate man who has to live in Port Said. Since my first short glimpse of it from the deck of the India, I have spent many a weary hour there, and I can say from experience that of all hot places on this climatically unsatisfac- tory globe, there is none where one feels the heat more intensely than in that squalid, dusty, fever- ridden, desert-built town. And yet, if there is one thing that can partially compensate the resident of Port Said for its many deficiencies in matters of cleanliness and climate, it is the ceaseless succession of ships which pass his very door from morning till night, and through the night till morning. To many, a ship is nothing but a hull of wood and iron, sur- mounted by a certain number of masts and funnels, and perhaps a flag. To the resident of Port Said every single vessel that plies through the Canal has a distinct personality — is, in fact, an acquaintance or more often an old friend, whose home and des- tination, business, mission, and personal character- 6 SPORT AND TRAVEL istics are as well known to him as are those of his next-door neighbor; and as each appears and departs, and, months later, appears and departs again, he mentally welcomes and god-speeds her as he would an intimate companion, whether she be a little black coaling tramp or a palatial liner. When one considers that up to the opening of the Trans- Siberian Railway, which has not detracted in the slightest degree from the number of vessels using the Suez Canal, every person, every letter, and almost every case of merchandise passing directly between Europe and the Orient was carried through that narrow strip of water, within a stone's throw of the hotels and houses of Port Said, one realizes what a busy scene is presented by the water-front of the little town. A year or two ago the accidental discharge of a cargo of dynamite totally wrecked a steamer in the middle of the Canal, leaving her in such a position as entirely to block the traffic in both directions, and necessitating the closing of the waterway for ten days until the wrecked steamer could be removed. During those ten days the ample harbor at the Port Said entrance to the Canal became so congested that literally not another ship could find a berth; the vessels lay in rows but a few feet apart, like beds in a hospital ward, side by side and nose to MARSEILLES TO SINGAPORE 7 stern, till, toward the end of the period, new-comers found themselves crowded out into the Mediter- ranean and were obliged to take refuge in near-by ports. But the most extraordinary sight of all, and one which may be seen at all times, appears to the rail- way traveller from Port Said to Suez or to Cairo, on both of which journeys the railroad holds closely to the Canal as far as the half-way station at Ismail- ieh. From the car-window you look across miles and miles of thirsty, barren, undulating desert, the only view which can become more monotonous than the monotony of the ocean, stretching off to the horizon, shimmering in waves of atmospheric heat. The presence of water in such a place would seem a miracle. Suddenly, from the corner of the car- window, the shadow of some huge object catches your eye; you lean out, and there, lo and behold, apparently moving leisurely across the waste of sand, rises a mighty vessel, her funnels belching smoke, her officers on duty on the bridge, the pas- sengers playing cricket or shufifle-board or lounging about the decks, so close that you could readily recognize a friend among them, every detail of the ocean life being enacted on this desert stage in per- fect verisimilitude. What marvellous incongruity ! The train rushes by, the scene is swept out of sight, 8 SPORT AND TRAVEL and again the monotony of the rolling desert remains unbroken, save for here or there a knot of white-robed Arabs or a distant camel caravan. The India dropped anchor at Port Said at five o'clock on the fifth evening from Marseilles. I do not know whether the captain was merely a wag, or whether he had ulterior motives in keeping the pas- sengers on board during the stifling sixteen hours of our stay, but certainly he so frightened the greater number by his assurances of the likelihood of catching cholera ashore, and his graphic descrip- tion of the horrid fumigating process through which they would have to pass before returning to the ship, — an ordeal in which each person would be confined separately for ten minutes in a carbolic- acid steam bath, his clothes meanwhile undergoing a different method of disinfection elsewhere, — that less than a dozen adventurous spirits took their lives in their hands and went ashore. Was it the prospect of acquiring a permanent and ineradicable perfume of carbolic acid, I wonder, or merely the risk of an untimely death, that most influenced so large a percentage of my fellow passengers? Per- sonally, it occurred to me that, were there any real danger, the captain would have commanded, not advised ; and anyway, not even death by cholera could have outweighed the awfulness of the stifling, A I lOLOMBO MARSEILLES TO SINGAPORE 9 breathless heat aboard the India just then. So I joined the shore-goers to the landing-stage, where we mounted absurdly minute donkeys and romped off through the bazaar out into the desert, lying white as snow in the moonlight. Whatever may have been our secret fears, the fumigating ordeal, when we returned to the quay, was at least support- able ; holding our wrists for a period of five seconds each, the quarantine doctor pronounced us free from cholera, and to the astonishment and chagrin of our fellow passengers, we boarded the India unac- companied by even a suspicion of carbolic acid. But what a change had taken place on board! Two enormous coal-barges were moored by the ves- sel's side, gang-planks had been run to them, and now four continuous streams of Arab coolies, black as night originally, now doubly black from the coal which they carried in baskets on their shoulders, ascended and descended in endless chains. Canvas tarpaulins had been hung over the decks, to protect them from the clouds of coal-dust which arose from below ; but even with their protection, the atmos- phere was full of it, and with every breath we in- haled quantities of coal-dust with the stifling air. As all the doors, windows, and port-holes of the ship were tightly closed, and were to remain so all night, to have ventured into the interior of the ship 10 SPORT AND TRAVEL would have been one degree more insupportable than to stay on deck. So we gathered in a corner where there seemed to be the greatest percentage of air mixed with the least amount of coal-dust, and told stories till dawn. The coolies sang some weird rhythmic chant in time to their pace up and down the gang-planks, never varying the words or the tune, or ceasing for a second throughout the night. What were the words? I knew no Arabic, but indeed they sounded strangely like English: they beat into my brain in persistent dull mono- tony, over and over and over again: — "Fireless Hell, Fireless Hell." Certainly they were appro- priate to such a night. But day came at last, and with it the same cheery cloudless sky that smiles on Egypt without a break from April till November. One of the India's four sister ships, the Persia, bound homeward with the eastern mails, had come in during the night, and before breakfast was over, the little Isis, in every respect a perfect counterpart, on a diminutive scale, of her larger sisters, steamed up from Brindisi, and like a colt beside its mother snuggled up along- side us. The English mails do not join the ships at Marseilles ; they wait a day longer and then are hur- ried across Europe on the Brindisi express, whence they are embarked on the little Isis or Osiris and are as < u u o ►J ►J m > < MARSEILLES TO SINGAPORE ii carried at a 22-knot pace to catch up with the larger mail-steamers at Port Said. We dutifully received the mails from the I sis, weighed anchor, and at last, at nine o'clock in the morning, pushed our nose into the first reaches of the Suez Canal. If the night had been stifling, that day and the ensuing night in the Canal were little less so. We crept along at a snail's pace, five knots an hour being the limit allowed, occasionally tying up at one of the buoys along the bank to allow another larger vessel to go by, but generally able to pass comfortably whatever ship appeared from the op- posite direction. The hours dragged interminably^ — all day the desert wastes of Egypt to starboard and Arabia to port glaring away into the distance. On deck we sprawled in steamer-chairs and gasped. The night brought little relief. Our progress was aided by a powerful searchlight, which threw ex- traordinary shadows and altered into fantastic shapes whatever craft passed us. Fortunately the last stains of the previous night's coal-dust had been washed away, mattresses were dragged on deck, and we slept in rows in what comfort such heat would allow. The three days that followed in the Red Sea were scarcely more comfortable. On the contrary, we lay about in steamer-chairs, in costumes the uncon- 12 SPORT AND TRAVEL ventionality of which only the circumstances per- mitted, drank abnormal quantities of lemonade, and tried to persuade ourselves that we were com- paratively cool, which was a pitiful farce. The only event of the day which I truthfully can say I en- joyed was the morning bath, and the method of indulging in this ever-gratifying but now doubly delightful ceremony was so unusual that I am tempted to describe it. On ships running to the East the greater number of passengers sleep on deck during the hot weather, the forepart of the deck being fenced off with tarpaulins for the ladies, the remaining space being at the disposal of the men. Each passenger's mattress is brought up by his steward, and his bed made wherever he prefers or can find space not already appropriated. The intensity of the heat conduces to sociability rather than to sleep, and not only is the first half of the night spent in much chatting and story-telling, but promptly at dawn the deck-sleepers are routed out and their beds carried below. At this time the ladies retire, not to reappear until eight, leaving the field clear for the men. Now takes place an extraordinary scene. The pyjama brigade for a moment has disappeared. The sailors are busily washing down the decks with swabbing brooms and hose. Suddenly from the smoking-room appears a MARSEILLES TO SINGAPORE 13 rather apprehensive-looking passenger. He is fol- lowed closely by others, all clad in bath towels and all looking equally apprehensive. They advance into the open. The enemy, in the shape of the swabbing crew, becomes aware of their presence ; it gathers in close formation, the hose is levelled, there is a swish of cold water, a few short gasps from startled subalterns — and then, oh, wonderful display ! no- thing can be seen but hysterical passengers dash- ing wildly about in the midst of a deluge of spray and jets of foaming water, shrieking, gasping, and spluttering. I know of no more effective method for suddenly and conclusively dispelling any desire on the part of the passenger to turn over and go to sleep again. No one was sorry that our short stay in the harbor of Aden prevented landing. Certainly a less invit- ing-looking town, with its barren, rocky surround- ings and total lack of vegetation, would be hard to imagine. Dropping anchor only long enough to transfer the India-bound passengers to the Egypt, another of the five sister ships, we steamed on almost immediately, past the fortress of Perim and through the straits of Bab-el-Mandeb, into the Arabian Sea. How delicious that cool monsoon breeze felt after the breathlessness of the last four days. No wonder that the remaining passengers 14 SPORT AND TRAVEL should become suddenly imbued with new life and energy, appoint committees, organize sports, and from morning till night during the seven days to Ceylon keep the ball of entertainment rolling. Very early in the morning of the day of our arrival in Colombo I dressed and went to the bow, where the breeze came fresh and clean from landwards. It was then that I first realized that the writer who describes the smell of the East is in no way drawing upon his imagination to add atmosphere to his word- pictures. The aroma which came out to sea with that morning breeze was as perceptible and as dis- tinct from all other land-smells as is the odor of a greenhouse from that of a cactus field, — a tangible fragrance, soft, warm, and carrying with it the scent of spices, temple-incense, and flowers. The morning came up in a flood of golden glory, disclosing a low, palm-fringed shore ; we rounded a point, and there, lying white and red behind the countless masts and funnels of her great roadstead, lay Colombo, the welcome resting-place at the cross-roads of every ocean highway of the Orient. At the entrance to the harbor we were met by a horde of naked little Cingalese urchins propelling craft of every description, from catamarans to logs of wood rudely lashed together ; displaying prowess in diving after and recovering coins, when half-way THE HARBOR, SINGAPORE E,;^:j ■a5^iS3 THE HARBOR OF PENANG British Straits Settlements MARSEILLES TO SINGAPORE 15 to the bottom, which only the continual exercise of their hazardous profession, day in and day out, year by year, could develop — hazardous because the harbor of Colombo is infested with sharks, and many an unfortunate urchin is levied as toll for the plying of their trade. But judging from the interest of the passengers and the prodigality with which the contents of their pockets are cast into the harbor, the calling must be a lucrative one. To come to Colombo from the West is like being dropped from a dusty road into a luxuriant garden. There have been no intermediate steps to accus- tom you to the sudden transformation. You left the staid grays and browns, the familiar sights and pro- saic smells of the Occident : you find yourself pre- cipitated unprepared among unknown scenes and surroundings, brilliant colors and strange aromas, which from the first hour leave upon your senses indelible impressions. From the landing-stage you are whirled off in rickshaws through the town, over clean wide roads of dark red earth, reducing to a minimum the dazzling reflection of the tropic sun, and sheltered by a regular canopy of luxuriant growth. Once past the bazaar, the fascination of whose booths must tempt even the most hardened traveller, the buildings run no longer in monotonous blocks, but are separated by little gardens of ferns i6 SPORT AND TRAVEL and palm trees. You swing on through the dwelling quarter, — where cool white and green villas, built all of open piazzas and trellis-work rooms, lie back from the road, — past little plaster huts with black Cingalese natives squatting cross-legged on their thresholds, along the great Galle Face Esplanade, — where the waves of the Indian Ocean beat cease- lessly on the palm-lined shore, — and so out through the outskirts of the town into the open country. Here it is that the tropical foliage first strikes upon the westerner's eye with its full rich- ness and wealth of color. The road is bordered on either side by a tangled mass of verdure, — palms, ferns and cacti, banana, cocoanut, and mango trees, overrun with festoons of lace-like creepers, breaking here and there into brilliant-hued blossoms and forming a perfect network of jungle growth. Vividly colored birds romp among the foliage and seem to revel in the fragrance and sunshine. Creaking bul- lock-carts and fierce-looking black water-buffaloes lumber past you; a continuous stream of natives hurry this way and that on their various errands, women with jewels in their noses and silver rings on fingers, toes, and ankles, young girls balancing on their heads queer-shaped earthen rice-pots, old men with long, snowy beards showing against their black skins, boys with flowers and spices to sell, and MARSEILLES TO SINGAPORE 17 all naked save for a loin-cloth or a brilliant sarong thrown about them, a kaleidoscope of life and color of surpassing interest and fascination. Java is called the Garden of the East ; but has not Ceylon an equal right to claim the title ? Three times during the year in the East my wanderings brought me back to Ceylon ; and though my stays were short, generally while waiting for a ship to some other part of the world, I invariably looked forward with the greatest enjoyment to every voyage which was to end in that delightful country. Later I was able to visit Kandy and Nuwara Eliya, that splendid mountain resort in the interior, where, after a long siege of fever, the brac- ing air was worth to me its weight in gold. But for the present we had but a few hours ashore, and after lunching at the famous Grand Oriental Hotel a dozen of us were obliged to bid farewell to our fellow passengers of the India, now bound for Australia, and board the little Chusan for still farther eastern ports. At four in the afternoon we sailed from Colombo harbor, and, heading out into the Bay of Bengal, turned toward Penang, the Malacca Straits, and Singapore. The voyage requires little description. Five days of quiet steaming brought us to Penang, ■ — days when the surface of the sea was actually, i8 SPORT AND TRAVEL not metaphorically, mirror-like in its calm, rippled only by the trails of innumerable flying-fish ; dawns when the sun shot from the horizon like a molten cannon-ball in a flood of unimagined color; and nights when the stars blazed with a brilliancy never beheld by any northern land or sea. A few hours in the harbor of Penang, and we turned down into the Malacca Straits, emerging two days later at Singa- pore, — for me, at least, a temporary destination. If I were to be taken by some kind spirit and sud- denly dropped blindfolded in the midst of Singapore to-day, seven years after my last stay there, I should recognize my whereabouts. No city in the world smells just like it. There is the spicy smell of Co- lombo, and the B. C. S. of Calcutta, upon which Kipling has distinct, not to say aggressive, opinions ; and Bombay, at certain seasons, comes very close to resembling Calcutta, with just a shade of original- ity of its own. But no one could mistake the smell of Singapore. In my mind it is inseparably asso- ciated with a long, very dusty road, bordered by Chinese chow-shops and incense-burning temples, and thickly peopled with representatives of every eastern race, from the all but naked Tamil to the indolent, self-satisfied Malay, and from the mighty fierce-bearded Sikh to the little squat, smelly Javan- ese. Perhaps it is the evil messes concocted in the o •z. o a. <= < -J, o o < MARSEILLES TO SINGAPORE 19 chow-shops and sold along the road by innumerable vendors that most contribute to the general effect, or perhaps the incense burned in the hundreds of little shrines and temples is primarily responsible. But I think the very air which lies over Singapore like a steaming blanket, thick, heavy, and motion- less, must itself contain all the elements of that inimitable odor, absorbed through countless genera- tions of contact with unwashed humanity and temple incense, and diffused throughout the city with a poignancy all too marked for the delicately adjusted senses of the conventional westerner. My quarters in RafHes' Hotel were of the plea- santest. In front of my room was a little veranda, furnished with cane lounging-chairs and looking directly out upon the harbor, where the thousands and thousands of Malay junks lying huddled to- gether by the quays, or lazily wandering hither and thither among the larger shipping, afforded a scene unequalled in picturesqueness. Before my door passed a continuous and varied stream of brown humanity ; in all the world there is no ethnological museum like Singapore ; people from every eastern country and tribe, and indeed from nearly every land in the two hemispheres, are gathered there, and to one who has never before seen the Orient, this heterogeneous procession of natives continu- 20 SPORT AND TRAVEL ously passing by is truly of extraordinary interest. But ascend the hill to Fort Canning at evening, and look down on the great city spread out below, where like myriads of fireflies the fourteen thousand rick- shaws of the town, each with its lantern, flit here and there in the haze of an eastern twilight. Then will you know the truest charm of Singapore. At last, after many delays, Wheeler and Perry arrived from Hongkong. They had had marvel- lously good sport in the cave-country about Amoy, both having bagged tigers and at one time having seen four animals break cover simultaneously. This to me was the best of news, not only in the sat- isfaction it gave me to learn of their success, but also because hitherto, although hoping most earnestly that we should run across the sport somewhere, I had been vague and rather sceptical as to where and how it was to be found ; and now the prospect of eventually securing good tiger-shooting myself seemed assured. As will be seen, however, it was not until a full year later that my ambition was finally realized. To attempt to describe the various hunting-trips which we considered during the fortnight of our stay in Singapore would be but a waste of words. It is sufficient to say that expeditions into French Cochin China, the Philippines, Borneo, Sumatra, MARSEILLES TO SINGAPORE 21 Java, and Johore were all contemplated and fully discussed, and even a projected cruise to the South Sea Islands was abandoned only when negotiations for chartering a schooner fell through, just as we seemed on the point of making an excellent bargain. Meanwhile we gleaned much information of a good, bad, and indifferent nature from various residents and officials, and by taking cross-country runs every evening after the heat of the day, put ourselves into the best of physical condition for the hard work w^hich in any case was to lie ahead. The solution of the problem where we should go was finally arrived at only by our agreeing to take the first ship which should leave Singapore bound in any direction. This proved to be the Italian steamer Capri, scheduled to sail, within half an hour of our decision, for Penang, whence the rail- road leads into the interior of the Malay Peninsula ; and with no further ceremony than hurriedly to throw our jungle kit into canvas bags and dash in gharries to the wharf, we caught the ship by a flying leap from the dock as she was pulling out into the harbor. CHAPTER II THROUGH THE MALAY JUNGLE JUR object in planning an expedition into the interior of the Malay penin- sula was twofold ; first, the big-game shooting for which, from the accounts of others, the peninsula seemed to be a veritable paradise ; then, to see this rapidly developing coun- try before the hand of British progress should have opened up its last hidden corners to the light of civilization. In the first respect we were destined to be wholly disappointed. The time chosen for our trip, al- though unavoidable, had brought us into the jungle at the height of the rains, the worst possible time of year; the rivers were in flood, the salt licks sub- merged, and although continual signs of wild ele- phant and seladang were to be seen in the lowlands, all the great quantity of game which must have been there but shortly before our arrival had disappeared into the hills and the depths of the jungle where tracking was impossible. Only once, as I shall nar- rate, did we come on a fresh seladang track; but A MALAY TOWN REST HOUSE AT KWALA KANGSAR THROUGH THE MALAY JUNGLE 23 after following it for several hours until almost on the animal, we were obliged to abandon the chase on account of the darkness. Tiger-spoor were everywhere, and more than once news came to us of a native or bullock killed in some near-by village ; yet to carry out a successful beat in such vast stretches of thick jungle would have been absolutely impracticable. In the other respect, however, we were well re- warded, for though rain poured almost incessantly day after day and week after week, with a tenacity and vigor which are known only in the tropics, all such handicaps were many times repaid by the in- terest of seeing at close hand the wilder places and people of this comparatively little-known country. British influence is fast bringing the Malay Fed- erated States to a condition of civilization and prosperity undreamed of thirty-five years ago. Then the country was unopened, wars between the tribes were continuous, the murder of white settlers the rule rather than the exception. To-day each district is orderly and progressive under the able guidance of a British Resident, cities are springing up, roads are daily being pushed farther into the interior, and as far as the roads extend, the smallest kampong, with its schoolhouse and police-station, is learning the demands of a higher civilization. In 24 SPORT AND TRAVEL a few more years we shall be able to travel from Singapore to Bangkok by rail, for even now railways are being pushed rapidly through Johore to the south, and northwards towards Siam. It was in 1874 that England first sought to interfere in the state of perpetual warfare which existed between the various independent states of the peninsula. Agents were sent, one at least was killed, his death avenged, and from that epoch England's rule became predominant in the four States of Perak, Pahang, Negri Sembilan, and Selangor ; while during the past year, through treaty with Siam, Kelantan, Kedah, and Trengganu have passed also under British control. Now, under the title of the Federated Malay States, which came into existence in 1896, the government of the pe- ninsula is carried on under the supervision of the British Governor and the Residents in the various districts, though the Sultans and Rajahs of the differ- ent states still retain much of their former state and power. With the coming of British control, industry be- gan to awaken. Hitherto it had been dangerous to accumulate wealth, for no rich man's life was safe ; now, under peaceful conditions, the vast tin mines of the country are opening up, pepper and spices are cultivated, rubber plantations begin to yield enor- THROUGH THE MALAY JUNGLE 25 mous dividends. It is not, however, the Malay who is responsible : he is satisfied with the existing order of things so long as no personal toil is involved, and when hungry he has only to turn to his banana patch: the thrifty Chinaman organizes the com- panies, the wealthy Hindu finances them, the Tamil from Madras supplies the labor, and the English- man guarantees peace. Thus development goes steadily forward, and the Malay Federated States are taking their rightful place in the great markets of the world. We entered the peninsula from the port of Pe- nang, which with Malacca, Province Wellesley, and Singapore forms what are known as the British Straits Settlements. A railway journey through great palm forests and vast stretches of rice-culti- vated country, — where big black water-buffaloes were in evidence in all directions, carrying burdens or turning irrigation wheels, and where hundreds of coolies in their pagoda-shaped hats worked knee- deep in the flooded padi-fields, — brought us to Taiping, a large town in the state of Perak. It was here, I remember, that a trifling incident gave me my first insight into the true Malay character. We found ourselves on the unlighted station plat- form at night, in utter darkness and a most dis- piriting deluge of rain ; hungry, weary, and wet as 26 SPORT AND TRAVEL we were, the cheer of the rest-house appealed most strongly. Rickshaws were engaged, and in a mo- ment we were speeding up the road at that satis- factory pace which a gentle reminder with one's cane on the coolie's back always secures. I took it for granted that my coolie knew where we wanted to go; for although my knowledge of the Malay language did not then include either of the much- needed nouns " rest-house" or "hotel," I had care- fully repeated both these words to him in English, and he had bowed with such an expression of entire comprehension that I felt no misgivings as to a speedy arrival at the desired destination. So we spun along in the darkness, I already beginning to feel the cheer of the anticipation of a hot dinner and dry clothes. Alas, for a traveller's innocent trust in the moral responsibility of the oriental mind ! We were well out in the country now ; the rain was pouring harder than ever and dripping dispiritingly through the rickshaw-top down my face and neck; not a light was in sight to show signs of human habitation, and the driving storm had quickly separated me from my companions, shutting out all other sounds. Then it was that I finally grasped the situation : my coolie not only had no knowledge of my intended destination, but took absolutely no interest in learn- < M X a o X H d 2 < O O J < b la cd Id E- < THROUGH THE MALAY JUNGLE 27 ing it : he was a wonderful piece of brainless, heart- less mechanism, wound up to go until forcibly stopped ; that was his purpose, his duty, his whole function, and he was fulfilling it to the letter, going on straight until ordered to cease, as unconcerned with the why and the wherefore of the matter as a bullock drawing a cartload of stones. When I stopped him and shouted despairingly, " Rest- house, hotel, rest-house!" he grinned as compre- hensively as before and changed his course ; when I expressed my opinion of him in the choicest and strongest words at my command, he beamed appre- ciatively, and obediently started off in still another direction. Under the circumstances I was at the time unable to appreciate the humor of the situa- tion. But the matter ended happily: for after an hour or more of aimless wandering, we happened by good luck to pass a police-station, where the word "rest-house" was understood, and my coolie, after an ostentatious dressing-down by the little Malay policeman, was directed thither. Wheeler and Perry, I found, had both enjoyed exactly the same experience as myself. Kwala Kangsar, the capital of Perak, was reached some days later, the dato, or headman of the town, who had been apprised of our arrival, receiving us with great cordiality and escorting us to the rest- 28 SPORT AND TRAVEL house, where a day was spent in making final pre- parations for the trip. We were to have had an audience of the Sultan of Perak, but as he was indisposed at the time, this unfortunately was impossible, and our shooting per- mits were sent us by the dato instead. I happened, however, through an amusing mistake, to be pre- sented to one of the three sultanas, each of whom lives in a separate istana or palace. The chief native physician, having been introduced to us by the dato, called at the rest-house on the morning after our arrival to see if one of us would not care to accompany him on his rounds in order to see some- thing of the town; and as the others were busy packing, I agreed to join him. He showed me the hospital, which though simple was neat and orderly in a degree worthy of the most civilized of cities; and having attended to several cases, started for an istana, where he was to visit one of the Sultan's wives. We entered and passed upstairs to a large anteroom from which a door led into the Sultana's apartments. As the doctor opened this door he made a sign to me which I misinterpreted to mean that I should follow, and I was ushered in at his heels. The Sultana was sitting on a dais at one end of the room with her handmaidens grouped about her, and in her lap a baby born but a few weeks before, per- THROUGH THE MALAY JUNGLE 29 haps some future Sultan of Perak. The group made a decidedly oriental picture and in my interest at observing it I did not for the moment realize how unconventional my presence was. As the doctor turned and saw me, his jaw fell in surprise, for he had in reality motioned me to wait outside. He was, however, to be credited with much diplomatic tact, for without a moment's hesitation, having salaamed to the Sultana, he presented me as a noted foreign physician who had come especially to advise con- cerning her health ! I bowed low, my presence was approved, and what might have been an embar- rassing situation turned out happily. Kwala Kangsar is, so to speak, the outpost of civilization : the railroad from the coast ends here, and to go farther one must arrange transport for one's self. Our plan, briefly, was to push on through Upper Perak to the state of Pahang, make the head- waters of the Pahang River, build a raft of bamboo, and float down-stream to the eastern coast of the peninsula, where we should trust to find some sort of boat to Singapore. As Malay life centres chiefly around the great rivers, our plans promised no little interest. A clear starlit night saw us packed in three bul- lock-carts at the rest-house at Kwala Kangsar, one of us and the luggage in the first, the other two in 30 SPORT AND TRAVEL the second, and Ahmed, our worthy cook, holding down the third. The impressions of the following fourteen hours are as clearly marked in my memory as at the time they were on my person : they were a medley of springless swaying and creaking, the sharp "ja!" of the Kling driver coming at regular intervals through the night, the damp evil smell of the padi-grass which served as bedding, the odor of our driver's vile cigarettes and areca nuts, which alone must have kept him awake, and above all, the pitiless swarms of flies that came from the padi- fields through which we passed, to render sleep as impossible as it was longed for. The cart jolted along at scarcely two miles an hour, never once stopping through the long, hot, soul-trying night. Dawn disclosed the jungle, like an impenetrable wall on one side and a valley on the other, luxuriant with ferns and cocoanut palms and hundreds of brilliantly colored song-birds. We were hungry — as hungry as any healthy mortals might be after such a night. Ahmed proved his efficiency from the first by binding his ankles with a fibre-thong and proceeding to clamber up the nearest cocoanut-tree, whence he soon returned with a full breakfast under either arm. Arriving at Lenggong we repaired as usual to the rest-house. Now the British rest-house is a most OUR PACK ELEPHANTS THROUGH THE MALAY JUNGLE 31 gratifying institution. It is intended originally for the government officials on their rounds of duty, whether it is the Resident of a district on a tour of inspection, or the roads commissioner building new highways into the interior; and among the regula- tions on the wall of the dining-room you will read that in every case an official has first call in the mat- ter of accommodations. In the more frequented places a servant will be found in charge, who performs the combined duties of cook, butler, valet, and any- thing else that may be required. Farther away from civilization, where travellers are few and the officials are given larger tracts to cover, there is no servant, but the key of the rest-house will be found in charge of some privileged old inhabitant of the village, who unlocks it with the greatest pomp and ceremony, and sweeps it out as though preparing a palace for the king's arrival. Up in the interior these buildings are raised high above the ground, in case of flood, a porch runs along the outside, and the single floor inside is simply furnished with plenty of plain wooden chairs and tables, pots and pans for cook- ing, and, above all, mosquito-netting. It was at Lenggong that our first news of a tiger came. The headman, or penghulu, of the village called on us one morning with two old trackers, who said that within the week a tiger had killed a bullock 32 SPORT AND TRAVEL some three miles down the road, and that if we cared to investigate, we might find him still around the carcass. We accordingly took out our guns and walked to the spot on the road where the animal had been killed. Here the jungle was dense on both sides of the road, but we found the path the tiger had made in dragging his prey away, and followed it straight into the rukh to the remains of the slaugh- tered bullock, whose limbs had evidently been well chewed and scattered not far from the body itself. I noticed several fresh paw-marks in the mud, which on account of the rains could not have been more than a day old. As we were bending over them, there was the distinct sound of an animal escaping into the jungle ; both trackers at once said, "Rimau!" ("tiger!") and appeared much excited. But a tiger slinks away silently, and though the men assured us that they had heard a growl, we at- tributed the noise to a deer and returned to the vil- lage, feeling that, however much game there might be in the country, tracking was out of the question, so dense and pathless was the jungle. Rain had now poured steadily for several days, turning the roads into sluices, which rendered the journey to the next post, Janing, exceptionally try- ing ; to take a bullock-cart through that wilderness of mud was out of the question. We learned, how- ^M^^I^Jf FIT' THROUGH THE MALAY JUNGLE 33 ever, that government elephants might be secured from the British Resident at Janing ; and trusting to be able to send them back for the luggage, we set out to cover the twenty-odd miles on foot. This was no easy task; the highway had become a veritable quagmire into which one sank at every step, and since we had neglected to carry sufficient drinking water, thirst came on with painful intensity. Dark- ness found us with our bearings completely lost, as we had missed the right road and taken one which apparently led nowhere; we were much too fatigued by the twenty-two mile tramp to hope to reach Janing, and the prospect of a night in the open jungle, with no means of guarding against the beasts which might happen to be there, was not pleasing. But by good chance we stumbled upon the small village of Kwala Kinering, where an Eng- lish tin miner, prospecting alone in the interior, brought tea and rice, the first food we had had since morning, and made us comfortable for the night. It gave us somewhat of a start, however, when we learned the next day that a native had been killed and eaten by a tiger at a spot on the same road which we had passed but an hour or two earlier on the previous evening. Janing, which we reached at noon on the follow- ing day, proved to be a pretty little town on the 34 SPORT AND TRAVEL bank of the great Perak River. Our stay there was rendered most pleasant by the hospitality and cheery personality of the British Resident, Mr. B. The picture made by his little white bungalow, sheltered by palm trees and surrounded by smooth green lawns, like an oasis in the dark jungle desert, its cool interior well fitted with pictures and game- heads, its library and many long, comfortable cane lounging-chairs, is one which I shall not soon forget. Whether such comforts can make up for a life of almost absolute loneliness, so far as intercourse with white men is concerned, is a question which only a man's personal character can decide ; many of these officials, their wives and children at home, remain for years up in the interior of the countries they labor in, without a holiday, with almost never the sight of a white man's face, and few indeed with the comforts I have described, their whole nature ab- sorbed in their work, all their sympathies centred in their black charges, whom they doctor, teach, and govern. It is a true labor of love and patriotism this, and one worthy of admiration. Mr. B.'s face lighted with affection and pride when he spoke of the men he worked among; perhaps, after all, there are better things in the world than creature com- forts. On the day after our arrival the whole village, < g H O O a OS < o n a ►J THROUGH THE MALAY JUNGLE 35 including the police force, was turned out to beat pig for us, — perhaps, for the sake of the uninitiated, I should say, to drive wild boar. While we stood at short distances apart, on a jungle path, the natives formed in a long line and came down a hillside yell- ing at the top of their lungs, beating tin pans and setting off fire-crackers, making indeed a pande- monium before which the heart of the most intrepid boar might well have quailed. The sportsman stands in a little clearing, his gun cocked and he well on the alert; the din approaches, there is a rustle in the bushes, and what appears to be a black torpedo shoots like a thunderbolt across the path. For the first few times the hunter then grad- ually recovers his breath and uncocks his still un- discharged rifle, the boar being by this time sev- eral miles away and still going strong. Occasionally the animal, happening to emerge exactly where the expectant sportsman is standing, makes a bolt between his legs, and the hunter, being unable to shoot accurately while turning a somersault in the air, thus also loses his game. However, with a little experience, he learns to judge where the boar will appear, and to catch him in midair as he springs across the path. While we were shooting, the Resident of the neigh- boring district happened to call at Janing, and not 36 SPORT AND TRAVEL finding a single inhabitant in or near the village, came to the obvious conclusion that an earthquake had swallowed up the entire population. Mr. B. had most kindly sent back government elephants for the luggage, and on their return pro- posed that we should take them on to the next post, Grik, where others could probably be hired from the natives. This suggestion we gladly accepted, and on a clear sunny morning, which contrasted cheer- fully with the previous downpour, set out with five elephants and a baby elephant accompanying its mother. The jungle was at its best that morning; the foliage, from the refreshing rains, was of the most vivid green and sparkled in the sun ; on many trees and shrubs rich orchid-like flowers were in full blossom, while among them darted birds of all descriptions, surpassing in the brilliancy of their plumage and sweetness of note any that I have seen in other lands. Occasionally a troop of chattering monkeys swung by us overhead, pausing to regard us with curiosity, and to hurl down twigs and bits of bark as they passed ; the whole jungle-world was full of movement and life, every bird and animal apparently drinking in with pure enjoyment the glorious freshness of the sunshine after rain. A source of continuous amusement to us were the antics of the baby elephant. You have seen a kitten THROUGH THE MALAY JUNGLE 37 career madly around after its tail, or a puppy tumble over itself in paroxysms of playfulness ; but have you ever witnessed an elephant at the tender age of six months expressing its uncontainable spirits? I assure you there is nothing more excru- ciatingly funny. To begin with, he suddenly charges a bamboo thicket, butting down great trees as care- lessly as though they were cornstalks; these fall across the way, together with a small avalanche of rotten boughs, placing your life distinctly in jeop- ardy and causing you to wonder anxiously whether in the event of a dearth of bamboo you yourself may not be selected as a substitute. He then tears up a large sapling by the roots, breaks it in pieces, and hurls the bits in every direction, while you vainly attempt to dodge the missiles. Tired of this pastime, you will observe him surreptitiously filling his trunk with the semi-liquid mud by the road- side, which he appears to have swallowed until a sudden carefully aimed jet covers you from head to foot. The next moment he is trotting docilely by his mother's side, his whole being radiating innocence and defying calumny. Perhaps the most amusing episode in our baby's infinite variety of entertain- ment was once when, fording a brook, he slipped on the muddy bank and landed on his back in mid- stream, where he lay with his legs waving absurdly 38 SPORT AND TRAVEL in the air, as helpless as an overturned beetle. The fond parent, seeing his predicament, was obliged to return and support him until he could regain his feet. The glorious sunshine of the morning was not to last. Toward noon the clouds rolled up, and soon it was pouring in tropical torrents ; frequently we had to ford rivers up to our waists in water, while the road, from the mud and pools, became almost im- passable. As my feet had become sore from the gravel which chafed in my shoes at every step, I mounted an elephant, and for five hours endured the uncomfortable swaying motion and the chill of the drenching rain; the others kept on, however, until at nightfall pitch-darkness found them alone in the jungle, some miles ahead of the elephants. In attempting to ford a river they got in up to their necks, and only with the greatest difficulty managed to escape being swept away by the now much- swollen current. The outlook was serious, as it was a question whether the elephants would be able to keep to the road in the darkness. Meanwhile my gajah had been lumbering along, while the driver belabored him continually on the head with his stick, and now and then gave him a prod with the ankus, all the while addressing him in a comical reproving voice as one talks to a young child. After Eh < O O m S < m X H THROUGH THE MALAY JUNGLE 39 dark he became frightened at the noises in the jungle, and tried to turn, but the driver kept him on with an ever-increasing volubility of epithets, and finally we met the others, who of course were de- lighted to find that they would not have to spend the night alone. We forded the river, reached Grik, a small kampong composed of a few little thatched huts, and turned in, wet and very weary. Through the assistance of the penghulu of Grik, Ibrahim ben Ishmail, a bamboo hut was now built for us on a game-field some seven miles away, called Padang Sambai. These penghulus, by the way, invariably showed us the greatest courtesy and good-will, and indeed all the natives with whom we had dealings proved the recognized cheeriness and light-heartedness of the Malay character. But indolence is their vice ; it is the Tamil from Madras and the Chinaman who do the work in Malay. Even in the most solitary places we were continually running across well-ordered Chinese farms ; were it not for the great number of Chinamen who have settled in the peninsula, and who by their thrift and energy have established themselves in successful farming and commercial enterprises, the Malay Federated States would be very much more back- ward in civilization and exploitation than they are to-day. 40 SPORT AND TRAVEL Padang Sambai, the game-field which I have mentioned, lay in the thickest part of the jungle, approached only by a scarcely perceptible trail. We were guided there by some hunters from the Sakai hill-tribes, who had put in an appearance at Grik the night before our departure. These were truly remarkable specimens of humanity, — short of stature, wild-looking, and stark naked except for a narrow loin-cloth. They went ahead through the thickest jungle, absolutely noiselessly, and at a pace which quickly exhausted us, over logs, through streams, and always in mud nearly up to our knees. The hut was found to be nearly finished, several natives having been working on it for some days — a bamboo floor raised three feet off the ground, and covered by a roof of cleverly interwoven leaves which proved to be quite waterproof. Fortunately it was near the river, where, in spite of Ahmed's warning to look out for alligators, we at once in- dulged in a refreshing swim. Our legs were in a bad way from the elephant-leeches, which attach them- selves when one is tramping in the jungle ; the exhil- aration of walking prevents one's feeling the bite, so they stay there and continue to suck the blood, soon becoming three or four times their natural size. Even with carefully wound putties I found it diffi- cult to keep them out ; they attach themselves when THROUGH THE MALAY JUNGLE 41 extremely minute, and succeed in getting inside in spite of all precautions. Eight were on my legs from this one walk, leaving sores which bled badly ; and others were found to have dropped on us from the trees, and actually crawled down our necks without being felt. Black scars result from the bites, and remain for years. Our stay at Padang Sambai soon proved the use- lessness of the trip so far as the shooting was con- cerned, and in fact led us to abandon all idea of going into Pahang ; for day after day the rain poured with a dreary and dispiriting persistency. This great open game-field, with its tall grass, ponds, and marshes, was all marked up with the tracks of wild elephant and seladang. Yet morning and evening, day after day, we waited and watched to no purpose. Every animal, with the exception of a few deer, had effectually disappeared from the country. A few shots at these deer were small recompense, and I found that shooting from the back of an untrained elephant, which at the report of the gun tries to imitate a bucking broncho, is anything but condu- cive to accuracy. It was finally decided to build a raft here on the Perak River, and to float down its course instead of crossing into Pahang. Seven natives were put to work, and in a few days had made, with no material 42 SPORT AND TRAVEL but bamboo, a very ingenious construction. Some twenty pieces of bamboo, about thirty feet long, had been lashed together with bamboo thongs, and upon these, in the centre, was a raised platform about fif- teen by six feet. A light frame supported the tent and fly as a covering over this. Not a single nail had been used in the construction. The trip down river would have been thoroughly delightful had it not been for the rain. As it was, the mornings were bright and warm, and the river- banks, as we floated leisurely past, were always full of interest. As on our journeys through the jungle, gorgeously colored birds kept flying and singing around us; the shores were here and there lined with banana and other fruit trees, in which monkeys played and squabbled, and occasionally we passed a little kampong, half hidden in the foli- age, with natives working and babies sprawling on the thresholds of the huts. In one place we had to go over a rather formidable set of rapids, which our paddlers had been discussing for days beforehand, and which apparently caused them some apprehension. The barang, or luggage, was carefully lashed, a huge steering paddle con- structed in the stern, and, with paddlers and polers at their posts, we pushed out into the stream. As we drifted toward the first pitch, the pilot, a gray- THROUGH THE MALAY JUNGLE 43 headed officious old man, took a charm from his turban and threw it at a big rock in mid-stream, crying out a prayer to the river spirit to see us safely through. There were four pitches, each successive one a little worse than the last ; and as we went over them the old man appeared to go mad ; he leaped from side to side, brandishing his bamboo pole quite uselessly in the air, and yelling as though he were possessed of devils, beating the poor coolies, who were doing all the hard work, on the back as he did so. They were all shouting, too, and when on the last pitch the flood rushed over the platform on which we were sitting, they also seemed to lose their heads and rushed about the raft like a stam- peded herd of cattle. To a spectator on the bank the sight must have been a ludicrous one. At another spot the fresh seladang track of which I have spoken was found on the bank; and as it was evidently but a few hours old, we followed it for hours through the worst tangle of underbrush it has ever been my lot to encounter. When we were so close that the water in the animal's hoof- prints was still muddied, the trackers who had accompanied us refused to continue nearer; an Englishman had not long since been killed by a bull seladang in the same country, and the accident had left too serious an impression on the natives' 44 SPORT AND TRAVEL minds. We ourselves followed on, but the seladang had moved swiftly, and at dark we were obliged to turn back, bleeding all over from scratches and leech-bites. The remainder of the trip was a disheartening story of rain, rain, rain. Occasionally a night was spent in some native's hut on the bank, where we slept on wooden shelves in opium-thickened atmos- phere ; but as a rule things were made as comfort- able as possible on the raft. At the best, we slept in pools of water, with mosquitoes biting ceaselessly, and rivulets from the soaked canvas dripping on our faces. Of course, after this continual subjection to the bites of swamp-mosquitoes, there was but one re- sult to expect, namely, malarial fever. Our blood must have been full of the poison when we emerged from the interior at Penang, but as yet no symp- toms of what awaited us had developed. We re- turned to Singapore on a little Chinese tub, the Pin Seng, which was so filthy and so swarming with ver- min, that, after a single glance at the cabins which had been allotted us, we took refuge on deck and remained there throughout the voyage, without once again venturing below. From Singapore we immediately entered Johore, the country which occupies the foot of the Malay THROUGH THE MALAY JUNGLE 45 Peninsula. After many fruitless interviews on our part and much procrastination on his, the Sultan of Johore had finally given us permission to look for tiger in his domains, and as he himself had already shot fourteen within a radius of seven miles of his palace, the chances of success looked promising. After a few days of beating the jungle, which re- sulted in bringing out innumerable pig but not a sign of tiger. Perry decided to abandon the quest in favor of the wilder regions of Borneo, Wheeler and I promising to follow him in another fortnight. Dur- ing the next few days we were on foot from morning till night, soaked to the skin one moment and baked dry by the glaring sun the next. There was some ex- citement in waiting on a narrow path while the dogs and beaters approached noisily through the jungle, for there was always the possibility and the hope that a tiger might emerge within range, and indeed fresh spoor had been found almost at once after Perry's departure. Then one morning a sudden end was put to my hopes of success. For the past week I had had con- tinual headaches, and at times had found myself almost incapable of standing. When finally my temperature was taken, it proved to be so high that no further doubt as to the presence of fever existed, and I was obliged to start ignominiously for the 46 SPORT AND TRAVEL coast, in a hammock swung from the shoulders of four coolies. Eventually, under the care of a Singa- pore physician, the fever was temporarily mastered ; Wheeler, who had been unsparing in his kindness and assistance, returned to Johore, and I, under doctor's orders, sailed on November 27 for the more healthful climate of Northern India. CHAPTER III IMPRESSIONS OF NORTHERN INDIA: BOMBAY, JAIPORE, AMBER, AGRA »HEN we started on our trip around the world we had had no intention of doing much stereotyped sight-seeing, simply because the wilds and a gun had ap- pealed to us much more strongly than the beaten track of tourists and a guide-book. But now the fever had put me out of action, so far as shooting trips were concerned, for several months at least, and it seemed that I could not better improve this period of convalescence than by jogging across Northern India and visiting some of her more fa- mous cities. Accordingly, on reaching Ceylon after the Malay trip, I went ashore only long enough to rebook my passage to Bombay, and continued up the coast on the P. & O. S. S. Massilia, which had brought me from Singapore. The journey across India was a thoroughly pleasant one, and notwith- standing the numberless times it has been written up before, I am tempted to jot down a few of the purely personal impressions received in that fasci- 48 SPORT AND TRAVEL nating country. For I know of no land that can com- pare with it in point of architectural, historic, and human interest, and no country that repays so well a trip of sight-seeing and study. As one looks back at Bombay, one remembers first of all that splendid seaside drive out to Mala- bar Point, through the hot, spice-laden atmosphere, where the fashionable carriages of Bombay society dodge in and out among the lazy, swaying bullock- carts, and the rich Parsee dashes in state past his toiling low-caste brethren. One remembers it first of all because it leads one past the Towers of Silence; and gruesome as is their character, the Towers of Silence, with their surrounding woods, lawns, and gardens, have no counterpart. The system which goes on within those ivy-covered walls, which from their aspect suggest to the visitor some grim mediaeval fortress, is as admirable as it is startling. One of the chief tenets of the Parsee religion is that fire, earth, and water, being sacred, must not be polluted by contact with putrifying flesh, so that their mortal remains may not be burned, buried, or thrown into the sea. Hence the bodies of their dead are taken and placed reverently upon marble slabs within these circular battlements — there being three concentric circles, for the bod- ies of men, women, and children respectively. BOMBAY 49 Upon these battlements are perched some five hun- dred vultures, waiting only for the pall-bearers or Nasr Salars to withdraw ; a few minutes suffice ; the bones of the dead, cleansed of mortal flesh, are then allowed to remain until thoroughly bleached by sun and rain, when they are reverently dropped into the well which forms the centre of the circles. Here they crumble into ashes, and are borne by covered drains to four deep wells placed at equal distances outside the towers, where, by passing through sand and charcoal, they are purified before entering the ground. Rich and poor thus meet together on a final level of equality, and observe the injunction of their religion, that " Mother earth shall not be defiled." The surrounding gardens form a cemetery, the beauty, solemnity, and peacefulness of which bear fitting tribute to the memory of the dead, and cause the sight-seeking visitor to forget, in his admiration of the reverence with which this admir- able and most sanitary system is carried out, his first feeling of repulsion and the sight of the grue- some birds perched above him in attitudes of con- tinual expectancy. Among all the various races in the world the Parsees stand unique. Somewhere back in the dim prehistoric ages, their ancestors formed one of the greatest of Asiatic nations, having their home in go SPORT AND TRAVEL what is now Persia, where they ruled in magnifi- cence and glory. Many centuries before the opening of the Christian era, their religion was founded by Zoroaster — a monotheistic faith based on the en- lightened principle of a single right-loving deity, the maker, preserver, and ruler of the universe, and teaching the advanced doctrine of the resurrection of the body. When, in the seventh century, A. d., the Persian Empire was destroyed by the Saracens, and the great mass of the nation forced to adopt Islamism, a small number still adhered to the Zoro- astrian faith, and in order to escape persecution fled into the Persian province of Korasan, whence they eventually migrated into India. To-day the num- ber of Parsees all told scarcely reaches one hundred thousand souls, of which over seventy-five per cent are said to live in the Bombay Presidency, and nearly fifty thousand in the city of Bombay itself. The extraordinary thing is that, through all these centuries, while living in the midst of the vast all- absorbing Hindu population, this handful of people has remained unabsorbed, retaining its individuality and handing down its customs, characteristics, and religion from generation to generation in essentially the same form in which they were received from its Persian ancestors ages ago. In point of education and business ability, the BOMBAY 51 Parsees stand preeminently at the head of all the races of Western India, many of them being among the wealthiest merchants in India, while others have won high positions in the government, and their universal liberality is well known in Bombay, where numberless public buildings, hospitals, and colleges have been endowed by their public-spirited generosity. It is indeed greatly to their credit that the one hundred thousand followers of Zoroaster, who still tend the sacred flame, should, in spite of their numerical insignificance, play so large a part in the development of India. The streets and buildings of Bombay may be lightly passed over, for splendid as is the " Queen of Cities," she is by no means typical of India: the hand of the Anglo-Saxon rules supreme ; her great public edifices, her shops, her churches, imposing as they are, would be as much in place in London or New York as out here in the East. Then, too, one has no great enthusiasm for a place where for a month one has been flat on one's back in bed, with a temperature somewhat too high for either convenience or safety; for the fever, which on my departure from Singapore had appeared to be cured, had on my arrival in Bombay come on again with redoubled intensity, and quickly laid me low. If these pages are ever glanced at by Mr. 52 SPORT AND TRAVEL William Thomas Fee, formerly American consul- general in Bombay, I wish here to express my grati- tude to him for his most kindly interest in my wel- fare during those unpleasant weeks, and to thank him most heartily for having on his own initiative looked up and interested himself in a temporarily helpless American citizen. When, on December 25, after a solitary bowl of soup for a Christmas dinner, I had gathered strength enough to take the express for the north, and two days later descended at Jaipore, the prin- cipal city of Raj pu tana, I found myself at last in true Indian surroundings, and began to realize the fascination of that most fascinating of all countries. Let no one labor under the delusion that India is always hot. On the morning of my arrival in Jaipore I should have been mightily glad of a fur coat. Moreover, Indian trains have a way of invariably arriving at important places at hours in keeping with the paganism of the country. The train reached Jaipore before sunrise of a bitter cold December day, and so frozen was I by the time I reached the hotel, that it was necessary to devote the hours between chota-hazri and breakfast to sit- ting close to an open fire before I was sufficiently thawed out to be capable of walking. Then, when the sun was well up, we started out to see the city. JAIPORE 53 Of all the cities of India, Jaipore, from the point of view of life and color, leaves with one the clearest and most lasting impressions. It is not the Maha- raja's palace, gardens, or stables that one recalls, though they are striking, nor the Albert Museum, though that too is of the greatest interest ; nor yet is it the architecture of the regular blocks of plaster houses, which is monotonous and commonplace : it is the whole city itself, the great broad-streeted, wall-inclosed city, with its ring of encircling hills and its seven great gates, hiving with life and gaiety, that impresses one with its charm. Imagine, if you can, a street of such length and breadth that the avenues of our greatest cities would appear small beside it, and two far-reaching lines of flat- topped plaster houses, colored — of all colors in the rainbow — a brilliant pink, forming with the in- tensely blue sky above and the reddish earth below a combination of hues which in anything but nature would jar atrociously, but which here combine in the most pleasing harmony; imagine a throng of natives of the most varied castes, continually min- gling and remingling like the bits of glass in a kalei- doscope, every caste being represented by a dis- tinctive color or shade of turban, and every man with some gay blanket or lui thrown about his shoulders; imagine a continuously passing stream 54 SPORT AND TRAVEL of every manner of beast of burden, — gorgeously tattooed camels and elephants, bullocks, donkeys, and water-buffaloes, goats and homeless pariah dogs innumerable, lazy sacred cows wandering across the street in utter disregard of the respectful but impeded traffic, gray apes galore swarming on the housetops, imagine all this, and add to it the noise of creaking wheels, the clang of brass cymbals, the cries of vendors, the hum of the market-place, and you will understand a little why Jaipore is fascinating. On the morning after my arrival, we started by carriage for the deserted city of Amber, some five miles distant, which previous to the founding of Jaipore by the Maharaja Siwai Jai Singh in 1728 — due to a lack of water at his previous residence, it is said — was the capital of Rajputana. The colors of Jaipore, as we hurried through it, impressed me even more than on the day before. It was bitterly cold, and the natives squatted in circles in the road about small fires, completely hidden in their gaudy comforters. The sky seemed bluer than ever, and the pink blocks of houses stood out clearly against it in remarkable contrast. Soon we passed out of the city and down a dusty road, with ruined houses and temples, overgrown with cactus, on either side, where we were able to see the hills which rise STREET SCENES IN JAIPORE AMBER 55 abruptly on three sides of Jaipore and are crowned by the ancient city wall, with fortifications and tur- rets at all the highest points. The carriage takes one only to the end of the level, where one is conveyed by bullock-cart or elephant up the hill to Amber. As we reached the top of the pass and started down into the next valley, the whole deserted city lay stretched before us, its houses and temples crum- bling and overgrown with weeds. Above rose abruptly another hill, and on its top in imposing prominence towered the ancient palace of the Maharajas. The elephant eventually dropped us in the courtyard, whence we passed through the many halls and rooms of the palace, admiring especially the fine inlaid work of the walls, which was always the strong point of the ancient Mogul designers. It is said that an underground passage connects this palace with the one in Jaipore, six miles away; so that in former days the Maharaja, if attacked, could flee to what was then his summer country home, but this assertion I could not per- sonally verify. After seeing the palace and obtaining a magnifi- cent view of Amber and the surrounding country from its topmost turrets, we descended to a live temple to Krishna, where worship was going on. The god's breakfast-bowl had just been removed 56 SPORT AND TRAVEL by the priest, a stalwart, clear-eyed young man, so nearly naked that I feared for the susceptibilities of the ladies I was accompanying; and a most frightful din of tom-toms and great bells was an- nouncing the fact of the deity's repletion in a man- ner which, considering the desertedness of the city, seemed to me superfluous as well as painful. That night I departed for Agra. The compart- ment was all too full, and among my fellow passen- gers was an extraordinary individual covered with jewels, especially about his ears, in front of which the hair hung long, having with him an outfit of bow and arrows, a sword, and, of all incongruous articles, a bag of golf-clubs. My boy, James An- thony by name, informed me that he was a king, but of what, heaven only knew. The train was scheduled to go to Agra, but about one A. m., long after we had retired, James awoke me with the pleasing news that, on account of the pressure of travel northwards, the train's destination would be changed to Delhi, to accommodate the many pas- sengers who had been unable to find accommoda- tions on the regular Delhi express. A sigh of relief went up from the Englishmen and the "king," while I, cursing, had to dress in the cold and wait on a wind-swept station platform for the next train to Agra. AGRA 57 Before going to Agra, you must learn something of the ancient Mogul kings who built and beautified it, for then, besides the keen aesthetic pleasure you will have merely in beholding the works of archi- tecture which they have handed down to posterity, you will know a little of the romances which in- spired these works, and will more thoroughly ap- preciate the delicacy and matchless charm of their conception. For the mosques and tombs of Agra are undeniably the most beautiful monuments ever erected by man. It has well been said that the Moguls designed Titans and finished like jewellers; but they did more ; they embodied in their works the delicacy, refinement, and effeminacy of the women who in almost every instance inspired their efforts, and whom in many cases their monuments were to commemorate. The high-water mark of the Mogul dynasty lasted through the reigns of three great kings, — Akbar the Great, Jehanghir, and Shah Jehan, — and it was during these reigns that the Indian architecture reached its perfection and that the palaces, mosques, and tombs of Agra were built. Akbar's works were inspired by a woman, and his son Jehanghir's reign was a success only through his devotion to the beautiful and brilliant Nur Jehan. Shah Jehan, Jehanghir's successor, had many wives, but one 58 SPORT AND TRAVEL whom he loved above them all ; and it is to the romance of that marriage that the world owes its possession of that one unrivalled work of architec- ture, the Taj Mahal. They were great and powerful men, these Moguls, and some of them were among the wisest and most enlightened of monarchs. Akbar the Great stands preeminently above them all. He reigned from 1556 to 1605, and it is said that in physical strength and prowess, personal charm, benevolence of character and broadness of views, he was the greatest of living men. But with all his strong and statesmanlike qualities he was a true artist, and it is to his refined taste and appre- ciation of the beautiful that we are indebted for many of India's greatest monuments. It was he who removed his capital from Delhi to Agra, and spent his life in making it the most beautiful city in India. I spent the first day of my stay at Agra rambling through the big Fort, which was begun by Akbar, and which, always excepting the Kremlin at Moscow, is without doubt the grandest citadel in the world. It is a city in itself, being two miles and a quarter in circumference, with walls seventy feet high and thirty feet thick, and protected by a correspondingly broad and deep moat. The palace which it incloses wanders over a vast extent of ground, each succeed- PS o a K H o< P w Z o a < H K O S H IS X H AGRA 63 the city, and from it can be seen the domes and minarets of the Taj . Like the Taj it is built of the purest white marble, almost every square inch of which is inlaid with colored stones. The towers which rise at the four corners are of the most grace- ful design, and around the top of the tomb, inclos- ing the towers and the central pavilion, runs a perforated marble screen of the most delicate lace- like structure. Inside are the tombs of Itimad-ud- Daulah and his wife, and in chambers opening from the central one repose the remains of five members of his family. But let us turn to the supreme centrepiece of Agra's architecture. Shah Jehan, as I have said, had one wife whom he loved above them all. This good woman, whose name has come down to us as Mumtaz-i-Mahal, " The Pride of the Palace," made her husband happy for eighteen years, during which time, it is said, he had no other wife, and finally died in giving birth, history tells us, to her four- teenth baby. The following year Shah Jehan began the building of the Taj Mahal, which means "The Crown of the Palaces," and for eighteen years kept twenty thousand unpaid workmen employed upon his wife's memorial. The original architect is not known, but among the designers were a Frenchman, an Italian, and a Persian, showing that the best 64 SPORT AND TRAVEL talent of the world was brought to assist in its con- struction. Finally, in 1648, the work was finished, and when Shah Jehan died, his body was placed beside that of his wife in pure white marble tombs, sheltered from the untempered light outside by a screen of beautiful pierced marble tracery, which allows the reflection of the glaring Indian sun to sift gently into the interior of the mausoleum, and insures by day a perpetual twilight in keeping with the solemnity of the surroundings. It was fitting that the Emperor should have commemorated the perfect love of his marriage with a monument to which alone, even to-day, the word perfect may be applied, — perfect in propor- tion, perfect in detail, perfect in the exquisite beauty, grace, and delicacy of its conception. It is useless to attempt to describe the Taj ; poets have raved over it during the centuries of its existence, prosaic guide-books have set down its dimensions and enumerated its cupolas and minarets, innumer- able photographers and painters have reproduced its form. But neither pen nor camera nor brush has ever been able to convey the faintest impression of its true beauty, the gracefulness of its design, the softness of its symmetry, the delicacy of its decora- tion. Mr. W. E. Curtis, in his book on " Modem India" sums it up in a particularly pleasing figure: AGRA 65 "One might as well attempt to describe a Beethoven symphony," he says, "for if architecture be frozen music, as some poet has said, the Taj Mahal is the supremest and sublimest composition that human genius has produced." When you drive through the wood which leads to its entrance, pass under the red sandstone gate- way, and stand at last in the gardens which sur- round the tomb, you will perhaps not at first appre- ciate its full value. You will regard it from each corner of the gardens, and then enter to examine the mural decorations and the pierced marble screens and the cenotaphs, of which as usual the more imposing imitation ones lie above, and those which actually hold the bodies of the Emperor and his wife in a sepulchral chamber below. But only when you have finished examining its details, have seated yourself on one of the benches in the garden before its eastern face, and there, hour after hour, in the peacefulness and silence of the surroundings have let the effect of the tomb impress itself upon your senses as a whole, while the fading afternoon sunlight slowly shifts the lights and shades and varies the tints upon its flawless marble, — only then will you wholly understand why the Taj Mahal is called the most beautiful of all buildings. CHAPTER IV IMPRESSIONS OF NORTHERN INDIA : CAWNPORE, LUCK- NOW, BENARES ^HE scene changes wholly when you move from Agra to Cawnpore; from the lavish days of the Moguls you pass over a couple of centuries to a time when India had come under British control, and you are appalled to remember that those few months which made Cawnpore famous were not back some- where in a half-veiled mediaeval era, but were in the lifetime of our own fathers. You find yourself in imagination living through those dark days of 1857 ; and as the guide leads you from landmark to landmark, you picture all too vividly the scenes of outrage which took place on that cheerless sun- scorched landscape but half a century ago. The ar- chitecture has changed too ; mausoleums, mosques, and palaces have vanished, and in their place your eye is held only by two quite modern edifices. One is a little red-brick chapel, such as you would see in an English village, and the other a marble statue representing the Angel of the Resurrection, clasping THE ANGEL OF THE RESURRECTION Memorial over the Massacre Well at Cawnpore CAWNPORE 67 two palm branches across her breast, and sur- rounded by a marble gothic screen, which stands in such a grove as might skirt some cemetery at home. The church is dedicated " To the Glory of God and in memory of more than a thousand people who met their deaths hard by betwixt 6th June and 15th July, 1857"; the monument, "Sacred to the perpetual memory of a great company of Christian people, chiefly women and children, who near this spot were cruelly murdered by the followers of the rebel Nana Dhundu Pant, of Bithur, and cast, the dying with the dead, into the well below, on the XVth day of July, MDCCCLVII." Both com- memorate the most terrible massacres of the Indian Mutiny, which have made Cawnpore undoubtedly the saddest spot on earth. It is difficult to imagine a more desolate and pa- thetic landscape than the scene of these unparalleled tragedies. An empty, brown, sun-baked plain ex- tends in all directions ; one scarcely can find shade from the scorching Indian sun, and a fine burning dust fills the atmosphere. It was in the midst of this shadeless plain that the British garrison, composed largely of women and children, held out for over three weeks in the middle of summer, under con- tinuous fire from the rebel troops. The siege began on June 6. Sir Hugh Wheeler, 68 SPORT AND TRAVEL in command of the British, had thrown up five- foot intrenchments about the cantonment and had lodged therein some eight hundred persons, of which number the wives and children of soldiers and civilians formed a large percentage. These were gathered in two bungalows in the centre of the intrenchments, which, during the three weeks of the siege, were pounded day and night by the grape- shot and cannon-balls of the rebels. Their rations consisted of a handful of flour and split peas daily, increased only when some horse or dog strayed into the cantonment, and they suffered fearfully from thirst, their only water being drawn from the well outside by brave men who took turns in sacrificing their lives to alleviate the pain of the women and children within. Finally, on June 25, the Nana offered to those who would surrender a safe journey down the river. They marched to the Ganges, this ragged, half- starved band, and there, from the steps of a washing ghat, prepared to enter the thatch-covered boats which lay in readiness for their passage to freedom. The oars were in the locks and the native crews sat ready to man them. After their weeks of anxiety and suffering the thought that their troubles were past and that now, after all, they were to see home and friends once more, must have given them a CAWNPORE 69 moment of actual joy such as they had never ex- pected to experience again. Major Vibart, now in command since the wounding of General Wheeler, stood with his staff to the left of the ghat ; the Nana was on the right. Apparently no other human be- ings were present to witness the commencement of their journey. But if they could have looked behind the walls of the ghat and through the brush that skirted the river-banks, if they could have had but one glimpse of the cannon trained upon the boats which they were about to enter, and the rows of silent rebel soldiers waiting for a signal from their chief, who knows in what respects the history of Cawnpore might have been altered. The men still had their arms, and desperation lends might even to the few. They would at least have died in action. But this was not to be. There was no reason to doubt the Nana's good faith. Up to the beginning of the siege he had professed friendship for the Brit- ish, and it was but rational to suppose, either that he was now repentant, or that policy was prompting him to friendly action. The boats were entered, and the word given by Major Vibart to shove off. At that moment a bugle sounded, there was a flash from the bank, and volley after volley of ball and bullets was poured into the helpless mass of English 70 SPORT AND TRAVEL men and women below. They tried to push off from the sand-bar, but the crews had unshipped the oars and plunged with them to safety just before the signal was given. Three only of the boats managed to swing out into the river, two of which grounded and their occupants were quickly killed by grape and bullets. The third drifted out of sight down- stream. The male passengers of the other boats were slaughtered to a man, the soldiers rushing into the water and dispatching those who tried to swim away. The one hundred and twenty women and children who remained alive, many of them, be it remem- bered, being the wives of British officers, who had never known a day's hardship in their lives, were taken by the Nana back to the cantonment over the same scorching road which an hour before they had thought was leading them to liberty, and placed in a small bungalow with two rooms twenty by ten feet, a couple of servants' rooms at the back, and a verandah running along the front. Here they were confined for ten days, with others who had been captured about Cawnpore, — two hundred and eleven of them, of whom but five were men, — locked up in a house scarcely large enough to ac- commodate a single family. There was no bedding and they were fed on unleavened bread and lentil w 2 PS o 1 H < o £ CAWNPORE 71 soup. Twenty-eight died in those ten days, and they were fortunate, for they escaped the last act of the tragedy of Cawnpore, which was the most terrible of all. At five o'clock on the afternoon of July 10 it was decided that the entire number of prisoners should be put to death. The Nana sent for the men and had them shot down in his presence. Then he di- rected his Sipahis to shoot the women and children through the doors and windows of the house. Ap- parently they possessed the one remaining spark of humanity which he lacked, for they refused. They were threatened with death at the cannon's mouth, but even then they purposely avoided aiming at their wretched victims. The Nana laughed and sent to Cawnpore town for butchers to come with their knives, and the massacre was accomplished. In the morning three women could still speak and several children were unharmed. They were taken, the dy- ing with the dead, and thrown into the well before the house. And when Havelock's column arrived the next morning, it was one day too late. It is interesting to follow the course of the single boat which escaped from the Massacre Ghat and drifted down the Ganges, for it was four of that indomitable crew who alone out of all the eight hundred of the siege reached safety and carried the 72 SPORT AND TRAVEL story of Cawnpore to the outside world. The boat's rudder was shot away, and without oars steering was impossible; but by noon it had drifted out of range of the Nana's guns. Infantrymen followed it along the bank, firing whenever it swung within range. At night it stranded on a sand-bank, and a burning boat was sent down, which however missed its mark. Then flights of arrows tipped with red-hot charcoal were tried, and the British were obliged to throw overboard the now burning thatched top which alone had protected them from the sun's fearful intensity. The following day was spent in desperate efforts to dislodge the boat from the sand-bars on which it continually became wedged ; a heavy fire was still kept up from the bank, both Major Vibart and Captain Moore, who had been the executive officer and the leading figure for bravery during the siege, being wounded while at work in the water. At sunset a boat containing sixty armed rebels approached, but with extraor- dinary spirit the British rushed upon them and completely routed the entire band, leaving few alive to escape. On the following day Lieutenants Thomson and Delafosse, with Sergeant Grady and eleven privates, waded ashore to drive back the rebels who were firing from the bank. When they returned to the river the boat had disappeared. It CAWNPORE 73 was eventually captured, and the eighty occupants returned to Cawnpore, the men, and one woman who refused to leave them, being immediately shot, while the women and children were sent to the bungalow to join the other survivors of the ghat massacre. Meanwhile the little band of thirteen on shore wandered along the bank, with bare heads and feet, and continually under fire from natives who how- ever dared not close in, till they came to a large body of rebels in front of a temple on the bank. Troops were posted on the opposite shore to shoot them down should they attempt to swim. They were completely surrounded. Thomson gave the order to rush the temple, which they did with success. Sergeant Grady, however, being killed as he entered. The men then kneeled in the doorway behind their bayonets, on which the foremost rebels, pushed for- ward by those behind, fell transfixed and formed a rampart of bodies to shield the remaining British soHders. Every method was taken to dislodge the remaining twelve; undermining the temple failed; then the natives attempted to set fire to the building with burning fagots, without success. Finally bags of gunpowder were thrown on the embers, over which the British charged with their bare feet, and by means of their bayonets seven of them succeeded 74 SPORT AND TRAVEL in reaching the river-bank. They plunged into the water, where two more were shot and one, giving up exhausted, was beaten to death on the bank. But Thomson and Delafosse and privates Murphy and SulHvan, naked and passing several alligators on the way, swam and floated for three hours, when they finally came to a friendly village, where, exhausted from hunger, fatigue, and suffering, they were kindly treated and eventually conducted to safety. Thus only four out of eight hundred escaped. That is the story of Cawnpore. As you wander through the intrenchments and down to the Massa- cre Ghat, it is difficult to imagine the events which took place on that quiet landscape. To-day it has an air of peace and solemn calm, as if the place were in perpetual mourning, the cause for which neither time nor new-made history could ever make it for- get. And when you pass to other surroundings and are looking at cheerier scenes and places, you will take away with you a little of the seriousness with which even the shortest stay at Cawnpore must permanently impress you. Apart from its historic interest there is nothing to hold the visitor at Cawnpore ; the town itself is unprepossessing ; the narrow streets on which open the booths of the natives are bordered by monoto- nous plaster houses, and the chief impression one THE RESIDENCY, LUCKNOW THE CAWNPORE BAZAAR LUCKNOW 75 gets is of dust everywhere — on the trees, on the buildings, and especially on the natives. One must go farther East to find Kipling's " cleaner, greener land," and as for the "neater, sweeter maiden," the Punjabi lady can hardly claim to share that dis- tinction with her Burmese sister. But Lucknow as a city is very much more imposing. The richest Mohammedans of India live there, and they have built palaces which, though monstrosities of archi- tecture, show that lavish wealth has been put into their construction. The city, too, is broadly laid out and is interspersed with many charming parks and gardens. I reached Lucknow after a single day at Cawn- pore, and went to a hotel which though second-rate was the best I had yet seen in India. On the follow- ing day, January i, was celebrated the coronation of the new King, Edward the Seventh being pro- claimed Emperor of India amidst a mighty salute of guns and the stirring singing of the national anthem by thousands of troops and civilians gathered on the great parade-ground. During the singing an Eng- lishman standing near me noticed a native gentle- man who, with his family, although in western dress and wearing no turban, had failed to uncover. With a " Why the devil don't you remove your hat, sir," he raised his stick and sent the man's bowler flying 76 SPORT AND TRAVEL to the ground. The native, without even turning to see his assailant, picked up his hat in a quiet man- ner and remained uncovered until the end of the anthem. The historic interest of Lucknow centres about the Residency, which, though in ruins, gives the impression of neatness and freshness, for green lawns extend to the base of its roofless old gray walls, and well-kept parks and gardens surround it. But every square foot of the Residency and the other blackened buildings which were within the in- closure during the siege is scarred with the iron hail of battle, which during the five months of the siege of Lucknow stormed about the intrenchments of the British. The story of Lucknow is very different from that of Cawnpore. It is a grim one, for the tale of the dead far outnumbered the losses at Cawnpore, but it is stirring from start to finish and ends in suc- cess, for the Residency neither surrendered nor was taken. Into that little cluster of buildings were gathered nearly three thousand persons ; there were seven hundred British soldiers, two hundred and twenty European volunteers, seven hundred and sixty-five faithful natives, and thirteen hundred non-combatants, more than five hundred of whom were women and children. On June 30 Sir Henry LUCKNOW 77 Lawrence went out to meet the army of rebels who, having finished their work at Cawnpore, were marching on Lucknow; he was defeated by over- whelming numbers, and driven back to the city, and the siege began. The five succeeding months were thrilling ones, for the stubbornness of the garrison's resistance, the determination of the attacks and counter-attacks, the individual acts of bravery, for which many a Victoria Cross was awarded, and finally the gallan- try of the struggle of the relieving force through the city, only themselves to be besieged in turn, are unsurpassed in the annals of war. At dawn on the 2d of July Sir Henry Lawrence started on a tour of inspection of the defences, encouraging the men and explaining his views for the conduct of the siege. It was very hot, and on returning to the Residency at 8 A. M. he said that he would rest for a couple of hours and then move to a safer and lower room, since his own apartment had been struck by a shell on the previous day. Half an hour later, while he was Ijong on his bed listening to a report by Cap- tain Wilson, a second shell tore through the wall, knocked Wilson down, cut off the foot of a native servant, and carried away the top of Sir Henry's thigh. He appointed Lieutenant-Colonel Inglis to succeed him in the military command, gave detailed 78 SPORT AND TRAVEL instructions for the conduct of the defence, calmly discussed the causes and mistakes of the Mutiny, and finally died at sunrise on the 4th, having said that he wished to be buried "without any fuss, as became a British soldier," and dictated his epitaph, "Here lies Henry Lawrence, who tried to do his duty." The following weeks were occupied with continual sorties and attempts to blow up houses offering shelter to the besiegers, which in many cases were carried out successfully with the greatest daring. By September the garrison had been reduced by bullets and sickness to about one third of its origi- nal number. Cholera and smallpox were rampant, all were afHicted with scurvy, a terrible plague of flies had set in, which was increased by the unsani- tary conditions of the inclosure, and the nervous strain resulting from poor food and incessant anx- iety and physical exhaustion was beginning to tell cruelly on the women and children. Meanwhile Havelock had been attempting to fight his way up from Cawnpore, but as yet with little success on account of the overwhelming num- bers of the enemy through which his comparatively small force had to pass. It was on September 15 that Major-General Sir James Outram joined him, having been recalled from Persia, where he had been a. a < o LUCKNOW ' 79 in command of the expeditionary force. Outram was a small, quiet man, whose gentle and polished manner covered one of the strongest characters and most dauntless spirits of the British army. His unselfish nature was shown by the order which, as Havelock's superior officer, he immediately issued to the relieving force, to the effect that he consid- ered "the strenuous and noble exertions which Havelock had already made to save the Lucknow garrison entitled him to the honor of relieving it, and that he had decided to accompany the column in his civil capacity as Chief Commissioner of Oudh, as a private in the volunteers until the Residency was occupied." It was a praiseworthy sacrifice, for it meant giving up not only the great honor of relieving Lucknow, but also the chief share of the treasure which had been gathered in the Residency and which would go as prize money to the relievers. But he carried out his decision, following the col- umn through the hail of lead which it encountered at every step of the last part of the way, carrying only a cane. Unfortunately, as will be seen, he later had occasion to regret his decision, and acknow- ledged that it was a foolish act and that sentiment had obscured duty. The Ganges was finally crossed and the head of the column, under Brigadier-General Neill, reached 8o SPORT AND TRAVEL the bridge which crosses the canal on the outskirts of the city. This bridge being subjected to a heavy fire by the natives, Neill did not think it advisable to cross till the rear of the column had moved up and the order had been given by the general in command. The other officers were impatient, for a reconnoitring party had reported that the bridge might be carried, and for a moment there were mur- murs of dissatisfaction. Then occurred one of those episodes which add humor even to war. Young Havelock, the general's aide-de-camp, spurred his horse and dashed back over the road towards his father's position. Halting at the first turn, however, he waited for a few moments and then came gallop- ing back to Neill. " You are to carry the bridge at once, sir ! " he said. The order was issued and Colonel Tytler, Captain Willis, and Lieutenants Havelock and Arnold immediately charged with a dozen soldiers each of their respective regiments. At the end of the bridge was a seven-foot earthwork armed with six heavy rebel guns and protected by a wide range of rebel musketry fire. Tytler and Willis were wounded, and Arnold fell shot through both thighs, while five men at his side had their right legs shot off. In a minute Lieutenant Havelock and Corporal Jacques were the only two unwounded men on the bridge. Jacques continued firing and reload- LUCKNOW 8i ing as unconcernedly as at target practice, while Havelock, who was sitting on his horse at the open- ing of the parapet, received a bullet through his helmet. Then drawing his revolver and dropping the Sipahi who had come so near to killing him, he cheered on the men who had closed up behind him and carried the battery at the end of the bridge. It was then that the great mistake in the ap- proach to the Residency was made. Outram saw that to push through the streets which led directly to the besieged garrison would be to run a gauntlet of close fire from the rebels who held the houses on each side and were themselves practically protected. He would have made a detour which, as examina- tion later proved, would have enabled the relieving force to make an almost bloodless approach to the Residency. But night was coming on and Have- lock with his fiery spirit could not brook the delay. Outram would gladly have taken command and avoided what he saw would entail unnecessary and terrible slaughter, but it was now too late. The order was given, and at fearful loss the column swept forward through those lead-whipped streets. At the end of a lane a courtyard was entered at whose end was an archway, and here, while sitting on his horse steadying the column, Neill received the bullet from a rebel on the roof which ended his brilliant 82 SPORT AND TRAVEL career. A few moments later, having lost seven hundred ofificers and men in the approach to the Residency, the column breached the intrenchments of the garrison. One unfortunate incident marred the triumph of the entry. Lieutenant Aitken, on hearing the cheers of the approaching soldiers, took out a party of loyal native Bengalis to meet them ; unfortunately the approaching Highlanders in their excitement took them for the enemy and promptly bayoneted three of Aitken's men. As one lay bleed- ing to death, realizing the fatal mistake, he said simply, "It does not matter, I die for the Gov- ernment." Then the Residency was entered and grimy soldiers wrung the hands of officers' wives and embraced little children in the supreme joy of the moment of success. But it was not until November 17 that Lucknow was effectually relieved. Havelock and Outram had entered, but they were powerless to do more. The enemy closed in again, and the relievers found them- selves in turn besieged. The final honor of relieving Lucknow belongs to Sir Colin Campbell, and it was only accomplished after the garrison had held out for one hundred and forty days and had known many times over the worst things that war can bring. THE GHATS AT BENARES SOME OF THE GREAT PALACES AT BENARES BENARES 83 To my mind the great fascination about India is the continual novelty one finds as one passes from place to place. One can never become bored as is so easy in European travelling, for no two cities are ever just alike ; each seems to be in a land of its own and to possess its distinctive characteristics, afford- ing to the tourist that continual change of scene which is the greatest charm of travel. But when you pass from Lucknow to Benares you come upon a city which is so absolutely different from anything you have seen before, that you wonder whether it really belongs to our earth and is not a town in some other world, with other people, other forms of architecture, and other manners of living than we are accustomed to. Indeed, Benares is not of our world. It comes down to us from an era thousands of years ago, when Buddha adopted it as his home and began to spread his doctrines throughout the East ; but even then it was ancient as a holy city and had seen one religion after another rise and decay within its walls. It is still to-day the holiest city in India, and is the headquarters alike of Buddhism and Brah- minism ; to drink and bathe in the sacred waters of the Ganges, which runs through it, purges the soul of sin, and to die within its precincts insures to believer and infidel alike an immediate and uncon- 84 SPORT AND TRAVEL ditional entry into the highest heaven. That is why the ghats along the river bank present one of the liveliest scenes to be beheld in the world, for thou- sands and thousands of naked natives are bathing and washing their clothes in the filthy water, and that is why the death rate of Benares is so enor- mous and the funeral fires along the Ganges are kept busy day in and day out ; for from far and near come the aged and infirm, in all stages of illness and disease, dragging themselves to the sacred water for a last purification before passing on to a certain paradise. On the morning of my arrival I entered a boat and rowed slowly up-stream, a few yards away from the line of ghats on which were taking place the same morning ablutions which have been per- formed for centuries by the followers of the Hindu gods. Never have I seen such an enlivened sight. The ghats extended along the river in apparently endless succession — great flights of stone steps descending to the water, separated here and there by some crumbling ruin fallen from above, and sur- mounted by tier upon tier of temples, mosques, palaces, dwelling-houses, and ancient buildings of every description, which rose in a crowded jumbled mass high above the stream below. Along the ghats themselves crouched thousands and thousands of BENARES 85 black naked natives, scooping up handfuls to drink, washing clothes, or submerging themselves in the filthy waters of the sacred stream. Of all gruesome sights the burning ghats of Benares are undoubtedly the most loathsome, and they lie open to the view of every passer-by on the river. When a Hindu dies — and I have remarked on the high death rate in Benares — his body is promptly carried to one of these ghats, where, if the place be not already too crowded, it is immediately placed on a funeral pyre. If the family of the de- ceased be rich, the body is covered with costly silks and shawls; otherwise a simple linen sheet forms the only shroud. The fire is started, the covering quickly burns, and the body is left in full view, twitching and writhing as the fire catches and con- tracts its muscles. When it has been partially con- sumed, men with long poles rake the limbs from the ashes and push them carelessly into the river, where they are carried away down-stream in close proximity to the drinkers and bathers on the ghats below. The family will perhaps sit upon a small terrace beside the burning ghat to witness the cere- mony, or the body may be accompanied only by the fire-builders. After the burning certain contractors search the ashes for jewels which may have been placed upon the deceased by relatives before crema- 86 SPORT AND TRAVEL tion, and have escaped combustion. Then a new pyre is built and a few moments later another body is similarly disposed of. If the relatives cannot af- ford the three rupees charge which is the minimum for cremation, they simply launch their dead on the river, and the bodies go floating down the sa- cred stream while the bathers continue their ablu- tions undisturbed. At the big burning ghat I saw three funeral fires burning, while a fourth shrouded figure lay on the bank, and as I watched, a fifth was carried in on the shoulders of the undertakers and laid beside the others to wait its turn. The greater part of the morning was spent in watching the river-side life of the city, as we rowed slowly past the ghats and the jumbled buildings behind them. One remarks especially the many imposing palaces which at the end of the succession of stone steps rise straight from the water's edge. Just as we at home own villas at the seashore or in the country, so the rich Hindu possesses his palace at Benares, where he may spend a portion of every year in holy contemplation and in sin-purging ablu- tions ; and many of these palaces showed that vast sums had been put into their construction. Finally I landed at one of the ghats and climbed up into the crooked, filthy little alley-ways of the town. Here one sees sights which disgust the senses MOUNT TARAWERA AND LAKE ROTOMAHANA New Zealand m. ^*^. THE LAVA-FORMED COUNTRY SURROUNDING WAIMUNGU BENARES 87 but move the heart, for such wretchedness, igno- rance, filth, and poverty as one sees at every step cannot well exist in the same degree elsewhere. At every step there is a temple to one or another of the Hindu gods ; to Siva, the vicious, the cruel, or one of his horrible wives ; to Vishnu, or Krishna, or to Ganesha, the elephant-headed, or to one of the thousands of other deities which are worshipped in this terrible city with the blindest and most abject superstitious awe. There is no reverence in the Hindu worship, it is merely the propitiation of cruel, unjust gods, in order that their chronic anger may temporarily be soothed and evil thus averted. A Hindu may com- mit murder one moment, but by worshipping at Siva's temple and drinking at the "Well of Know- ledge" the next, he obtains complete absolution; and if he dies immediately thereafter within the sacred precincts of the city, he goes at once to para- dise. No wonder that in Benares disease is rife. The " Well of Knowledge" is a hole filled with stag- nant, putrid water, every drop of which must be rank poison ; yet an old priest is continually ladling it out to pilgrims and inhabitants alike, and day after day the crowds throng about the well for "purification" by drinking from this most filthy and infectious source. 88 SPORT AND TRAVEL The alley-ways which intersect the town are none too wide to accommodate the stream of passers-by ; but as almost every square foot of public highway is privately appropriated progress becomes almost impossible. Here a merchant has his brass and tin wares spread upon the pavement; a little farther along, a farmer squats among his vegetables in the middle of the way; a step more and you have to pass gingerly by a barber who sits on his haunches before the employer of his services, both in the same attitude, occupying all but a fraction of the high- way. Then comes a sacred bullock, wandering lazily along, bedecked with the flowers of pious wor- shippers ; he stops to help himself casually from the vegetables and fruits of the poor but unresisting farmer, and continues his course among the wares of the merchants, which he scatters to right and left, while pedestrians edge up against the walls of adjacent buildings to give him ample room. There are many hundreds of these sacred animals in Benares, and to injure or restrain them in the pur- suit of their fancies would be an act of impiety which would be visited by the utmost wrath of the protecting gods. Filthy temples open from the alleys, as I have said, at every few steps, and within, filthy priests receive contributions of money and food for the pro- THE Et Three bodies are in the process of cremation ; a fo ;HAT, BENARES ts shroud on the slope, while a fifth is being brought in on the two coolies BENARES 89 pitiation of their respective deities. Beggars literally swarm at their thresholds : in no city of the world are the beggars so numerous and so hideously dis- gusting as at Benares ; maimed, blind, paralyzed, diseased, they gather from every part of India and crowd before the temples where the pious will not overlook their appeals. But repulsion overcomes one's sense of pity, and prompts one to hurry past. The hotels in Benares, fortunately, are far from this centre of filth and degradation, and great was the relief when at the end of a day of sight-seeing I returned to the pure, untainted open air. Benares had seemed to me like a great festering sore on the clean surface of the land, aggravated by the thou- sands drawn thither by the irresistible force of superstition, fostered by the practices carried on under the guise of religion. That this hotbed of vice, filth, ignorance, and degradation should be called the holy city of India is irony of the deepest description. On looking back at that virtueless place, if one wishes to include any pleasure in one's recollections, one must remember only the sun- sparkling waters of the Ganges, the thronging life of the ghats, and the rising mass of ancient build- ings which have come down to us, some ruined, many crumbling, all jumbled one above the other in reasonless confusion, through unnumbered cen- 90 SPORT AND TRAVEL tunes. This exterior aspect can interest, even please; but to look closer is to court disgust and sure repulsion. From Benares I journeyed to Calcutta, and after a most pleasant visit in that delightful city, sailed on January 4 by the P. & O. S. S. Peninsula for the other side of the world. CHAPTER V WAIMUNGU AND THE HOT-SPRING COUNTRY OF NEW ZEALAND JN the North Island of New Zealand, if you drive from Rotorua straight back through the scarred and roughened lava-strewn hills toward Mount Tara- wera, that old volcano of such grim associations, you will come upon what appears to be a peaceful pond lying motionless in a depression among the hills. Among its dreary and barren surroundings not a living thing is to be seen ; the thin steam that rises gently from its surface and from the other pools near by is the only sign of movement that breaks its stillness. From the plateau in which it is sunk rises in two directions great rugged cliffs, and these form, as it were, a natural stadium in whose arena below is enacted at intervals one of the most marvellous and sensational spectacles which the natural phenomena of the world produce. For this is Waimungu, the largest geyser in the world, but a geyser whose action resembles far more the eruption of a great volcano than it does the slender jets of 92 SPORT AND TRAVEL steam and water with which one usually associates the name. When in 1886 the appalling eruption of Mount Tarawera altered the face of the whole country, leaving in its path widespread loss of human life, destruction of villages and of millions of acres of cultivated fields, New Zealanders did not realize what a mighty landmark had been given them as compensation. They could only bemoan the loss of their famous Pink Terraces, which Tarawera had so ruthlessly torn from them, and they could not foresee the monument which was then set in course of construction to commemorate that terrible June night. For Waimungu, though it was undoubtedly formed by that great upheaval, did not at once make known its birth. For fourteen years it lay quiescent slowly gathering power for the day on which it would first leap into action and proclaim its sovereignty. Suddenly, in 1900, the outburst came. The quiet pool which lies within its cra- ter was stirred, steam rose from its surface, and with no further warning, the very bowels of the earth, as it seemed, were hurled through it into the air in one tremendous explosion. Two men pro- specting for ore in that uninhabited region saw the eruption and brought back the news: Wai- mungu had broken loose ; New Zealanders hence- HOT SPRINGS OF NEW ZEALAND 93 forth could boast the greatest and grandest geyser in the world. It seems to have taken the people of Rotorua some little time to realize that from the erratic and wholly ungovernable character of Waimungu, a near approach to its crater must at all times be attended with the greatest personal risk; for al- though the explosions were soon found to come at average periods of thirty-six hours, irregular erup- tions were of frequent occurrence, and took place without warning when least expected. As is the law with all new dangers, somebody had to be hurt and sacrificed before steps were taken to prevent the ignorant and foolhardy from venturing too near. In the summer of 1903 two girls and a guide visited the crater, and though previously warned of the risk, they stood near the brink to secure a photo- graph at close quarters. An eruption occurred, the pond was thrown bodily into the air to a height of some fifteen hundred feet, with enormous quantities of mud, huge rocks, and steam, the unfortunate visitors were caught by the backfiow of the boiling water and swept down into the crater, from which the bodies were later recovered, terribly burned and mutilated. From that day the geyser basin was railed off in such a manner that nobody could ap- proach near enough to incur the slightest danger. 94 SPORT AND TRAVEL It was but a few months before this mishap that, while staying at Rotorua in the hot spring district, my friend B. and I visited Waimungu. In those days the only warning of the risk of near approach was a small sign-board affixed to a post beside the path leading to the crater, which said simply, " Dan- ger Limit." All questions as to the magnitude of the risk and the advisability of approaching nearer were left to the visitor himself. What could be more innocent - looking than this little pond set deep down in the rocky basin between the hills ? What more unlikely than that it should choose the very moment when one was leaning over its brink, to explode ? So people argued and so visitors like our- selves continued to come and approach near to its edge, little knowing that within a few short months Waimungu, like the dragon of old, was to rise with- out warning and levy a toll of three human lives for the privilege of beholding it breathe forth its smoke and steam. If I had fully realized at the time the extent of the danger, I doubt if I should have taken a photograph on the very edge of the crater, or have paused for some time to watch the steam and bubbles rising from the pool's surface. But Waimungu was propitious, for although it had worked the night before and we had been told that we could venture into its basin with impunity, it HOT SPRINGS OF NEW ZEALAND 95 exploded marvellously just five minutes after we had left the danger-zone and climbed the adjacent cliff. The road through the hills from Rotorua toward Waimungu led us over the most desolate country : in all directions only the lava-formed, rolling wil- derness was to be seen. Occasionally we passed terraces of sulphur, silica, and alum, where jets of steam or boiling mud-holes showed the volcanic nature of the land. So far as any natural earthlike features were to be seen, one might have been in the nether regions. Then, after scrambling up a steep hill to the westward of Rotorua, a superb view suddenly appeared : at our feet lay the azure surface of Lake Rotomahana, of such a blue as one sees por- trayed and believes unreal, a turquoise in an old-gold setting, for the encircling mountains were bathed in the yellow haze of afternoon sunlight, and rose as tawny protectors of their charge below. Grim and foreboding in the background stood Tarawera, pas- sive now and smokeless, brooding over her dark deeds of bygone years, dreaming perhaps of the day when power would once more be given her to rise and strike the land with terror. From the hill beside Rotomahana we descended to Waimungu's basin. The boiling pool which occu- pies the centre of the crater, some three hundred 96 SPORT AND TRAVEL feet in width, was quite still, except for the bubbles which rose to its surface and the thin steam drifting lazily upward. We passed the danger-line, threaded our way carefully between the boiling springs, and then, climbing down into the crater, stood finally on the brink of the pool itself. One cares to remain but a moment in such a position: Waimungu had ex- ploded during the night and was not actually due to work again for thirty-six hours ; yet the thought of what would be our fate should an irregular eruption occur rendered the spot a peculiarly unattractive one and caused us to climb without delay back to the plateau and so on up to the cliff above the basin. It was well that we did so. Five minutes had scarcely elapsed from the moment that we had stood within the crater. My camera was pointed down for a photograph from the summit of the cliff and I had made the exposure. Then, even before there was time to change the plate, the surface of the pool began suddenly to seethe, I heard B. at my elbow shouting, "My God, man, the thing's going off!" But his voice was quickly drowned in the fearful uproar that immediately ensued. For Waimungu was in eruption ; the formerly placid pond was shot in one terrifying blast into the air far above our heads, black water, black mud, black rocks, and fol- lowing them with the hissing of a thousand rockets THE CI .1 WAIMUNGU HOT SPRINGS OF NEW ZEALAND 97 and the roar of a thousand cannon, a burst of whit- est steam quickly outstripped and enveloped the uprushing mass. The explosion was awe-inspiring, terrible, grand beyond comparison. No more ap- palling yet fascinating spectacle can exist; no greater satisfaction can be experienced, than to see such a phenomenon at close range. The sight alone, I am sure, is worth the travelling thousands of miles of land and water to behold. The outburst had taken place in the hundredth part of a second; almost immediately we were pelted with the sand and small stones which fell as the exploded mass shot back into its crater, causing us to take refuge in the shelter-hut provided for that purpose on the summit of the cliff. In a moment all was over ; the pond regained its usual placid sur- face, and no sign save the continued shower of sand told of the mighty eruption which had taken place. Silently we descended again to the basin, a little serious at the thought of what would have been our fate had the outburst occurred a short five minutes earlier. It is well indeed that visitors may now no longer approach within the zone of danger. Waimungu, I say, is worth the travelling many thousands of miles of land and sea to behold; yet Waimungu, though the greatest, is by no means the only feature which renders New Zealand a wonder- 98 SPORT AND TRAVEL land of never-failing interest. I was almost glad of the illness which had brought me down there. The journey was a long one, — five days from Calcutta to Ceylon, three weeks more to Sydney, and a final four days to Auckland, whence the railroad led to Rotorua in the hot spring country. If after the long lazy sea-voyage anything re- mained necessary for my complete recovery, a few weeks in the clear and bracing atmosphere of New Zealand quickly accomplished it. Nor did I have to number myself among the many invalids who come to the hot-spring region for the wonderful curative powers of its mineral baths, for Rotorua is famous for its healing springs, and baths of water, mud, and vapor. If you are afflicted with gout or rheumatism, you will spend most of your time in the well-known " Priest's Water " ; or if something is to be desired in the smoothness of your skin or the loveliness of your complexion, the " Rachel" bath, according to tradition, will make you beautiful forever. But so far as combined benefit and enjoyment go, you will find more absolute pleasure by passing all your available moments in the big, hot sulphur swim- ming-pool, where you can float lazily, for hours at a time, in water above one hundred degrees Fahren- heit, and leave it feeling as vigorous and energetic as though newly wakened from a refreshing sleep. ^=««»-.>i ■^^^^mm^^. GEYSER AT WHAKAREWAREWA HOT SPRINGS OF NEW ZEALAND 99 As the traveller approaches Rotorua, a strange, unearthly smell of sulphur fills the air ; white puffs of steam rise for no apparent reason from green hills and valleys, huge mud-holes by the roadside seethe and bubble like porridge in a cauldron ; hot lakes of extraordinary colors, — yellow, blue, pink, green, — and brilliantly colored strata along the mountain- sides, make one stare and rub one's eyes to be sure that such apparent unrealities exist. Your nearest conception of a Methodist's hell will be truly real- ized when you enter the Valley of Tikitere, some ten miles from Rotorua. The earth is hot beneath your feet, the country gapes with steaming cracks, and if a cane be thrust a few inches into the soil, a jet of steam or a spout of boiling water reminds you that just beneath the very bowels of the earth are seeth- ing toward the surface. You are surrounded by a perfect inferno of boiling mud-holes, bubbling lakes of hideous colors, and blasts of steam issuing from hillsides with the regular exhaust of powerful en- gines. Follow the guide closely, for a single wrong step may land you in some loathsome abyss, and there are pleasanter ways of reaching eternity. Here you are pointed out the " Heavenly Twins," two horrid bubbling mud-holes side by side, one of which boils the thickest of brews while its twin con- tains the thinnest. On one side "The Devil's For- loo SPORT AND TRAVEL ridge-Pot" seethes and rumbles with some foul glutinous concoction ; on the other you look down through the "Gates of Hell" into a slimy lake, whose thickened waves rise and recede as if about to break upon the banks above, and whose sulphurous fumes send you back gasping for a breath of pure air. But we have had enough of this. Heaven and Hell rub elbows in this country : let us have a look at some of its more cheerful features. We will leave behind the boiling mud, uncanny jets of steam and sulphur-laden air, and cross over to Rotorua Lake, where the fresh lake breeze washes the poisonous fumes from our lungs and cools our skins from the burning breath of those horrors behind. A small steamer carries us across the rippling lake, dotted with white sails of robroy canoes and knockabouts, passes between green islands, and lands us in thick woods on the opposite shore, where we enter a row- boat and row lazily up an enchanted river to a fairyland of extraordinary beauty. The banks are thickly grown with great overhanging trees and blossoming shrubs, ivy and tall ferns, which shade marvellously clear depths of opalescent color. Sud- denly the river narrows, turns, and stops short, cut off and walled in by the same luxuriantly wooded banks. For a moment we are astounded that a HOT SPRINGS OF NEW ZEALAND loi flowing stream should come so suddenly to an end, till we look over the boat's side and see, far below through the transparent water, a jagged opening in the bed of the stream, from which great quivering volumes of ice-cold water well up to the surface, glancing with rainbow colors and shot with arrows of crystal light. Now we see the cause, for this is the famous Hamurana Spring, the source of the beauti- ful river which flows full-grown from this hidden wooded spot down into Rotorua Lake, — a spring from which five million gallons are poured forth every twenty-four hours. Looking into its depths, we can see delicate shells and ferns growing far below, which from the perfect transparency of the icy water appear almost within reach. The force of the up-rushing torrent is so tremendous that coins which are thrown in will remain suspended half-way to the bottom and finally drop to one side of the spring, where they lie glittering below, safe forever from human hands. The Maoris, who are expert divers, have tried again and again to reach this tempting store of treasure, but have never suc- ceeded and never will. We will pass half a day and lunch near this beau- tiful spot, and then, in the afternoon, drive over to the geyser region of Whakarewarewa, a small Maori settlement on the other side of Rotorua. The 102 SPORT AND TRAVEL country here is less fearful than at Tikitere fortu- nately, but none the less active for all that. Within a radius of less than a hundred yards, some ten or a dozen geysers play at intervals ranging from two minutes to several hours, and the display, when several of them happen to be in action at the same time, is most effective. Waikite, the famous twin geyser, has ceased working now, and has been suc- ceeded as queen of Whakarewarewa by Wairoa ; but even Wairoa plays no longer of her own accord, and only under the inducement of a plentiful supply of soap does she consent to perform for the curious multitudes. As is well known, too much soaping of a geyser causes it eventually to cease its action alto- gether, so that the matter becomes an important ceremony, and in the Rotorua thermal country is allowed by the government only when some dis- tinguished visitor comes to see the display. I was fortunate in being on hand when Wairoa was thus induced to play for the son of the late Premier of New Zealand, Mr. Seddon. The wooden cover, always padlocked over its mouth, was solemnly removed, the crowd warned to stand back out of danger, and a bag of bar soap thrown into the diminutive crater. Almost immediately the water foamed lathering up to the edge of the silicious opening, but not until almost twenty minutes later A: ^"■'t4^' -.«/v ^1 g 3 < w H h H D U MARKHOR AND SHARPU SHOOTING 183 secured a forty-eight and one half inch markhor- head and was quite naturally in high spirits. The next morning we started for our respective shooting grounds. The road from Astore to Srinagar can fairly be called a "road." It is well built for military pur- poses, for it leads to Gilgit, where is stationed the British garrison near the frontier, and very differ- ent it is from the previous trails over which we had come, which were called " roads," I feel sure, out of sarcasm. This one is actually six feet broad in places and smooth as a bicycle path. Accordingly the pack-coolies, excepting the five naukar, or ser- vant-coolies, who were permanent, were now dis- pensed with, paid off, and sent back to their villages, and for the first time in the trip, except for the first day's march, the outfit was carried by seven pack- ponies. I allowed Thomas a pony on account of his age, and Kadera had ordered his own, but person- ally, being in splendid condition, I walked. The distance from Astore to Bandipur, whence one takes the canal-boat to Srinagar, is about one hundred and twenty miles, two high mountain-passes inter- vening before one reaches the Kashmir Valley. We camped on the 17th some eight miles above Astore, at what my shikari asserted was the mouth of the nullah which, according to my arrangement i84 SPORT AND TRAVEL with Perry, I was to occupy. Either Perry's shikari did not understand this arrangement, or wilfully cheated us, for during the night he took Perry, un- known to us, past us and some four miles up into my nullah. I believe the trick was intentional on Salia's part, for both shikaris had recently heard of three red bear having been seen in this particular nullah and were eager to have us bag them. As Perry had already shot three red bear, he had been quite willing to let me take this nullah, for I had as yet not seen one ; but as he was unaware of the lay of the land, he had no idea at the time that Salia was cheating us, and was very angry afterwards. At any rate, on awaking in the morning and seeing the other camp far up the nullah, it seemed better not to waste time in controversy, so I moved on up the Astore Valley. Kadera threatened to kill Salia on sight, but as we did not meet again until our return to civilization, bloodshed was fortunately avoided. We were up at four on the i8th, and hunted all day among the mountain-tops, seeing plenty of bear-tracks, but only some female sharpu, and did not return to camp till dark. But that was a day which I shall never forget, for I saw for the first time what is said to be the grandest snow-mountain in the world — Nunga Parbat or Diyamir, 26,629 feet high. Dr. Neve, in his book on Kashmir, says MARKHOR AND SHARPU SHOOTING 185 of it : " Nanga Parbat is the culminating point of the Kashmir ranges . and is in many respects the grandest mountain in the world. As none of the mountains around it exceed 17,000 feet, it is seen unobstructedly from all sides. . . . From the usual passes into Astore, 16,000 feet vertical is seen. It is seen from the Murree hills over one hundred miles away. The outline and grouping of this mass, rising glistening white, with pinnacle of ice and dome of snow, above the dark lower ranges, just as some huge marble cathedral rises above all meaner build- ings, is a sight never to be forgotten." Indeed I can vouch for this. We came on it sud- denly around the shoulder of a mountain, and as I saw its top, towering above the clouds which ob- scured the rest of it, I believed at first that there was some optical illusion, so straight upwards did one have to look to see the peak. The white clouds hung about it all day, but at evening they cleared, reveal- ing it entire. Beside it, the Matterhorn would re- semble a pigmy. Our camp that night was almost at its base, and I breakfasted before daylight on the 19th with the moonlight showing the mountain to its best advantage, incomprehensible in its magni- tude and splendor. That day I had a stalk to delight the soul. We left camp before sunrise and soon sighted a herd of 186 SPORT AND TRAVEL sharpu on the very top of the mountain-spur. Two solid hours of work ensued before we were within range. Then, slipping down behind a tree, I had plenty of time, unobserved, to pick out my animal with the glasses. The best among them was small, but I was quite willing to take a small head, by which to remember such a splendid stalk, and I killed him with one shot. The more I used the 30-40, the more confidence I had in its perfect accuracy ; it is good to have such a gun, for with it one has no nervousness before firing, a thing fatal to good shooting. The noon hours were spent in a spot on the mountain- top overlooking the valleys of three differ- ent rivers, Nunga Parbat rising to the right in all its majesty, surrounded by a complete panorama of snow-peaks ; the valleys spread out very far below, dotted with little villages, patches of woods along the river-banks, and pasture land, just as in the Alps — but how much grander the scene ! That night my camp, which had been moved by the coolies, was beside one of these villages, Chugam by name, and it occurred to me that if, instead of the group of dirty little log huts, a fine mansion stood in the midst of those smooth lawns, wide-spreading walnut trees, and rose-bushes, what a perfect coun- try estate it would have made. The natives, the us o MARKHOR AND SHARPU SHOOTING 187 Dards, go about with the most beautiful white, yel- low, and red roses stuck in their soiled caps, — flow;ers which at home would cost a pretty penny, — and often one of them would come to my tent with a big bunch of them, for which I would throw him the outrageously high baksheesh of two annas (four cents) , there being no smaller coin in my money-bag. I was called at daylight on the 20th, to find a dis- mal rain without, and the shikaris protesting that the game would not "be around" on such a day. But knowing the habits of game and the inclinations of the Kashmiri, I was soon climbing the mountain. It took two hours of hard work to reach the top, where we searched the neighboring ridges with the glasses, but found nothing. The shikaris then sug- gested that I sit down in my wet clothes and wait all day for the evening shooting ; but having no desire to contract pneumonia, rheumatism, or other similar ills, I told Kadera that he could remain if he wished, that I was going back to camp, and would return in the afternoon. So I descended, slept from nine till two, and climbing again, reached the top at four. This bit of energy seemed completely to stagger the shikaris, who had had no idea that I would return, and had doubtless passed the dismal hours cheered up by the prospect of being able to say to me on their reaching camp in the evening, "We told you 1 88 SPORT AND TRAVEL so !" But the work was to no purpose, for we saw no game. On the 2 1st I moved from Chugam Nullah to a nullah some ten miles away, whose name I could not gather from the shikaris' pronunciation, though it sounded like " Zine." Here we camped in a pretty grove of trees beside the Kamri River, very swift and of a beautiful green, quite unlike the usual dirty brown of these snow-fed streams. The rain still poured, and after tiffin I had changed into com- fortable dry clothes and was sitting on the floor of my tent, congratulating myself that the day's work was over and that I could conscientiously indulge in an afternoon's rest, when a coolie bolted into camp with the news that a herd of sharpu were on the mountain above camp. We ascended at a pace which left nothing to be desired, only to see the whole herd disappear as we came within range. A second, later alarm brought me out and up the mountain again ; but I soon found that what had been taken for a sharpu was a stray calf from one of the vil- lages below. By supper-time I would not have left camp again to shoot the biggest sharpu head in crea- tion, my intentions and energies being by that time wholly and unreservedly concentrated on the deli- cious meal which Thomas well knew would be required after such a disheartening day's work. MARKHOR AND SHARPU SHOOTING 189 The next two days were very dismal ones, for a steady downpour kept me in camp, the clouds hanging low on the mountain, rendering stalking impossible, and I sat on the ground in my wigwam (Perry now having the big tent), wishing heartily that it would dry up and not waste my valuable time and temper. Then I had two splendid days of hunt- ing, unsuccessful, but none the less delightful. On one of them I was on my feet for ten and a half hours, with but half an hour's halt for tiffin, and in- deed it seemed to me that night that we had crossed most of the mountain-ranges in Kashmir. The rain had evidently driven all the game away, and not wishing to waste more valuable time from my black bear shooting, and on an unimportant animal, I broke camp on the 26th for my hundred-mile march to Bandipur, where I was to take boat to the bear country. This march occupied just four days. After the barren and rugged country over which we had come, and the almost impossible trails we had labored over, to get down to a smooth road, surrounded by fields of grass and flowers, was most gratifying. The first day we pushed on from day- light till dark, following the course of the Kamri River, and all the way getting the grandest views of Nunga Parbat, as it loomed up above all else behind us. That night my camp was j ust at the foot 190 SPORT AND TRAVEL of the Kamri Pass, which I crossed on the following morning, 13,400 feet high ; and though I had no dif- ficulty myself, the ponies became stuck in the snow and were badly delayed. We tiffined at Kamri, a village of fields spread out on the side of the slope down from the pass, and in the afternoon followed the course of the Kishengunga River to Gurais. Gurais is in a little valley of its own, shut in by fine limestone cliffs, the village itself being con- structed of two-story log huts, — now no longer the miserable windowless low stone hovels of the Baltis, — and its broad pastures make a pretty picture. Kadera wished me to camp in the graveyard, it being the only available space near the village ; but this seemed inappropriate, and I selected a spot which, though it necessitated Kadera's walking a little farther to see his friends in the village, pos- sessed attractions for me which the graveyard totally lacked. A delightful march on the following day, through a deep wooded gorge opening into a forest of great pines, brought us to a bungalow on theBurzil River known as Gorai. I met two other sahibs just before reaching it, and enjoyed a pleasant hour's chat with them at their tiffin by the roadside, which one ap- preciates when one has seen so few white men for so long a time. On the 29th the road led over the last O < OS S < MARKHOR AND SHARPU SHOOTING 191 mountain-chain before descending to the valley proper of Kashmir; the Tragbal Pass, 11,800 feet high, but here no snow. From its top we looked down into the great valley which we had left on the 13th day of May, extending as far as the eye could see, a splendid view ; and then descended through thick forest to Bandipur. During the previous three months we had passed through the temperature of every season of the year. The first week, up to the Zogi La Pass, was the deli- cious climate of early autumn, crisp and clear; on the Zogi La, winter in all its severity ; in our ibex nullah the weather was that of November at night and of September in the day ; coming down into the Shigar Valley, and again into Astore, we revelled in the fragrance of May and June. Now, suddenly, we found ourselves in summer — not the fearful summer of Calcutta, but the balmy delicious sum- mer of the North Shore or the Maine woods at home. My camp was in a field shaded by a monster chenar tree ; the trees about were laden with fruit, the whole surrounding country bright with the thou- sands of varieties of wild flowers for which Kashmir is famous, and their scent filled the air ; brilliantly colored birds sang continually, and all the space between the hills and the broad valley below was a prosperous picture of thatched bungalows sur- 192 SPORT AND TRAVEL rounded by their fields of wheat and rice. Summer, luxurious full-blooded summer, filled the world with all her riches. Indeed it was with great satisfaction that in such surroundings I began the last phase of my Kashmir shooting, the hunt for black bear. CHAPTER IX BLACK BEAR HONKING IN THE VALLEY OF KASHMIR |LTHOUGH it had not been my inten- tion to look for bear around Bandipur, it was here that an event occurred which convinced me that game was plentiful and made me sanguine of early success. Kadera came into the tent toward sundown to in- form me that two large black bears had recently been seen in the hills directly behind the village, and suggested that we tramp back a few miles on the chance of running across one. We accordingly set out with a gam wallah, or local guide, who led us up into the hills to the foot of a long slope covered with low furze-bush, where we crouched for a couple of hours. Toward dark my eye was caught by a large object moving across the open hilltop some three hundred yards from our position. Its enormous size made me believe at first that it must be a stray bul- lock, and the fact that the shikaris, usually so quick to sight game, remained motionless, almost kept me from calling attention to it. Yet bullocks are seldom black, and there was something about the 194 SPORT AND TRAVEL gait of this object which convinced me that it was quite another animal. It was barely distinguishable in the twilight, moving slowly through the bushes across the hillside. I touched Kadera on the shoul- der and pointed ; the result was startling : Kadera dropped on his stomach as if shot, while the gam wallah did likewise, causing me to realize that the fast-disappearing object above was one of the largest black bears I probably ever should have the fortune to run across. As we were about to stalk, a peasant came toward us in hot haste from the other direc- tion, and explained in some excitement that a bul- lock had been killed within the hour not far from where we were, and that a bear was still at the car- cass. As it was now much too dark successfully to stalk the other, we quickly shed all unnecessary garments and prepared to follow our new guide through a terrible tangle of underbrush. We were on our hands and knees most of the way, and as we approached the spot indicated by the peasant, our efforts to move silently were exceedingly trying. By the time we reached it, a full moon was shining through the undergrowth, making every stump ex- hibit such remarkably bear-like characteristics that more than one of them was in imminent danger of being shot, until nearer inspection proved it con- clusively to be a genuine stump. The bear, how- CAMP NEAR BANDIPUR HM-H ^^^Hj ^ft,:'™ III '/^^H ^^IHki^ '^^ — - "jit" • ^' ^Ijk^f K^^ft^'^' w!u k^^ IL^B^ -j^^^^m^^^^^S^^^mt^-.'' ' ^ "^^^K^ ^^^H^^HJE^^^^^^^^^HJ^^^^^SIBI CAMP IN THE HEAR COUNTRY BLACK BEAR HONKING 195 ever, must have heard our approach, for he was not with the body of the bullock, nor did he venture back to reward our long night's silent vigil. Unfortunately there were no nullahs in this region large enough to beat ; and since Kadera assured me that at the head of the Kashmir Valley we should find several bears for every one we gave up here, I agreed on the following morning to start along. Kashmir was no longer the green and fertile val- ley I had left in May. News had come to me while in Baltistan of a terrible flood which had completely inundated the country, wrecking houses, destroying farms, and resulting even in much loss of human life. Now below us extended a vast lake as far as one could see, with only an occasional tree or housetop to mark where cultivated farms and dwellings for- merly had stood. Doongas conveyed the tents and provisions across the flooded valley, where pack- ponies were secured for the remaining distance to the base of the hills. Here, on the second day from Bandipur, camp was made in a grove of chenars, a river within stone's throw on one side, and thick woods rising close on the other. The country through which we passed on this ride showed Kashmir at her loveliest and best, One felt as if one were continuously crossing the well- kept grounds of a huge private estate, and at any 196 SPORT AND TRAVEL moment might come upon the towers and chimneys of some lordly mansion. There was no road. One passed over the greenest of grass, smooth and fresh as any lawn, extending as far as one could see, ex- cept where groves of wide-spreading chenar trees cast their shade like oaks on a country park. Roses — not our wild ones, but such roses as at home are brought to flower only under hothouse panes — and wild flowers of all colors and species grew along our way and filled the air with fragrance. In the midst of such surroundings, to come upon the dirty little hovels of a native village, with the fresh lawn extending to its very doors and the chenar trees surrounding it, seemed indeed incongruous. I spent the night with pillow and blanket out under a clear sky, till toward morning a sharp rain drove me to seek shelter in the house of the headman of the village. Here my bed was a handful of straw scat- tered on a baked-mud floor, with stuffy atmosphere and smells indescribable, — a radical and unwelcome change. The beaters arrived at camp the following morn- ing. They began to come in twos and threes, then in fives and sixes, and finally in dozens, so that by the time breakfast was over the entire male population of some three villages was grouped about my tent. With the help of the shikaris, fifty of these were BLACK BEAR HONKING 197 selected, and each given a slip of paper bearing my signature; for, when they should come for their wages at the end of the day, I did not wish to have the friends and relatives of the beaters, as well as the beaters themselves, turning up for payment. The din these fifty souls succeed in making as they move in a long line up the centre and two sides of a wooded nullah, shrieking, howling, cat-calling, setting off fire-crackers, and beating tom-toms, is enough to drive any self-respecting bear out of his seven senses. An army of battle-shouting dervishes could hardly create a greater uproar, nor is it at all surprising that the bear should find a pressing en- gagement elsewhere at the earliest possible moment after finding his nullah thus rudely invaded. If he turns down the nullah, he encounters the invading army ; if he tries to escape by the sides, he is met and driven back by beaters already posted. Therefore he does the most natural thing in the world by flee- ing up the centre of the nullah directly away from the oncoming din. At the top of the cleft stands the sportsman. The thickness of the undergrowth prob- ably prevents the sportsman's seeing the bear or the bear seeing him until they actually meet. Hence the excitement. I regret to say that in spite of Kadera's assertion that bears would be so thick in this country as prac- 198 SPORT AND TRAVEL tically to necessitate our looking carefully where we walked lest we stumble over them, — a statement which I took with several grains of salt, as one does the enthusiasm of every Kashmiri shikari, — it was not until the evening of the second day, after we had unsuccessfully honked nine different nullahs, and I was beginning to consider bear-beating a snare and a delusion, that our first sport came. The bear appeared on the scene of action so sud- denly as completely to take my breath away. The beaters had been moving listlessly up a cleft, thickly wooded both with trees and underbrush ; this was to be the last honk of the day, and two days' un. successful searching had so plainly reacted on the spirits of the men as to change the dervish battle- shout into the mournful muttering of an Arab fu- neral procession. The line of beaters had almost reached me, my shikari with a last disgusted look had turned to go, when, all at once, the beaters who had been posted on the side of the nullah above where I was standing set up a tremendous shouting : " Bhalu, Sahib ! bhalu ! " (Bear, Sahib, bear !) Now it is one thing to have a bear driven up to you from below, with plenty of warning that he is coming and time to choose an advantageous spot from which to shoot ; it is quite another thing to find suddenly that the bear has somehow got above you, o p o o < w o BLACK BEAR HONKING 199 is being driven directly down upon you with all the impetus a steep hillside gives, and with the thick undergrowth extending to your very feet. I had barely time to wheel around when the bear came down the hillside, aimed directly at the little clear- ing in which I was standing. A moment's glimpse of his back in the jungle did not afford me time to shoot. He disappeared in the undergrowth, but was still coming toward me, as I could tell by the short yelps of excitement which he uttered, like a fright- ened dog, as the beaters closed in. Immediately, as he emerged from the bushes, he was met by the con- tents of both barrels of my .450 cordite-powder ex- press, which, aimed and fired so suddenly from my hip at the close range of less than two yards, seemed to have missed him altogether, though the report turned him and sent him lumbering down on the beaters below. There followed an exciting ten minutes. As the natives closed in, the bear went frantically around in a circle, trying to break through the line. I ran down to the foot of the hillside, where an occasional view of his back in the underbrush showed me that he had not escaped, though I dared not fire lest I hit a beater. The fifty coolies were yelling like so many demons, the shikaris were out of their heads with excitement, and the bear, who was doubtless 200 SPORT AND TRAVEL the most excited of all, continued his circular course inside the line of beaters, as regularly as a planet on its accustomed orb. I was now afraid that unless I should stop him, he might escape through the line ; and working up a little nearer, I fired several shots, each of which I afterwards found took effect. The bear was now thoroughly maddened, and suddenly changing his course came lumbering down the nullah directly toward me. The shikaris shouted to look out, while the beaters redoubled their cries and added to the confusion and my fear of shooting wild by follow- ing the animal down hill. The thick underbrush annoyed me greatly, for though I could catch an occasional glimpse of his back, it was almost impos- sible when I saw him to fire quickly enough, and I knew that in a moment he would be on me. He was within four yards when a final shot sent him on his back, and brought him rolling almost to my feet, quite dead. My faith in the .450 express was distinctly dimin- ished when eleven holes were found in his skin. He was shot through and through, five shots at least having passed completely through and out of his body. I had used lead-nosed steel bullets, and the only explanation was that every shot had merely gone through the soft parts, missing any large bone BLACK BEAR HONKING 201 or vital spot of the body ; and indeed with the hin- drance of the thick brush his death was due more to luck than to marksmanship. The last shot, which finished him, had struck the shoulder fair. It was not until several days later that the second bear came in. We started early from camp and moved all day from one nullah to another, covering a great stretch of ground ; but save in one case, where two bears broke through the line and got away be- fore I could shoot, no game appeared. At five in the evening, we turned toward camp, I regretting heart- ily that my last day of hunting in Kashmir was over, for I had decided in any case to break camp the fol- lowing morning. But the shikaris suggested honking one more small patch of jungle not far from the camp-ground. The coolies came down through it listlessly, they also being discouraged, and I had no hope whatsoever of success. Then suddenly there came from one corner of the line that sudden yell, so welcome to a sports- man's ears, " Bhalu, bhalu ! bara wallah !" — (Bear, bear ! big one ! ) The beaters, managed by Sidka, ar- ranged the honk splendidly, forming at once a com- plete chain and then closing in. The bear attacked several of them, and finally went so savagely for Sidka that he was warded off only by repeated blows from the shikari's iron- tipped staff. This I saw 202 SPORT AND TRAVEL later covered with blood to some inches from the point. The sport was too much hidden by the thick jungle to be clearly observed. From my position on the hillside I could hear the beaters' cries, and from their excited tones I knew that the bear was giving them all that they could look after. Occasional glimpses of them through the growth made me feel decidedly out of the game, and since the bear was so slow in coming up to me, the evident alternative was to go down to him. I met him in a little clear- ing at the foot of the slope, ruffled and very angry from his fight with the beaters. But he was given no time to decide whether to attack or flee. A shot behind the shoulder accomplished what was neces- sary, and put him out of action for the coup de grace. The beaters arrived one by one, breathless and perspiring, but all triumphant at the result of their efforts. We had a triumphal procession on the return to camp : first came the two tom-toms, banging away like a regimental drum-corps ; then the bear, slung on a pole supported on the backs of two coolies; thirdly, the sportsman, trying modestly to repress an irrepressible grin ; fourthly, the shikaris ; and last but by no means least, the fifty honkers, all discuss- ing the event at once, like so many crows. As we BLACK BEAR HONKING 203 passed through the village of Kaipora, the women and children — we had exhausted the place of men — turned out en masse to see the bear, and the occa- sion was all that could be desired. CHAPTER X KASHMIR TO CHINA fROM our camp at Kaipora the outfit was carried by pack-ponies down again into the valley to Sopor, and thence by doongas through the pretty canals back to Srinagar, where the ravages of the flood were painfully visible in all directions. The hotel on my arrival was still an island, to gain access to which one was obliged to wade knee-deep in water; and here a damp and dismal sight met one's view : the lower floor had been entirely submerged and its furniture ruined, and as the flood had been flush with the second story, arriving guests had been obliged to disembark at the second-floor windows. Perry and I had had remarkable luck with our baggage and city clothes, for by chance they had been placed in the attic, whereas the greater part of the trunks in the hotel had been left below in the storeroom, and as the flood had come up with extreme rapidity, there had been no time to remove them. Some sportsmen who, like ourselves, had been for several months in the mountains, returned while we were KASHMIR TO CHINA 205 there, and finding the contents of their baggage com- pletely ruined, indulged in an expression of their feelings, compared to which the flood itself must have been a mere trifle. Perry fortunately arrived while I was there, for having already secured three red bear, he was will- ing to give up his black bear shooting in order to accompany me to the plains. The hotel was crowded with sportsmen entering or leaving Kashmir, chiefly British army officers on leave of absence from their posts down below ; and though we sat down to table thirteen in number on the thirteenth day of the month, the tales of good sport in the highlands went none the less merrily forward. For five days we were busy shopping, buying shawls, embroideries, and many other things of native manufacture for presents at home. For the former we dealt mainly with Bahar Shah, though purchasing various shawls from Sammad Shah and Mahmed Jan as well; Lussoo supplied our brass ware, Jubbar Khan our carved wood. The sign of "Suffering Moses," famous for decades, still swings from a little shop on the River Jhelum, within which Mr. Sufdermogul continues to carry on the successful trade which some English tourist's hap- pily inspired suggestion for a sign first brought to his now well-known door. 206 SPORT AND TRAVEL One morning Bahar Shah entertained us at a Kashmir breakfast, and on the following day Lus- soo, the brass-work man, gave us a Persian tiffin, the most noteworthy characteristic of which we discovered just in time to avert fatal consequences, — namely, that the succession of courses was to continue until we gave word to stop. After that they began to serve the sweets, which proved to be quite the most important and voluminous section of the whole menu. During this time we kept a small kishti, very light and fast, with four paddlers, which enabled us to move from place to place over the river and its ad- jacent canals with great and delightful rapidity. Old Sultana, the taxidermist, proved most satis- factory in his curing of our ibex and markhor heads and skins, which had been previously sent him ; but I unfortunately permitted him also to mount the heads of the bear skins, to be used as rugs, which he did so badly that they later had to be taken down and set up a second time in America. The former were taken with us and shipped from Calcutta for mounting by Mr. Rowland Ward in London, and we received them in America some six months later, mounted as only Mr. Ward knows how to mount the game of India. It was indeed with great regret that we finally left BURMESE WORSHIPPERS Notice the " whackin' white cheroot " KASHMIR TO CHINA 207 Srinagar. There was, however, no time for further delay; Perry had his black buck shooting on the plains still before him, with but a few weeks remain- ing before his final return to America via Suez ; for my part, there was the long journey across India, then a visit to Burma, and the voyage around the Malay Peninsula to China, where prospects of tiger- shooting attracted me strongly, and finally the jour- ney home by Japan, all to be concentrated into the few months which remained at my disposal. All the tongas in Srinagar having previously been engaged for Lord Kitchener's arrival, we were obliged instead to take a landau, which, though more comfortable, is a much heavier and slower vehicle. The livery-man, however, had promised for a hundred rupees to get us to Rawal Pindi in three days ; so on the 15th of August, at four o'clock in the morning, having finally paid off our shikaris and coolies with good presents, at which old Kadera got down on his knees and touched our feet, saying' he was our servant forever, we started on the long: one hundred and ninety-eight mile drive. The first night was spent at the Chakothi dak bungalow, and the second at Kohalla, where we pre- viously had stopped on our way in. The third day was about as varied and interesting a one as I have ever experienced. We were aroused at 2.30 A. m., for 2o8 SPORT AND TRAVEL the road was said to be slightly up hill and hard on the horses ; but this we soon discovered to be merely an excuse to blind us to the fact that all the good horses had already been engaged for Lord K., and that we had been furnished with animals which ought long since to have been turned out to pass their few remaining days in some peaceful pasture. After painfully laboring for an hour, they stopped and refused to budge farther. The time until sun- rise we spent tugging at the wheels and throwing sand at our poor steeds, but to no purpose ; so finally Perry and I walked ahead some five miles to procure other conveyance. During the day we had our lug- gage in some four or five different kinds of vehicles, at one time having actually harnessed a pair of bul- locks to the landau ; but this method of locomotion proved to be of such dizzy rapidity that we soon had to abandon it. Meanwhile we were vainly trying to satisfy our hunger with the native chuppatties of black flour, and at dark, as we were by this time far in advance of the landau, it looked as if we should have to spend the night dinnerless in some open field. At the crucial moment our good angel came to the rescue, for we suddenly espied two comparatively respec- table-looking horses grazing in a field near by. If the reader is inclined to combat the assertion that < Q O O < z o o < a fa o w u < 2; a. a, KASHMIR TO CHINA 209 hunger makes robbers of us all, let him put it to the test. We took those horses and galloped bareback at top speed along the road toward Murree, soon becoming separated in the darkness, but with one common impulse urging us ahead, careless of rocks, trees, streams, or bridges, or anything save only dinner. Somehow we reached Murree. I remember galloping through the town like Paul Revere on his midnight ride, startling the groups of natives squat- ting about their fires by the roadside, turning at top speed from one dark wooded road into another, till finally the welcome lights of a hotel, a real civilized hotel, came into sight. The manager of the Rowbury pleasantly in- formed me that the hotel was full, and that not a room was to be had for love or money ; but I imagine that my appearance must have aroused his sym- pathy, for he gave orders that dinner should be served and a sofa prepared for me in the hall, where a few minutes before midnight, after twenty-one hours of work, I threw myself down and fell asleep without further delay. Perry I found the next morning at another hotel, he having had much the same experience as myself, and feeling assured that, having been thrown from my horse, I was probably lying in the bushes somewhere on the road. The horses were duly returned. 2IO SPORT AND TRAVEL Murree, by daylight, proved to be a beautiful hill- station of fine residences and splendid wooded roads, prettier even than Simla, if that were possible. We obtained other conveyance, and that evening reached Rawal Pindi, where Thomas was awaiting us with the heavy luggage which he had brought by ekka from Srinagar. Needless to state we paid but half of the one hundred rupees charged us for the landau and the wretched horses which had been supplied. At one A. M. on the 1 8th we started in the Punjaub Express, Perry leaving at Delhi for his black buck shooting, and I arriving in Calcutta two days and three nights later, after a journey which for heat, dust, and general thorough discom- fort cannot possibly be described. My stay in Calcutta was rendered most pleasant by the hospitality of Major and Mrs. C, in com- mand of Fort William, who kindly asked me to visit them in their large, comfortable house, Water Gate, in a corner of the ramparts of the fort, overlooking the broad road where all Calcutta takes its even- ing drive, and the Hooghli beyond, with its many ships from all parts of the world constantly pass- ing up and down through its muddy waters. The interior of the old fort, its barracks half concealed by great trees and its chapel rising in the centre, surrounded by gardens, lawns, tennis-courts, and THE KUTHODAW PAGODA, ^tANDALAY KASHMIR TO CHINA 211 parade-ground, was of unusual charm and pictur- esqueness. When visiting at private houses in India, just as in the hotels, one's own servant attends to one's wants, bringing water, arranging clothes, and even serving one at table. In the newer and more up-to-date hotels, such as the Taj Mahal in Bombay, which during my visit was only in the course of construc- tion, this and other former arrangements have, I believe, given place to western customs. The pun- kah-wallah is now no longer a feature of Indian life in the big cities, for the electric fan has come to relieve him of his functions. But in former days he was indispensable in private house and hostelry alike. He lay outside your bedroom door, always asleep, save when on your entrance a reminding prod started him hastily jerking the punkah-cord to and fro. The punkah, a big swinging curtain sus- pended over one's bed from the centre of the ceiling, moved heavily back and forth, and breathing was rendered possible in the stifling atmosphere. One awoke at night with a consciousness of unbearable heat, found that the punkah had stopped, and shied a boot through the door; the cord and punkah jerked hysterically for a few moments, then gradu- ally came again to rest as the wretched Hindu with- out sank once more into profound and peaceful 212 SPORT AND TRAVEL slumber, until the boot-process was repeated, and during the moments of the punkah's action one managed again to fall asleep. On August 26 I sailed on the British India Company's S. S. Gwalior for Rangoon, arriving there four days later after a hot but pleasant voyage. In contrast to the burnt and barren plains the verdant jungle-growth of Burma and the spicy tropic smell strike pleasantly on one's senses. Rangoon, to my mind, cannot compare in beauty with Colombo, but it possesses at least the cocoanut palms, banana trees, and other shady verdure of Ceylon, and here the gaiety and brightness of eastern life is at its best. The Burman, if the laziest, is surely the most cheerful of all races, and one would guess this, if in no other way, from the brilliant clothes he wears and from his ever smiling face. His sarong is gen- erally of bright yellow, green, or pink, and the wo- men wear silk skirts and scarfs either combining yellow and green, or all of pink, which contrast pleasantly with their jet-black hair. The Burmese girl, unlike the Hindu, does not veil her face with a shabby head-cloth when you pass, but is quite willing to let you see her beauty ; and she generally gives you a smile into the bargain. She is graceful and usually pretty, and never by any chance, one might almost say, is she without her enormous cigar KASHMIR TO CHINA 213 and a parasol. These two accessories are as distinc- tive of the Burman as is the tortoise-shell comb of the Cingalee. The "whackin' white cheroot" as a matter of fact does not in any way resemble a civ- ilized cigar ; it is approximately a foot long and an inch in diameter, and is cylindrical in shape, like a cigarette, being filled with a marvellous assortment of ingredients, — sugar-cane, sandal-wood, incense- bearing spices — a little of everything, in fact, with tobacco distinctly in the minority, — and all con- fined in a wrapper formed from the teak leaf or the inner bark of the betel tree, more usually brown than white. Indeed from its size one is tempted to inquire what that cigar is doing with the little girl, instead of vice versa. While mentioning the gaiety of the native life, I might incidentally remark that the Burman passes to the next world in a no less cheerful manner than he proceeds through this. One has only to see a Burmese funeral to accept the truth of my asser- tion. The procession is preceded by some fifty boys, laughing and shouting ; then comes the coffin, draped in bright yellow silk and covered with flags of all colors, and followed by the mourners, men, women, and children, all in bright yellow, green, and pink, all singing and laughing, and all smoking their be- loved cigars. It is to be presumed that the lady or 214 SPORT AND TRAVEL gentleman who occupies the coffin must wear a happy and cheerful smile, even though the usually indispensable cheroot has, through force of circum- stances, to be omitted. In Rangoon there are two things which, above all, interest the traveller: first, the working ele- phants "a-pilin' teak, in the sludgy, squdgy creek," — only in Rangoon one finds them laboring in a neat and conventional lumber-yard, with no ap- preciable "squdginess" in evidence; and secondly, the Shwe Dagon Pagoda. The elephants are good and conscientious workers; they drag great logs across the yards with their trunks, logs which from their size it would seem could be moved only by a steam-crane, and stack them in piles, observing with a trained eye the neatness of the rows, and butting projecting beams into place so as to be flush with the others. The labor, being purely mechanical, does not seem to demand a very high degree of in- telligence, though the clever training of the brutes must be acknowledged. Where they actually do show their discernment is when the hour for the noon-day rest arrives : all work is promptly dropped, even though a log may be but half-way across the yard, and off they troop to lunch, oblivious of the mahout's imprecations and ankus-digs ; returning faithfully to their task at the appointed time. As PAVILIONS SURROUNDING THE KUTHODAW PAGODA, MANDALAY THE KUTHODAW PAGODA," MANDALAY 1, A 1 d ji jk i^K^ mLd,^ ^ ^PR ^^m 1 ^^^Mi^'^^s ^^ira^i^^JmSUmim ^^^ HH^^tfi!:" . -..555C'^HiHi ^H ENTRANCE TO THE KUTHODAW PAGODA, MANDALAY KASHMIR TO CHINA 215 they cannot endure the heat of the day while work- ing, I beheve that their hours extend only from dawn till nine and from three till dusk in winter; and that in summer the periods are shorter still. The Shwe Dagon Pagoda, whose name is com- pounded of the Burmese word for "golden" and Dagon, the ancient name of the city of Rangoon, may rightfully be said to be one of the greatest sights in the world ; its great gilded tower, surmounted by the usual ti, or umbrella, surrounded by little bells which tinkle musically in every breath of wind, rises three hundred and seventy feet from the ground and is the first landmark one sees as one ascends the Irrawaddy to Rangoon ; the vast terrace which lies about its base is always thronged with thousands and thousands of worshippers, bringing their offer- ings of flowers and candles to Buddha from all parts of the world, and chanting their prayers while pros- trate before one of his many images, which in smaller temples and shrines surround the terrace. It is a somewhat unique sight to see all ages of people, from old men to young girls, kneeling in front of one of these enormous and, it must be said, hideous idols, holding bunches of superb lilies in their clasped hands while they bow and pray, all the while puff- ing at their great cheroots, with which not even religion is allowed to interfere. 2i6 SPORT AND TRAVEL A few months before my arrival a tiger came on to the terrace from the jungle, and, frightened by the worshippers, climbed to one of the ledges half- way up the pagoda tower. It was shot there by a British officer and a life-sized model placed on the spot ; for the people, once the animal was dead, had turned on the officer whom in their terror they had summoned to shoot it, and accused him of killing the good nat, or protecting spirit of the pagoda. The terrace, which is nine hundred feet in length, contains hundreds of minor shrines and idols, be- fore which candles are continually burning and wor- shippers constantly kneeling in prayer. Their de- votions do not, however, in any way interfere with the countless crowds moving at all times about the terrace, which constitutes the popular promenade of all Rangoon. The pagoda itself is said to contain, among other holy relics, eight hairs from the head of the Buddha, or Gawdama, as he is called in Bur- mese, once given by him to a Burmese deputation. In the almost countless years of its existence it has frequently been regilt.but as the amount of gold-leaf necessary for this process is alone worth some ten thousand pounds sterling, to say nothing of the labor involved, it is not a work which can be under- taken as often as the pagoda's outward appearance might seem to justify. A pious Burman will often < < O •a < < a o o ■'■-■,; ;-::"t^ o o H Q < < O O :5 Id s a TIGER-HUNTING IN CHINA 235 him with their spears, and selling the meat, bones, claws, and skin at a high price, as the natives be- lieve the possession of the claws or the eating of the meat gives them strength and bravery. The men are undoubtedly courageous, as, notwithstanding the fact that some of them are killed from time to time, they walk into the caves without hesitation ; and many were the stories they told through my interpreter, over their opium-pipes in the evenings, of adventures and hair-breadth escapes. Bruce and Leyburn are the names most promi- nently connected with the sport of tiger-shooting in this district. They were business gentlemen in Amoy, who, whenever a tiger was located by the hunter-men, would pick up their guns from beneath their office-desks, come over post-haste to the cave wherein the game had been marked down, and generally return the same night to their homes, successful. Leyburn is credited with over forty tigers. This village, as do all the small towns of the district, regarded itself as one large family, being descended from the common ancestor to whose memory my temple was built; and so closely do they adhere to this idea, that intermarriage is forbidden and a man must choose his wife from elsewhere. They are a simple, trusting lot and have great faith 236 SPORT AND TRAVEL in the medicinal powers of the white man. One morning a woman stalked into my temple on her diminutive feet, and pulled me by the sleeve to her house near by. Her husband was lying groaning on his straw bed and wooden pillow, having fallen out of a tree and evidently hurt his spine. It was clear that nothing more could be done than to ease the pain, so I ordered hot water applied and rubbed some salve on the injured spot. The next morning the woman returned and thanked me profusely, saying that the pain had ceased. Later, I was called in to see a fever patient and gave him a few grains of quinine, for which he appeared in person the next morning to thank me, evidently quite restored to health, more by the mental than by any physical good done him. These were the peaceful surroundings in which I found myself, and watched the days pass slowly by, until the first event occurred which told me that game had arrived at last, and roused all my energies to bring the hunt to a successful close as speedily as possible. Two days earlier I had moved to another near-by village called Ki-Lai, and was awakened at one or two o'clock in the morning by the loud barking of a dog, which was immediately taken up by all the other dogs in the village. This was unusual, as seldom TIGER-HUNTING IN CHINA 237 anything disturbed the silence of the town at night ; and I was vaguely wondering what could be the mat- ter, when the men in the temple were all on their feet, some running for their spears, and others to get my gun out of its case. In a minute we were out in the village street in the moonlight, where the dogs were bolting up and down, barking furiously and evidently much disturbed at something, though the cause was not apparent. And just then I distinctly saw, off in the rice-fields, a shadowy form sneaking away — a dog, perhaps, or a pig, though it looked like something larger ; and though my first impulse was to follow, I saw at once that it would be useless. The barking of the curs soon subsided and we re- turned to the temple. In the morning great excitement prevailed in the courtyard ; the whole village had apparently gath- ered there and were talking and gesticulating vio- lently. Lim translated that a dog had been taken away in the night, and that a tiger was undoubtedly about. The hunter-men had meanwhile gone out to inspect the goats, and returned with the news that one had vanished, the rope being parted clean and the animal having completely disappeared without a sign of blood. I was on the spot immediately, and found the report true, with no vestige of any track to work on. There was nothing to do. To smoke up 238 SPORT AND TRAVEL the caves by exploring them was clearly inadvisable, so we returned to wait in patience till nightfall. The anticipation of sport near at hand made that day seem endless : the morning blazed wearily till tiffin- time, and the afternoon hours dragged till evening. Then, finally, the sun sank, and by seven o'clock I had the five remaining goats at their posts, and, as nothing more could be done, prepared to sit up over the fifth, which was the loudest bleater, in the hope that the tiger would pick him out for his night's kill. We found, some five yards from the goat, a suit- able rock, which shaded us from the moonlight, and waited, the animal crying lustily and being an- swered continually by one of the others which was within call. The first hour or two of this sitting up was not bad, but eventually one's eyes became strained from peering through the moonlight, and, with the help of a sharpened imagination, pictured a moving form in every rock and shadow. The goat had by this time quieted down, the moon had waned, the hunter-men were fidgeting ; so it seemed better to give it up, and silently and in single file we covered the three miles to the village. But the discouragement of the evening was not to last. The men had gone out to the goats at sunrise, and I was awakened on their return by a tremendous A TYPICAL TIGER CAVE ^B^^^ii^^^^V^f^k^ . ^imJUlSFri^Mk:^:^ - '/. --■■ hiai I^^B^^^' *^" ^^^^nBHH ^H^^BE^fHHJt ^VP^'^ jai^"^" "^^B p%^'^^#^jip| r-«p W^' ' 'ni^J^H , 'b^ym^:^ ■,:.„■.. ^ /''' i- 7^ Ih^^^H ii^x »t 'IHI Pi ,«>».^| TIGER CAVES TIGER-HUNTING IN CHINA 239 clamor: they were all shouting at once, running about the temple for their spears, and preparing the torches in a way which looked like business. Lim himself was so excited that he could hardly translate ; but I finally quieted him enough to learn the news : all five remaining goats, including the one by which I had sat up, had been killed, the country around was covered with blood-tracks, and only one head and one body had been found. I vainly endeavored to repress a war-whoop. The preparations which ensued were such as would have convinced an observer that the village was about to make a sally against a hostile tribe — the villagers sharpening their knives to cut down the bushes should the tiger have to be blocked, in his cave ; the hunter-men arranging the torches and get- ting the oil ; and the sportsman making sure for the fifteenth time that his gun-barrels were spotless and his cartridges in pockets quickly accessible. At eight we were on the spot where I had kept watch the night before. The string which tied the goat had been cut off short, and at a distance of ten yards was the head of the animal, torn roughly from the body. The men then brought up for my inspec- tion the body of still another goat, untouched except for two distinct tooth-marks in the neck, made as cleanly as though by a vampire. This was excellent 240 SPORT AND TRAVEL news, for the tiger had clearly killed more than he could eat, and must have retired for the day to some cave near by to sleep off his gorge. But actually to track him to his lair was no easy matter, for the trails of blood which led in several directions were quickly lost in the low scrub, and in a few minutes we had to abandon the idea. To search all the large caves in the vicinity and to trust to fortune to find him seemed the only thing to do. Then followed a scene which, under the circum- stances, was thoroughly amusing, though at that time I was too impatient at the delay to appreciate it. The hunter-men set the idol, which, as I have said, they invariably carried with them while hunt- ing, on a rock, and gathering about it they lighted joss-sticks and proceeded to worship in the usual manner : clasping their hands, waving the joss-sticks three times up and down, and then placing them in the sand before the image. This done, they asked the idol if the tiger was in a certain cave which opened within a hundred yards of us, at the same moment throwing up two pieces of wood, each with one smooth and one rough side. Should they come down even, the answer would be affirmative ; if odd, negative. In spite of the fact that the blood-trails all seemed to lead in other directions, the answer, miraUle dictu, was "yes." The men immediately THE RETURN TO THE V lEflLLAGE AFTER TIGER HUNT TIGER-HUNTING IN CHINA 241 picked up their spears and ran down hill to the cave, which, like most of them, was formed of immense boulders, opening by a crevice running straight downward. Then, stationing me at its mouth, with warnings to be ready, they entered. Five minutes passed. A hunter reappeared and said something which caused the crowd of villagers who had approached to scramble back up the hill- side ; Lim's eyes bulged as he whispered excitedly : "Get ready, master, tiger inside." The sport was now on in earnest. Bulletins were announced at regular intervals from below : at first they could see but one paw of the animal, then he moved and showed himself in full — " very large tiger," Lim translated. They were trying to drive him out; he might charge from any one of three openings, and I was to watch them all carefully, for it would be quick shooting. A half hour passed. Then came up the announcement that he had got into a small passage and could not be driven out; they would block him in, after which I must enter. The villagers immediately set to work gathering bushes, which they bound together and threw down to the opening, while the hunters came to the cave's mouth and dragged them in. They worked quickly and quietly, but with a subdued excitement which kept my interest at highest pitch. My finger was 242 SPORT AND TRAVEL on the trigger for four hours, nor did I dare take my eyes from the openings during this entire time, for the men had cautioned me that, until finally blocked, the tiger might charge out at any moment. It was past midday when the seven men emerged and beckoned me to enter. I slipped down into the crevice, landing in a sort of small chamber, which was partially lighted by the torches, though my eyes, fresh from the sunlight, could not see where it led. They directed me to one side, and pointed to a narrow shelf or ledge, from which a hole seemed to lead straight into the face of the rock; Lim, who was behind me, translating that I was to crawl into it until I came to the tiger. This did not sound reassuring, but knowing that the men were trust- worthy and would not send me into a risky position, I scrambled quickly in, dragging the express behind, as I was too cramped by the smallness of the hole to carry it with me. One of the men held his spear ahead in the pas- sage, though he himself stood behind. I crawled slowly in for some ten feet ; it was quite dark and I was ignorant as to where the animal was, or how the hole ended. Then there was a loud " aughr-r-r" within a few feet of my face, and I knew by the sound that the tiger was in another cavern into which my passage opened. It appeared that the X u o < TIGER-HUNTING IN CHINA 243 latter broke off and turned abruptly downwards. My eyes were now becoming used to the darkness, and by the light of the torches which had been thrust into the tiger's cavern through the chinks in the rock I could see him in full. He lay on a ledge of rock, facing me, his green eyes shining and blinking sleepily in the light, his great striped back moving Up and down as he panted from fright and anger. His face was not four feet from mine when I had come to the end of the passage ; but there was little danger, since he was too much cowed by the light to charge, and had he done so, my opening was too small for him to enter. Had he tried to get at me by tearing away the stones at the mouth of my pas- sage, he could have been warded off with the barrel of the express. I lay full five minutes watching him. At the end of that time I moved the express slowly into position, being badly cramped; the tiger snarled angrily as he saw the barrel approaching, and drew back restlessly, still roaring. This was not pleasant to hear. I then fired, without being able to see the sights, but trusting to hit a vital spot. In the dark- ness which immediately ensued, — for the torches had been extinguished by the report, — it was im- possible to tell what he would do, though he could be heard roaring and leaping around his cavern. 244 SPORT AND TRAVEL The hunter-men were in a frenzy of excitement behind and were calling me loudly to come out, though, as I was firmly wedged in the passage, this for the moment was a physical impossibility. I then fired two more shots, the tiger lay panting, and was still. Once in the open, it was evident for the first time at what high tension my nerves had been kept dur- ing the four hours of watching. In another hour we had dragged the tiger up to the mouth of the cave, which, owing to the big rocks which had to be replaced before we could get at his cavern, was no easy matter, photographed him, and then carried him suspended from a pole to the village, while the peasants ran alongside, laughing, shouting, and gen- erally showing their delight. I skinned the body on a flat rock in the village, found to my satisfaction that the pelt measured ten feet six inches from nose to tip of tail, which the hunter-men said was a record, though I have no means of verifying this assertion, and then adjourned to the temple, where a feast of triumph and tiger- meat was held throughout the evening. Indeed, within two hours of the shooting the meat was be- ing sold in the village streets and voraciously eaten by the peasants. ^ This ended my tiger-shooting. With the prospect TIGER-HUNTING IN CHINA 245 of a visit; to Japan before returning to America, and realizing that I might stay for weeks in this region without having the fortune to find another tiger, it seemed unwise to remain longer. The following morning I returned to Amoy, where the skin was thoroughly coated with alum and rolled up to be taken to Hongkong. The Englishmen at the club were so fired with enthusiasm at my luck that they forthwith began to plan trips for themselves, and I do not doubt that several eventually went to the village which I had just left. Unfortunately it was two days before I could get away from Amoy. A typhoon came up the coast and burst on the town with full violence, preceded by that black silence which seems to me the most terrifying of natural phenomena. No steamers would put out, while some twenty ships entered the harbor for refuge. When finally I did get away, it was on a little tub called the Thales, whose passenr ger-list was composed of ninety-three Chinese and myself, to say nothing of the live stock on board in the shape of a full complement of fleas, cockroaches, and rats. Stopping at Swatow, and arriving at Hong- kong two days later, I had the tiger-skin cured at the Museum. The claws, which inadvertently had been left on my hotel window-sill to dry, were all stolen by the room-boy, except two which I fortu- 246 SPORT AND TRAVEL nately had placed elsewhere. The skin was well prepared on my return to America, and now lies before the fireplace as a pleasant reminder of an interesting hunt, the head being mounted on the rug with an expression of such ferocity as to seem scarcely true to life. I had planned to leave Hongkong almost imme- diately, but the hospitality of some old friends in the Royal Artillery Mess at Kowloon, combined with many picnics, bathing-parties, tennis after- noons, and dinners, so far upset my plans that it was not until the 21st of October that I finally de- parted. Taking leave of old Thomas, whom after his many months of faithful service I was sending back to Ceylon, I sailed on the Empress of China ; and moving out of Hongkong's graceful harbor by the Lyeemoon Pass, where C, of the India, was on the bluff before his mess, waving flags and setting off fire-crackers as a parting salute, we turned out into the China Sea toward Shanghzii, Nagasaki, Kobe, and Yokohama. These splendid "Empress" ships, with their graceful curving lines, cutter-bows, pure white hulls, pink water-lines, and yellow fun- nels, are among the finest in the East, and before the end of my travels I was to know them well. Up to Shanghai the sea was very rough and the air chilly. There would be no more soft sunny skies, > < s o u u 2 H <1 in g 5 TIGER-HUNTING IN CHINA 247 calm seas with flying-fish racing over them, and glo- rious sunrises and sunsets turning them to red and burnished gold, no more Southern Cross, nor tropic nights of unimagined brilliancy; all these I was leaving behind with the tropics ; and whether the exhilaration of a brisker atmosphere could make up for them all, I doubted. At daylight on the 24th we reached the harbor of Woosung, gay with an assemblage of four big Pacific mail-steamers ; and at nine o'clock started in a fast launch to cover the thirteen miles to Shanghai, which lies well back from the navigable sea, reaching the Bund at eleven, and passing the day in that interesting city. Early on the morning of the 26th we steamed into the harbor of Nagasaki, the sun just showing above the little wooded hills which hem it in, and raising the mist from the dull gray roofs of the town. On anchoring, we were surrounded by coal-scows, and began coaling by the method for which Nagasaki is noted : wooden staging is placed up the vessel's sides, and standing on this, little Japanese girls pass up the coal in small baskets with such speed that sev- eral thousands of tons of coal are loaded in a few hours. Their dexterity and team-work are indeed most interesting to watch. Rowing ashore after breakfast, we took a long rickshaw ride across the hills, to a tiny fishing vil- 248 SPORT AND TRAVEL lage called Mogi, on the other side of the island, where a pleasant spot was found on the shore look- ing out to the inland sea, and tiffin served al fresco by two little Japanese girls, the surroundings look- ing as though they had been taken from a Japanese screen and enlarged to life-size. The ride back was through a green valley and over a hill, with many tea-houses and little gray villages, where the people laughed as we clattered through, and the children laughed when we nearly ran over them, and even the babies laughed in their mothers' arms — alto- gether a very merry country. On the following day the ship passed through the Inland Sea, very beautiful with its high wooded shores, numberless islands, villages, and fishing- boats in all directions, stopping the next morning at Kobe, an uninteresting commercial city, and so on up the coast to Yokohama. A month is of course all too short a time to spend in Japan, especially when one finds there hosts of friends from home and is naturally tempted from the conscientious path of sight-seeing. The chrys- anthemum season in Tokyo was, furthermore, at its height ; and with the imperial garden-party, the re- view of troops by the Emperor, the state ball, and many a dinner and dance aboard the foreign war- ships in Yokohama harbor, I found the time pass TIGER-HUNTING IN CHINA 249 as pleasantly, if not so instructively, as if it had been spent seeing temples in the interior. A week in Mi- yanoshita, with a trip to Lake Hakone, then down to Kioto, where Nara and Lake Biwa were visited, and so through the island to Osaka and Kobe, whence ship was taken back to Yokohama, com- prised my travels in that delightful country. Alas for the traveller, the old Japan, with the steady progression of a new era, is, in the coast cities at least, rapidly giving way to western ideas, west- ern customs, and western architecture ; her gardens of cherry-blossoms and wistaria, her spotless houses of straw mats and sliding screens, her bowing, laugh- ing, gay-kimonoed people remain ; but, mixed with a prosaic assortment of European hotels, European stores, and European dress, their peculiar fascina- tion and picturesqueness necessarily must suffer.' In Tokyo I searched out a Japanese hotel, where I was smilingly assigned a room by the proprietor. Leaving one's shoes at the door, one ascends care- fully polished stairs in straw slippers; but at the first floor even these must be discarded, for the car- pet is the cleanest of straw-mattings in double thick- ness, into which one sinks as in velvet. One's room is like a cardboard box, built of sliding screens and bare of furniture, save for a mat to sit on and a little dressing-table placed on the floor before which one 250 SPORT AND TRAVEL has to kneel to tie one's tie. The impression one receives is of absolute spotlessness and freshness — not an atom of dust anywhere. Apparently there is no bed or bedding ; but when night comes, the cham- bermaid enters, prostrates herself before you, and, pulling aside one of the screens of which the walls are formed, discloses two great silk comforters and a pillow stuffed with rice, which are promptly spread on the floor. A brazier with coals is placed beside it and you are ready for the night. The Japanese bath, of all institutions in this immaculate country, is the most important. But there is only one tank for all, and one must not expect privacy; simply a screen separates it from the hall, and the girl who brings the towels does not knock. Accordingly, being a philis- tine to the customs of the country, it was not sur- prising that the sound of the little lady's approach at a moment when I was fully expecting privacy caused me something of a shock. The only effectual method of concealment seemed to be to retire to the depths of the tub, which I did without delay, land- ing in water considerably over loo degrees Fahren- heit. The result was successful, for my expressions were so vociferous and full of energy that the girl was completely terrified and took to her heels, leav- ing me to perform my further ablutions in undis- turbed contentment. THE HARBOR OF AMOY - SAMPANS TIGER-HUNTING IN CHINA 251 With the coming of western innovations it is to be hoped that the inherent politeness of the people, above all, will suffer no detraction. When you are presented to a Japanese, he bows to the ground and continues bowing at every remark you address to him ; a conversation opens with several compliments on each side, with accompanying bows. The waiter bows when he hands you the menu, bows when he takes your order, and again when he sets the dish before you ; and when you leave the room the last glimpse you get gives you the impression that he has been wound up like a mechanical toy and will continue bowing until he runs down. When I left the Japanese hotel at which I was stopping in Tokyo, not only the proprietor and the clerks, but all the chambermaids as well, were prostrated on the threshold; and not with the usual idea of begging a present but in thanks for the very small tip I had given — a polite country, indeed. The imperial chrysanthemum garden-party, for which our Minister had, among many other cour- tesies, obtained invitations for us, was an event of the greatest interest. With a stream of people we entered the big Osaka Park, where the path wound through the woods, all turned to brilliant autumnal colors, past miniature lakes and over bridges, with little summer-houses here and there, till it opened 252 SPORT AND TRAVEL on the lawn around which ran the stands containing the splendid exhibition of imperial chrysanthemums. The Japanese aim rather at cultivating the whole plant than the individual flower, the date of the garden-party being left indefinite until the last mo- ment, so that the plants may be at their best. It would be difficult to describe the effects they secure, and I can only say that finer combinations of shape, size, and color would be impossible to find, the world over. One stalk alone bore one thousand seven hun- dred and fifty blossoms, most of them in full bloom, while two others had over one thousand. The Em- peror was absent, but at three o'clock, to the solemn music of the Japanese hymn, the Empress entered and walked down the aisle that had been cleared, the women curtsying and the men bowing to the very ground. A day or two before our departure a dance was held on the U. S. S. Oregon in Yokohama harbor. The scene at sunset I shall not soon forget : Fuji, beautiful, solitary old Fuji, stood out against the red glow in the west, the big British, French, Italian, Japanese, and American warships vaguely defined in the harbor's purple haze, while every man on board faced aft as the flag was lowered to the music of our national hymn. At six o'clock on the evening of November 26, TIGER-HUNTING IN CHINA 253 from the deck of the Empress of India, we watched the Hghts of Yokohama twinkle in the rain, and one by one disappear. Plunging at once into rough seas, and encountering continual storms, we emerged at Vancouver thirteen days later, whence, taking the Canadian Pacific Railway across the continent, I descended on December 15 from the train, in Boston. INDEX Aden, aspect, 13. Agra, journey to, 56 ; Mogul rulers and architecture, 57-65. Agriculture in Baltistan, 135. Ahmed, author's cook, 30. Aitken, Lieut. R. H. M., at relief of Lucknow, 82. Akbar the Great, 57 ; character, 58; fort and palace, 58-62 ; tomb, 61. Amber, Rajputana, excursion to, 54-56. Amoy, tiger-hunting near, 20, 226- 245; typhoon, 245. Amusements, Maori, io6-io8 ; Balti, 137, 140. Antelope, Tibetan, in Kashmir, 1 20. Apricots of Kashmir, 136, 138. Arabian Sea, passage, 13. Arabs, as coal-loaders, 9 ; chant, 10, ArcUtecture, Mogul mosques and tombs, 57-65. Arnold, Lieut. N. H., at relief of Lucknow, 80. Art, Canton industries, 222. See also Architecture. Astore, Kashmir, trail from Indus, 177, 179-181 ; town and fort, 181 ; road to Srinagar, 183. Australia, steamship, 109. Bahar Shah, Srinagar merchant, 118, 205, 206. Balochi, Kashmir village, 168, 177. Baltal, Kashmir village, 129. Baltistan, travel to, from Srinagar, 119, 121-145; ^ game region, 120; topography and scenery, 134, 168, 172, 178, 179, 184-187; villages and agriculture, 135, 142; inhabitants, 136 j polo, 137 ; treatment of travellers, 138, 140- 142, 182; food, 138, 141,143,178; rope-bridges, 139; celebrating a polo victory, 140; rajahs, 140- 142, 160-164; ibex-stalking," 147- 156 ; reception of supposed great man, 158-165; trails, 166, 176; markhor-stalking, 169-172; shar- pu-stalking, 180, 185, 187-189; cattle-shed, 180 ; road from As- tore to Srinagar, 183, 189-191. Bandipur, Kashmir town, 191. Banknotes, transportation in Kash- mir, 182. BaramuUa, Kashmir village, 114. Barang, 42. Basha River and valley, 145-147. Bathing, on board P. and O. steam- ship, 12; ghats at Bengal, 84; in Japan, 250. Bear, red, in Kashmir, 120; stalk- ing of black, 193-195 ; honking of black, 196-203. Beggars at Benares, 89. Benares, as holy city, 83 ; bathing ghats, 84; burning ghats, 85; palaces, 86 ; streets and filth, 86-90 ; beggars, 89 ; hotels, 8g. 256 INDEX Bengal, Bay of, aspect, 17. Bhalu, 198. Boar-hunting in Perak, 35. Bombay, smell, 18; aspect, 48, 51 ; Towers of Silence, 48, 49; Par- sees, 49-51. Brahminism, Benares as holy city, 83-90. Bridges, rope, of Kashmir, 139. British India S. S. Co., 212, 2t8. British Residents in interior of Ma- lay Peninsula, 34. British Straits Settlements, 25. Bruce, Amoy sportsman, 235. Buddhism, Benares as holy city, 83; Shwe Dagon Pagoda, 215- 217. Bullock-cart, travel by, 29. Bundohust, 122. Burhel in Kashmir, 1 20. Burma, Rangoon, 212-217 i charac- teristics of inhabitants, 212-Z14; Mandalay, 217; drama, 218. Burzil River, 190. Calcutta, smell, 18; climate, iii; Fort William, 210. Campbell, Sir Colon, relief, of Lucknow, 82. Canning, Fort, at Singapore, 20. Canton, smells, 220; aspect of alleys, 221 ; art industries, 222 ; temples, 222 ; execution ground, 223 ; prison, 223 ; court of jus- tice, 224; Examination Hall, 224. Capri, steamship, 21. Cattle-shed in Kashmir, 180. Cawnpore, memorials, 66 ; siege and massacre, 67-74 i present aspect, 74. Ceylon, Colombo, 14-17 ; inland points, 17. Chakothi, Kashmir village, 207. Chaplis, 118, 126. Chi Phaw, Chinese village, 228. China, Hongkong, 219, 246; Can- ton, 220-225; customs, 220; civil- service examination, 224; tiger- hunting near Amoy, 225-246 ; village in tiger country, 228, 234, 235 ; curiosity of natives, 230, 234; god of tiger hunters, 229, 240. Chinese in Malay Peninsula, 25, 39. Chits, 119. Chota-hazri, 52. Ckota-shikaris, 125. Chow, 231. Chmvkidar, 115. Chugam, Kashmir village, 186. Chupatties, 143. Chusan, steamship, 17. Cigar, Burmese, 213. Civil service, examination in China, 224. Climate, of Suez Canal, 5, 9, 11 ; of Red Sea, 1 1 ; of Arabian Sea, 13 ; rain in Malay Peninsula, 23, 32. 38, 44i of India, 52, in; of Kashmir, 191 ; typhoon at Amoy, 245. Coaling, at Port Said, 9 ; at Naga- saki, 247. Colombo, Ceylon, smell, 14 ; ap- proach, 14; aspect, 15-17. Coolies, Kashmir, 122, 125 ; cost, 133 ; feast after successful hunt, 156, 157. Court, Canton, 224. Cum, Chinese guide, 220, 222. Curtis, W. E., on Taj Mahal, 64. INDEX 257 Dards and Baltis, 137. Delafosse, Lieut. H. G., escape from Cawnpore, 72. Devil's Porridge Pot, near Rotorua, 99- Ditchil Nullah, Kashmir, 179. Doongas^ 116. Drama, Burmese, 218. Dras, Kashmir village, 133. Dress, evening, on P. and O. steam- ship, 3i Balti, 136; Burmese, 212. Edward VII., proclaimed Emperor at Lucknow, 75. Ekkas, 112. Elephants, travel by, 33, 36-39; antics of baby, 36-38 ; leeches, 40 J piling teak, 214. Empress of China, steamship, 246. Empress of India, steamship, 253. Etiquette, Balti, 141 ; table, in Kashmir, 206 ; Japanese polite- ness, 251. Execution-ground in Canton, 223. Federated Malay States, 24. See also Malay Peninsula. Fee, W. T., acknowledgment to, 52- Flood in Kashmir, 195, 204. Flowers, roses in Kashmir, 178, i8.7, 196 ; chrysanthemums in Japan, 251. Food, in Baltistan, 138, 141, 143, 178; Kashmir table etiquette, 206. Funeral, Parsee Towers of Silence, 48, 49; burning ghats of Be- nares, 85; Burmese, 213. Furrow-irrigation in Baltistan, 135. Gajah, 38. Gam wallah, 193. Ganges River, at Benares, 83-86. Gates of Hell, near Rotorua, 100. Gazelle, in Kashmir, 120. Geysers of New Zealand, Waimun- gu, 91-98 J Whakarewarewa, loi ; eruption caused by soap, 102. God of Chinese tiger hunters, 229, 240. Goond, Kashmir village, 128. Gorai, Kashmir village, 190. Grady, Sergeant, killed at Cawn- pore, 72, 73. Grand Oriental Hotel, Colombo, 17- Grass-shoe of Kashmir, 129. Grik, Perak town, 39. Gurais, Kashmir village, 190. Gwalior, steamship, 212. " Ha Kahaka Tamahin^," 106-108. Haitan, steamship, 227. Haka war dance, 104. Hamurana Spring, New Zealand, lOI. Haramosh range, Kashmir, 168, 172. Harpu, Kashmir village, 167. Havelock, Sir Henry, march to Cawnpore, 71 ; relief of Luck- now, 78-82. Havelock, Lieut. H. M., at relief of Lucknow, 80. Heat, of Suez Canal, 5, 9, 1 1 ; of India, iii. Heavenly Twins, mud springs, 99. Hilbu, Kashmir village, 167, 172. Hindu worship, Benares as holy city, 83-90. 258 INDEX Hongkong, aspect of harbor, 219; club, 219 J hospitality, 246. Hooghli River, 210. Hot springs at and near Rotoraa, 98, 99, 103. Hotels, Grand Oriental of Colom- bo, 17 ; Raffles', at Singapore, 19 ; rest-houses in Malay Peninsula, 30; at Benares, 89; Japanese, 249-251. House-boats at Srinagar, 117. Hunting, various plans of author, 20, 21 ; in interior of Malay Pe- ninsula, 22, 29, 31, 40, 41, 43; boar, in Perak, 35; tiger, in Johore, 45 ; outfit and prepara- tion for, in Kashmir, 113, 117- iig, 126, 127, 129; game in Kashmir, 120; control of a nul- lah in Kashmir, 123, 145, 146; personnel of outfit, 125, 142-145; ibex-stalking, 147-156 j mail days, 165 ; preparation of speci- mens, 166, 206, 245 ; markhor- stalking, 169-172; characteris- tics of Kashmir shikaris, 172- 176,184, 187, 190; sharpu-stalk- ing, 180, 185-189; black bear stalking and honking, 193-203; Chinese cave-dwelling tigers, 226, 227 ; Chinese tiger hunters, 229, 234; hunting of Chinese tiger, 231-233, 236-245. Huzur, 174. Ibex, in Kashmir, 120; stalking, 147-156. Ibrahim ben Ishmail, 39. India, travel from Bombay to Be- nares, 47-90; climate, 52, in ; Mutiny, 66-82 ; variety in cities. 83; Calcutta, no, in, 210; travel to Kashmir, 111-115 ; per- sonal servants, 211 ; punkas, 211. See also Kashmir. India, steamship, voyage on, 1-17. Indian Mutiny, siege and massacre of Cawnpore, 67-74 i siege of Lucknow, 76-82. Indus River, rope-bridge in Kash- mir, 139; trail, 166, 176. Inglis, Sir J. E. W., at Lucknow, 77- Inland Sea of Japan, 248. Isis, P. and O. steamship, 10. Istana, 28. Itimad-ud-Daulah, tomb, 62. Jacques, Corporal, at relief of Lucknow, 80. Jaipore, climate, 52 ; aspect, 53^ 54 ; wall, 55. James Anthony, author's servant, 56. Janing, Perak town, 32, 33. Japan, travel in, 247-252 -, influence of western ideas, 249 ; hotel, 249 ; bathing, 250; politeness, 251; imperial chrysanthemum garden- party, 251. Jehanghir, reign, 57 ; and the Kohinoor, 61. Jenolan Caves, Australia, 109. Jhelum River in Kashmir, 114, 116; travel on, 119, 121, 122; flood, 195, 204. Johore, tiger-hunting in, 44. Jubbar Khan, Srinagar merchant, 205. Justice, execution-ground at Can- ton, 223; prison, 223; court, 224. INDEX 259 Kadera But, author's shikari, 125, 147, 149, 151, ISS. 156. 207 ; character, 173-175, 184. Kaipora, Kashmir village, 204. Kampong, 23. Kamri, river, pass, and village in Kashmir, 188-190. Kandy, Ceylon, 17. Kangan, Kashmir village, 126. Kashmir, journey between Rawal Findi and Srinagar, 113-115, 207-210; Srinagar, 115-117,204- 207 J preparation for hunting in, 117-119, 125-127, 129,142-145; topography and big game, 120; hunting regulations, 123, 145, 146; coolies, 122; rest-houses, 128, 129, 132 ; character of in- habitants, 143, 149, 172-176, 184, 187, 190; transportation of bank- notes, 182; climate, 191 ; aspect of main valley, 191, 195; flood, 195, 204 ; black bear hunting, 196-203 ; table etiquette, 206. See also Baltistan. Katoomba, Australia, 109. Kedah, English rule, 24. Kelantan, English rule, 24. Khitmagar, 114. Ki-Lai, Chinese village, 236. Kiltas, 118. Kishengunga River, 190. Kishti, 206. Kitchener, Lord, in Kashmir, 207. Kling driver, 30. Kobani, 138. Kohalla, Kashmir village, 114, 207. Kohinoor, and Akbar's tomb, 61. Kowloon, Hongkong, 246. Krishna worship, 55. Kuthodaw Pagoda, Mandalay, 217. Kwala Kangsar, capital of Ferak, 27-29. Kwala Kineiing, Ferak village, 33. Ladak, Kashmir, as game region, 120. Lakes, Rotomahana, 95 ; Rotorua, 100 ; Taupo, 108. Lascars as sailors, 3. Lawrence, Sir Henry, at Lucknow, death, 77. Leeches, elephant, as pest to man, 40. Lenggong, Ferak village, 30. Leyburn, Amoy sportsman, 235. Lim Ek Hui, interpreter, 230, 232. Ling Chee, 223. Lipurian Islands, Stromboli in eruption, 4. Lucknow, aspect, 75 ; celebration of coronation of Edward VII., 75 ; Residency, 76 ; siege and first relief, 76-82. Luis, 118. Lumbardar, 138. Lussoo, author's shikari, 125. Lussoo, Srinagar merchant, 205. Mahmed Jan, Srinagar merchant, 205. Mail, conveyance by F. and O. steamships, 10 ; mail days in Kashmir mountains, 1 65. Malacca, part of British Straits Settlements, 25. Malaria, author's attack, 44, 45, 51, 98. Malay Peninsula, hunting in inte- rior, 22, 31,35, 40, 41. 43; rain, 23, 32 ; advancement under Eng- lish control, 23-25, 39 ; character 260 INDEX of natives, 25-27, 39 ; travel in interior, 25-44; British Resi- dents in interior, 34. Mandalay, aspect, 217, 218. Manzis, 121. Maoris, settlement on hot spring terrace, 103 , character, 104 ; Ha- ka war dance, 104; women, 105 ; speech, 105; customs, 105; ca- noe races, 106-108. Markhor, in Kashmir, 120 ; stalk- ing, 169-172. Massacre Ghat at Cawnpore, 68-71. Massilia, P. and O. steamship, 47. Matayun, Kashmir village, 131, 132. Medicine, idol-doctor's temple in Canton, 222; author's practice on Chinaman, 236. Mindon Min, King, of Burma, 217, 218. Mishkin Nullah, Kashmir, 168. Mogi, Japanese village, 248. Mogul dynasty of India, architec- tural -works around Agra, 57-65. Mokoia, steamship, 109. Moore, Capt. J., at massacre of Cawnpore, 72. Mosques, Pearl, at Agra, 61. Moti Musjid, 61. Mumtaz-i-Mahal, tomb, 63. Murphy, escape from Cawnpore, 74- Murree, Indian town, 209. Nagasaki, harbor, 247 ; coaling at, 247. Nalas, 123. Nana Dhundu Pant, massacre at Cawnpore, 67-74. Nanga Parbat, 184, 185. Nat, 216. Naukar, 118. Negri Sembilan, English rule, 24. Neill, Gen. J. G. S., at relief of Lucknow, 79; killed, 81. Nere, Dr. A., on Nanga Parbat, 184. New South Wales, points of inter- est, 109. New Zealand, Waimungu and hot springs, 91-103 ; journey to, from Calcutta, 98; character and sports of Maoris, 103-108. North German Lloyd Co., oriental line, 219. Nullah, hunting regulations in Kashmir, 123, 145, 146. Nur Jehan Begam, 57 ; tomb of father, 62. Nuwara Eliya, Ceylon, 17. Oregon, U. S. S., dance on, at Yo- kohama, 252. Outram, Sir James, and first relief of Lucknow, 78-82. Ovis ammon, 120. Padang Sambai, Perak, 39, 40. Pahang, English rule, 24. Palaces, at Amber, 55 ; Akbar's, at Agra, 58-61 ; at Benares, 86. Parkutta, Kashmir village, 139. Parsees, disposition of dead, 48, 49 ; origin and migration to In- dia, 49 ; influence, 49. Paul, author's servant, 124. Pearl Mosque at Agra, 61. Penang,part of British Straits Set- tlements, 25. Penghulu, 31, 39. Peninsula, P. and O. steamship, 90. Peninsular and Oriental Line, steamships, 1, lo, 47,90; life on INDEX 261 steamships, 3-17 ; conveyance of mail, 10. Pentakota, steamsliip, 218. Pepper, cultivation in Malay Pe- ninsula, 24. Perak, English rule, 24; railway, 25 ; capital aud Sultan, 27-29 ; travel by bullock-cart, 29; rest- houses, 30; hunting, 31, 35, 39- 41, 43 ; travel by elephant, 33, 36-39 J British Residents in inte- rior, 34 ; travel by river, 41-44. Perak River, travel on, 4-44. Perry, H. P., plans travel -with au- thor, 2, 20, 108; tiger-hunting in China, 20, 232 ; goes to Borneo, 45; hunting in India, 109, no; fever, 1 10 ; goes to Kashmir, ill; hunting there, 117; ibex-stalking, 153; and greeting of Wheeler, 159, 163; markhor-stalking, 167, 172; at Astore, 182; return to Srinagar, 204 ; returns to Amer- ica, 207, 209, 210. Persia, P. and O. steamship, 10. Pin Seng, Chinese ship, 44. Pink Terraces of New Zealand, de- struction, 92. Politeness of Japanese, 251. Polo in Baltistan, 137, 140. Port Said, life at, 5-7 ; quarantine, 8 ; coaling at, 9. Priest's Water, spring at Rotonia, 98. Prison at Canton, 223. Province Wellesley, part of Brit- ish Straits Settlements, 25. Punkah, 211. Pushmina shawls, irS. Puttoo, 118, 126. Pwe, 218. Quarantine at Port Said, 8. " Rachel " bath at Rotorua, 98. Raffles' Hotel, Singapore, 19. Raft, bamboo, on Perak River, 41 ; on Indus, 166. Railways, in Malay Peninsula, 24, 25, 29; in India, 52, 56, in. Rain in Malay Peninsula, 23, 32, 38, 44- Rajahs of Baltistan, 140-142, 160- 164. Rangoon, inhabitants, 212-214; ele- phants piling teak, 214; Shwe Dagon Pagoda, 215. Rapids, shooting on Perak River, 42. Rawal Pindi, railway journey to, in; travel between Srinagar and, 113-115, 207-210. Red Sea, passage, n. Residents, British, in interior of Malay Peninsula, 34. Rest-houses, in Malay Peninsula, 30; in Kashmir, 128, 129, 132. Rivers, Perak, 34, 41-44 ; Ganges, at Benares, 83-86 ; Wanganui, 108; Jhelum, in Kashmir, 114, 116; Sind, 122, 127, 128; Dras, 133; Indus in Kashmir, 139, 166 ; Basha, 145 ; Kamri, 188 ; Kish- engunga, 190; Burzil, 190. Rondu, Kashmir village, 167. Rope-bridges of Kashmir, 139. Roses in Kashmir, 178, 187, 196. Rotomahana, Lake, 95. Rotorua, New Zealand, 91 ; aspect of neighborhood, 91, 95, 99-104 ; hot springs, 98. Rotorua Lake, 100 ; Hamurana Spring, loi. 262 INDEX Rowbury Hotel at Murree, 209. Rubber plantations in Malay Pe- ninsula, 24, Sakai hill tribes, hunters, 40. Salia Melik, Perry's shikari, 125, 173, 184. Sammad Shah, Srinagar merchant, 205. Seladang-hiinting in Malay Penin- sula, 22, 41, 43. Selangor, English rule, 24. Serai, 138. Servants, personal, of guests in India, 211. Seydlitz, steamship, 219, Shah Jehan, building of Taj Ma- hal, 57, 63-65. Shanghai, 247. Sharpu, in Kashmir, 120; stalking, 180, 185-189. Sheep, OTld, of Kashmir, 1 20. Shikaris, hiring of, 118; author's, 125; character, 142, 172-176, 184, 187, 190; feast after success- ful hunt, 1 56, 157. Shoes, grass, of Kashmir, 129. Shwe Dagon Pagoda, 215-217. Sidka, author's shikari, 125, 147, 151, 175- Simla, 112. Bind River, 122, 127, 128; travel through valley, 125-132. Singapore, smell, 18 ; Ratfles' Ho- tel, 19 J inhabitants, aspect, 19 ; part of British Straits Settle- ments, 25. Siwai Jai Singh and Jaipore, 54. Skardu, Kashmir village, 166. Sleeping on deck on P. and O. steamship, 12. Smells, of the East, 14; of Sin- gapore, 18 ; of Canton, 220. Sonamarg, Kashmir village, 128. Sonamarg Gorge, Kashmir, 128. Sopor, Kashmir village, 204. Spices, cultivation in Malay Penin- sula, 24. Srinagar, pronunciation, 112; travel between Rawal Pindi and, 112- 115, 207-210; aspect, 115-117; house-boats, 117; outfitting at, 117-119; flood, 204; shopping at, 205 ; boats, 206. Steamships, various, i, 10, 17, 21, 47, 90, 109, 212, 218, 219, 227, 245, 246, 253 ; life on P. and O., 1-17 ; " Empress " ships, 246. Stromboli in eruption, 4. Subsar, Kashmir village, 167. Suez Canal, life at Port Said, 1—7 ; and the desert, 7 ; quarantine, 8 ; coaling, 9 i passage, 11. Sufdermogul, Srinagar merchant, 205. " Suffering Moses " sign at Srina- gar, 205. Sullivan, escape from Cawnpore, 74- Sultan of Perak, 28. Sultana, Srinagar taxidermist, 206. Sultana of Perak, unintentional presentation to, 28. Supayawlat, Queen, of Burma, 218. Taiping, Perak town, 25. Taj Mahal, conception and erec- tion, 58, 63 ; beauty, 64, 65. Tamil laborers in Malay Peninsula, 25. Tarawera volcano, 91, 95 ; eruption of 1886, 92. INDEX 263 Tarkutti, Kashmir village, 139. Tatti, 112. Taupo, Lake, 108. Teak, elephants piling, 214. Tehsildar, 122, 181. Temples, at Agra, 61 ; at Benares, 88; Shwe Dagon Pagoda, 215- 217 ; at Canton, 222. Thales, steamship, 245. Thebaw, King, 218. Thomas, author's Cingalee servant, in Kashmir, 124, 143-145, 172, 181, 210; in China, 220, 227, 230, 246. Thomson, Lieut. Mowbray, escape from Cawnpore, 72-74. Ti, 215. Tiffin-coolies, 125. Tiger, hunting in Malay Peninsula, 23, 31 ; hunting in Johore, 45 ; cave-dwelling, in China, 226; Chinese hunters, 229, 234 ; hunt- ing in China, 231-233, 236-244 ; preparation of skin, 245. Tikitere, valley of, 99. Tin mines in Malay Peninsula, 24. Tokyo, Japanese hotel, 249-251 ; imperial chrysanthemum garden- party, 251. Tombs of Mogul rulers, 61-65. Tonga, travel by, in Kashmir, 112- 115. Towers of Silence at Bombay, 48, 49. Trade, shops in Colombo, 1 5 ; in Srinagar, 116-118, 205; in Can- ton, 221, 222. Tragbal Pass, Kashmir, 191. Travel, from Marseilles to Colom- bo, life on F. and O. steamship, 1-17 ; conditions of content- ment, 3 i from Colombo to Sin- gapore, 1 7-20 ; in interior of Ma- lay Peninsula, by bullock-cart, elephant, and raft, 25-44 ; across Northern India, 47-90; Indian railways, 52, 56, 1 1 1 ; in hot- spring region of New Zealand, 91-108 ; from Calcutta to Ra- wal Pindi, 11 1; between Rawal Pindi and Srinagar, by tonga, 1 1 2-1 1 5, 207-210; by doonga on Jhelum River, 121, 122; in mountains of Kashmir, 122-145, 165-169, 176-185, 189-192, 204; in Burma, 212-218, from Ran- goon to Hongkong, 218-219; Canton, 220-225; from Hong- kong to Yokohama, 246-248 ; in Japan, 248-252 ; Yokohama to Boston, 253. Trengganu, English rule, 24. Tulu, Kashmir village, 167. Typhoon at Amoy, 245. Tytler, Col. J. F., at relief of Luck- now, 80. Vibart, Major Edward, at massacre of Cawnpore, 6g, 72. Volcanoes, Stromboli in eruption, 4; Tarawera, 91, 92. Wahin^, 106. Waikite Geyser, 102. Waimungu Geyser, origin and first eruption, 91-93; danger and dis- aster, 93-95 ; in eruption, 95, 96. Wairakei, New Zealand, 108. Wairoa Geyser, 102. Wanganui River, 108. Ward, Rowland, taxidermist, 206. 264 INDEX Well of Knowledge at Benares, 87. Whakarewarewa, geysers, 101-103; Maori settlement, 103. Wheeler, A. H., plans travel with author, 2, 20; tiger-hunting in China, 20, 232 ; in Johore, 45, 46; in Philippines, io8, in; in Kashmir, 158, 177; reception as Maharajah, 158-165. Wheeler, Sir Hugh, at siege of Cawnpore, 67, 69. William, Fort, Calcutta, 210. WUlis, Capt. F. A., at relief of Lucknow, 80. Wilson, Capt. T. F., at Lucknow, 77- Woosung, China, 247. Yokohama, harbor, 248, 252. Zogi La Pass, Kashmir, 121, 131. Zoroaster, religion, 50. 01 be ttiber^tbe pte0^ CAMBRIDGE . MASSACHUSETTS U . S . 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