ger hunting.

Next morning, both the magistrate and myself felt very ill, headachy
and sick, with violent vomiting and retching; Captain S. attributed it
to the fierce hot wind and exposure of the preceding day, but we, the
sufferers, blamed the _dekchees_ or cooking pots. These _dekchees_ are
generally made of copper, coated or tinned over with white metal once
a month or oftener; if the tinning is omitted, or the copper becomes
exposed by accident or neglect, the food cooked in the pots sometimes
gets tainted with copper, and produces nausea and sickness in those
who eat it. I have known, within my own experience, cases of copper
poisoning that have terminated fatally. It is well always thoroughly
to inspect the kitchen utensils, particularly when in camp; unless
carefully watched and closely supervised, servants get very careless,
and let food remain in these copper vessels. This is always dangerous,
and should never be allowed.

In consequence of our indisposition, we did not start till the
forenoon was far advanced, and the hot west wind had again begun to
sweep over the prairie-like stretches of sand and withered grass. We
commenced beating up by the Batan or cattle stance, near which we had
seen the big tiger, the preceding evening. S. however became so sick
and giddy, that he had to return to camp, and Captain S. and I
continued the beat alone. Having gone over the same ground only
yesterday, we did not expect a tiger so near to camp, more especially
as the fire had made fearful havoc with the tall grass. Hog-deer were
very numerous; they are not as a rule easily disturbed; they are of a
reddish brown colour, not unlike that of the Scotch red deer, and rush
through the jungle, when alarmed, with a succession of bounding leaps;
they make very pretty shooting, and when young, afford tender and
well-flavoured venison. One hint I may give. When you shoot a buck,
see that he is at once denuded of certain appendages, else the flesh
will get rank and disagreeable to eat. The bucks have pretty antlers,
but are not very noble looking. The does are somewhat lighter in
colour, and do not seem to consort together in herds like antelopes;
there are rarely more than five in a group, though I have certainly
seen more on several occasions.

This morning we were unlucky with our deer. I shot three, and Captain
S. shot at and wounded three, not one of which however did we bag.
This part of the country is exclusively inhabited