Anonymous, 1875. Hunting in Soonderbunds. Sheffield Daily Telegraph Thursday 18 November 1875
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| Location: |
Asia - South Asia - India |
| Subject: |
Distribution |
| Species: |
Javan Rhino |
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Sheffield Daily Telegraph, Thursday 18 November 1875
p.2
Sport in India, from Indian Daily News, 22 October 1875
[issue missing on Newspaper site]
One Sunday morning last month a party of four gentlemen started from Calcutta, and travelling fifty miles eastward halted the village of Hosseinabad [Hasnabad]. Another stage of twenty miles to the south brought them to Issuripore [Ishwaripur],
The sportsmen therefore picked up a few guides and native "Shikarees'' who soon brought them into the company of the wild beasts of the forest. Two gentlemen taking each bank of a river, the party penetrated six miles into the jungle, when they sighted two male " rhinos" and a female. The nearest sportsman fired but, though he was an experienced hunter, with no result; and footsore and weary the party had to retrace their steps, reaching their restingplace in time to partake of dinner in the small hours of the morning.
When it is remembered that Soonderbun expedition he is often obliged to crawl on all-fours, or to wade through marshes up to the waist in water, or to tramp mile after mile over soft boggy soil into which the foot sinks ten or twelve inches every step, it will be allowed that considerable fortitude and physical endurance are necessary on the part of the sportsman.
But, to return to our narrative, on the second day of their sport, after pushing through several miles of jungle—frequently by crawling on all-fours—the party came in sight of the rhinoceros which had been fired at the day before. To get near enough for a shot was no easy matter, but one of the party, creeping on all-fours, got within ten yards of the pool where the big beast was wallowing, and gave him the benefit of some five ounces of a leaden bullet into his right shoulder. Even then the "rhino" was able to charge, but another shot in the left shoulder " bowled him over," and he was found to be so fine a specimen that his skin was forwarded to the Asiatic Museum.
Two days after— the interval having been spent in rhinoceros-shooting—two other members of the party came across a fine female tiger.
Sheffield Daily Telegraph, Thursday 18 November 1875, p.2
Sport in India, from Indian Daily News, 22 October 1875
[issue missing on Newspaper site]
My summary
Excursion from Calcutta in September 1875. Four gentlemen travelled first to Hosseinabad [Hasnabad], then twenty miles to the south brought them to Issuripore [Ishwaripur]. Then into the jungle along the river with native hunters.
First day they sighted 2 male and 1 female rhino. They fired at one animal without success. Next day this animal was found again and from ten yards was shot again, he charged, then killed by another shot. He was found to be so fine a specimen that his skin was forwarded to the Asiatic Museum.
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Hunting in Soonderbunds
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