A Beat Gone Wild!

[Major Khan]

In my previous article on African Hunting Forums
https://www.africahunting.com/threa...beats-for-royal-bengal-tigers-panthers.56409/
... I had shared a video of how we actually used to conduct beats , in order to draw out royal Bengal tigers and forest panthers for our foreign client shikarees to hunt, in Old India .
I also mentioned my friend and former fellow professional shikaree , Riaz Sharrif ... who had actually participated in this shikar .
I had asked Riaz last week if he could kindly provide us with an English translation of how that shikar had actually gone down , as well as some " Behind The Scenes" photographs of that shikar . Riaz was kind enough to oblige and yesterday ... he provided me with a written account of how that grand shikar in 1959 had actually gone down . This is what I shall be posting on African Hunting Forums , tonight .

Below , is a scan of photograph kindly provided to me by Riaz Sharrif ... of himself in 1970 , shooting his William Wellington Greener 12 Bore double barreled side by side shot gun .

 

[Major Khan]

By Riaz Sharrif :
INTRODUCTION
“ I was eight years old , when I first dreamt of becoming a professional Shikari . Living in the Sylhet region of East Pakistan ( right next to the border of India ) , Father used to be a Tea Planter by trade ( Sylhet is the “ Tea Country “ of South Bengal ) ...who enjoyed the seasonal Shikar .

He used to own a fine 12 Bore hammerless sidelock side by side shotgun , made by William Wellington Greener in Birmingham, which he had purchased from Manton & Co. in Calcutta . It weighed seven pounds and had 70 mm chambers , double triggers , automatic ejectors and 28 inch barrels . The left barrel had a half choke , while the right barrel was bored perfectly cylindrical. He also had a
bolt action rifle made by Brno , which was a .22 LR ( Long Rifle ) . This one, Father had purchased from Mofoshall Rifle Club .

Ever since I was four years old , I recall fond memories of Father regularly taking me on Shikars in the vast Tea Estates of Sri Mangal . We hunted Kakar Deer ( Barking/Muntjac Deer ) , Bengal Bush Boar , Greylag Geese, Teal Ducks , Common Sheldrake Ducks, Cranes , Pigeons, Quails , Doves , Snipes , Foxes and Hares .

Back in those days , Imperial Chemical Industries Eley was the only company , whose ammunition would get imported into East Pakistan. And thus, we made use of their 12 Bore shotgun cartridges and .22 LR cartridges for our Shikars .
The .22 LR Eley solid cartridges saw use on Doves, Pigeons and Hares .
Eley Alphamax 70 mm Number 8 cartridges saw use on Snipes and Doves.
Eley Alphamax 70 mm Number 7 cartridges saw use on Quails.
Eley Alphamax 70 mm Number 6 cartridges saw use on Pigeons and Hares.
Eley Alphamax 70 mm Number 3 cartridges saw use on Cranes ,Teals and Common Sheldrakes.
Eley Alphamax 70 mm BB cartridges saw use on Greylag Geese and Foxes.
Eley Alphamax 70 mm LG ( Large Game) cartridges (which held eight slugs in one cartridge) saw use on Kakar Deer and Bengal Bush Boars .

Father taught me how to handle both his rifle and his shotgun , from the tender age of seven and on that very same year ... I had brought down my very first game animal - A green pigeon . I had used the .22 LR bolt action rifle to accomplish this , and from that moment onwards ... I knew that I was hooked on to the adventurous world of Shikar . By the age of ten , I had successfully used Father’s shotgun and an LG cartridges to bring down my very first cloven hoofed game - a Kakar Deer shot during a beat . However , to me ... it was still not enough .

As a child , I had grown up reading the excellent Shikar literature of Jim Corbett , Frederick Courtney Sealous , Sir Samuel White Baker , Captain James Sutherland and many other great hunters of the old days. Whenever Father would go on a business trip to Calcutta , I would always ask him to bring me back a Shikar book or two . And Father never disappointed me . He often brought back as many as three for me to enjoy . In 1951 , Father took me to see “ King Solomon’s Mines “ starring Stewart Granger at a cinema hall in Dacca . The exposure to Shikar culture from such a tender age ... had completely ingrained a love for the fine sport , in me . I knew that in India , a gentleman by the name of Vidya C Shukla had established “ Allwyn Cooper Limited “ - An outfitter who recruited professional Shikaris to guide foreign clients on Shikars all across the 30 states of India. I dreamt of joining Allwyn Cooper Limited , as a professional Shikari.

Father , of course would have none of it . He personally believed that Shikar was an excellent sport , but that being a professional Shikari was not a wise career choice ...
since I would have to spend my entire career taking orders for others . Father wanted me to become a Tea Planter , just like him . Run the Tea Estate , someday. So, I went to school and later ended up studying Business in Dacca University. On weekends or holidays , however.... Shikar was all that I ever did or thought about.

Yet, my desire to be a professional Shikari never waned . I eventually made a compromise with Father. I could grow up to be a tea planter AND a professional Shikari. Allwyn Cooper Limited was offering posts as part time professional Shikaris . These were Shikaris , whose services would be called upon ...whenever Allwyn Copper Limited needed extra man power for conducting any Shikars. I told father that I would run the Tea Estate as a primary source of income , but would work part time for Allwyn Cooper Limited ... on those times of the year when work at the Tea Estate was slow. Even though Father initially , still had reservations ( on account of the dangers of the profession) ... he eventually gave in to my demands and gave me his consent. I could not be happier . However , Father gave me one stipulation. I could not hunt ( or guide hunts for ) any dangerous game .

Father eventually transferred the license for the 12 Bore William Wellington Greener shotgun in my name... thus, making me the legal owner of the weapon .
When I was 17 years old in the January of 1959 , Father accompanied me to Nagpur in India , on an university holiday ... in order to speak to Mr. Vidya C Shukla and get me a part time post as a professional Shikari in Allwyn Copper Limited. Mr. Shukla was initially a little hesitant to give me a post , due to my rather unremarkable build
at the time. However , Father gestured me to let him do all of the talking . He proudly , but unpretentiously told Mr. Shukla about my competence with firearms and my undying dream to become a professional Shikari. Mr. Shukla finally agreed to give me a part time position as a professional Shikari , who would guide Shikars for Chital Deer, Kakar Deer , Wild Boars , Jungle Fowl and Waterfowl . I was elated with joy . I gave Mr. Shukla a copy of my university schedule, and he told me that my services would be called upon ... during the times of the year when Dacca university would remain closed .

During the summer holidays of 1959 , I began to apprentice as professional Shikari in Allwyn Cooper Limited. Under our head Shikari , a Hyderabadi gentleman named Rao Naidu . I accompanied him and the other senior professional Shikaris , while they guided clients on Shikars . I began to familiarize myself with the forests of Assam .

While Father had made me promise never to participate in Shikars for dangerous game ... I am afraid that temptation got the better of me , and I ended up breaking my promise . On the Winter of 1959 ... I would end up shooting a Hunting Leopard .
The first of six , which I had the good fortune to shoot in my entire life .
What I am about to share ... is the details of what had actually happened on that day .”

Rao Naidu behind a local Indian client with a slain 505 pound Royal Bengal tiger .

 

[Major Khan]

By Riaz Sharrif :
THE ASSIGNMENT
“ On 15/12/1959 , I had received a telephone call from Pallavee Goongam , the secretary of Mr. Shukla . She told me that a group of clients from the United States had booked a Shikar with Allwyn Copper Limited and asked if I was interested in being a part of the team of professional Shikaris ... assigned to guide them . Without even bothering to ask what the game animal(s) which the American clients wanted to hunt was ... I readily said ‘yes ‘ . Dacca university was closed for a month and more over my current semester had been completed . Back in those days, whenever I saw an opportunity to go on a Shikar or guide a Shikar... I would readily jump into the fray . That day was no different .

I told Father that I was going to India for guiding a Shikar for a week ( at most ) and that the game animals which I would be guiding the Shikar for... were a few Wild Boars. Poor , unsuspecting Father gave me his blessings and told me to be safe .
I took my 12 Bore Greener shotgun , 25 Eley Alphamax LG cartridges , 25 Eley Alphamax BB cartridges and 25 Eley Alphamax Number 6 cartridges. Gathering up the rest of my Shikar equipment ... I set off to the bus station and took the bus to Calcutta .
From Calcutta, I took the train to Nagpur and reached the head office of Allwyn Cooper Limited . Mr . Shukla had a nice , hot meal of British style medium done dry aged beef rib roast ( referred to as , “ Prime Rib “ in the United States ) , German style fried potatoes and roasted vegetables ready for me at his office ... in anticipation that I would be hungry . There was also a nice bottle of Pinot red wine . Mr. Shukla was quite a charismatic human being . He knew very well .. all about the favorite food and drinking habits of each and every single one of his employees . As I sat down to my meal ... I received the details of my assigned from Mr. Shukla .

A group of eight American clients wanted to make a video of a classic Royal Bengal tiger Shikar , to take back to the United States . It so happened that Rao Naidu was arranging a Shikar for a Royal Bengal tiger , at the end of the week . The tiger had killed and eaten two villagers near the jungles of the Maharashtra and Mr. Shukla had ordered Rao Naidu to dispose of the man eater as soon as he possibly could ( Mr. Shukla was entering politics at that time , and he always would try to curry favor with the local villagers as much as possible) . Rao Naidu’s trackers were able to pinpoint the patch of forested area ... where the man eater would lurk . What Mr. Shukla had proposed ...was that the American clients would be allowed to make a video of Rao Naidu’s Shikar .

A great deal of manpower would be necessary to pull off such a Shikar and make the perfect video . We needed at least 50 villagers to volunteer as beaters and they would need to be combing the forest through five miles, straight . We needed coolies to carry the inventory of our American clients , as well as camera men who would strategically place cameras in different parts of the forest ... so as to capture live footage of all of the fauna . We needed another professional Shikari who would protect the clients , and stay with them at all costs . Finally , we would need one more professional Shikari who would be responsible for protecting the camera men . This was where I came into the picture.

Mr. Shukla asked me if I could take the responsibility on protecting the camera crew. I was elated with joy . The sheer excitement of getting to participate in a Shikar for a Royal Bengal tiger was too much for me to resist temptation. I readily said , ‘ Yes’ .
A date was set for Saturday ... and thus, the necessary preparations were made.
Accompanying us for the Shikar... was Captain Peter Howard ; an Australian gentleman who used to serve in the British Indian Army and now lived with his wife in the Terai region of India , near the Himalayas . He was charged with the responsibility of protecting the clients .

On Saturday morning , at dawn... our entire party of 80 people was ready for action :
- 50 beaters
- 12 camera men
- Eight American clients
- One professional Shikari assigned to kill the man eating Royal Bengal tiger
- One professional Shikari assigned to protect the clients
- One professional Shikari assigned to protect the camera team
- Seven coolies
No Shikar party can ever be a Shikar party without arms , and armed ... we all were.

Rao Naidu carried a side by side Double Rifle made by the Birmingham firm, Westley Richards. It was chambered in .375 H&H Magnum ( Holland & Holland Magnum) and had a single selective trigger , automatic ejectors, manual safety , English splinter fore end and 24 inch barrels . It was regulated for 300 grain Winchester cartridges. The rifle originally belonged to Mr. Naidu’s father and was regulated for 300 grain Imperial Chemical Industries Kynoch cartridges . However , Mr. Naidu had the rifle re-regulated for Winchester cartridges by Westley Richards in 1956. On this day , he had the rifle loaded with 300 grain Winchester Silvertips ( Which were loaded with the best soft nosed bullets of our time ) .

Captain Howard carried a side by side Double Rifle made by the English firm, William Evans . It was chambered in .500 NE ( Nitro Express) and had double triggers , automatic ejectors, manual safety , English splinter fore end and 25 inch barrels . It was regulated for 570 grain Imperial Chemical Industries Kynoch cartridges... of which Captain Howard had several boxes in still in stock , at the time .
On this day , he had the rifle loaded with 570 grain soft nosed cartridges.

I carried my 12 Bore William Wellington Greener side by side shotgun , and I loaded it with Eley Alphamax LG cartridges. I knew that eight slugs of .36 caliber were completely useless for hunting a Royal Bengal tiger, but I was merely assigned to protect the camera crews . The actual hunting of the Royal Bengal tiger was to be left to Mr. Naidu .

Our American clients were armed with an assortment of different rifles , all of which were fine in quality . The smallest rifle caliber with which a foreign client could hunt a Royal Bengal tiger in the state of Maharashtra ... was the evergreen .375 H&H Magnum . Our clients choices in rifles were clearly indicative of this stipulation.
Two clients carried Winchester Model 70 bolt action rifles , chambered in .458 Winchester Magnum . These were loaded with 510 grain Winchester Super X soft nosed cartridges.
One client carried a side by side Double Rifle , built by the Belgian firm, Dumoulin. It was chambered in 10.75x68 mm Mauser . It had double triggers , automatic ejectors, beaver tail fore end, automatic safety and 26 inch barrels . It was regulated for 347 grain cartridges manufactured by the German company, RWS . It was loaded with 347 grain RWS soft nosed cartridges.
One female client carried a beautiful bolt action rifle ... custom made by the American firm , Griffin & Howe on an Enfield Model 1917 action . It was chambered in .375 H & H Magnum and loaded with 300 grain Winchester Silvertips .
The other four American clients carried Winchester Model 70 bolt action rifles , which were chambered in .375 H & H Magnum. These were loaded with 300 grain Winchester Silvertips .

Our coolies were armed with spears ; The shafts of which, were made from bamboo and the blades of which , were made from the steel taken from rail road tracks .


Our 50 beaters left off to the forest at 5 AM in the morning and had the entire forest surrounded ; They established a circular perimeter around the forest with a five mile radius . The camera men established their positions through out numerous parts of the forests ... hoping to capture live footage of the entire Shikar.
Rao Naidu, Captain Howard and myself led the coolies and our clients right into the center of the forest . Everything was eerily quiet ; The calm before the storm . Mr . Naidu then raised his Westley Richards Double Rifle and fired a shot into the air . The loud shot echoed all over the forest , and it was the signal for our beaters to commence the beat . The beat had begun. The beaters would keep beating for five miles straight ... as they converged towards us . We were right in the centre of the forest and the beaters would slowly , but steadily close in on us .. from all directions . However , doing so ... would also drive every single game animal in the forest towards our direction ( The centre of the forest ) .

Chaos was on our way “

William Wellington Greener 12 Bore hammerless side by side shotgun . A testament to old world Birmingham craftsmanship.

 

[375Fox]

I like the story so far, it’s a different writing style compared to you and panther shooter. Did all of you keep journal entries for your hunts or were required to keep official logs that you use now to reference? I’m very impressed by the amount of detail you can recall from so many years ago.

 

[Panther Shooter]

I like the story so far, it’s a different writing style compared to you and panther shooter. Did all of you keep journal entries for your hunts or were required to keep official logs that you use now to reference? I’m very impressed by the amount of detail you can recall from so many years ago.

375 Fox
There are countless reasons for this .
We were born in an era , where school children in India and East Pakistan were taught that it is mandatory to write a journal every night before we went to bed . We were taught that it helps us to appreciate life more . It was the era before “ face book “ . Most Bengali people from our generation are in the practice of keeping a diary . Reading the diary allows one to jog their memory at ease . I personally am extremely proud , that we we raised to conduct this practice during our youth . It aids us in recalling numerous of our favorite memories as the years pass by , or when our predicament is not the best . Whenever we would take photographs , we would also preserve them with great importance . Before “ Face Book “ , it was the time of “ Scrap Book “ . If you ask most Bangladeshi people ( above 40 years of age ) , then they can even tell you the exact date that they learnt to drive a car . Sadly , keeping a journal or a scrap book is no longer viewed as the trendy or “ cool” thing to do , by today’s youth . My eight year old grandson and ten year old grandson actually have classmates of their same age , who already have their own facebook accounts before they even complete third grade .

Another important thing to remember is that all of us have been extremely passionate about firearms and Shikar , ever since we were children. We love firearms and Shikar so much, that we actually helped establish Bangladesh Shooting Federation , shortly after Bangladesh’ Independence in 1971 . Remembering a certain firearm or a certain game animal to us, is like someone trying to remember which school he used to go to , as a child. It is second nature to us . That is why even at our age ( I will turn 70 , Riaz will turn 78 and Major Khan Sir turned 80 this year ) , we all routinely continue to enjoy hunting and shooting . This applies even more so , for Major Khan Sir and Riaz . They both used to be professional Shikaris , who would guide international clients on Shikars for eight months of the year . In Major’s case , he did it for ten years, In Riaz’s case , he did it for 12 years .

Finally , I strongly believe that generation values also play a factor. I mean not to sound arrogant and disrespectful to younger generations , at all. However , it always seems to me as if younger generations are always in a hurry , these days . They are never really taught to take in the beauty of life and appreciate life on a day to day basis. Our generation took things more slowly. We were taught to cherish every day , which life had to offer . My ten year old grandson has to study more hours of the day in third grade , than I had to do when I was in the ninth grade. Riaz began his career as a professional Shikari , while completing his degree in business from Dacca University . I do not think that any young person in today’s generation can ever dream of guiding Shikars , while studying in university. The study pressure would simply not allow it . That is why I personally believe that most people from our ( my) generation find it much more straightforward to remember things ( especially concerning topics which we are passionate about ) , than younger people , today. We were raised in an era , where children were taught to appreciate all of the little details of our life . During our youth , we spent our free time in fields and forests . The little time these days that most children or teenagers can afford to spare from their textbooks , are spent looking at computer screens.

On a related subject , it might interest you to know that Riaz wrote a book in Bengali , called “ Ekti Shikari Er Jibon Er Obhiggota “ ( A Professional Shikari’s Life Experiences ) in 1999 . Major Khan Sir , myself and a few other friends have been asking him for a long time to have an English version of his book published. Judging from the fact that he has recently provided Major Khan Sir with an English translation of one of the Shikars that he guided, I do believe that we might have finally successfully convinced him to start doing it !

 

[Major Khan]

By Riaz Sharrif
HELL BREAKS LOOSE

“ We could hear all manners of feral roars , screeches and calls of the countless jungle fauna ... who had been disturbed by Mr. Naidu’s gunshot. Mr. Naidu ordered all of us to assume our positions. The coolies stayed behind him , while Captain Howard remained with the clients and I remained with the cameramen .


We saw a large number of Chital Deer and langur monkeys rush past us . I felt quite tempted to shoot a fine Chital Deer for the pot . However , Chital Deer were not the prize . A man eating Royal Bengal tiger was ... and Mr. Naidu would not take kindly to me partaking in any recreational shooting , while ‘ on the job ‘ . Furthermore , the fleeing Chital Deer and the langur monkeys were a telltale sign. We knew that the Royal Bengal tiger was somewhere nearby , and would soon cross paths with us . Always remember that during a beat , the Herbivores will always flee away from the beaters ( and thus, towards the Shikaris ) at first ... before the Carnivora flee away from the beaters . This is because the Herbivores are fleeing from the Carnivora during the beat . Carnivora shall always stand their ground , until the last possible moment . It is only when the beaters are almost upon them ... that the Carnivora shall make the decision to flee .

True enough , within a few moments ... something the size of an English Shetland Pony sprung out of the long grass . It was a Royal Bengal Tiger .That was the very first time in my life that I had seen a living Royal Bengal tiger so close to me. It was as big as a horse and it’s fangs looked as dangerous as Turkish Kilij sabers . The Royal Bengal tiger bounded right past us , and Mr. Naidu snapped up his Westley Richards .375 H & H Magnum Double Rifle to his shoulder . He fired off two quick shots , which struck the animal right behind the left shoulder . As the wounded Royal Bengal tiger slowed down... the coolies surrounded it with spears . This made any escape for the man eater impossible ... without the Royal Bengal tiger needing to engage the spear wielding coolies . Mr . Naidu approached the Royal Bengal tiger and leveled his Double Rifle at it . He fired two more shots at it, at a range of less than ten feet. The two 300 grain soft nosed Winchester Silvertips tore through the right shoulder of the man eater.. into its heart - lung region . The animal fell to the ground in pain , but was attempting to struggle back to it’s feet once again. Without hesitation , Mr. Naidu snatched up a spear from one of the coolies and impaled the animal to death by stabbing it through the mouth . We all breathed a sigh of relief . The problem animal was no more .

If only this was the case .

Captain Howard was the first person to point out that Mr. Naidu had killed a pregnant Royal Bengal tigress . This possibly could not be the man eater , because the pug marks which had been found around the man eating Royal Bengal tiger’s previous victims were those of a male Royal Bengal tiger. We speculated very quickly that Mr. Naidu had killed the man eater’s mate. Female Carnivora always tend to get flushed out during a beat , sooner than male Carnivora do . And that meant that the real man eater was still lurking around somewhere nearby . The systematic sounds of the beaters were getting louder and louder .

However, Royal Bengal Tigers were not the only thing which one has to worry about , during a beat in much dense forest .

I was near a cameraman when we noticed something rustling about in the thick bush . Hurriedly , raising my 12 Bore William Wellington Greener shotgun to my shoulder ... I kept it trained on the bushes . This proved to be the only thing that saved me and the cameraman from what happened next .

A huge Hunting Leopard , about the size of a calf ... jumped out of the bushes and charged towards us. I waited until the Leopard was less than 13 feet away from us , before firing the left barrel of my shotgun . I could actually hear the sound of the eight slugs slam into the Leopard’s head . But it just kept coming . So it gave it the right barrel ... at a distance of ten feet . The eight slugs slammed into the Leopard’s head and this time ... the animal had dropped. If only it stayed that way . We both thought that the Leopard was dead , but in reality... it was only knocked out . As it slowly began to come to it’s senses , the American female client used her Griffin & Howe Enfield Model 1917 action rifle to shoot the Leopard in the back of the neck . The 300 grain soft nosed Winchester Silvertip broke the spinal column of the Leopard , and this was what had finally killed it . It was a female Hunting Leopard.
I broke open the breech of my shotgun and watched the two empty cartridges fly out of the breech ... before plopping to the ground . I replenished the chambers with two fresh Eley Alphamax LG cartridges , before closing the breech .

A beater came running through the forest towards us , in a panicked state . He told Mr. Naidu and Captain Howard that he had been attacked by a python , which had attempted to strange him from a the branch of a tree . Mr . Naidu accused the beater of being a lazy lying imbecile , who did not properly carry out his duties as a beater . He then told the beater that he would not be receiving the second half of his payment . The beater desperately tried to tell Mr. Naidu that he really was attacked by a python . Mr. Naidu then ( in a fit of rage ) kicked the beater in the stomach .
Captain Howard went and restrained Mr. Naidu and they both began to argue . Captain Howard did not take kindly to striking the villagers or the coolies , and an American client asked Mr. Naidu if there was a possibility that the beater could have been telling the truth .

Being a junior professional Shikari... I was well aware that getting involved in an argument between my superiors was a career wise unsound decision . It was much above my pay grade . So I decided to stay out of it and stay near the cameramen .
We caught some excellent footage of a Hunting Leopard which was pitch black in color ( due to melanism ) . It was not a particularly large Hunting Leopard.
Perhaps , little above five feet in overall length . Suddenly it sensed something dangerous and quickly decided to move off . The cameraman and I stared at the long grass ... wondering what could have possibly driven the Black Hunting Leopard away . And then we saw it .

Crouched within the long grass ... was a Hunting Leopard of unrivaled proportions. And we had the misfortune of locking eyes with it . The animal charged right at us and I acted on pure instinct . Swinging the shotgun up to my shoulder ... I took aim and fired off the left barrel at a distance of 12 feet . My shot was directed at the chest of the Leopard and it was most certainly hit . However , despite the animal dropping to the ground ... it was back up on it’s feet again in a split second . This time , at a distance of seven feet... I fired my right barrel into the chest of the Leopard . At least some of those eight .36 caliber slugs must have penetrated through the Leopard’s chest muscles and into the creature’s heart . Because the Leopard dropped to the ground ... and this time , it was just not getting back up, anymore . I was elated with joy .
I had just killed my very first Hunting Leopard . It was a mature male , about the size of a large English Mastiff . Reloading my shotgun with two fresh Eley Alphamax LG cartridges , the cameraman and I decided to examine the Leopard’s carcass . I decided to go proudly and tell Captain Howard and Mr. Naidu what I had just accomplished . Suddenly , I saw two of our beaters running right past me and the cameraman , in a crazed state . They were loudly screaming , “ Bhago ! Bhago ! Baagh ! Baagh ! ‘ which translates into English as ‘ Run ! Run ! Tiger , Tiger ! ‘ .


From a distance , I could see a huge Royal Bengal tiger charging towards us . It looked to be the size of an English Shire Stallion and seemed to be even more terrifying than the Royal Bengal tigress which Mr. Naidu had killed. It was the man eater . The cameraman decided to do the intelligent thing and began to flee for his life ... running right after the two beaters. I took aim at the charging Royal Bengal tiger with my shotgun . Having seen the unreliable effects of LG Buckshot on Hunting Leopards , at least twice throughout the day... I had absolutely zero illusions about my Eley Alphamax LG cartridges being able to even remotely slow down the Royal Bengal tiger . However , I was determined to not go down without a fight . Thus, as a last ditch effort at defending myself... I fired off both barrels of my shotgun at the man eater’s chest , at a distance of nine feet . The results were quite predictable. The Royal Bengal tiger was not even remotely hurt . In fact , it’s aggression seemingly quadrupled . It gave a threatening snarl and had now selected me as it’s target . I do not think that I ever ran so fast in my career ( or my life ) . I just ran as fast as my legs could carry me . Knowing that the man eater was hot on my heels , I dived into a nearby pond ... hoping to find safe sanctuary from the Royal Bengal tiger. My decision saved my life and the Royal Bengal tiger fortunately abandoned it’s pursuit of me .

Unfortunately , it focused it’s rage upon one of the beaters . The wretched man attempted to climb up a tree ... in order to escape the man eater’s rampage. However , he severely underestimated the ferocity of the Royal Bengal tiger . The enraged animal repeatedly made attempts to claw it’s way up to the tree . Had the beater stayed still ... he would ( in all probability ) have remained completely unharmed . The man eater would have had a great deal of difficulty in reaching the top of the tree . However, to err is human. The beater began to panic , as he saw the Royal Bengal tiger repeatedly attempting to reach him ... and almost succeeding. The terrified beater attempted to climb to a different branch of the tree ... slightly further from the man eater’s reach . This poor decision almost cost the poor man his life.


The tree branch gave away and the man fell to the ground. He screamed in horror ,as the Royal Bengal tiger leapt over him . It swiped him across the chest with it’s razor sharp claws . Fortunately , that was all the man eater could do. A loud gunshot rang out and the man eater dropped dead ... shot through the side of the head . The savior of the beater was Captain Peter Howard . He had used his William Evans .500 NE Double Rifle to send a 570 grain Imperial Chemical Industries Kynoch soft nosed bullet through the man eater’s head . The Captain and I hurriedly attempted to push the carcass of the dead Royal Bengal tiger off of the beater . The poor man was injured very badly . His chest muscles had been torn open quite gruesomely . However , the fortunate thing was that it was only a flesh wound . The Royal Bengal tiger’s swipe had been unable to damage any of the beater’s vital organs ( Such as his heart or lungs ) . The beater would need stitches , but he would survive . Had Captain Howard not been able to intervene in time... I hesitate to think what fate might have befallen that wretched beater.

Our American clients , Mr. Naidu , Captain Howard and I looked at the carcass of the slain Royal Bengal tiger... while our coolies tended to the injured beater . It was a male and there was no shred of doubt ... that this was the man eater .

It was now time to do an autopsy on the two Hunting Leopards and the two Royal Bengal tigers ... which our Shikar party had killed , as well as check the video footage . “

The Man Eater , shot in the head by a .500 NE 570 grain soft nosed bullet.

The Male Hunting Leopard , shot twice in the chest with 12 Bore 70 mm Eley Alphamax LG cartridges .

The Royal Bengal tigress , shot four times ( twice behind each shoulder ) by .375 H & H Magnum 300 grain Winchester Silvertip soft nosed bullets... before having a local spear driven through it’s mouth in order to finish it off.

 

[Major Khan]

By Riaz Sharrif
AFTERMATH

“ The man eating Royal Bengal tiger was the very first to have his skin removed and his limbs butchered . 13 LG slugs from my shotgun were found embedded on the rock hard chest muscles of the animal . They had completely flattened against the chest muscles . Captain Howard’s 570 grain soft nosed bullet had penetrated right into the Royal Bengal tiger’s head and this what what had killed him. The animal’s mouth was missing a fang , for some reason. No doubt... the loss of a fang , was what had caused this Royal Bengal tiger to become a man eater.

The Royal Bengal tigress was the second animal to have her skin removed and her limbs butchered . Four of Mr. Naidu’s 300 grain soft nosed Winchester Silvertips were found inside the animal’s heart and lungs . One was found inside her left lung . One was found inside her heart. Two were found inside her right lung . The iron spear blade had broken the animal’s spinal column .

The male Hunting Leopard which I had killed ... was the third animal to have his skin removed and his limbs butchered . I was particularly keen to examine this one , because it was the very first dangerous game animal in my life which I had killed .
I had shot the animal twice at ranges of less than ten feet with two Eley Alphamax LG cartridges. Now , I looked at the results . I did not feel proud. I felt lucky .
12 LG slugs were found embedded in the rock hard chest muscles of the Leopard. They were all flattened like clay putty . One .36 caliber LG slug had somehow managed to penetrate into the animal’s heart . This was what had killed him . Had that one LG slug been unable to reach the animal’s heart ... then I am fairly certain that the fate of myself and the cameraman would have been far worse. Interestingly enough , we found a human toe bone inside the Leopard’s stomach and two or three porcupine quills stuck under the animal’s chin . Captain Howard speculated that this Leopard was a man eater , as well .

The female Hunting Leopard which I had shot and the American female client had finished off ... was the fourth and final animal to have her skin removed and her limbs butchered . As soon as the skin was completely removed... Ten .36 caliber LG slugs dropped to the ground ; virtually all of them flattened . Some had dented and cracked the Leopard’s skull . Yet, not even one had actually managed to penetrate into the Leopard’s brain . The American female client’s 300 grain soft nosed Winchester Silvertip had completely blown clean through the animal’s spinal column .

Mr. Naidu and Captain Howard both proudly told our clients that Riaz Sharrif , 17 year old junior professional Shikari had just killed his very first Hunting Leopard , today . I outwardly acted quite proud , but in reality I was just thanking God ... as to how fortunate I had been , that one LG slug had managed to reach the Leopard’s heart . Our American clients cheered for us and the American female client told me that technically I had killed two , because I had actually managed to knock out the female Hunting Leopard with a charge of LG slugs ...before she had managed to finish it off . I shyly told the lady that I could only take credit for one . She bagged the female Leopard.

When we all had returned to Allwyn Cooper Limited , we all looked at the footage collected on the video cameras . To say that it was amazing ... would be an understatement. We saw some live footage of a massive python slowly crawl down from a tree branch and get ahold of a langur monkey ... before suffocating it to death , crushing it’s bones and swallowing it whole .

We also learnt that the terrified beater who claimed that he was attacked by a python... was actually telling the truth. The video footage showed the poor man walking under a tree while beating ... when all of a sudden a huge python hanging from a tree , suddenly wrapped itself tightly around his neck . The terrified man struggled in vain to escape the python’s grasp . He finally managed to break the tree branch , itself . This caused the python to fall to the ground ... temporarily causing it to loosen it’s grip around the beater . This bought the beater just the window of opportunity that he needed. He bolted away from the fallen python as fast as possible .

Th finished film looked beautiful , if somewhat untruthful . It was edited to make things look ... as if I had successfully taken out both of the Hunting Leopards . For the last 61 years of my life... I have always personally believed that the American female client deserved credit for putting down the female Hunting Leopard. The pregnant Royal Bengal tigress killed by Mr. Naidu was made to look like a man eater. Other than that , the video was truly amazing.

This day was quite a memorable one in both my career and my life . It was the day when I had successfully brought down my first Hunting Leopard ( albeit through sheer luck , than skill ) . I would go on to shoot and kill five more Hunting Leopards ( three of them , man eaters ) and two Royal Bengal tigers ( both of them , man eaters ) in my life .

When I returned home , Father was enraged that I had lied to him and disobeyed him . Mr. Shukla had proudly told Father over telephone about how I had successfully brought down a man eating Hunting Leopard... blissfully ignorant of the fact that I was attempting to keep Father in the dark about the incident. I was extremely terrified of the possibility of Father forbidding me from ever working for Allwyn Cooper Limited again .

However , Father was Father and he loved me very much . He finally accepted the fact that his son derived enjoyment from hunting dangerous game . Within a few days ... Father was proudly telling all of his friends ( as well as the owners of the other Tea Estates near ours ) about how his 17 year old son had successfully brought down a charging man eating Hunting Leopard with a shotgun . As long as Father lived , he always was proud of me. And I was proud to have a Father like him.

Unfortunately, Father breathed his last... two years later , in 1961. During an unfortunate incident while horse riding ... Father fell from a mare and broke his neck. Death was instant ... but for me , the pain was endless . I was 19 years old , at the time and Father had left the entire Tea Estate in my name. I graduated from Dacca University in 1962 and decided to honor Father’s soul by running the Tea Estate. However , I also needed to keep my mind off of any negative thoughts .

Thus , in 1962 ... I began to work in Allwyn Cooper Limited as a professional Shikari.
Captain Howard and his family had permanently returned to Australia . Indians were getting increasingly hostile towards all Caucasians who had still chosen to remain behind after India won it’s Independence in 1947. They were attempting to deprive American , Australian, English and European residents of all of their property and wealth ... by making all sorts of excuses to confiscate their lands and valuables . Captain Howard did the intelligent thing by returning to Australia with his family , before he would have to face the same indignity and harassment ( He clearly had a good amount of foresight ) . Mr. Naidu now completely ran the show . I had also inherited Father’s Brno .22 LR bolt action rifle , by now . Becoming a professional Shikari brought a great deal of peace and mental stability to me . For the next nine years of my life ... I was actually able to enjoy the golden age of Shikar in India.

For quite a few years of my life ... I had to make do with just Father’s 12 Bore William Wellington Greener side by side shotgun and Brno .22 LR bolt action rifle for hunting all of my quarry . Much later , in 1996 ... I was quite fortunate to be able to purchase a fine Savage Model 110 bolt action rifle chambered in 7 mm Mauser ( 7x57 mm Mauser ) when eight of them got imported into Bangladesh for sale , by the BSF ( Bangladesh Shooting Federation ) . I found the Savage Model 110 and the 7 mm Mauser to be quite a regal combination . Aside from Chital Deer for the pot , Bengal Bush Boars and the odd Asian Sloth Bear , I used it over the years ... to dispatch two man eating Hunting Leopards and two man eating Royal Bengal tigers after
receiving authorization from the Forest Department to put an end to their attacks on local villagers. However , I do not need to bore anyone with those stories . “

THE END

 

[Wyatt Smith]

Excellent story! Please tell Riaz I enjoyed it. The savage 110 rifles have a reputation for exceptional accuracy.

 

[leslie hetrick]

i have not found any of the hunting stories told here from the men who lived them boring at all, they have given me a insite to a time mostly lost to time. i thank you all for your valued information.

 

[Major Khan]

I like the story so far, it’s a different writing style compared to you and panther shooter. Did all of you keep journal entries for your hunts or were required to keep official logs that you use now to reference? I’m very impressed by the amount of detail you can recall from so many years ago.

I believe that Panther Shooter summed it up best , 375 Fox . Fire Arms and Shikar have been a definitive part of who all of us are ... ever since we were children . We are passionate about it . If a man forgets some thing which he is passionate about ... well, then life is just not worth living !

 

[Major Khan]

Excellent story! Please tell Riaz I enjoyed it. The savage 110 rifles have a reputation for exceptional accuracy.

Why thank you so much , Master Smith ! I shall pass the message along to him day after tomorrow ( when we meet ) .
Indeed , in Riaz's hands ... that 7×57 mm Mauser calibre Savage Model 110 bolt rifle is a devastating weapon .

 

[Major Khan]

i have not found any of the hunting stories told here from the men who lived them boring at all, they have given me a insite to a time mostly lost to time. i thank you all for your valued information.

Why thank you so much , Mr. Hetrick .
Riaz shall be quite pleased to know how much you have enjoyed his reminiscence . Perhaps , I may be able to convince him to write a few more articles for me to post on African Hunting Forums .

 

[375Fox]

I believe that Panther Shooter summed it up best , 375 Fox . Fire Arms and Shikar have been a definitive part of who all of us are ... ever since we were children . We are passionate about it . If a man forgets some thing which he is passionate about ... well, then life is just not worth living !

I’m only in my early 30s, so I might be in trouble in a couple years! I can say I do remember every situation and scope picture where I pulled the trigger on a big game animal ever since my first deer at 12.
Another very good story. I still look forward to a story on a modern day chital deer hunt. I would really like to see some landscape pictures of where you hunt them.

 

[Major Khan]

I’m only in my early 30s, so I might be in trouble in a couple years! I can say I do remember every situation and scope picture where I pulled the trigger on a big game animal ever since my first deer at 12.
Another very good story. I still look forward to a story on a modern day chital deer hunt. I would really like to see some landscape pictures of where you hunt them.

Consider it done !

 

[Wyatt Smith]

Why thank you so much , Mr. Hetrick .
Riaz shall be quite pleased to know how much you have enjoyed his reminiscence . Perhaps , I may be able to convince him to write a few more articles for me to post on African Hunting Forums .

Please do Major. Better yet if you could get him to join Africa Hunting, I bet he would enjoy it as much as we would.

 

[Panther Shooter]

Major Sir
Fantastically narrated , as always . It takes a different kind of determination for a man to kill four Hunting Leopards in his life with LG buckshot cartridges .
Remember that story in Riaz’s book which details his 1997 pursuit of a man eating Royal Bengal Tiger ? He shot the fiend and then actually swam after it through the Sundarban swamp , in order to spoor it and finish it off when the wounded menace was attempting to get away ! Then , he faced it’s charge with his 7x57 millimeter Mauser and actually put it down !
I mean , I adore my 7 millimeter Remington Magnum . But I do not think that I would so readily ever face a charging Royal Bengal Tiger with mine .

 

[Panther Shooter]

Please do Major. Better yet if you could get him to join Africa Hunting, I bet he would enjoy it as much as we would.

Wyatt Smith
If the Major Sir cannot convince Riaz to join AH forums, then I will convince him !
This man deserves to be here !

 

[Major Khan]

Major Sir
Fantastically narrated , as always . It takes a different kind of determination for a man to kill four Hunting Leopards in his life with LG buckshot cartridges .
Remember that story in Riaz’s book which details his 1997 pursuit of a man eating Royal Bengal Tiger ? He shot the fiend and then actually swam after it through the Sundarban swamp , in order to spoor it and finish it off when the wounded menace was attempting to get away ! Then , he faced it’s charge with his 7x57 millimeter Mauser and actually put it down !
I mean , I adore my 7 millimeter Remington Magnum . But I do not think that I would so readily ever face a charging Royal Bengal Tiger with mine .

This is nothing ! There was a time when he actually CLUBBED a wounded 218 pound forest panther off a screaming client with the butt of his W W Greener 12 Bore shot gun and then proceeded to shoot it 4 times to save his client !
That was a crazy course of action to under take ... yet it actually worked !

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

375 Fox
There are countless reasons for this .
We were born in an era , where school children in India and East Pakistan were taught that it is mandatory to write a journal every night before we went to bed . We were taught that it helps us to appreciate life more . It was the era before “ face book “ . Most Bengali people from our generation are in the practice of keeping a diary . Reading the diary allows one to jog their memory at ease . I personally am extremely proud , that we we raised to conduct this practice during our youth . It aids us in recalling numerous of our favorite memories as the years pass by , or when our predicament is not the best . Whenever we would take photographs , we would also preserve them with great importance . Before “ Face Book “ , it was the time of “ Scrap Book “ . If you ask most Bangladeshi people ( above 40 years of age ) , then they can even tell you the exact date that they learnt to drive a car . Sadly , keeping a journal or a scrap book is no longer viewed as the trendy or “ cool” thing to do , by today’s youth . My eight year old grandson and ten year old grandson actually have classmates of their same age , who already have their own facebook accounts before they even complete third grade .

Another important thing to remember is that all of us have been extremely passionate about firearms and Shikar , ever since we were children. We love firearms and Shikar so much, that we actually helped establish Bangladesh Shooting Federation , shortly after Bangladesh’ Independence in 1971 . Remembering a certain firearm or a certain game animal to us, is like someone trying to remember which school he used to go to , as a child. It is second nature to us . That is why even at our age ( I will turn 70 , Riaz will turn 78 and Major Khan Sir turned 80 this year ) , we all routinely continue to enjoy hunting and shooting . This applies even more so , for Major Khan Sir and Riaz . They both used to be professional Shikaris , who would guide international clients on Shikars for eight months of the year . In Major’s case , he did it for ten years, In Riaz’s case , he did it for 12 years .

Finally , I strongly believe that generation values also play a factor. I mean not to sound arrogant and disrespectful to younger generations , at all. However , it always seems to me as if younger generations are always in a hurry , these days . They are never really taught to take in the beauty of life and appreciate life on a day to day basis. Our generation took things more slowly. We were taught to cherish every day , which life had to offer . My ten year old grandson has to study more hours of the day in third grade , than I had to do when I was in the ninth grade. Riaz began his career as a professional Shikari , while completing his degree in business from Dacca University . I do not think that any young person in today’s generation can ever dream of guiding Shikars , while studying in university. The study pressure would simply not allow it . That is why I personally believe that most people from our ( my) generation find it much more straightforward to remember things ( especially concerning topics which we are passionate about ) , than younger people , today. We were raised in an era , where children were taught to appreciate all of the little details of our life . During our youth , we spent our free time in fields and forests . The little time these days that most children or teenagers can afford to spare from their textbooks , are spent looking at computer screens.

On a related subject , it might interest you to know that Riaz wrote a book in Bengali , called “ Ekti Shikari Er Jibon Er Obhiggota “ ( A Professional Shikari’s Life Experiences ) in 1999 . Major Khan Sir , myself and a few other friends have been asking him for a long time to have an English version of his book published. Judging from the fact that he has recently provided Major Khan Sir with an English translation of one of the Shikars that he guided, I do believe that we might have finally successfully convinced him to start doing it !

My Dear Friend Panther Shooter
I totally agree with what you are saying about the younger generations they seem to have so much less time than we did to enjoy their youth. I think to a certain extent we are to blame for that as we expect so much moe of them in this competitive new world. Life was so much simpler for us growing up as employment was easier to come by and we had more choices.
Hunting has taught my son that for your mental health you need to take time out to recharge your batteries and life i s to short to be worrying all the time.
The most valuable lesson he learnt was when we were in Namibia and he visited a local school at a squatters camp. These children had nothing and regarded education as a privilege. Their houses were really 3rd world food was very basic yet these children were happy with what little they had. My son no longer takes things for granted and has learnt you don't need everything to be happy. The more you have the more time you spend protecting it instead of enjoying life and what you have.
Keep safe and well my friend.
Bob Nelson

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

By Riaz Sharrif
HELL BREAKS LOOSE

“ We could hear all manners of feral roars , screeches and calls of the countless jungle fauna ... who had been disturbed by Mr. Naidu’s gunshot. Mr. Naidu ordered all of us to assume our positions. The coolies stayed behind him , while Captain Howard remained with the clients and I remained with the cameramen .


We saw a large number of Chital Deer and langur monkeys rush past us . I felt quite tempted to shoot a fine Chital Deer for the pot . However , Chital Deer were not the prize . A man eating Royal Bengal tiger was ... and Mr. Naidu would not take kindly to me partaking in any recreational shooting , while ‘ on the job ‘ . Furthermore , the fleeing Chital Deer and the langur monkeys were a telltale sign. We knew that the Royal Bengal tiger was somewhere nearby , and would soon cross paths with us . Always remember that during a beat , the Herbivores will always flee away from the beaters ( and thus, towards the Shikaris ) at first ... before the Carnivora flee away from the beaters . This is because the Herbivores are fleeing from the Carnivora during the beat . Carnivora shall always stand their ground , until the last possible moment . It is only when the beaters are almost upon them ... that the Carnivora shall make the decision to flee .

True enough , within a few moments ... something the size of an English Shetland Pony sprung out of the long grass . It was a Royal Bengal Tiger .That was the very first time in my life that I had seen a living Royal Bengal tiger so close to me. It was as big as a horse and it’s fangs looked as dangerous as Turkish Kilij sabers . The Royal Bengal tiger bounded right past us , and Mr. Naidu snapped up his Westley Richards .375 H & H Magnum Double Rifle to his shoulder . He fired off two quick shots , which struck the animal right behind the left shoulder . As the wounded Royal Bengal tiger slowed down... the coolies surrounded it with spears . This made any escape for the man eater impossible ... without the Royal Bengal tiger needing to engage the spear wielding coolies . Mr . Naidu approached the Royal Bengal tiger and leveled his Double Rifle at it . He fired two more shots at it, at a range of less than ten feet. The two 300 grain soft nosed Winchester Silvertips tore through the right shoulder of the man eater.. into its heart - lung region . The animal fell to the ground in pain , but was attempting to struggle back to it’s feet once again. Without hesitation , Mr. Naidu snatched up a spear from one of the coolies and impaled the animal to death by stabbing it through the mouth . We all breathed a sigh of relief . The problem animal was no more .

If only this was the case .

Captain Howard was the first person to point out that Mr. Naidu had killed a pregnant Royal Bengal tigress . This possibly could not be the man eater , because the pug marks which had been found around the man eating Royal Bengal tiger’s previous victims were those of a male Royal Bengal tiger. We speculated very quickly that Mr. Naidu had killed the man eater’s mate. Female Carnivora always tend to get flushed out during a beat , sooner than male Carnivora do . And that meant that the real man eater was still lurking around somewhere nearby . The systematic sounds of the beaters were getting louder and louder .

However, Royal Bengal Tigers were not the only thing which one has to worry about , during a beat in much dense forest .

I was near a cameraman when we noticed something rustling about in the thick bush . Hurriedly , raising my 12 Bore William Wellington Greener shotgun to my shoulder ... I kept it trained on the bushes . This proved to be the only thing that saved me and the cameraman from what happened next .

A huge Hunting Leopard , about the size of a calf ... jumped out of the bushes and charged towards us. I waited until the Leopard was less than 13 feet away from us , before firing the left barrel of my shotgun . I could actually hear the sound of the eight slugs slam into the Leopard’s head . But it just kept coming . So it gave it the right barrel ... at a distance of ten feet . The eight slugs slammed into the Leopard’s head and this time ... the animal had dropped. If only it stayed that way . We both thought that the Leopard was dead , but in reality... it was only knocked out . As it slowly began to come to it’s senses , the American female client used her Griffin & Howe Enfield Model 1917 action rifle to shoot the Leopard in the back of the neck . The 300 grain soft nosed Winchester Silvertip broke the spinal column of the Leopard , and this was what had finally killed it . It was a female Hunting Leopard.
I broke open the breech of my shotgun and watched the two empty cartridges fly out of the breech ... before plopping to the ground . I replenished the chambers with two fresh Eley Alphamax LG cartridges , before closing the breech .

A beater came running through the forest towards us , in a panicked state . He told Mr. Naidu and Captain Howard that he had been attacked by a python , which had attempted to strange him from a the branch of a tree . Mr . Naidu accused the beater of being a lazy lying imbecile , who did not properly carry out his duties as a beater . He then told the beater that he would not be receiving the second half of his payment . The beater desperately tried to tell Mr. Naidu that he really was attacked by a python . Mr. Naidu then ( in a fit of rage ) kicked the beater in the stomach .
Captain Howard went and restrained Mr. Naidu and they both began to argue . Captain Howard did not take kindly to striking the villagers or the coolies , and an American client asked Mr. Naidu if there was a possibility that the beater could have been telling the truth .

Being a junior professional Shikari... I was well aware that getting involved in an argument between my superiors was a career wise unsound decision . It was much above my pay grade . So I decided to stay out of it and stay near the cameramen .
We caught some excellent footage of a Hunting Leopard which was pitch black in color ( due to melanism ) . It was not a particularly large Hunting Leopard.
Perhaps , little above five feet in overall length . Suddenly it sensed something dangerous and quickly decided to move off . The cameraman and I stared at the long grass ... wondering what could have possibly driven the Black Hunting Leopard away . And then we saw it .

Crouched within the long grass ... was a Hunting Leopard of unrivaled proportions. And we had the misfortune of locking eyes with it . The animal charged right at us and I acted on pure instinct . Swinging the shotgun up to my shoulder ... I took aim and fired off the left barrel at a distance of 12 feet . My shot was directed at the chest of the Leopard and it was most certainly hit . However , despite the animal dropping to the ground ... it was back up on it’s feet again in a split second . This time , at a distance of seven feet... I fired my right barrel into the chest of the Leopard . At least some of those eight .36 caliber slugs must have penetrated through the Leopard’s chest muscles and into the creature’s heart . Because the Leopard dropped to the ground ... and this time , it was just not getting back up, anymore . I was elated with joy .
I had just killed my very first Hunting Leopard . It was a mature male , about the size of a large English Mastiff . Reloading my shotgun with two fresh Eley Alphamax LG cartridges , the cameraman and I decided to examine the Leopard’s carcass . I decided to go proudly and tell Captain Howard and Mr. Naidu what I had just accomplished . Suddenly , I saw two of our beaters running right past me and the cameraman , in a crazed state . They were loudly screaming , “ Bhago ! Bhago ! Baagh ! Baagh ! ‘ which translates into English as ‘ Run ! Run ! Tiger , Tiger ! ‘ .


From a distance , I could see a huge Royal Bengal tiger charging towards us . It looked to be the size of an English Shire Stallion and seemed to be even more terrifying than the Royal Bengal tigress which Mr. Naidu had killed. It was the man eater . The cameraman decided to do the intelligent thing and began to flee for his life ... running right after the two beaters. I took aim at the charging Royal Bengal tiger with my shotgun . Having seen the unreliable effects of LG Buckshot on Hunting Leopards , at least twice throughout the day... I had absolutely zero illusions about my Eley Alphamax LG cartridges being able to even remotely slow down the Royal Bengal tiger . However , I was determined to not go down without a fight . Thus, as a last ditch effort at defending myself... I fired off both barrels of my shotgun at the man eater’s chest , at a distance of nine feet . The results were quite predictable. The Royal Bengal tiger was not even remotely hurt . In fact , it’s aggression seemingly quadrupled . It gave a threatening snarl and had now selected me as it’s target . I do not think that I ever ran so fast in my career ( or my life ) . I just ran as fast as my legs could carry me . Knowing that the man eater was hot on my heels , I dived into a nearby pond ... hoping to find safe sanctuary from the Royal Bengal tiger. My decision saved my life and the Royal Bengal tiger fortunately abandoned it’s pursuit of me .

Unfortunately , it focused it’s rage upon one of the beaters . The wretched man attempted to climb up a tree ... in order to escape the man eater’s rampage. However , he severely underestimated the ferocity of the Royal Bengal tiger . The enraged animal repeatedly made attempts to claw it’s way up to the tree . Had the beater stayed still ... he would ( in all probability ) have remained completely unharmed . The man eater would have had a great deal of difficulty in reaching the top of the tree . However, to err is human. The beater began to panic , as he saw the Royal Bengal tiger repeatedly attempting to reach him ... and almost succeeding. The terrified beater attempted to climb to a different branch of the tree ... slightly further from the man eater’s reach . This poor decision almost cost the poor man his life.


The tree branch gave away and the man fell to the ground. He screamed in horror ,as the Royal Bengal tiger leapt over him . It swiped him across the chest with it’s razor sharp claws . Fortunately , that was all the man eater could do. A loud gunshot rang out and the man eater dropped dead ... shot through the side of the head . The savior of the beater was Captain Peter Howard . He had used his William Evans .500 NE Double Rifle to send a 570 grain Imperial Chemical Industries Kynoch soft nosed bullet through the man eater’s head . The Captain and I hurriedly attempted to push the carcass of the dead Royal Bengal tiger off of the beater . The poor man was injured very badly . His chest muscles had been torn open quite gruesomely . However , the fortunate thing was that it was only a flesh wound . The Royal Bengal tiger’s swipe had been unable to damage any of the beater’s vital organs ( Such as his heart or lungs ) . The beater would need stitches , but he would survive . Had Captain Howard not been able to intervene in time... I hesitate to think what fate might have befallen that wretched beater.

Our American clients , Mr. Naidu , Captain Howard and I looked at the carcass of the slain Royal Bengal tiger... while our coolies tended to the injured beater . It was a male and there was no shred of doubt ... that this was the man eater .

It was now time to do an autopsy on the two Hunting Leopards and the two Royal Bengal tigers ... which our Shikar party had killed , as well as check the video footage . “

View attachment 344514
The Man Eater , shot in the head by a .500 NE 570 grain soft nosed bullet.
View attachment 344515
The Male Hunting Leopard , shot twice in the chest with 12 Bore 70 mm Eley Alphamax LG cartridges .
View attachment 344516
The Royal Bengal tigress , shot four times ( twice behind each shoulder ) by .375 H & H Magnum 300 grain Winchester Silvertip soft nosed bullets... before having a local spear driven through it’s mouth in order to finish it off.

Friend Ponton
Your dear friend Riaz Sharrif led a very charmed life in that episode. He was very lucky to have the back up of the 375 Holland and Holland. The poor coolie must have thought it was his last day on earth.
A very exciting hair raising adventure.
Please have your friend translate his book it would be a great read .
Keep safe and well my friend, Bob