4.23
Moirapore
There was a tea garden here
belonging to the Lower Assam Company. At present, it appears that the Borduar
tea estates are located here. It is in Kamrup district of present day Assam.
James Thornton pressed on,
and after marching some miles further his party arrived at the limits of the
hills, and descending their last slopes found themselves in the valley of Assam[174]. They pitched their
camp near an extensive tea garden close to the foot of the hills, and towards
evening they all had to turn out to beat back a bush fire which had crept up
through the dry grass and jungle rather close to their camp. After a good deal
of hard work they succeeded in extinguishing the fire in their vicinity and saved
their camp, which at first appeared to be in considerable jeopardy.
According to Fitz William
Pollock, while approaching Scott’s Road from Assam, the hills commenced a few
miles beyond Mairapore, and this branch extended to the Garrow country[175]. In a beat on the top
of some hills near this, not more than 1,700 feet high, the Rajah caught
two serow in a net, and some three others escaped. A good number of
tigers were killed about here by the officers of the Lower Assam Company. A
little way off there was very good snipe-shooting.
The
Lower Assam Tea Company had a bungalow in the station, where their manager and
assistants put up, and just behind it there was a good deal of jungle. Out of
the back verandah, on two occasions a Mr. Fisher took shots, once at a tiger,
and once at a panther - in broad daylight. Pollock knew several panthers caught
there in traps. In the season, Assam was a capital place for duck and
geese-shooting, but the bheels were so immense, and were so surrounded
by dense grass-jungle, that it was almost impossible, and exceedingly
dangerous, to shoot on foot. The best plan was to fasten together a couple of
"dug-outs," and with a screen in front and a man poling behind, to go
out into the bheel, and very fair bags could be made this way. In that
season Fisher and Pollock killed a good number of snipe.
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