Raghu Patel Sahab and his Winchester .32-40

[tonygunlover]

Hello all ,
Just remembered an old tale i was told about an old Shikari from our area. I did hear a lot about him from my Dad( though he was a kid that time) and my Uncle who was a good friend of Him who was called Patel (Raghu Patel) and he was a Patel indeed. A Landlord or Zamidaar of old times but not like what we see in the movies. He was a gentleman and a very down to earth personality. He owned acres of land and 10 villages in an area which in present days called Village Salliya near Sarni in Betul District of Madhya Pradesh. A great Shikari and a collector of all kinds of Good weapons available at that time. He was a good shot as told by my Uncle who often hunted with him.
Though he used to look like a Drunkard (Though he never touched alcohol) with blood shot eyes and who cant hold and he really couldnt hold a rifle steady cause of Cerebellar ataxia but he used to shoot and not only shoot he used to place the bullet where he wanted to. Most of his life he hunted from a horse back and He had a black Arabian Mare which never ditched him except for once and the last time before she was given to friend.
It happened on a Early morning in 1960 when Raghu patel was going to visit one of his villages.He never carried a gun when out visiting his friends or his villages and he never feared anything. But that day he met a tigress with cubs on the cattle track he was on. Tigress sat down on the track facing him and she wont let him pass as her cubs were hiding in the thicket on the other side. Every now and then she got up and walked to her cubs but whenever he tried to move the horse she again came back growling and back to her place. And knowing from her behaviour he realized that she is loosing her temper and something needs to be done if He and his horse has to get back home safely . But now even his so trusted companion his favorite mare also ditched him twice the tigress went inside the thicket and he pushed the mare to move but she refused . Third time when he got a chance he managed to move her and reached back the safety of his home. But by that time he lost the trust in his old companinon and gave her to one friend.
I told this story cause i was told that He spent almost 15 to 20 min with the Tigress not taking his eyes off her for a fraction of a second. And to spend 15 min with a Tigress with cubs who is ready to defend them at the cost of her life is not a joke. They say he looked into her eyes and thats why His eyes become blood shot????? I dont know how. Cant figure out that. But there is noone to prove wheteher they were blood shot before this incidence or became so after that.

This tale dates back to 1954/55 and it is as told by his youngest son Late Mr E Raghu who also was a great person and a really good friend of mine (Though friend is not the right word to refer him). He Lived two houses next to ours and always told me lot of stories about his father , elder brother and himself How they hunted and how they learnt shooting in their good old days
It was with him that I saw this great gun of his father a Winchester .32-40 Model i really dont know but a small weapon with underlever and a 3 shot Rotary magazine. A beauty to see along with an old English double barrel muzzle loading gun also inherited from his father. That time i was 11 yrs old. I started shooting with an air rifle a Diana 27 model .22 cal which i still have at the age of 8 yrs. And by that time i had never fired a .22 bullet also But I was promised that i will surely get a few rounds to fire from this Win .32-40 which really delighted me. Though i never got that chance.

The tale is of the same place where he lived a small village close to jungle... The same Jungles of Central India about which lots have been mentioned in the books by Captain Forsyth in "The Highlands of central india" and by Sterndale in "Seeoni". This part of Madhya Pradesh earlier was known as Central province was very famous for its rich wildlife and Tigers. Capt. Forsyth himself shot 3 Tigers in Betul and Khan Saheb Jamshed Butt of Allwyn Cooper Ltd shot almost a dozen of them and Assisted many more..
To be continued..............