34 MY FIRST TIGER. 



work of them. The animal's keen sense of hearing 

 too struck me very forcibly ; as long as we stood 

 still and didn't venture to take another step he 

 remained quiet, but the slightest movement forward, 

 even touching the ground lightly with only the toe, 

 was enough to make him roar again, telling us plainly : 

 " Thus far shall you come but not an inch farther." 

 We all knew now that the tiger must be wounded, 

 and the Major — under whose command we were — 

 feeling the responsibility he had with inexperienced 

 guns, decided upon taking up new positions, and 

 trying to beat Master Stripes out of the place where 

 he lay by means of blank ammunition and drums — - 

 the beaters being instructed to keep at a distance 

 and to scale up trees in case of necessity. I had not 

 been long placed in my position before there 

 appeared to be great excitement amongst the 

 natives, and on my inquiring of my second gun 

 bearer as to what it all meant, he replied that the 

 beaters said the tiger was so badly wounded that he 

 could not get up. The Major then ordered us all 

 up to where he was, and we four, with rifles cocked 

 and gun bearers behind, walked up to where this 

 grand old tiger was ; he was paralysed, but had 

 plenty of life in him. He had a splendid flowing 

 beard beneath his head, and looked every inch of 

 what he was — the Monarch of the Forest. Major 

 Bonnor then said, " I think it is my turn to have a 

 shot," and gave him his coup-de-grdce. On first 

 examination of the skin Colonel Walker imagined 

 on seeing a bullet hole between the tiger's hind legs 



