MY FIRST TIGER. 35 



that it was his. I said, " Wait a bit, turn him over 

 and see where the other bullet hole is." This was 

 found to be in his neck at the back of his head, so 

 I at once said, " I don't quite see how you. Colonel, 

 firing a broadside shot at eighty yards distance 

 could have managed to hit the tiger at the back of 

 his head for the bullet to make its exit between the 

 hind legs, whereas I, who was immediately above 

 the animal as he passed, could have hit him in no 

 other way." The Major at once conceded that it 

 was my tiger and that there could be no doubt about 

 it, and I felt very proud. 



It was too late that day to do any more beating, 

 so the trophy was carried back to camp in triumph 

 by some ten or twelve natives — for it took that 

 number to carry him— and then a war dance was 

 executed round the animal in the evening. 



In my introduction to this Handbook I mention 

 having- had to face a wounded tio^er. This was on 

 another occasion not many miles from these same 

 jungles when, with a civil engineer friend, I followed 

 up a wounded tigress, tracking her by her blood for 

 half a mile throuQfh dense forest with high ^rass 

 through which we had to cut our way till we came 

 suddenly on her. My friend was the first to see her 

 as she was in the act of charging ; his firing a shot 

 turned her from the direct line on us to one at right 

 angles, when we pegged into her at about twenty- 

 five yards off as fast as we could. In her mad 

 course she jumped up at a tree, put her fore legs 

 round it and clawed and bit it ; whilst in this 



