CH HI THE BOON AND TERM JUNGLES 15 



suaded to write an account of these shoots, I 

 refrain from describing them. 



I got panther there, but never shot a tiger. 

 Many of the latter were bagged while I was out, 

 and I had at least three good chances, but I 

 missed every time. I never could shoot from a 

 howdah. I was firing with a -400 that had never 

 been fitted to me, and I think I always fired too 

 high. One tiger especially made me very sad. I 

 was ahead with two other guns as stops, and the 

 line beat vip to us through high grass. A fine 

 tiger came out to the gun on my right and was 

 missed. He crossed my front at easy range and 

 I missed with both barrels. He then turned 

 back, went for the line, sprang at Sir John's 

 elephant, and was dropped dead by him as he 

 sprang. A beautiful shot, but it did not console 

 me for my rotten shooting. 



Once we had a curious proof of the erratic 

 course a high velocity bullet may take. We had 

 beaten for a tiger and failed to get him. I was 

 mounted that year on a stone-blind elephant, 

 and I never rode a safer or a stauncher animal. 

 Sir John did not care for people sitting up ; but 

 as he wanted me to get a tiger, he detailed me to 

 do so for this one. I got into the machan at 

 about 3 P.M. It was rather of the crow's-nest 

 type, in the lower branches of a big tree, and was 

 undoubtedly insufficiently screened at the sides. 

 At 4 P.M. the tiger came down the hillside opposite, 

 making the country ring with his yawning roars. 

 He did not take a straight course to the kill, but 

 slewed off about eighty yards to my left. When he 

 reached the foot of the hill he halted in the open 



