ill THE BOON AND TERM JUNGLES 19 



first and the short ones later with outstretched 

 claws of the actual attack, were all visible. 



After killing he must have carried the kill on 

 his shoulder, without a trace of it on the ground, 

 up a steep bank twenty feet high which involved 

 a distinct scramble for a man. 



I also did a couple of trips alone on the borders 

 of the Terai, combining pig-sticking with shooting 

 on off days. I got no tiger on these trips, though 

 in one place at least I had only myself to blame. 



My horses wanted a rest, so I took a week off 

 and went further than usual. There were several 

 fresh tracks about, but I got no kill at the begin- 

 ning. I was then fool enough to fire at jungle 

 fowl, only a couple of shots. But all fresh tiger 

 tracks then ceased. 



I am convinced one ought never to fire gun 

 or rifle within three miles of tiger cover. Some 

 say it does not matter : I entirely disagree with 

 them, and my belief is confirmed by losing tiger 

 from shooting game on other occasions. 



I have mentioned just now doing nothing at 

 the beginning, and my experience is that as a rule 

 on arrival at a place it takes four or five days 

 before all the kills are properly placed, the local 

 inhabitants trust one, and news begins to come 

 in — unless, and that is a big word, one has had 

 a really good outlying shikari on in advance. 



On this trip when I lost tiger I shot a good 

 panther who had killed two of my tie-ups and had 

 never returned. We dug a hole in the river-bank 

 and I sat up over a live goat. Falling asleep, I 

 was awakened by the thud of the kill. I ought 

 to have shot the panther dead, for I was firing 



