A CENTRAL PROVINCE SHOOT 29 



" All right, little friend, then I'll expect him 

 at 8.15." 



At 8.22 came the quiet gurgling sigh of a tiger 

 wanting his food. This was repeated at 8.30, and 

 at 8.50 came the noise of rending of flesh and 

 cracking of bones. Surely no bite to fisherman 

 was half so sweet as this. 



I let the tiger eat for five minutes and then 

 turned on the light. There was not a sign of kill 

 or tiger. I switched the light everywhere and 

 suddenly got a momentary full-length view of 

 the tiger for a second when he moved into the 

 bushes. 



Again he stepped out and I could see his neck 

 and off shoulder. I fired. The tiger spoke to the 

 shot and dashed off to the opposite bank. Then 

 I heard no more. 



At 4 A.M. I heard a tiger singing his grand 

 " Aa-oonh, aa-oonh ! " This call has a solemn 

 vibrating note as if sounded from the depth of 

 some great organ pipe. When the call came 

 opposite me there were two savage roars " Agh- 

 agh," and the calling animal wandered discon- 

 solately off. 



" This must be the tigress visiting her stricken 

 mate." She came back calling at 5 a.m. Again 

 she met the same savage roars, after which she 

 passed up the river, returned on my bank and took 

 post on the high ground above me, and remained 

 calling pathetically until 7.30 a.m. 



At 6 A.M. I stood up and was met by similar 

 roars. 



I was anxious about my men, who were due at 

 dawn by the path where the tiger lay. I succeeded 



