42 INDIAN BIG GAME 



I shot a second tigress three days after the 

 first one. She came up a stream, gave an easy 

 shot, and fell lifeless into the water which half 

 covered her. Being nervous as to my shooting, 

 I had arranged to shout results, and I did so at the 

 top of my voice, thus driving out two male tigers 

 that were also in the beat. This shouting was a 

 great mistake. The guns cannot keep too silent 

 after firing until the beat is over. A tiger will 

 readily locate continued shouting though he may 

 be uncertain of the direction whence he heard a 

 single shot. 



If, however, a wounded tiger goes back towards 

 the beat, then the most powerful signals possible 

 by voice or instrument should be used, and this 

 should have one meaning only, "get up trees." 



After this episode came a blank period, and 

 we moved camp twice, getting en route a tiger 

 kill in a barren and remote valley in the hills. 

 I ran this myself, as the shikaris were ahead that 

 day. On my final return I was not pleased to 

 find the machan men sitting smoking under the 

 tree. At 7 p.m. the tiger passed growling at 

 some distance. This meant he would not come 

 back. At 9 p.m. a panther came and I shot 

 him by the electric light. He dashed off. At 

 midnight a hyaena came and ate. At 3 a.m. 

 another, or the same, hyaena ate and I killed 

 him by mistake, for the light had run weak. At 

 dawn a wild dog showed but gave no shot. We 

 followed up and found the panther in a cave, after 

 some beautiful tracking by the local men. Investi- 

 gation showed the side of the panther visible 

 through a hole, and I killed him. This was a big 



