A SHOOT IN AN INDIAN STATE 49 



Ram Huruk's report with the news of the kill 

 was that there were four tiger concerned in the 

 matter. This was correct. For the first beat 

 we made a big detour, covering about eight miles 

 in all, to meet the assembled beaters and stops. 

 We rectified this later, and used to meet the stops 

 at the machan. The stops were well and quickly- 

 put out by the two shikaris in their usual fan- 

 shaped method, opening out from the machan. 



During the whole of this shoot, when beating 

 I used a built machan with a basket stool. I am 

 a great believer in a stool ; but I am sure a little 

 platform with rings is easier to put up and is less 

 noisy than a machan. I had not one with me. 



A noted tiger shot of thirty years ago told a 

 friend of mine that he had shot 200 tiger beating, 

 and that he always stood on a bough with a rope 

 round his waist and the tree. He was free to 

 shoot in any direction, could use any tree, and be 

 ready in a minute. 



But to return to the beat. After some time a 

 tigress crept up towards my tree and I dropped 

 her dead. A little later a handsome tiger ap- 

 peared from the slopes on my right and came 

 straight under the machan. I missed him as he 

 came, jumped to the other side of the machan, 

 and killed him as he appeared on the other side. 



A third tiger came out from the same spot, but 

 took a diagonal course at about eighty yards from 

 me on my right rear. Vision was impeded by 

 bushes and boughs in my own tree, which I 

 cut aAvay later. I got a difficult shot, however, 

 and the tiger lurched but went on through the 

 gap, giving me no chance to fire again. 



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