78 INDIAN BIG GAME 



Cara if I should not sit up alone ; he scoffed at 

 the suggestion, and to my surprise told me that 

 he with two other Sholagas were going to share 

 the watch with me. I was taught a lesson that 

 night I never forgot, and ever since have insisted 

 upon sitting up alone or occasionally with one 

 other, though I hold to the former being the best, 

 i.e. by yourself. Nothing appeared for hours, 

 and at last Dod Cara volunteered to keep watch 

 while I took a snooze. Needless to say, we all 

 went off sound asleep. Some time later, it 

 appears, one of the men was roused by the 

 sound of bones being crunched, and looking 

 down saw the tiger enjoying his meal. Instead 

 of rousing me at once, he violently shook his 

 neighbour, and he in turn shook Dod Cara, by 

 which time the tree was swaying to such an 

 extent that the tiger looked up in astonish- 

 ment to see what was happening. By the time 

 Dod Cara had brought me out of dreamland, 

 the tiger was so appalled at the commotion that 

 all I saw was a tawny object with tail erect 

 vanishing out of sight as if the devil was after 

 him. Dod Cara shook his head mournfully, and 

 said there was no hope of the tiger's return. We 

 all went to sleep again, and the tiger returned and 

 dragged the carcase out of sight, and I went back 

 to the estate next morning a sadder but a wiser 

 man. 



On the 19th of June 1892 I got my first jungle 

 sheep or barking deer. Many a time have I 

 stepped into the verandah of my bungalow to 

 listen to this deer's peculiar bark. The Sholagas 

 say he barks at the patter of his own feet in the 



