80 INDIAN BIG GAME chap. 



We were in a gorge that led up into the hills, 

 and the sound of this last cry, which was extra- 

 ordinarily loud and long, seemed to echo and re- 

 echo all round us, and to fairly fill the air. I saw 

 the two Sholagas look at each other perfectly 

 aghast. I believe they thought it was an evil 

 spirit. However, in the dead silence that ensued, 

 we pulled ourselves together and stealthily ap- 

 proached a large clump of bamboos, from which 

 we expected to see what was happening or to 

 look on what had already been done. On 

 reaching the clump the tracker Kanni-Madha 

 peered round, and then instantly crouched back, 

 saying, " Sir, sir, look at the tiger ! " I had felt 

 he was going to say that. Quietly I stepped 

 forward and took his place. I shall never forget 

 the sight I saw on looking round. There in a 

 little glade stood a grand tigress, quietly survey- 

 ing the body of the stag sambhur she had just 

 killed. As I raised my rifle I noticed that her 

 sides were heaving ; she was panting from the 

 exertions of the struggle. I pressed the trigger, 

 and she vanished. It was as if I had only 

 been gazing on the picture thrown by a magic- 

 lantern on a screen, so instantaneous was her 

 disappearance. But presently, and almost 

 before the smoke blew away, a sound of strug- 

 gling in the bamboos below us told that the 

 bullet had done its work. Well, we all got 

 pretty excited then. I know we went down to 

 her very carefully, and I fired a second shot 

 into her dead body to make sure, and then 

 heaved a big stone at her, and I remember 

 gently touching the glazing eye with a twig to 



