104 INDIAN BIG GAME 



dodging in and out of the bamboo, and twice 

 came to close quarters, when she saluted us 

 with angry roars, but never showed herself, as 

 the undergrowth and bamboo were very thick. 

 At last I got tired of this sort of work and pro- 

 posed to my men that we should visit the patch 

 of grass where she first showed herself, and see 

 if the cubs were really there ; so back we went, 

 and had not gone far into the grass when the 

 Sholagas exclaimed, " Here are her cubs, sir." 

 I just caught a glimpse of one or two woolly things 

 in the grass when I heard a growl from behind 

 me, followed by an ear-splitting roar, from the 

 tigress, which sent the men running back. In- 

 stinctively I faced round, but when I saw her 

 come charging down on to me with mouth open, 

 emitting savage grunts, I thought it was all up, 

 as I could not believe she would leave me alone 

 now that I was standing by myself beside her 

 cubs. As she came on I heard the Sholagas 

 behind me yelling for all they were worth to scare 

 her from me ; but she never paused in her rush 

 till she was within a few feet of me. I was so 

 petrified I had no more idea of firing than the 

 man in the moon, simply depending upon frighten- 

 ing her by holding my ground, when she swerved 

 clean round, still at the same speed, and galloped 

 back on the track she came. I beckoned to the 

 men to come on with my other rifle, and followed 

 her, with the hope that she might be visible, but 

 there was not a sign ; so we then got to the other 

 side of the cubs by a roundabout way, on some 

 higher ground, and finally I decided to get up a 

 tree that was immediately overlooking the cubs ; 



