142 INDIAN BIG GAME chap. 



girth very considerably, managed by dint of 

 pushing and hauUng on the part of Kerta, to get 

 within view of the tiger. 



A neck shot settled the trick. My bullet of 

 the 17th had hit the tiger plumb in the centre on 

 the last rib, smashed the edge of its liver, carried 

 on through the diaphragm and had come out 

 behind the right shoulder. How he lived so long 

 is a wonder. 



On the 9th of September I left to join B. in 

 camp, to help him to bag a tiger. 



He was staying at a spot where I have shot 

 most of my tigers, and I reckoned it would prob- 

 ably be a simple matter to get him the desired 

 trophy ; but as this account will unfold, it was a 

 more difficult task than I anticipated, for sub- 

 sequent events showed we were dealing with a 

 tigress of most consummate cunning and cruelty. 



The evening of my arrival " khabar " was 

 brought of a buffalo having been killed, and B. 

 remarked " it looks as if you had brought me 

 luck ! " I wish it had been the case ! 



It was too late to fix up a machan that night, 

 but the kill being near we went to the spot and 

 lay close by in wait, commanding the approach, 

 of which there was only one. When it was too 

 dark to see the sights of our rifles we gave 

 it up. 



Next morning on visiting the kill it was found 

 the tiger had come during the night, but strange 

 to say had only dragged the carcase a few feet. 

 It was a splendid spot to sit over, with a very 

 fine tree to tie our chairs in. I say chairs, as B. 

 was anxious that I should sit with him to turn on 



