SEARCH FOR A WOUNDED TIGER BY MOONLIGHT. 325 



of a third jackal. The jealous sentry — the first-comers were evidently a 

 pair — would not permit its approach, and the new-comer at last lay down 

 with an assumed air of unconcern to await its turn. 



The jackal had been tugging away at the dead bullock for about half 

 an hour, the sentry not having had its turn yet, when both started away 

 from the carcass and looked fixedly in a direction almost under my tree. 

 They then commenced to make a peculiar sniffing noise, and changed places 

 restlessly, running first a few paces to one side, then to the other, but 

 never taking their eyes off the object that had attracted them. I knew 

 they had viewed the tiger. I had never seen a tiger's reception by jackals 

 before ; but their demeanour was so marked that I felt certain to what to 

 attribute it. It was a moment of intense excitement, as I could not turn 

 to look in the direction from which I felt sure the tiger was approaching. 

 Presently the jackals, after changing their note to a sort of sharp twittering, 

 evidently intended to conciliate their lord and master, retired to some little 

 distance, and I shortly heard the quiet, measured footfall of the tiger almost 

 below me. I had the wind in my favour. Presently the striped head and 

 shoulders came into sight, and after one or two pauses their owner marched 

 to the tail of the bullock, and stood looking in the direction of the jackals. 

 He exposed his full broadside towards me, and looked very large in the 

 moonlight. I knew if he lay down he would offer a more difficult mark, 

 so I lost no time in firing. With a loud "wough, wough," the stricken brute 

 galloped heavily away, but I felt sure I heard him fall when about sixty 

 yards distant. I listened — there was a low groan. Again the sound was 

 repeated — the peculiar sobbing groan of a dying animal. 



I waited for twenty minutes and then signalled to the trackers, who were 

 in a tree at some distance, in a direction in which we previously knew their 

 presence would not interfere with the tiger's approach. I had been amused 

 by their answering some spotted-deer which began to bark soon after my 

 shot, and not far from me, and which they mistook for my signal. The five 

 naked and odoriferous, but simple and attached fellows, were soon safe 

 with me in the tree. We agreed to wait for half an hour and then to look 

 the tiger up. We considered that there was no necessity to wait till morn- 

 ing, as the moonlight was very bright, and there were only a few trees 

 dotted about in the otherwise open ground, and we were sure of one point 

 — namely, that if the tiger had any strength remaining he would have used 

 it ere this to put as great a distance as possible between himself and us. We 

 decided only to look as far as the spot where I was of opinion he had fallen. 

 If he were not there we would defer further search till morning. 



On getting down the tree we found the trail was very distinct. The 



