A REAL TIGER STORY 229 



ants. The two great men sleep in tents, but the sateUites 

 have to be content with the camp fire for their shelter and 

 warmth. To one side, and in the rear of the main tents, are 

 a couple of police tents, for the poUce guard which always 

 accompanies the Collector on tour. But a short distance 

 from these, and exactly behind the mess tent, the cook 

 and house servants have their headquarters. It is here 

 that the appetising dishes the Indian cook can turn out in 

 the face of difficulties, which none of his European con- 

 freres would dream of facing, are prepared. With several 

 holes in the ground, flanked by large stones and filled with 

 burning sticks, and a charcoal brazier or two, the Indian 

 chef will prepare cuhnary marvels which would not disgrace 

 a first-class London hotel. 



A hum of conversation arises on the night air from these 

 different encampments, at all of which, with the exception 

 of the cook's, the evening meal of the men is in course of 

 preparation, chaff is being exchanged, and the incidents 

 of the past day — and there are always incidents, amusing 

 and otherwise, in camp life — are discussed. 



As I sat and took in the famihar scene, so well known, 

 but one which never lost its fascination, my friend con- 

 tinued : 



" You know the Jungles ; you were there last year 



for a day or two, if I remember rightly. Well, it was in that 

 neighbourhood that I had the best and most exciting time 

 of my hfe. It was in May, one of those real scorching days, 

 that the incidents I am going to relate occurred. We were 

 a party of four rifles, and had already had fair sport. For 

 tigers were far more numerous then than they are now, 

 and there will be precious few left for generations to come, 

 unless some form of protection is extended to them, or to 

 those of the species who are game-killers pure and simple. 

 No one wants to protect a man-eater, of course ; he is a 

 pest to be stamped out as early as possible. Nor should 

 the cattle-Ufter, the animal who confines his attention to 

 the cattle of the villagers and makes them his chief food 

 supply, receive any countenance from sportsmen. But 

 the pure game-killer, i.e. wild animal killer, falls within a 

 different category, or so you yourself and I and others who 

 have studied the question think, and he might well receive 

 such protection as would be afforded him by closing some 

 of the blocks of heavy jungle for a few seasons at a time. 



