VALLEY OF THE SOANE. 131 
is very singular, planted on the summit of an isolated hill of sandstone; 
about ten miles off; whose sides appear, as seen from hence, to be 
perpendicular all round. A large tree by the palace marks its site ; 
for, at this distance, the buildings are undistinguishable. 
There are many tigers on these hills ; and as one was close by, and 
had killed several cattle, Mr. Felle silt offered us a chance of slaying 
him. Bullocks are tethered out, over-night, in the places likely to 
be visited by the brute: he kills one of them, and is from the spot 
tracked to his haunt, by natives, who visit the stations early in the 
morning, and report the whereabouts of his lair. The sportsman then 
goes to the attack mounted on an elephant, or having a roost fixed in 
a tree, on the trail of the tiger, and he employs some hundred natives 
to drive the animal past the lurking-place. 
On the present occasion, the locale of the tiger was doubtful; but 
it was thought that by beating over several miles of country he might 
(or at any rate, some other game might) be driven past a certain spot. 
Thither, accordingly, the natives were sent, who built machans (stages) 
another, close by, both on the slope of a steep hill, surrounded by 
jungly valleys. We were also well thatched in with leafy boughs, to 
prevent the wary beast from espying the ambush, and had a whole 
stand of small arms ready for his reception. 
When roosted aloft, and duly charged to keep profound silence, 
which I obeyed to the letter, by falling sound asleep, the word was 
passed to the beaters, who surrounded our post on the plain-side, ex- 
tending some miles in line, and full two or three distant from us. They 
entered the jungle, beating tom-toms, singing and shouting as they 
ascended, and converging to our position. In the noonday solitude of 
these vast forests, our situation was romantic enough : there was not a 
breath of wind, an insect or bird stirring; and the wild cries of the 
men, and hollow sound of the drums broke upon the ear from a great 
distance, gradually swelling and falling, as the natives ascended the 
heights or eed the valleys. After about an hour and a half, the 
beaters emerged from the jungle under our retreat; one by one, two 
by two, but preceded by no single living thing, either mouse, bird, 
deer, or bear, and much less a tiger. Mr. Theobald caught a fever, 
from letting his sleeping head droop from out of the shade under 
s 23 
