154 THE TIGER. 
dropping a door over the entrance. The Tiger trap is little more than the mousetrap, 
only made on a much larger scale, and of strong wooden bars instead of iron wires. 
The bait is generally a pariah dog, or a young goat, both of which animals give vent to 
their anxiety by loud wailings, and so attract the prowling foe. In order to secure the 
living bait from being drawn out of the trap by the Tiger’s claws, it is protected by an 
inner cage, to which the animal cannot gain access without dropping the door against his 
egress. This plan, however, is not very generally followed, as it possesses hardly sufficient 
elements of success. 
A more productive plan—productive, because the reward for killing a Tiger, together 
with the sum for which the skin, claws, and teeth sell, is sufficient to keep a native for 
nearly a twelvemonth,—is, by digging a hole in the ground near a Tiger’s haunt, putting a 
goat in the hole, and tethering it to a stake which is firmly driven into the centre of the 
little pit. A stone is then tied in one of the goat’s ears, which cruel contrivance causes 
the poor animal to cry piteously, and so to call the attention of the Tiger. On hearing the 
goat ery, the Tiger comes stealthily to the spot, and tries to hook up the goat with his 
paw. Not succeeding, on account of the depth of the pit, he walks round and round, 
trying every now and then to secure the terrified goat, and thus exposing himself fairly 
to the hunters, who, quietly perched on a neighbouring tree, and taking a deliberate 
aim with their heavy firelocks, lay him dead on the spot of his intended depredation. 
A somewhat similar, but more venturous mode of proceeding, is that which is adopted 
by the Shikarries, as these native hunters are called. 
When a Tiger has carried off a bullock, or some such valuable animal, the shikarrie 
proceeds to the spot, and after waiting suflicient time for the robber to gorge himself, 
and become drowsy, he sets off in search of the murdered bullock; a dangerous task, 
but one which is much hehtened by the indications afforded by vultures, jackals, and 
other carrion-loving creatures, which never fail to assemble round a dead animal, of 
whatever race it may be. 
Having found the half-eaten carcase, and ascertained that the Tiger is fast asleep, 
the hunter calls together as many assistants as possible, and with their aid, rapidly 
builds a bamboo scaffold, some twenty feet high, and four feet wide, which is planted 
close to the spot where the dead and mangled bullock hes. On the summit of the 
scaffold the shikarrie mounts; his gun and ammunition are handed up to him by his 
companions, his sharp “ tulwar,” or sword, is hung ready to his grasp, and after offering 
their best wishes for success, the assistants take their leave, each putting in a claim 
for some part of the spoils. The claws are the most coveted portion of the animal, 
for the natives construct from two of these weapons a charm, which, on the homceopathic 
principle, is supposed to render the wearer invulnerable to attacks from similar weapons. 
After a while, the Tiger wakes from the drowsy lethargy which was caused by 
repletion, and after shaking himself, and uttering a few yawns, which draw the attention 
of the watchful hunter, proceeds to his temporary station, for the purpose of making 
another meal on the remains of the slaughtered animal. 
The shikarrie takes advantage of the opportunity, and resting his gun on the platform, 
takes a deliberate aim, and lodges a bullet—often an iron one—in the body of the 
Tiger. Generally the aim is so true that the Tiger falls dead, but it sometimes happens 
that the wound, although a mortal one, is not instantaneously fatal, and the animal 
springs furiously upon the foe who dealt the blow. The Tiger is no climber, but rage 
wiil often supply temporary ability ; and so fiercely does the animal launch itself against 
the scaffolding, that if made of a softer material, permitting the hold of the Tiger’s 
claws, the creature might reach the hunter; or that if not firmly planted, the whole 
edifice would be brought to the ground. But the smooth, hard surface of the bamboo 
affords little hold for the sharp talons; and, even if the animal should succeed in 
approaching the platform where the hunter sits, a blow from the razor-edged tulwar 
strikes off a paw, and the tiger falls helplessly to earth, only to meet its fate by a second 
bullet from the deadly firelock. 
Attracted by the report of the hunter’s gun, the neighbours flock to the spot, each 
man armed according to his ability ; and if the beast is killed outright, join in a chorus 
