50 SUNDERBUNDS BUFFALO 



big game, and declared he would not be at rest 

 till he had put me into the train and ceased to be 

 answerable for me, but he is a keen sportsman 

 and the kindest of men, and my coaxing and ob- 

 stinacy prevailed, and we tied up "kills" that 

 evening. On Boxing Day we sallied forth. I 

 will not dwell on my feelings, in the literal sense 

 of the word, whilst being helped into and out of 

 the jolly-boat. I could not, if I wished, do justice 

 to them during the hobble of nearly a mile of 

 alternate lumps of wet and sun-baked mud, and 

 the less said the better in regard to the process of 

 getting me on to a tree-fork. When at last I 

 settled down like a crow with a broken wing, I 

 found that I could shoot on all sides but one. 

 Said I to myself, "If there be a tiger, he will of 

 course come where I cannot shoot him " and he 

 did. I knew I could not stand the jar of a heavy 

 rifle, so I had taken my light paradox gun which 

 shoots a hollow-nosed bullet. The tiger only 

 showed me his flank for a second and I had to 

 shoot from my left shoulder, a feat I do not profess 

 to be able to perform successfully. I smashed 

 his thigh and then hit him somewhere in the body 

 with the second barrel. He roared like a bull and 

 fell flat down in the jungle grass, but just managed 

 to get away. The jungle grass was very thick and 

 several feet high. I am afraid I shall never get 

 him, although he is no doubt dead. We had to 

 steam off at daybreak next morning, and all we 

 could do was to leave two good shikaris on the 

 island promising them a handsome reward if they 

 turned up in Calcutta with the skin. They may; 

 but it is not likely, as they will not face a wounded 



