io8 BAY OF BENGAL TIGER-DRIVING 



well in the middle of us. I cannot imagine how 

 I came to forget it, but I had the whole bandobast 

 on my shoulders. I had immense difficulties to 

 contend with and I could not speak a word of 

 Bengali ; I had no one with me who had the remot- 

 est notion of what to do and what to avoid, and 

 the ground was an almost impossible place to 

 beat without three times as many beaters as we 

 had got. Last but not least, I was, towards the 

 end, very, very tired. To give some idea of the 

 amount of labour and preparation involved as well 

 as of the distance from our base, I may say that 

 we left the launch at 9 a.m. and that the first bomb 

 exploded at 1.45. The beaters on the whole, and 

 considering that they were nervous and absolutely 

 inexperienced, kept good line and fired bombs 

 steadily and as instructed. 



The tiger broke and passed silently some 20 yards 

 to the left of the third gun, who failed to see it, 

 as he was " looking to his right." Be that as it 

 may, the tiger slipped past him. That is where 

 my mistake cost us so dear. Tappers would almost 

 certainly have pushed the tiger between us instead 

 of letting him slip past just outside us. 



I had never before attempted to plan and 

 execute a drive unaided, and I must admit that I 

 was highly gratified to have got a tiger right up 

 to my guns on such ground and in such circum- 

 stances. 



I am prouder of that day's work than of anything 

 I have done in India. 



It will doubtless be remarked that I have done 

 nothing else to be proud of. 



On Saturday we steamed to a place called 



