THE BIOGRAPHY OF A TIGER 51 



their kind, and they had a strange ring of defiance 

 unlike the ordinary cries of woodcutters which he knew 

 and understood. With a sense of disquietude he began 

 to walk slowly away. He stood for a while under 

 the steep, dry waterfall ; then, with a heavy effort, 

 scrambled up the smooth lime-encrusted rocks, and 

 gained the upper bed of the nullah. Every turn of his 

 jungles was familiar to him, and he knew that this water- 

 course led but a short distance uphill. Round the shoulder 

 of the knoll to the left, however, there led a way through 

 the long dry grass and scattered saplings to some thick 

 bamboo coverts bordering the main stream. The noises 

 were drawing nearer ; but they did not hinder him from 

 making off in the direction of the bamboo jungle; in fact, 

 they were pushing him unconsciously in the direction in 

 which he most desired to go. So, after standing and 

 looking back over his shoulder for a few moments, the 

 tiger walked quietly away. The jungle was hot. He was 

 gorged, heavy with much hot buffalo meat, and very 

 disinclined to move far. He rounded the slope of a spur, 

 reached the scanty shelter of a small tree, and sank down 

 in its shade. 



For a time the noise of the beaters had been muffled 

 by the shoulder of the hill he had turned, and he lay 

 there gaping. But before long the clamour again ap- 

 proached ; and once more he was moving on before it. 



In front of the tiger lay, indeed, his way to the fresh 

 coverts he sought ; but it was now all dry, unshaded 

 grass, crackling hot in the vertical rays of a dazzling sun. 

 He paused irresolutely. To the left hand rose some leafy 

 green trees, towards the bank of the main ravine. He 

 turned and slowly made in their direction. As he ap- 

 proached them, however, there arose a low tapping sound ; 

 and as something moved he stopped short and glanced 

 upwards quickly. A jungle man was perched there, high 

 up in the branches \ and at that the tiger turned with a 



