334 RIFLE AND ROMANCE 



shot or shots delivered without much idea of their effect, 

 except that the tiger has been hit. Beyond the beat lies, 

 let us say, level jungle composed of long grass, bushes, or 

 thick undergrowth, with either unclimbable trees or no 

 trees at all. This retreat we will assume to be of large 

 extent, making it impossible to judge of the whereabouts 

 of the wounded tiger which has been seen to enter it. 

 The covert is too green to burn ; or burning may be 

 neither permissible nor useful ; it may be too thick to allow 

 of a search by galloping through it on horseback ; a herd 

 of domestic buffaloes may not be available or able to 

 drive out or locate the wounded beast : access to water 

 may be easy or plentiful ; in fact, there may be absolutely 

 no way of prosecuting our search with a reasonable pros- 

 pect of safety. What is the sportsman, mindful and 

 careful of his guiding principles, to do in such a case? 



First of all, we take it, he should not think of leaving 

 the vicinity until assured that all has been done that is 

 possible. In tracts frequented by tigers it is usually per- 

 fectly easy to ensure that all wood-cutters, cartmen (if 

 there be any roads or tracks in the neighbourhood), forest 

 guards, and other officials and inhabitants generally shall 

 be warned of the danger of entering the neighbourhood 

 of the wounded tiger until all fears of his attacking in- 

 truders have disappeared. But even if this should not be 

 possible to arrange, there is far less likelihood of human 

 life being endangered by wood- or grass-cutters coming by 

 accident on the wounded tiger than in an inadvisable and 

 careless " following up," in which the sportsman subjects 

 all the men accompanying him to a very considerable 

 chance of injury. People should be posted to watch daily 

 and incessantly for the appearance of vultures, crows, etc., 

 that might result in the tiger being found dead. Buffalo 

 calves, or other baits, should be tied up, on the chance of 

 the tiger if only slightly hit revealing his whereabouts 

 thereby. Men should be posted in available spots likely 



