290 THE HIGHLANDS OF CENTRAL IXDIA. 



precipitous bank, where I could hardly think a goat 

 would have found footing. He was about a hundred 

 and fifty yards from my rifle ; and the first bullet only 

 knocked some earth from the bank below him. When 

 I fired the other he was just topping the bank, and 

 cluno- for a second as if he would have come over back- 

 wards, but by an efi'ort recovered himself and disap- 

 peared over the top. Eunning to a higher piece of 

 ground I saw him trotting sullenly across the burnt 

 plain, and looming as large to the eye as a bull buff'alo. 

 He certainly looked a very mighty beast ; but he was a 

 craven at heart, or he would never have left such a 

 strono-hold to face the fearful, waterless, burnt-up 

 country he did. I lost no time in getting round tlie 

 head of the ravine and giving chase on the elephant. 

 His tracks in the ashes of the burnt grass were clear 

 enough, and we followed him for about two miles, 

 sighting him on ahead every now and then, till he dis- 

 appeared in a little ravine, and we lost the track in its 

 bare rocky bottom. I was going along the bank, with 

 the other elephant in the bottom of the ravine, when I 

 heard the bark of a sambar to my left on some high 

 o-round, and, urging Futteh Rani at her best pace in 

 that direction, shortly came on the tiger slouching 

 across the open plain — evidently sufiering from a 

 wound, with his tongue hanging out, and wearing 

 altogether a most woebegone look. He made an efi'ort 

 when he saw me, and galloped a hundred yards or so 

 into a patch of bamboo jungle. I knew from the local 

 shikdri that he was making for a water-hole about half 

 a mile ahead, and cut across with the elephant to inter- 

 cept him. I had the pace of him now, and got clean 

 between him and his water. I never saw such an air of 

 disgust worn by any animal as that tiger had when he 



