THE HIGHER KARBADA. 343 



post, and tlie lieat was exjDloding tlie dried fruits of a 

 leael tree * next to me, with reports like pistol shots, 

 that I retreated from my post. I had barely reached 

 the ground when I heard a shout from the beaters, who 

 were all in the trees round about the cover, and the 

 tiger broke out among them. Then ensued a drawing- 

 up of black legs, and a perfect Babel of abuse of his 

 remotest ancestors was poured on him from the trees 

 as he halted below, and looked up at them with a 

 longing gaze. I hurried round, but was just in time 

 to see him pause for a moment on the top of a ridge, 

 his grand form appearing dilated to an unnatural size, 

 from the bracing of the muscles, lashing tail, and 

 bristling coat, bathed in the red glow of the setting 

 sun and the blazing jungle. The next instant, before 

 my riiie could be got to bear on him, he plunged down 

 the farther side and disappeared. 



I had one piece of really wonderful luck in this trip, 

 which compensated for a good deal of heavy fagging in 

 vain after the monarch of the jungle. I will quote the 

 account as written at the time, which betrays an en- 

 thusiasm I should scarcely be able to call up in such 

 a description nowadays, and which gives the details of 

 a method of hunting tigers which in later years 1 

 abandoned as involving too great a risk of human life, 

 namely, driving with beaters. In such a country as the 

 Upper Narbada valley, however, the more legitimate 

 method of stalking with the elephant could scarcely be 

 followed, owing to the extent and density of the cover 

 and the abundance of water. 



Three tigers, namely, a tigress and her two nearly 

 full-grown cubs, had long been the plague of some 

 villases on the banks of the river. Their depredations 

 * ^gle marinalos. 



