344 THE HIGHLANDS OF CENTKAL INDIA. 



extended over about five miles of country, where they 

 found beef so plentiful and easily got that they seldom 

 wandered above that distance from their usual haunts, 

 which lay in a mesh of most difficult ravines bordering 

 the Narbada, and running up towards the hills. The covert 

 here was of the densest description, though thinner, 

 of course, at this time of the year than at any other. 

 On my arrival in the neighbourhood, I was immediately 

 solicited to go and rid it of these pests, and every 

 assistance promised. So I pitched my camp at the 

 village nearest to their haunts, and began to lay plans 

 for their destruction. There was no need to tie animals 

 out as baits for the tigers, as is sometimes done, for here 

 they killed a cow or two every other day, although, food 

 being so plentiful, they seldom remained long near the 

 carcases. The third evening after I came, two cows 

 were killed about a mile from camp. I would not allow 

 them to be touched, trusting that, having eaten well 

 during the night, the tigers would lie up in some place 

 close at hand, to which we might track them next 

 morning, and beat them out in the heat of the day. 



When any tracking has to be done, it is of great 

 importance to be at the spot very early in the morning, 

 as the breezes, which generally rise shortly after day- 

 break, are apt to destroy the fiue edges of the impressions 

 left, and by nine o'clock it is often impossible to tell 

 whether the marks are old or new. We accordingly 

 started for the " murrees " before daylight, and had no 

 difficulty in finding the place, which was deeply marked 

 by the feet of both tigers and cows, and a broad trail 

 led ofi" in the direction the tis^ers had drao-^-ed the 

 carcases. Following this up, it led us shortly into a 

 ravine, where we found the remains of both cows 

 deposited in different narrow clefts, where the tigers 



