3i 8 BIG GAME SHOOTING 



and felt sure of my beast. Presently the beat was 

 over. " What luck ? What have you done ? " said 

 the skipper, as we called our leader. " Hit the 

 tiger twice badly ; he has gone on into the forest and 

 won't go far." The shikari was called up, and I 

 pointed to his trail. The hunter, after examining 

 the ground for a bit, said, " Sahib, I can see no blood ; 

 I don't think he is hit." We all got off and looked 

 about ; there certainly was no blood on the trail, but 

 as I had seen the mark of my Express bullet on his 

 back as he went by me, I was confident, and angry at 

 being told I had missed my tiger. I was hurt, 

 horribly hurt. To miss a tiger in the open at 20 

 yards ! I took the shikari by the arm, with my 

 rifle in the other hand, and pulled him off with me to 

 where I had seen the tiger enter the forest. " What 

 are you going to do ? " said the skipper. " Why, 

 show this chap the blood trail, for I can swear to the 

 tiger being hit twice." " Don't be a fool," he said ; 

 " if it is as you say, and you follow him far, he will 

 have you as sure as eggs are eggs." " All right," I 

 said, " when I have convinced Bahim Bux I will 

 come back." It did not take long, for as we entered 

 the thick bush jungle on the tiger's trail, " There," I 

 said, pointing to blood on the leaves to the right and 

 blood on the leaves to the left, " what does that 

 mean ? " <c Sahib, forgive me ; you are right." I 

 rejoined our party jubilant. They had sat down to 

 lunch. I was greeted with all sorts of chaff. " Never 

 mind," I said, " the tiger is not far off, and we have 

 got to kill him between us. He is mine, however, 



