306 ON THE TRAIL OF A MAN-EATER 



on a slope, close to a small rocky ravine, and beyond the 

 ravine was a jungle in which lay the tiger. 



The two men had not waited long before they saw a 

 black and yellow body moving at a brisk trot, on the 

 further side of the ravine, having been roused from his 

 lair by the natives. Gordon Gumming fired, but the shot 

 only wounded the tiger slightly, and he turned and plunged 

 into the jungle. The hunter, having fired the other three 

 balls after him, without touching him at all, gave him up 

 for lost, and did not even reload his gun. Suddenly there 

 was a cry that the tiger was coming back, and, sure enough, 

 there he was crossing the ravine, and making for the 

 slope. When he reached the tree he stood still. There 

 was no time to load ; all they could do was to sit quiet, 

 hardly daring to breathe, hoping that the tiger would pass 

 them by. And most likely he would have done so had 

 not the native whispered in a low voice that the tiger was 

 below. The beast looked up, and with a flying leap landed 

 on the trunk of the tree, close to the man's legs. Digging 

 his long claws firmly into the bark, he seized the poor 

 fellow's waist-cloth in his teeth, and dragged him to the 

 ground, biting him severely in the thigh as they rolled 

 over together. The Scotchman did all he could to scare 

 the tiger, by shouting and by flinging his cap straight in his 

 face ; this startled the animal, and, letting go his prey, he 

 ran down the hill. Gordon dimming then came hastily 

 to see if Foorsut was badly hurt, and found that there 

 were twelve severe wounds at the back of the thigh. He 

 was put on a litter of twisted boughs, and carried back 

 to the camp to have his wounds dressed by a native 

 doctor, and then the officers both mounted an elephant 

 and went in chase of the tiger. He had not gone very 

 far, and one shot soon disposed of him. He was a good, 

 large specimen, about ten or eleven feet long, and made 

 a fine skin. 



As to the unlucky Foorsut, who had nothing but his 

 own folly to thank for his injuries, he seemed doing well, 



