66 A CARRION-EATING TIGER. 



carcass to a likely spot for our purpose, and tied it tightly to 

 a stake driven into the ground, so that it could not be dragged 

 away without giving time for a shot. Some green branches 

 were cut and stuck upright to form a screen about fifteen or 

 twenty paces from the carcass, and on slightly higher ground 

 than where it lay. All being ready, Jeetoo and I took up our 

 position in our ambush about dusk, hoping that the tiger 

 might put in an appearance before it grew too dark to be able 

 to see him, as unfortunately there was no moon. We waited 

 there until I could no longer see either my rifle-barrels or the 

 dead cow in the pitchy gloom of the ravine, but not a sound 

 broke the deep stillness except the intermittent "chunk, 

 chunk" of the night-jar, so we quietly left our ambush. 

 Shortly after returning to the village, we heard at intervals 

 the deep-throated " aowoongh " of the tiger on his way down 

 from a neighbouring forest -clad hill to his supper. How 

 wild and eerie it sounded in the silence of night ! This was 

 another new experience, for I had always thought that a 

 tiger stole warily towards its prey. But in this case, the 

 prey being dead, it perhaps thought such precaution un- 

 necessary. 



As it would have been as rash as it was useless to attempt 

 to go after a hungry tiger in the dark, we waited until morn- 

 ing dawned, when we cautiously approached the carcass in 

 hopes of finding the animal still at work on it. To our great 

 surprise we found it had not been touched, though we dis- 

 covered the brute's tracks close to it. We followed them for 

 some distance, until we came upon another dead cow partially 

 eaten, which the tiger had very recently left, as was evident 

 from the freshness of his big pug-marks round about it. This 

 was annoying, as Jeetoo had unfortunately overlooked this 

 carcass, which lay concealed among the dense brushwood 

 when he had removed the others. 



As the shades of evening began to gather around, we 

 fastened the two dead cattle together and once more took up 



