202 A CONTUMACIOUS TIGER. 



thicket of the huge " maljoon " creeper, into which she charged 

 headlong, in the vain hope of eluding her persecutors. 



Being on the extreme left of the line, with the help of a 

 blanket and plenty of smoke, created by the Goorkha behind 

 me in the howdah burning bits of rag torn from his turban, 

 we managed almost to defy the more mild assaults made on 

 our elephant. 



On getting clear of the heavy jungle in which the bees had 

 been disturbed, some sort of order was re-established, although 

 many of them pertinaciously stuck to us, and we did not get 

 entirely rid of the angry swarm for a long time. Notwith- 

 standing each of us being provided with a blanket, which is 

 usually kept ready for wrapping about one's head in an 

 emergency of this sort, there was a visible change in the 

 features of some of the party when we came to compare notes 

 after our disorderly retreat. 



But the excitement of this day's beat was not to end with 

 the departure of the bees, for we had hardly got quit of them 

 when a sound was heard, and not very far off either, that 

 caused us all to prick up our ears. It was the deep guttural 

 growl of a tiger, which, judging from the angry tone of its 

 voice, was in a contumacious humour. 



On we all push in line towards the spot from whence the 

 sound had proceeded. Before reaching it, an unexpected 

 obstacle occurs in the shape of a deep narrow nullah, with 

 precipitous banks, and almost hidden by the long grass grow- 

 ing on both sides of it. Whilst I am pondering in my mind 

 as to what could have induced the tiger to betray its where- 

 abouts in this unusual manner, Golab Soondrie has been 

 making a path for herself by breaking down the steep bank 

 with her feet, and her fore-quarters are now in the nullah, the 

 top of her head being about level with the opposite bank, 

 when, with a succession of furious hoarse grunts, a big striped 

 object conies rushing through the grass towards us. I only 

 catch a glimpse of the charging brute, and cannot shoot, as 



