A GENERAL SCRIMMAGE. 203 



the elephant, from being so much taken by surprise at this 

 sudden and unprovoked attack, wheels sharply round with a 

 jerk that is almost enough to send me out of the howdah. 

 Quick as thought, Golab Soondrie has her fore-legs up the 

 bank again, and our position becomes rather critical, for her 

 hind-quarters are now in the nullah, and the howdah is on 

 a level with the charging tiger. On comes the beast with a 

 spring from the bank, just missing the back rail of the howdah, 

 and falling with a splash into the shallow water in the nullah. 

 The Goorkha in the kawas behind me scrambles over into my 

 part of the howdah, to the side-rail of which the mahout is 

 already clinging, he having jumped up from the elephant's 

 neck at the first sign of danger. Altogether there is such 

 a general scrimmage, and my hands are so fully employed in 

 holding on to the howdah-rails, that it is impossible to handle 

 a rifle ere the baffled tiger has slunk off and disappeared along 

 the bottom of the nullah. 



The bold behaviour of this animal was, under the circum- 

 stances, decidedly unusual; for an unwounded tiger, when 

 disturbed, generally tries to steal off, if possible, unobserved, 

 and seldom attacks a human being unless provoked. Even 

 man-eaters, of which the proportion is fortunately very small, 

 resort to the most cunning and sneaking methods for securing 

 their victims. A female with cubs, however, is often an 

 exception to this rule, and such our friend might have been, 

 though in this instance we failed to find her offspring. 



Meanwhile there had been some excitement in another part 

 of the line, for as soon as I had time to look about me, I saw 

 that the other elephants had got across the nullah, and were 

 going ahead full speed, evidently with some object in view. 

 The sound of a shot, followed by a " whoof," soon proved that 

 such was the case. On overtaking the line, I found that a 

 second tiger had been seen, at which the Colonel had got a 

 snap-shot, but the beast had given them the slip in some 

 heavy " null " (nurkul reed) jungle. 



