TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER 



The wound was a mortal one, but she managed to gallop 

 on some forty yards, then, attempting to rush up the bank, 

 was challenged by one of the " stops," whom she instantly 

 charged, actually scrambling up the tree for some distance 

 in her efforts to get at him.* 



Hearing the shouts of the men, mingled with the savage 

 roaring of the animal, I thought some one had been seized 

 by her, and running up to the spot, was just in time to 

 finish her off, much to the relief of the hapless Bhil who, 

 however, beyond the fright he had suffered, was happily 

 none the worse for his adventure. We subsequently 

 measured the tigress' highest claw-marks on the tree, 

 which, so far as I remember, was some twelve feet from the 

 ground ; thus proving that she had actually climbed up 

 to that height, which, seeing that the tree was bare of 

 branches to a point above the spot she had reached, was 

 not a bad performance. It would seem, then, that tigers 

 are not, as is generally supposed, physically incapable of 

 climbing trees, indeed, to this particular animal, it seemed 

 to come quite naturally, for both on this occasion and 

 before, she had done so evidently without effort. 



The man she had mauled the day before remained with 

 us for some weeks, and, thanks to my medical friend's 

 skilled treatment, eventually recovered from his wounds, 

 fortunately for him blood poisoning had not set in, for this 

 condition often follows on wounds from a tiger's teeth or 

 claws, and almost invariably it the animal happens to 

 have been recently feeding on an old and decomposed kill ; 

 at the same time he was unfortunate, in that the tigress 

 happened to have cubs, for otherwise it is improbable that 

 she would have made this furious and practically un- 

 provoked, attack on him. 



Tigers, in common with wild animals generally, differ 

 considerably in character, some being savage and morose, 

 others shy and retiring ; but as a general rule, tigers, unless 

 confirmed man-eaters, will not attack a human being 

 without some provocation, though those which eventu- 

 ally take to man-eating, frequently attack their victims 



* There are other instances on record where a tiger, shot through the 

 heart or brain has been known to travel several yards. 

 38 



