TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER 



However, I was glad enough to have got off so cheaply 

 as I had, for the death-roll of sportsmen killed by tigers in 

 Khandesh was very heavy about this time, amongst them 



H of the Civil Service, K , Royal Army Medical 



Corps, and others whose names I have forgotten, besides 



G , already mentioned, who, like myself, had been only 



slightly mauled, but blood poisoning setting in, had died 

 within a week. A fine sportsman he was, too, and a great 

 loss to the district. 



Another instance of a light bullet from a small bore 

 failing to inflict a fatal wound, was on one occasion when 

 I was shooting in the Satpuda range of hills. I had strolled 

 out one evening, accompanied by my dog-boy a lad of 

 about ten years of age to look for chinkara, or ravine 

 deer, in some scrub jungle near my camp. Not expecting 

 to meet with any big game, I had taken only my single 

 400 Express and half a dozen cartridges. 



A short distance from the tents was a deep, rocky 

 ravine, choked with dense bushes and masses of creeping 

 plants. As we were skirting round this, we suddenly 

 heard some monkeys at the extreme end of the covert 

 uttering their harsh, peculiar cry of alarm, and thinking 

 they had probably seen a panther, we cautiously approached 

 the spot, keeping a sharp look out. 



Crawling on hands and knees, we had almost reached 

 the end of the ravine, and I was searching the ground for 

 tracks, when the boy, catching me by the arm, pointed to 

 some rocks above us. At the same moment I saw a large 

 tiger picking his way leisurely among the boulders, about 

 twenty yards to my front, and evidently quite unconscious 

 of our presence. 



I fired at once, striking him in the ribs. Unfortunately, 

 my foot slipping at the moment on some stones prevented 

 my swinging the rifle as far forward as I had intended, with 

 the result that the bullet struck the animal a little too far 

 back. 



Quickly pushing in another cartridge, I fired again, 

 smashing his forearm. 



This brought him rolling down the slope to within ten 

 yards of where we stood, but I now reserved my fire, for 

 when we first saw the tiger I had only three cartridges left, 

 42 



