TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER 



tiger succeed in breaking in during the night, which seemed 

 more than likely. 



However, as it happened, he suffered nothing worse 

 than a night of mental anguish, for it was not until the 

 sun was well above the horizon, that he ventured to emerge 

 from his shelter, when he dispatched another message 

 reporting that " he had resumed charge of the station ! " 

 ***-*** 



With the shooting of the two elephants, as described 

 in the earlier portion of this chapter, my list of wild animals 

 shot in India was practically complete ; though there 

 were two other beasts, or to be accurate, a beast and a 

 reptile, which I find I have omitted to mention, viz., the 

 wild dog and the crocodile, both of which I have often 

 encountered in my wanderings after other game. 



The first, apart from the damage they do in the jungles, 

 are a perfect nuisance to the sportsman, for they wander 

 from one locality to another, and should they happen to be 

 in the vicinity of his camp will scare the game for many 

 miles. It is seldom that a tiger or panther is to be found 

 in any jungle they frequent. They hunt singly, or more 

 often in packs of about twenty, and have been even known 

 to attack tigers, causing them to seek safety by climbing 

 trees, a most unusual proceeding for a tiger, and one that 

 proves how greatly they must fear these formidable foes. 



The wild dog is vulpine in appearance, and of a reddish- 

 brown colour with full bushy tail, tipped with black. It has 

 one peculiarity not generally known, I believe, but never- 

 theless a fact, viz., that, unlike the domesticated species, it 

 either cannot, or at any rate does not, bark. 



The crocodile, or rather alligator, though hardly coming 

 under the category of game, is a formidable brute, and in 

 certain localities quite as destructive to human life as a 

 man-eating leopard or tiger. In attacking its victim, its 

 tactics much resemble those of a German submarine. 

 Reconnoitring long and warily from a distance, it ap- 

 proaches with great caution, and, if suspicious, sinks at 

 once below the surface ; often repeating the manoeuvre 

 several times during its approach. If, on the other hand, 

 the coast is clear, it will descend after the first look round, 

 and, swimming under water, the next thing to be seen of 

 204 



