CHAPTER XXX 



Remnants of Babajee gang Joined by the Barwattis A formidable coali- 

 tion Rounding them up Another European officer shot dead The 

 gang finally destroyed More about tigers A tigress and three cubs 

 Monkeys announce their presence I shoot the tigress Driving out the 

 cubs Two rolled over Beaters dispose of third Wounded tigers 

 often lost Cases in point (1) A tiger on an island The beat begun 

 A momentary glimpse Snap-shooting Crashing through the jungle 

 Mysterious disappearance " Here he is ! " Found dead under 

 water ! A mangy specimen A remarkable dying effort (2) Another 

 instance Three tigers put up Two soon disposed of In pursuit of 

 the third Marked down A snap-shot again Concluded he was 

 missed Further search abandoned Found dead the next day ! 

 Man-eating tigers Happily now rare Indenting on ancient history 

 Alarming news at 5 a.m. Camp in transit Attacked by man-eater 

 Disobedience of orders A bullock driver carried off Panic- 

 stricken servants Pursuit taken up The body found half eaten 

 Man-eating tigers on high road The traffic held up Seven hundred 

 human victims ! Mail cart attacked Tiger jumps from a hillock 

 Horse badly scarred Shown to travellers as a curiosity. 



THE members of Babaji's gang, who had escaped when 

 their leader was arrested, though scattered for the time, 

 soon came together again ; and being joined by remnants 

 of other broken-up gangs, and subsequently by some 

 Barwattis,* became a formidable coalition, and for many 

 years gave considerable trouble to the police. 



Many of the members being practically outlaws already 

 were desperate men, to whom a crime more or less mattered 

 little, for in any case, if arrested, they knew their punish- 

 ment was certain ; hence, on the principle of "as well be 

 hung for a sheep as a lamb," they continued to pursue 

 their criminal courses. 



The police, assisted by the military, had been indefati- 

 gable in their pursuit of the gang, but were greatly handi- 

 capped by the conduct of the villagers, who were in such 



* A criminal tribe peculiar to Goozerat. 

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