Tiger Shooting. 7 



trepidation would permit, " Khoon durta" (Who is 

 afraid) ? " Bahut acha, Sahib " (Very good), replied 

 Mogul Beg. " Maro jelde " (Fire quickly). 



I thought it would be better if we waited until the 

 tiger began his meal, as he would then be a yard 

 further off, but seeing my comrade poke his gun 

 through the loop-hole, I did the same, and, taking a 

 careful aim, for the barrels of our guns were not a 

 foot from the brute's body, we both fired at the same 

 instant Mogul Beg his two barrels, and I but one. 

 For the next moment or two what occurred I could 

 not tell there was a deep roar, a huge body struggling 

 about, scattering our fence right and left, a tail 

 swishing madly to and fro, and two wretched mortals 

 crouched in the smallest possible space in the furthest 

 corner of the cache, anxious only to be clear of it and 

 observers at a greater distance. It was too close work 

 to be pleasant. In vain I tried to get a shot at the foe's 

 head, but the body was gyrating like a teetotum ; where 

 the head was one moment the tail was the next, the 

 whole body threatening every second to be on the top 

 of us. Mogul Beg could not load, for his powder-flask 

 had been sent flying by a whisk of the tail, and I was 

 just thinking of jumping up and taking the further 

 fence at a leap, when I felt an iron grip on my 

 shoulder, and a voice said in my ear, " Don't move." 

 It takes time to tell the tale, but the occurrence did 

 not last a minute. In its struggles the beast, after 

 coming within a yard of us, went further off, and 

 whilst struggling to get on its feet, fell over the 

 dead calf, and although almost at the last gasp, it 

 gave it a grip, which we were thankful was not inflicted 

 on us, for we could hear the crunching of bones 



