Tiger Shooting. 17 



been levelled for boulders were cropping up here 

 and there, amidst numerous ruts while the water- 

 courses were unbridged. The animals, unused to 

 such travelling, soon tired. Twisting their tails and 

 belabouring them had no effect, and at last they lay 

 down and refused to budge ; we were miles away 

 from any village, it was not yet daylight, and if I 

 did not get to Eagapore that afternoon, my comrades 

 would have left. Urgent cases require drastic measures, 

 thought my driver ; so, collecting a lot of dry grass, 

 the "ghariwan" who cared little for the Tahsildar, 

 as he belonged to another district placed it under 

 the bullocks and set it alight. The effect was magical. 

 Up jumped the " biles," and off they went threaten- 

 ing to upset the hackerie over the numerous rocks, 

 but presently there was another stoppage. " What is 

 the matter now ? " I asked. " Two bears are in front," 

 said Eamasawmy, every tooth in his head rattling 

 with fright. What a fool I was, thought I, not to 

 have brought my gun with me ; but between us and 

 the brutes the track was covered with long but 

 dry grass, for there had been a drought, and a 

 lighted match thrown into it, soon caused a blaze. 

 The bears scampered away, and we continued our 

 course more sedately. The moon was now obscured. 

 We came to a nullah which the cart was not driven 

 down properly, so it went in with a flop, and the 

 axletree broke ! As everything was getting wet, 

 Ramasawmy and I dragged my mattress, on which I 

 had been lying, on to the bank, and the driver unyoked 

 the cattle and tethered them to some creepers, a 

 little way off. It was too dark and the jungle too 

 -dense for the people to venture into it at night for 



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