Tiger Shooting. 25 



turbance, that after tolerating her for some time I 

 had eventually to order her off, and I believe 

 she became an ayah, but whether she became 

 reformed in character I doubt for she was innately 

 a bad woman. 



One more instance of machan shooting and I 

 have done on that subject. Years after these 

 events I found myself once again at Eajahmundry 

 in command of a wing of a regiment. We were 

 cursed with a fussy commandant, and a fool for 

 an adjutant. They were some way off it is true, 

 but not a day passed without telegrams arriving 

 about nothing, but to which an answer was ex- 

 pected ; then there were idiotic returns, of no earthly 

 use to anybody, to be prepared daily, weekly, and 

 monthly, so one had not a moment's respite from work. 

 After sending off a budget, which I thought would 

 take the martinets at head-quarters a week to 

 digest, I sent on a boat ahead, "daked" out thirty 

 miles, and by next evening found myself on the 

 top of Bison Hill, situated on the Godavery. I 

 had good sport for two days, which will be related 

 further on. On the third day, on a further hill, I 

 killed a particularly large " gaur," and sent some low 

 caste coolies to fetch in the head. They returned 

 about noon saying that they could not approach the 

 game as a family of tigers had taken possession of 

 it, adding, that if I would start at once I should be 

 sure of a shot and be back by night. Just as I was 

 prepared to go a coolie arrived with two telegrams 

 from headquarters, the first asking whether it was 

 true Yenketsawmy had cholera, and the second to 

 know why the first had not been answered. " Con- 



