36 Incidents of Foreign Field Sport. 



pulled herself together with her head towards us, and 

 no sooner did she spy us than she came at us with a 

 will. She made straight for H., who reserved his fire, 

 w T hilst B. and I blazed away, apparently without any 

 result. H., who was a plucky, phlegmatic sort of fellow, 

 cool and collected, waited until she was within ten 

 paces of him ; he then gave her the right barrel. This 

 caused her to stumble, but recovering herself, growling 

 and roaring most diabolically, she almost sprang upon 

 him. B. and I had closed up ; whilst she was in the air 

 the three of us fired. H. sprang aside, turned round, 

 and seizing a rifle from his orderly gave her both 

 barrels ; but she was dead, pierced by no less than nine 

 bullets. The slain was a small hill tigress, measuring 

 only eight feet five inches. We covered her over with 

 grass, which the sepoys cut with their kookries, and 

 placing a handkerchief on a stick in a bush, to indicate 

 the spot, we followed the other tigers. There was blood 

 only on one spoor, and the beasts were well in the 

 ravine before we got to its edge. Now the ticklish part 

 of the work commenced. It was about as nasty a place 

 to go into after a wounded tiger as can be imagined. 

 The ground was uneven, cut up into fissures ; there 

 were dense bushes in parts, rocks in others, just 

 the spot for a tiger to hide in and charge when 

 least expected. It was amusing to see the nonchalant 

 manner in which the Ghoorkhas advanced, stooping 

 to pick the ripe tiparie, or cape gooseberry, which 

 grew in profusion perfectly wild. This fruit is 

 delicious, even when made into preserve. Our 

 advance was slow and cautious, and whenever we 

 came to a boulder higher than its neighbours, a man 

 quickly ascended it and spied around. We had de- 



