Tiger Shooting. 59< 



touching distance of the women, and as he struggled 

 on the ground, one of them 1 threw her " thamin " over 

 his head, and dragging her comrades with her, retreated 

 backwards into the river, and made for my side of it, 

 as fast as they could. Before the tiger could clear 

 himself of the encumbrance over his head for he had 

 a foreleg broken and was otherwise hard hit the 

 girls were scrambling up the hill-side, while I 

 again was ready for the would-be homicide. The 

 tiger without a moment's hesitation plunged back 

 into the river. I aimed at his head, the ball struck 

 him just above the nose, but below the brain, and 

 passed through both jaws, breaking them. But 

 the enraged beast would not be denied, and he was 

 dragging his dripping body out of the water, when I 

 hit him in the chest, but the ball did no great 

 harm as it passed downwards and did not penetrate 

 a vital part, as it would have done had I been on the 

 same level. However he now stood still, uttering 

 roar on roar, swaying about so that I hesitated to fire 

 for fear of missing him altogether. The girls in 

 the meantime had rushed past me and I knew they 

 would be up trees before the feline could overtake 

 them in his crippled state, moreover now I was- 

 between him and them. I had therefore time to 

 slip in another cartridge, and biding my time, as 

 he turned his side to me, for he could not face the 

 steep ascent of the bank, I struck him in the centre 

 of the shield and knocked him over. As he was not 

 dead, but still gasping and now and then uttering a 

 low growl, I reloaded the rifle and going down put 



1 She married a noted worker in gold in Tongho and was- 

 christened, why I know not, " Orangie." 



