Tigers, Gaur and Leopards. 155 



time to reload, and firing right and left, I brought 

 down two. I did not think that I should see any- 

 thing more and was about to descend to examine the 

 fallen, when I heard a stop give a vigorous tap- 

 tap. I reloaded and crouched down in my former 

 position, with my heart beating with excitement, but 

 nothing became visible. Again a stop indicated that 

 game was afoot, and now the beaters were fast closing 

 in, anxious to ascertain, no doubt, the results of my 

 shots. As I could see nothing, and the third stop had 

 given no intimation of anything being about, I thought 

 it a false alarm, and was off my guard, and before I 

 well knew what had happened a very large tiger 

 sprang into the nullah almost opposite me, and 

 bounded up the bank, his head and face being about 

 five paces from me, he clinging to the surface above 

 by his fore feet and scrambling up with his hind. I 

 instinctively fired and the tiger fell backward. As I 

 jumped up I just caught sight of a brindled mass dis- 

 appearing, and took a snap shot, which the brute 

 acknowledged by a deep growl, so I knew that if I 

 had missed the first shot, I had hit with the second, 

 but as the right barrel was discharged within ten or 

 twelve feet, I could scarcely credit having missed it, 

 so I instantly followed on its trail. I approached 

 very cautiously the place where " Master Stripes " had 

 disappeared. The bushes were sprinkled plentifully 

 with blood ; so telling my orderly to follow closely 

 with the smooth bore, into which I put a couple of 

 cartridges, loaded with eight buckshot each, I advanced 

 very slowly, as a wounded tiger is not to be played 

 with. I would take a step, then pause to listen for 

 a sound. The jungle was not high, but dense, and 



