394 Incidents of Foreign Field Sport. 



rise any moment, when I heard a noise in a patch of 

 grass which attracted my attention. It was some 

 large beast ; I at once withdrew the shot and inserted 

 ball-cartridges, and advanced cautiously, with both 

 barrels at full cock and ready for any emergency. As 

 I drew near the reeds a tiger bounded out on one 

 side and was promptly met by a bull-buffalo, who 

 charged full pelt from a clump of long grass ; the 

 bovine was up to his knees almost in water, the feline 

 on comparatively dry ground. The largest of the wild 

 cats will seldom attack any of the bubali, and only if 

 very hard pressed for food. But here deer abounded ; 

 the whole plain was full of the swamp-deer, there 

 were, besides, plenty of wild hog, and Cervus porcinus 

 also were plentiful ; so no tiger need have been 

 sufficiently hungry to attempt the life of any buffalo, 

 far less that of a very large bull. But that he had 

 been stalking the bovine there was no doubt, and his 

 opponent, from the prompt way he met him. must 

 have been aware of what was coming. At the last 

 moment the tiger's heart failed him, and after bound- 

 ing forward a few yards and uttering a deep growl 

 or two, finding that he could not intimidate his 

 adversary, turned aside to avoid the collision. On 

 the impulse of the moment I let fly behind his 

 shoulder with the right barrel, with the result that 

 the tiger rolled right over. I then rapidly fired at the 

 buffalo and made a lucky fluke, for the bullet went 

 crashing into his ear and he fell dead ! But on turn- 

 ing towards where the tiger ought to have been, lo ! 

 he was gone. Eeloading, I took up the trail, but the 

 beast had taken refuge in some tall grass. It was an 

 isolated patch and there was not a tree near. It would 



