vr THE TIGER 107 



were untouched on the following day, and the tiger had disappeared 

 from the locality. 



The tiger, although hungry, was sufficiently disturbed by its 

 defeat to abstain from any further attack ; although the baits were 

 only twelve months old, it was too shy to encounter anything in 

 the shape of a buffalo. 



In the grassy islands of the Brahmaputra there were a vast 

 number of tigers some twelve or fourteen years ago, but their 

 number has been reduced through the development of the country 

 by the various lines of steamers which have improved the naviga- 

 tion of the river. Formerly a multitude of small islands of alluvial 

 deposit thrown up by the impetuous current created an archipelago 

 for 60 or 70 miles of the river's course south of Dhubri, in the 

 direction of Mymensing ; these varied in size from a few hundred 

 yards to a couple of miles in length, and being covered with high 

 grass and tamarisk, they formed a secluded retreat for tigers and 

 other game at the foot of the Garo Hills. The river makes a 

 sudden bend, sweeping near the base of this forest-covered range, 

 from which the wild animals at certain seasons were attracted to 

 the island pasturage and dense covert, especially when the forests 

 had been cleaned by annual firing, and neither food nor place of 

 refuge could be found. 



As these numerous islands abounded with wild pigs, hog-deer, 

 and other varieties of game, they were most attractive to tigers, 

 and these animals were tolerably secure from molestation, as it 

 was impossible to shoot or even to discover them in grass 10 feet 

 high without a line of elephants. The improvement introduced by 

 steam navigation gave an increased impulse to cultivation, as the 

 productions of the country could be transported at a cheap rate to 

 Calcutta by the large barges termed flats, which are fastened upon 

 either side of the river steamers. These are 270 feet in length, 

 and of great beam. The steamers are from 270 to 300 feet from 

 stem to stern, and are furnished with hurricane decks capable of 

 stowing a large cargo, although the draught of water is limited 

 owing to the numerous sandbanks that interrupt the channel. The 

 peculiar conditions of the Brahmaputra, which render it necessary 

 that these large vessels should be of very shallow draught, entail 

 the necessity of a rudder 17 feet in length to afford a sufficient 

 resistance for steering when running down the stream. The shock 

 when striking upon a sandbank is sufficient to bury the stem 

 without straining the vessel, as the flat bottom remains fixed upon 

 the soft soil for a few moments, during which the force of the 

 stream upon so large a surface brings the steamer broadside on to 



