108 WILD BEASTS AND THEIR WAYS CHAP. 



the obstruction and releases the stem. It is then an affair of an 

 hour or more to get her off the bank by laying out kedge anchors, 

 and heaving upon the hawsers with the steam winches. 



The Brahmaputra is an extraordinary river, as it acknowledges 

 no permanent channel, but is constantly indulging in vagaries 

 during the season of flood ; at such times it carries away extensive 

 islands and deposits them elsewhere. Sometimes it overflows its 

 banks and cuts an entirely new channel at a sudden bend, convey- 

 ing the soil to another spot, and throwing up an important island 

 where formerly the vessels navigated in deep water. This peculiar 

 character of the stream renders the navigation extremely difficult, 

 as the bed is continually changing and the captains of the steamers 

 require a long experience. 



During inundations the islands are frequently drowned out, and 

 the wild animals are forced to swim for the nearest shore. Upon 

 such occasions tigers have been frequently seen swimming for their 

 lives, and they have been killed in the water by following them in 

 boats. The captain of the steamer in which I travelled told me of a 

 curious incident during a great inundation, which had covered deeply 

 all the islands and transported many into new positions. Upon 

 waking at daylight, the man who took the helm was astonished to 

 see a large tiger sitting in a crouching attitude upon the rudder, 

 which, as already explained, was 17 feet in length. A heavily- 

 laden flat or barge was lashed upon either side, and the sterns of 

 these vessels projected beyond the deck of the steamer, right and left. 



The decks of these large flats were only 3 feet above the 

 water, and the tiger, when alarmed by a shout from the helmsman, 

 made a leap from the rudder to the deck of the nearest vessel. In 

 an instant all was confusion, the terrified natives fled in all direc- 

 tions before the tiger, which, having knocked over two men during 

 its panic-stricken onset, bounded off the flat and sought security 

 upon the deck of the steamer alongside. Scared by its new 

 position and by the shouts of the people, it rushed into the first 

 hole it could discover ; this was the open door of the immense 

 paddle-box, and the captain rushed to the spot and immediately 

 closed the entrance, thereby boxing the tiger most completely. 



There was only one gun on board, belonging to the captain : the 

 door being well secured, there was no danger, and an ornamental 

 air-hole in the paddle-box enabled him to obtain a good view of the 

 tiger, who was sitting upon one of the floats. A shot through the 

 head settled the exciting incident ; and the men who were knocked 

 over being more frightened than hurt, the affair was wound up 

 satisfactorily to all parties except the tiger. 



