140 WILD BEASTS AND THEIR WAYS CITAP. 



it was in vain that I endeavoured to hurry the mahout; both 

 man and boast appeared to understand their business thoroughly, 

 but to my ideas the pace was woefully Blow if assistance was 

 required in danger. 



The ground was slightly rising, and the jungle thick with 

 saplings about 20 feet in height, and as thick as a man's leg; 

 these formed an undergrowth among the larger forest trees. 



Moolah Bux crashed with ponderous weight through the resist- 

 ing mass, bearing down all obstacles before him as he steadily 

 made his way through the intervening growth. The roars had 

 now ceased. There were no leaves upon the trees at this advanced 

 season, and one could see the natives among the branches in all 

 directions as they were perched for safety in the tree-tops, to 

 which they had climbed like monkeys at the terrible sounds of 

 danger. "Where is the tiger ?" we shouted to the first man we 

 could distinguish in this safe retreat only a few yards distant. 

 " Here, here ! " replied the man, pointing immediately beneath 

 him. Almost at the same instant, with a loud roar, the tiger, 

 which had been lying ready for attack, sprang forward directly for 

 Moolah Bux. 



There were so many trees intervening that I could not fire, 

 and the elephant, instead of halting, moved forward, meeting the 

 tiger in its spring. With a swing of his huge head Moolah Bux 

 broke down several tall saplings, which crashed towards the 

 infuriated tiger and checked the onset ; whether the animal was 

 touched by the elephant's tusks I could not determine, but it 

 appeared to be within striking distance when the trees were broken 

 across its path. Discomfited for the moment, the tiger bounded 

 in retreat, and Moolah Bux stood suddenly like a rock, without 

 the slightest movement. This gave me a splendid opportunity, 

 and the '577 bullet rolled the enemy over like a rabbit. Almost 

 at the same instant, having performed a somersault, the tiger dis- 

 appeared, and fell struggling among the high grass and bushes 

 about 15 paces distant. 



I now urged Moolah Bux carefully forward until I could plainly 

 see the tiger's shoulders, and a second shot through the exact 

 centre of the blade-bone terminated its existence. 



The elephant had behaved beautifully, and I have frequently 

 looked back to that attack in thick forest, and been thankful that 

 I was not mounted upon such animals as I have since that time 

 had the misfortune to possess. Moolah Bux now approached the 

 dead body, and at the command of the mahout he pulled out by 

 the roots all the small undergrowth of saplings and dried herbage 



