A CHANCE OF BAGGING MY FIRST TIGER 



might take to attacking human beings hence the request 

 for more ball cartridges. 



On receiving this news, I sent orders immediately to 

 the sporting official to collect as many elephants as he 

 could lay his hands on, and have them assembled at his 

 outpost within four days, adding that as I would be there 

 myself as soon as possible he was on no account to take 

 any action calculated to frighten the tiger away before my 

 arrival. My gun and cartridges, together with the food 

 and clothing necessary for a couple of days, I despatched 

 in charge of my factotum on an " ekka " a light, two- 

 wheeled conveyance of the country. I also sent three 

 ponies for myself to different stages. 



Giving time for my impedimenta to arrive, I started 

 myself, overjoyed at the prospect of seeing a tiger at last, 

 and perhaps shooting it ! On my arrival at the outpost I 

 found a large and excited crowd assembled, and learnt that 

 a night or two since the tiger had actually come into the 

 centre of the village, and, jumping a bamboo fence, had 

 carried off a fair-sized cow from the enclosure, returning 

 as he came. 



This news was highly satisfactory from my point of 

 view, showing as it did, firstly, that what I had come in 

 quest of was a tiger and not a lepoard, as I had feared, 

 and secondly, that there was every probability of his being 

 found lying up with his kill. 



I saw that my instructions as to elephants had been 

 carried out, as six were drawn up awaiting my inspection, 

 and a motley crew they were ! In shape, size, or build, no 

 one animal resembled another, though all had the half- 

 starved and draggled appearance suggestive of improper 

 food and utter neglect. The tallest, which carried an 

 apology for a howdah, was perhaps eight feet, the rest 

 anything from seven to four, their drivers being as strange 

 and weird of appearance as the animals they bestrode. 



The howdah, too, was well in keeping with the rest of 

 the entourage, for never was such a marvellous structure 

 seen before, except, perhaps, in some museum of antiquities. 

 Two hundred years since it had possibly graced the tri- 

 umphal procession of some royal potentate, but its splendour 

 had now departed from it, and the relics merely served to 



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