TIGERLAND 



of the tiger, in the faint hope that one of my shots 

 might have taken sufficient effect to prevent him jour- 

 neying far. 



But to pursue an angry tiger on a timid and untrained 

 elephant was not so easy a matter, for to do so it was 

 obviously necessary, in the first place, to make a start, and 

 this the terrified animal absolutely refused to do. In fact, 

 it was only with the greatest difficulty that we succeeded 

 in making him even face in the proper direction. At length, 

 thoroughly exasperated, I allowed the driver to use his 

 " kujbag," or goad, a terrible weapon, resembling a 

 monster fish-hook, the shank projecting beyond the curve, 

 and terminating in a sharp spike. But this only made 

 matters worse, for, instead of moving forward, the animal 

 now commenced to back, and then to " shake," a term 

 applied to elephants and denoting one of their most danger- 

 ous vices. In effect, it is much the same as buck- jumping 

 in a horse, but the motion, instead of being longitudinal, 

 is from side to side, and so violent that a really proficient 

 " shaker " will often rid himself of his riders, literally " in 

 a brace of shakes." This is what would have probably 

 happened in our case. Providentially a peacock, rustling 

 through the grass behind us, created a diversion, for the 

 elephant, thinking the tiger was now behind him, started 

 forward, and away we went, a great deal faster than we 

 wanted, but in the right direction. 



We had flashed through the grass and reached the 

 larger cover before we could pull up our runaway mount, 

 and, having soothed him into a more suitable frame of 

 mind to negotiate the dangerous tree jungle now before us, 

 entered it, proceeding cautiously, as we might come upon 

 the tiger at any moment. 



We had proceeded in this manner about two hundred 

 yards when we came to a small clearing some thirty yards 

 wide. Traversing this we were about to re-enter the 

 jungle, when, without the smallest warning, the tiger, 

 with a roar appalling in its volume and ferocity, sprang at 

 the elephant's head. 



Rendered wary by the extreme suddenness of his 

 previous appearance, I was fortunately prepared, and, as 

 he sprang, fired both barrels almost simultaneously, the 

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