TIGERLAND 



as the recollection of the last night's telegram suddenly 

 flashed across my sleepy brain, I was out of bed in a second, 

 and inside my shooting kit just as reveille was sounding 

 in the Police Barracks close by, and ten minutes later was 

 bowling along at some ten miles an hour through the 

 comparatively cool morning air. 



The sun was hardly up as I just neared the eleventh 

 milestone, and soon I saw the two elephants looming in 

 the distance like monster spectres in the grey morning 

 light. The old Ghoorka, perched on top of the pad, 

 received me with a broad grin on his weather-beaten face, 

 and knowing from past experience what this meant, I 

 lost no time in asking questions, but clambered up at once 

 into the howdah and started for the jungle about a mile 

 off the road. On the way the old man informed me that 

 immediately on his arrival the previous afternoon he had 

 visited the field where the tiger was reported to have 

 seized the bullock, and soon discovered the spot indicated 

 by traces of a struggle, with patches of blood here and 

 there, and in some soft mud close by the unmistakable 

 pugs of a full grown tiger ; leading from this spot to a 

 small but very dense jungle about 200 yards off was a 

 broad track in the short grass with the tiger's pugs occasion- 

 ally showing in the mud. This track was found to lead up 

 and into the jungle ; the old man had followed it some 

 way till he was satisfied that the " kill " had been dragged 

 into some very thick covert, then prudently retired, 

 quite sure that the tiger was there ; however, to make 

 assurance doubly sure, he carefully examined the jungle, 

 but could find no pugs leading out, though on the banks 

 of the stream running on one side of the belt of jungle he 

 noticed that the tiger had come down to drink during the 

 night, but had returned to the kill. 



This appeared to be quite good enough, so on arrival 

 at the jungle I posted myself at once at one end of the 

 long strip, taking up a position which I thought would 

 command the stream which was to my right, and sent 

 the pad elephant round by the open to my left, with 

 directions to enter the jungle as low down as possible, 

 and beat up towards me in a zigzag fashion. 



To understand what followed it is necessary to explain 

 46 



