TIGERLAND 



approached, there was every probability of his encounter- 

 ing one or both the others on his way. However, there 

 was no alternative short of spending the night in the 

 " machan," so reloading his rifle, he set out, hoping 

 that his two shots had scared the beast away. Encouraged 

 by these thoughts, he strode rapidly along, and had 

 covered perhaps a hundred yards, when suddenly out of 

 the jungle on his right there rose a loud, appalling roar, 

 followed immediately by another on his left ! 



On hearing these awe-inspiring sounds, seemingly quite 

 near, the feelings of the sportsman may be easily imagined 

 as he realized the peril he was in. Alone and on foot, with 

 night fast closing round him, and uncertain whether the 

 tigers were behind him or barring the path in front, the 

 situation was one calculated to try the strongest nerves. 



His first impulse was to return to the " machan," and he 

 had turned to do so when a rustling of the jungle in this 

 direction quickly changed his purpose, and impelled by 

 this new terror he turned again and fled along the path. 

 He had about two hundred yards to run a distance 

 he accomplished in remarkably good time ! and, finding 

 his " shikari " in the open, they went on together to the 

 bungalow. 



The next morning, accompanied by some coolies, they 

 returned to look for the wounded beast, and, following up 

 its track, finally came upon it lying dead just within the 

 larger jungle. The bullet, a semi-hollow one, had struck 

 the shoulder, and, smashing the shoulder-blade, had 

 evidently exploded, the fragments entering the heart, 

 which was reduced almost to pulp. It proved to be a 

 nearly full-grown cub, measuring a good eight foot, and, 

 being bulky in proportion, presented a sufficiently formid- 

 able appearance to justify the delight felt by the young 

 sportsman at having, at last, shot his first tiger. 



88 



