TIGERLAND 



" howdahs," receiving, as it came, two shots from the 

 occupant, one of which passed through its neck. 



Yet such is the tenacity of life possessed by these 

 animals and so impetuous is their charge that, in spite of 

 the mortal wound it had received, it was able to complete it. 

 Taking advantage of the elephant's head being lowered 

 to receive the charge, it sprang on to it, and, with its fore- 

 claws buried in the ears and the hind legs on the trunk, 

 remained clinging there till a well-directed shot from the 

 " howdah " on the left, fired with admirable coolness, and 

 planted just behind the shoulders, dislodged the savage 

 brute. The elephant all the while had been trying to shake 

 the tiger off, and no sooner had it dropped than, going 

 suddenly down upon its knees, it proceeded to pommel 

 it with its head. 



This sudden change from the horizontal to an almost 

 perpendicular position was perilously disconcerting to 

 those in the " howdah," and near terminating fatally for 

 the sportsman occupying the front seat, who, as the elephant 

 bent down, was pitched on to the rail. 



Fortunately, the orderly behind him was quick to 

 grasp the situation and, with equally commendable 

 alacrity, the belt of his Norfolk jacket, to which he hung 

 until the " mahout," by driving his sharp-pointed hook 

 into the elephant's head, induced it to resume its normal 

 position. It was a narrow escape, however, and one the 

 sportsman was not likely to forget, for had he been thrown 

 out, there is little doubt that the elephant, in the temper 

 it was in, would have killed him on the spot. 



The tiger, on inspection, was found to be quite dead, with 

 every bone in its body either broken or displaced ; but that 

 it had been alive when dislodged was evident, for it was 

 heard growling and snarling while being pommelled by the 

 elephant. 



Thus ended an incident which, amongst the many that 

 occur in tiger shooting, might claim to have been an 

 exceptionally exciting one. But, thrilling as had been 

 this late encounter, we were destined to meet with yet 

 another before reaching the camp that night. 



The mangled carcase of the tiger having been placed 

 on one of the pad elephants, we, after a brief halt for lunch, 

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