TIGERLAND 



This was, indeed, cheering news, and, as may be ima- 

 gined, no time was lost in acting on the information. Our 

 depression, hunger, and fatigue vanished as if by magic, 

 and, hastily swallowing a whisky-and-soda, and each 

 pocketing what was nearest him in the way of dry food, 

 we jumped into our howdahs and sending the line along 

 the edge of the river, with directions to beat towards us, 

 we took up our positions at the end of the long grass, 

 which extended to about a quarter of a mile. 



No sooner were we posted than the line advanced, and 

 before it had proceeded two hundred yards a loud coughing 

 roar on its right flank announced the tiger's presence, and a 

 few minutes later, the Forest Officer, whose post faced the 

 right of the advancing line, detected the tiger looking 

 steadily at him through a small gap in the grass. He fired at 

 once, hitting him, as we subsequently discovered, in the 

 lower jaw. The tiger acknowledged the shot with a hideous 

 snarl of pain and rage, and, turning sharp to his left, 

 galloped on through the grass, and coming out into lighter 

 cover seeing my elephant directly in his line charged 

 straight for me. Aiming low, I fired for his head, but 

 misjudged the pace he was going, and my shot struck 

 him too high up. However, this had the effect of turning 

 him and saving me a nasty tussle, and he disappeared into 

 some heavy grass close behind me before I had time to 

 reload and lift my rifle. The line was now halted, and we 

 took up fresh positions at the far end of the heavy grass. 



Soon the beat recommenced, but this time the line had 

 hardly started when suddenly, with a most appalling roar, 

 the tiger, springing almost his full length out of the grass, 

 rushed at the beating elephants, and singling out the one 

 carrying the khitmagar and the tiffin basket, made straight 

 for her. Unfortunately she was the most timid animal 

 of the lot, and seeing the tiger coming at her with open 

 mouth and ruffle on end, turned and ran for all she was 

 worth. Being lightly loaded and a very fast elephant, 

 she seemed to hold her own for a minute or two, but she 

 was no match for a wounded and infuriated tiger bent 

 on revenge, and he was soon up with her ; and now ensued 

 a scene which, though sufficiently amusing for lookers-on, 

 was one of extreme danger to those immediately concerned, 

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