A TIGRESS AND CUBS 



beasts had left them was more than I could guess. Then 

 suddenly I remembered that " Pilli " was the concluding 

 syllable of the local name for panther, and instinctively 

 I guessed that "Peria pilli" must therefore mean a tiger, 

 and in the excitement of the moment gave utterance to 

 my thoughts. 



4 Yes. Tiger, master ; one big and two little ones," 

 whispered the " shikari," pointing to the difference in the 

 sizes of the pugs and their relative position, which showed 

 clearly that the larger animal had been followed by two 

 smaller ones, evidently of the same species. 



I was now quite sure that the footprints were un- 

 doubtedly those of a tigress and two cubs, and such being 

 the case, the question naturally arose as to what had best 

 be done. 



Young and inexperienced as I was then, and burning 

 with the desire to add another so rare a trophy as a tiger 

 to my " bag," I was all for following the beasts into the 

 jungle ; but I obtained little encouragement from the 

 others. They knew too well the folly of such a proceeding 

 and the dangers attendant on it, and deaf to persuasion or 

 threats flatly refused to undertake the risk. However, 

 after a lengthy confabulation and promise of " bukshish " 

 in proportion to the danger to be run, a compromise 

 was finally effected viz. that the shikari and myself 

 should walk cautiously along the edge of the cover, on 

 the chance of finding the tigress basking outside it in 

 the sun, and thus obtain a shot. 



To understand what followed it is necessary to explain 

 that the jungle was a narrow strip of dense undergrowth 

 and trees about two hundred yards in length. One side 

 of it was bounded by a continuation of the knoll, already 

 mentioned, and on the other was a slope, descending 

 gradually to the valley, some hundreds of feet below 

 us. The knoll side being too steep for the tigress to 

 climb we chose the other, and taking advantage of any 

 cover we could find, advanced cautiously, the "shikari" 

 carrying my spare rifle, a Winchester Express, while I had 

 my "500, both ready for instant use. 



We had proceeded in this manner about 150 yards 

 when our progress was arrested by a low whistle from 



175 



