TIGERLAND 



subsequent vitality, while the Winchester bullet fired by 

 the " shikari " had merely broken one fore leg. 



Neither of these wounds would have prevented her 

 renewing the attack, and had not my last bullet so provi- 

 dentially ended her existence, she would probably have 

 been on to us while our rifles were still empty ! What 

 might have happened then is not difficult to imagine, but 

 it is doubtful whether either the "shikari" or myself would 

 have lived to tell the tale, as a tigress with cubs is always a 

 formidable foe, but if wounded in addition is more than a 

 match for two men practically unarmed ! 



But such are the risks a sportsman must accept if he 

 aspires to be a successful hunter of big game, and with this 

 comforting reflection we turned our attention to the 

 skinning of our prize. This difficult operation being 

 completed with perhaps more despatch than skill, we 

 cut off the head, and were preparing to return when I 

 remembered that the cubs were still at large. They 

 were a prize well worth the trouble of a search, but 

 though we scoured the jungle, from one end to the 

 other, no trace of them could be found. They had 

 evidently sought refuge in some small cave or hollow, 

 of which there were many in the jungle, concealed by 

 the undergrowth ; we were accordingly compelled to 

 abandon the attempt and started back for camp, where 

 we arrived shortly before sundown. 



178 



