AN UNEXPECTED ENCOUNTER 



Having thus posted ourselves, I sent the " shikari " to 

 the beaters, who were collected at the far end of the larger 

 jungle, with instructions to bring the line down as straight 

 towards us as the nature of the ground would allow of. I 

 kept the " shikari's " son a young lad about seventeen 

 with me, hanging on as best he could to my tree, with my 

 second gun. 



As I stood now the gap or open space before mentioned 

 was almost direct to my front, and the strip of jungle, 

 mostly grass, extending from it in a curve and ending 

 about fifty yards on my right ; the banks of the " nullah " 

 at the pass being much lower than elsewhere, the ground 

 from the edge of the jungle to where I was suspended, as 

 it were, sloped considerably, affording me a better view 

 than I would otherwise have had. 



The beaters had entered the jungle and been at work 

 about ten minutes when I heard a curious purring sound 

 in front of me, and turned round to the " shikari's " boy to 

 ask what it was. But before I had time to put the question, 

 he called out in a terror-stricken voice, " Bagh ! " * and, 

 slipping down the bank, bolted along the bed of the 

 " nullah," taking my second gun with him ! 



At the same moment I saw the tiger come out into the 

 open patch. He saw me at once, and stopped for an 

 instant, then with an angry snarl, turned slightly to his 

 left and entered the strip of grass jungle to my right, and 

 sneaked along the edge of it, showing a yellow patch here 

 and there where the grass was lighter. To follow his 

 movements, I had now to keep turning to my right a 

 most difficult thing to do in my cramped and insecure 

 position. 



However, by dint of sticking my toes well into the bank 

 and using the tree as a fulcrum, I succeeded, after a fashion, 

 in keeping the tiger in view. Presently he reached the end 

 of the grass, and, emerging from it, was making for the 

 other crossing some little way behind me, when he suddenly 

 caught sight of the doctor, who was guarding this passage 

 from the opposite bank, and seeing his retreat cut off too 

 here, with a savage growl of disappointment and rage, 

 changed his direction and came trotting directly towards me. 



* Tiger. 



201 



