A LINE PUT TO FLIGHT 



rolling him over in his tracks. The shot, considering the 

 distance and pace, was an excellent one ; but alas ! it 

 struck too far back* to be fatal, and the tiger, quickly 

 picking himself up, stumbled on and gained the shelter of 

 the forest. 



The line was now brought up and sent into the forest 

 some distance behind where the tiger had entered, and 

 directed to beat about the edge in half horseshoe formation, 

 the right flank being well advanced, with one howdah 

 accompanying it, the left resting on the forest edge. 



The other two howdahs were posted some 500 yards 

 in advance. The line advanced, but its progress was 

 necessarily slow, the forest being dense, and in places 

 almost impenetrable ; but by dint of tearing away thorny 

 creepers, breaking down branches and such trees as they 

 were able, the elephants managed to make some way, 

 and had proceeded about 200 yards without showing any 

 signs of uneasiness, when one or two elephants on the 

 extreme right commenced rumbling ; this was taken up 

 by the others, and soon a roar, followed by the rush of 

 a heavy body ahead, was heard, and almost before there 

 was time to realize that the tiger was again afoot, he 

 was charging the line. Fortunately the dense tangle 



prevented his travelling fast, thus giving B , the 



magistrate, who occupied the flanking howdah, time to 

 stop him with a shot, which apparently took effect, for 

 acknowledging it with a savage roar, the brute turned and 

 disappeared into the thicker cover. The beating elephants, 

 with the exception of two steady tuskers, completely 

 demoralized by this sudden onslaught, had turned and 

 bolted, but were now brought back, and the line being 

 reformed, again advanced, but were once more put to 

 flight by the tiger. Again and again was the attempt 

 made to drive him forward, but always with the same 

 result, till finally the elephants were reduced to such a 

 state of disorganization that in spite of threats and per- 

 suasions they refused to advance again. 



The battle had now raged for more than an hour 

 and a half, and yet there seemed no immediate likelihood 

 of a surrender on the part of the tiger, nor any prospect 

 of his either succumbing to his injuries or being forced to 



227 



