318 FACE TO FACE WITH THE TIGRESS. 



of tlie opposite cover, about twenty-five yards away. I could see her cliest 

 pretty fairly, so I gave her a barrel of my 8 -bore. This shot struck to one 

 side of the centre, smashed her shoulder, and came out behind it, as she was 

 not standing so much end on as I thought when I fired. It did not get 

 well into the cavity of the chest. 



As I stepped back to be clear of the smoke the tigress made a blind 

 purposeless rush into the ravine. She was hidden by the bank we were on, 

 and took off down the bed under overhanging bushes, and then came up 

 our bank, about one hundred yards away, and lay down under a small tree, 

 where there was a slight depression in the ground, the grass in which wa.s 

 tln-ee feet high. We heard her groan and went cautiously towards the spot ; 

 but when about thirty yards away I noticed that all was still, and that her 

 heavy breathing ceased. I suspected she was still quite able to do damage, 

 so we agreed to wait for an hour, and moved to a shady tree ten yards 

 further back. At this moment Dod Sidda saw her peering at us through 

 the grass. She had crept to the edge, and was watching us intently with 

 her head between her paws. I knelt, and with a steady shot with the 

 express brained her. 



AVe then went up and found the first shot had smashed ]ier riglit 

 slioulder, entering at the chest, and raking her down the ribs. She would 

 have died in a few hours. As it was, had she charged on three legs I 

 tliink I could have settled her ; but we did the correct thing in retii'ing to 

 wait and watch her. 



The cub had cleared out at the commencement of the action and we 

 could not find him any^vhere. AVe saw by the marks that there was only 

 one, and we arranged to catch him on the morrow. AVe sent to Morlay for 

 men and several hare-nets, with which we surrounded the tliickct near the 

 remains of the cow next day, where we knew he must be. AVe went in 

 after him with sticks, when the little beast came straight at me, roaring and 

 striking with his paws in a most determined way. His powers of oilence 

 were not very great, but he had all the will. I whacked him soundly about 

 the head with a thick rattan, but he followed up his charge manfully ; he 

 was clumsy, however, and fell over, and I got him down, and he was soon 

 secured. He was about the size of a clumber-spaniel, and weighed 40 lb. 

 A stretcher was made, on which on a soft bed of leaves he was conveyed to 

 iMoilay. He was too old (about two and a half months) ever to beconu^ 

 tame, and I sold him at six months for lis. 500 (£50). Out of this sum 1 

 miiiiitaincd an alms institution for tlie old men and women and very young 

 chihh'en of Morlay lor some months, as grain was very dear at that time, 

 giving them a lit lie rice, cin'ry-sturfs, and bjliacoo daily. 



