FELIS TIGRIS REDIVIVUS. 321 



slo^yly, and looked at us over the low bank. Her sound eye was conspicu- 

 ously bright from the absence of the other, which left a hideous blank, and 

 both sides of her face were covered with blood. We did not know till now 

 that my shot had taken her in that quarter. No one moved or spoke, and 

 without doing anything more the tigress sank down in a few seconds as 

 before. She had not even grinned at us ; she only regarded us steadfastly. 

 She could not have been quite dazed by her wound or she would not have 

 paid any attention to the fall of the stone ; but though conscious, she appa- 

 rently did not know exactly what she was about. 



I kept her covered with my rifle as she looked at us, in expectation of 

 a charge. I did not fire, as there were sufficient twigs and creepers in the 

 way to render the glancing of tlie bullet possible ; whilst to have enveloped 

 ourselves in the smoke of one barrel with the tigress so close might have 

 been dangerous. Had I let her get to close quarters I could then have given 

 her both almost against her chest. 



Upon her disappearance we backed quietly out, the object of our recon- 

 naissance having been attained. A hearty laugh was raised when we were 

 safely outside at the ridiculousness of the whole position — the tigress's lugu- 

 brious appearance, her not coming at us as we had expected every instant, 

 and at the tracker " tree'd " close to her. Mada pantomimed the expression 

 of her face for the amusement of the rest of tlie men, screwing up one 

 eye in hideous contortions. Some inquired of the marker in the tree what 

 he would like for supper ! 



It was improbable that the tigress would leave the cover, or die, at least 

 for some time, of her wounds. Had she been shot in the body, only time 

 would have been required ; but in most cases with head-shots, if an animal is 

 not killed on the spot it improves rather than grows worse with time. I may 

 instance the case of a friend, a noted Madras sportsman, who floored a large 

 tiger some months subsequently from the very tree in which I had wounded 

 this tigress. The tiger dropped as if brained, and did not move a muscle 

 for some time. I was in the tree witli my friend, and we remained in 

 our places for a little, the beaters also keeping their distance by order, 

 as we neither wished to spoil the tiger's skin by an unnecessary shot, 

 nor risk approaching him until there could be no doubt that he was dead. 

 Suddenly, without the slightest warning, and after he had lain stunned 

 for at least four minutes, the brute raised his head, regained his legs for 

 a brief moment, and fell forward into the thicket before we could raise our 

 rifles. Leaving my friend (who had a wife and several small children!) in 

 the tree, I got down, and with my men surrounded the cover with nets, and 

 then sent in some small dogs to rouse the tiger. Out the brute came as if 



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