98 SHIKAR SKETCHES. 



attains a height of some seven or eight feet, 

 and in growth much resembles sugar-cane. Some 

 two miles away lay a ridge of low, rocky hills, 

 clothed with thick scrub jungle. So, taking all 

 surroundings into consideration, no more favour- 

 able ground could be found for riding and spear- 

 ing a tiger, if tiger there was. 



This feat rarely attempted, and still more 

 rarely effected, by Indian sportsmen we deter- 

 mined to attempt. The beat was accordingly 

 formed, but hardly had the beaters commenced 

 when they all rushed out. vowing the tigress was 

 there, and that she was in a very bad temper. 

 I must confess I myself, and one or two others 

 who had seen some tiger-shooting, were rather 

 sceptical about its being a tiger at all. However, 

 the beaters' positive assurance, coupled with their 

 firmly but politely declining to enter the cover 

 again, rather staggered us. We determined, there- 

 fore, to go in on foot ourselves, some of us taking 

 our spears, whilst others covered our advance 

 with shot-guns and rifles. The gallant army 

 therefore advanced, the i spearmen ' shouting, and 

 throwing stones into the thickest parts of the 

 cover, whilst every now and then a charge of 

 shot was fired into any extra thick place. No- 

 thing, however, appeared, and, on arriving at the 

 far end, it was voted unanimously that our in- 



