176 SHIKAR SKETCHES. 



appearance would cause her, to fire both barrels 

 into her. Circumstances, however, prevented my 

 carrying this somewhat risky plan into operation, 

 for, as I was on the point of doing so, I heard ' bang- 

 bang' from Hebbert, accompanied by a surly 

 roaring grunt, and my tiger whipped sharp round, 

 sprang up the bank of the nullah opposite to the 

 one I was standing on, and was bolting past when 

 she caught sight of me, and stopped short, with 

 ears back [and that nasty upward curl of the lip 

 which generally denotes no very amiable frame of 

 mind. How my hand shook, and my heart beat, 

 as raising my rifle quickly to my shoulder, I took 

 the best aim at her heart that my excited feelings 

 would allow, and pulled ! She was not more than 

 some twenty yards from me, and answered my 

 shot by spinning round and round growling and 

 biting at the wound, and tumbling about in a 

 confused manner. Another shot, however, settled 

 her, and I did just about feel thankful. This 

 tigress measured eight feet, seven and-a-half inches, 

 and was in good condition. 



On rejoining Hebbert, I found he had fired at 

 another tiger, which galloped past him, but had 

 missed it, and though we beat another strip of 

 jungle, where it might have stopped, darkness soon 

 put a stop to any further proceedings, and we had 

 to give it up. 



