214 SHIKAR SKETCHES. 



Just before breakfast, c khubber ' arrived of a kill 

 near the camp, (this tiger we subsequently bagged, 

 and was the one who lay so close, as narrated 

 in a previous chapter)*, and also of one near Ning- 

 nur. Now, at this latter place, Captain Preston, 

 of Her Majesty's 44th Regiment (now Major- 

 General Preston), had been badly mauled by a 

 tiger the preceding year, so we determined to go 

 and avenge him. 



Davidson was still feeling very ill, and, as it 

 necessitated an eight-mile ride on the elephant, 

 he determined not to accompany us. This was 

 the first piece of bad luck, as if there it comes in 

 he had been with us, we should have had the 

 third gun we so badly wanted. Hebbert and I 

 accordingly started, and a precious hot ride we 

 had. On arriving at Ningnur we found Lutch- 

 man, our second shikari, (who was worth twenty of 

 our head ' boss,' a gentleman rejoicing in the name 

 of Tooker-Ram, and who proved utterly useless) 

 had made all necessary preparations, and had 

 forty beaters collected, and all ready to start as 

 soon as we should arrive. The ground we were 

 to beat was very bare, part of it having lately 

 been burnt by a jungle-fire, with the exception of 

 a deepish nullah, which, after winding about, 

 branched off in two directions. 



* Vide page 183. 



