222 SHIKAR SKETCHES. 



stood for a moment as if undetermined what to 

 do. Hebbert happened to be a little in front of 

 me ; we had each been examining one bank of the 

 nullah, he taking the left, whilst I looked along 

 the right. I had got slightly behind, owing to 

 having stopped to examine more minutely a 'pug' 

 in the sand with a view to determine its fresh- 

 ness, when the tiger got up ; so running up to 

 Hebbert, as the tiger stood on the bank, some 

 hundred and fifty yards, gazing at us like an 

 idiot I fired at him ! Needless to say I missed, 

 and he only acknowledged the salute with a 

 surly grunt, and galloped up the hillside when 

 Hebbert fired at him with a like result. Running 

 round, we posted ourselves, leaving Lutchman to 

 head the beat towards us. It was no use, how- 

 ever ; the tiger was thoroughly alarmed, the day 

 was getting on, and the ground was so rocky 

 that tracking was almost impossible, and we never 

 saw him again. Hebbert of course was excessive- 

 ly put out with me, and rightly attributed the 

 losing of this tiger entirely to my over-eagerness, 

 though on thinking matters over subsequent- 

 ly I came to the conclusion that if there comes 

 in the fatal little word again we had begun by 

 beating we should have been more successful; 

 still, I could not conceal from myself that the 

 fiasco was entirely owing to my thoughtless hurry. 



