264 SHIKAR SKETCHES. 



and a tiger. My friend, not many weeks ago, 

 was passing through a jungle in Wynaad, when 

 he heard, close to him, a curious, snapping noise. 

 He fancied it was parroquets, or some such birds, 

 having a row among themselves ; but, on taking 

 a few steps forward, to his no small astonishment, 

 he found himself in the presence of a tiger, sur- 

 rounded by a pack of wild dogs, snapping and 

 barking at him, but, at the same time, keeping 

 well out of reach of the terrible forepaw. 



' The tiger was lashing his tail from side to side, 

 and showing great excitement, or, as I feel in- 

 clined to put it, funk ; he was standing with his 

 back to the new arrival, and consequently did 

 not see him ; but, as he was not more than 

 twenty yards distant, my friend wisely decided 

 on beating a quiet retreat, shortly returning, 

 however, with some of his friends, when they 

 found the tiger had disappeared ; but the pack of 

 wild dogs feasting on a sambur fresh killed by 

 the tiger. 



4 There was no mistake about this, for the marks 

 of the tiger's teeth were distinctly visible in the 

 throat of the deer. Ten dogs were counted, but 

 there might have been, and probably were, more. 

 This to a certain extent corroborates the shikari's 

 statements that wild dogs will attack a tiger, but 

 I still think that they never attempt to lay hold 



