v DEATH OF FIRST TIGER 117 



that had given her her deathblow would be found 

 about the tree she was sitting by when fired at. It 

 was more like a yellow mass shot out of a gun than a 

 tiger springing, the pace she went back to it after 

 annihilating the tree to her satisfaction. I have never 

 seen anything so extraordinary (their spring is calculated 

 faster than the fastest antelope) ; but when within 5 

 feet of it, she staggered and fell on a large forest 

 creeper ; this she tugged down like a piece of thread, 

 but the poor creature's moments were getting very 

 short ; she fell over again on her side, but again made 

 an effort to reach the unfortunate tree, but it was in 

 vain ; she reared straight up on her hind legs, struck 

 wildly with her massive arms, and then with a groan 

 sprang away into the air and fell over stone dead^ not a 

 gasp or quiver. How I did look and look at that 

 dead tiger ; her beauty was most striking ; in a cage 

 their muscle fades and dwindles away. On examina- 

 tion we found my heavy ball gone clean through her 

 heart and the whole length of her body, and found it 

 by her tail. I have the bullet to show you. Brine's 

 had merely cut the skin of her left foreleg, just above 

 the foot ; it had broken no bones, nor indeed done any 

 harm even to the beautiful skin, but it had rendered 

 her mad. This shows what it is to shoot tigers. 

 Fancy dashing about like that after being shot through 

 the middle of the heart. Her skin is a most lovely 

 one, and I need not say I am not a little proud of it ; 

 her skull is also in its prime such teeth ! The next 

 day the Todas carried the tigress home, singing their 

 war-song and dancing, and at one place the women 

 met them, and they put me in the middle of them, 

 laying the mighty Purdey (old Jack, my favourite rifle) 

 by the tigress, singing the war whoops, dancing round 

 me, the tiger, and the women. This was a great honour ; 



