84 TIGERS. 



according to the size and thickness of the covers 

 I intended to beat; always stationing myself at 

 some open place, and the people beating the 

 cover in the direction towards me; by which 

 arrangement most of the animals and birds came 

 near to me, and I was enabled to kill large quan- 

 tities of game ; but it was attended with consider- 

 able danger, as the following circumstances will 

 evince. 



A young gentleman, named Barret, one day 

 accompanied me ; and as we were beating a small 

 cover for hares, not above half a mile from my 

 house, a hare passed me, and ran into an adjoining 

 cover, which was not extensive. In hastening 

 through it, in order to reach the opposite side and 

 shoot at the hare as it came out, I stepped into a 

 bush, where a tiger was lying asleep ; it awoke 

 him ; he looked at me, grinning horribly, but 

 did not move ; my situation at the moment cannot 

 be depicted. Had he sprung at me, I could not 

 have made any resistance: as soon as I had re- 

 covered a little from the fright, I retreated, walk- 

 ing backward, my gun presented to him; in a 

 few seconds he arose, but apparently with consider- 

 able reluctance ; when he was on his feet he be- 

 gan stretching himself, and then I saw Mr. Barret, 



