A BELGAUM TIGER 55 



" Were you up this tree? ' 



" No, sahib, I was on the ground." 



" What were you doing on the ground? >; 



" I didn't want to get into a tree : I wanted to 

 see all that was going on, so stayed below and 

 looked about to see what I could." 



" Then where were you when the bagh came? ' 



" I jumped behind this bamboo as he came." 



" And the tiger, where was he? " 



" Oh, sahib, he was a very big bagh, and he went 

 here/' and Gopal touched the ground close to us, 

 where we saw tracks. 



" And what did you do as he passed? " 



" I was very much frightened and trembled a 

 great deal, and crouched down under the bamboo/ 1 



"Did the bagh see you? " 



He was in much too great a fright to know any- 

 thing more, he said, but as soon as the tiger had 

 gone by he had certainly watched it all, and he was 

 sure that he saw him fall near the bank of the 

 nullah. I thought this was all his fancy and that 

 he was far too much frightened to watch anything ; 

 but he knew so little about shooting generally that 

 I am sure he never realized the danger he had 

 been in. Yellapa and Mahomed were immensely 

 amused. 



We began the hunt. It was an open piece of 

 jungle that we were coming to and the shikaris and 

 I rather spread out so that we could see on all sides 

 as one of us followed up the tracks. It is always 

 an exciting job this following up, and one of hope 

 and expectancy. Suddenly Mahomed turned tail 



