BISON JUNGLES 79 



One day I had a tiger beat, which was blank; 

 and at the same time that we were beating, so the 

 stationmaster told me, our tiger was standing 

 close beside the line, looking through the wire fence 

 watching a goods train as it passed. 



On another morning, after a heavy thunderstorm, 

 when it was possible to move along silently among 

 the fallen leaves, I was out tracking up bison. We 

 found the marks of several hoofs and one big track 

 that we thought must be that of a good bull. We 

 followed the trail for some way, and then, unseen, 

 came up with a small herd, and we stood watching 

 them browsing, and looking for the big bull, but there 

 were only one or two fair-sized bulls and some cows 

 among them, and nothing worth shooting. So I 

 unloaded the rifles and gave them to the shikari and 

 coolie to carry. The click of shutting the guns 

 made the bison look up, and at that moment I saw 

 two tigers among the trees stealthily approaching 

 the herd. They were stalking the herd too and were 

 totally unaware of our presence. When the bison 

 lifted their heads, the tigers stopped, and the herd 

 saw them and clustered together, facing the enemy. 

 The tigers, seeing the game was up, turned to go, 

 and began to walk slowly away, pausing now and 

 then to look round. 



I had run up to the coolie, who was some yards 

 away, to get my rifle, and should have had time for 

 a nice shot, but the man lost his head, shouted, " Bagh, 

 bagh," and tore after the tigers with the empty rifle. 

 I don't think he had a notion of what he was doing. 

 I called to the shikari to give me the other rifle, but 



