194 DAYS AND NIGHTS OF SHIKAR 



tiger lying dead. But they all went back, saying 

 they must have more men and buffaloes to drive 

 before them, and dogs as well. I suppose it was no 

 wonder they did not want to follow up when they 

 remembered the two men that had been killed. I 

 tracked up as long as I could see before me in the 

 open, and called to the head shikari to help to track 

 while I stood by him with the rifle ready, but it was 

 no good : he came for a few yards, then slipped back 

 to join the others. I followed blood-marks up to 

 some long thick grass and then turned back as I 

 could not go into this alone, both tracking and 

 keeping a careful watch ahead. We went back to 

 the village to collect a small herd of buffaloes to 

 drive into the jungle in front of us. If they saw 

 or smelt the tiger, they would form up and close 

 together ready to attack him, or be prepared for 

 his attack, and then one might be able to get a 

 shot. 



As bad luck had it for me, the Ranger was giving 

 a feast that day to the whole village, and the feast 

 had to be got through before I could get a single 

 man to come with me. I was bidden to the feast 

 too, and I asked Govind if he thought it was in- 

 cumbent on me to go. He thought it would please 

 the Ranger and the village generally. The festivities 

 did not begin until three o'clock. The servants took 

 over my camp table, chair, mug and plate, and I sat 

 in the Ranger's veranda ; the Mohammedan munshi 

 sat on the floor by me, the Ranger and his boys sat 

 round the corner and all the village men sat round 

 on the ground. The women did not eat until 



