FAILURES 225 



was away at a gallop long before I could swing round 

 or bring the rifle up to my shoulder. I ought not 

 to have stirred, so I dare say this was all my own fault, 

 but he was frightened away and never came back 

 to the place : such a chance as it was to miss ! 



Another time as I sat watching over a kill a tiger 

 came but never showed himself. I knew of his 

 presence by the swearing and chattering of many 

 monkeys that were there. They had all been busy 

 eating berries that grew on low bushes around, and 

 some of them were on the ground, when I saw them 

 suddenly starting to swing themselves up trees. I 

 heard the tiger make a dash at something with a snarl 

 and a low growl, and following this was the rush away 

 of monkeys who were scolding and using abusive 

 language. The tiger was certainly very angry 

 about something, so were the monkeys, so was I : 

 the monkeys swore, I swore (in undertones), and the 

 tiger simply cursed. One baby monkey grew very 

 much excited and chattered in a funny, shrill little 

 voice, trying its hardest to imitate its parents. 

 Perhaps the monkeys gave me away by making the 

 tiger look up, as after prowling round for a long time he 

 went away without my catching so much as a glimpse 

 of him, and afterwards we saw the tracks of where 

 he had been wandering about in the sandy nullah. 

 He was supposed to be a man-eater that had killed 

 a boy a short time before near this spot. 



My tent had been pitched, unknowingly, in a hot- 

 bed of scorpions, and the boy was constantly finding 

 one or two as he swept it out in the morning. I 

 found one in my slipper, but luckily dropped it before 

 Q 



