226 DAYS AND NIGHTS OF SHIKAR 



I put my foot inside, when this beast ran out. When 

 we changed camp there were still scorpions lying 

 hidden in the folds of the tent and in my boxes, 

 and it was a marvel that no one was stung. 



After several more disappointments with the tigers 

 in those jungles I went to another district to shoot, 

 with hopes of better luck. The march out was very 

 hilly and the road very bad, but I had a glorious 

 pair of bullocks that tore along, shaving corners 

 and bumping down into rocky streams. They did 

 their twenty miles in about six hours and, as usual, 

 I reached the place where we were to camp long 

 before the servants and kit. A forest officer and 

 his mother were in camp there and very kindly gave 

 me tea and dinner. They had a fox terrier and a 

 monkey, and on my arrival the monkey was told 

 to make its salaam; it came up rather shyly and 

 kissed my foot and then went and sat with its arms 

 round the terrier's neck : they seemed to be great 

 friends. 



The next march took us to the shooting ground, 

 so I gave up the sportive bullocks that had brought 

 me along so well, and rode a good little chestnut 

 pony that I had hired, called Thomas. There was 

 a tiger kill one night and the calf was half eaten; 

 the remainder was carefully and neatly covered up, 

 and completely hidden, with dead bamboo leaves 

 which the tiger had raked together so that it really 

 looked as if he had every intention of coming back, 

 but I had no luck that time. After some days he 

 killed again in a different place which was a very 

 good one to beat, if we could get enough coolies. 



