The Tiger 209 



neighborhood in his head, and an unguarded avenue of 

 egress means that we shall not carry back his spoils. 

 When he does start, it will not be with the wild, affrighted 

 rush of a bison or sambur stag ; his retirement, if he is 

 not actually sighted, is made with the deathly silence of 

 an elephant warned of danger. He makes use of every 

 mode of concealment, creeps from bush to bush, from tree 

 to tree, from rock to rock, crouching where cover grows 

 thin or fails, so that the colors of his coat assimilate with 

 those of the herbage, and he becomes well nigh invisible 

 even in places where it seems utterly impossible for so 

 large an animal to hide himself. In denser jungle the 

 fugitive stops and stands with head erect to listen, or 

 rears up amid long jowaree grass, taking in every sight 

 and sound that indicates the position of his enemies. 

 Thus his advance is made towards the point at which it is 

 intended to break away ; and if it be necessary to cross bare 

 spots, he does so, not indeed with a panther's lightning-like 

 rapidity, but in long, easy bounds that devour the distance. 



Under all circumstances, if the ground is sufficiently 

 broken to permit of it, the tiger keeps among ravines, at 

 one time traversing the crest of a ridge, at another stealing 

 along through the underbrush below. Then it is that the 

 pad-elephants and lookouts in trees come into play in 

 order to turn him in the direction where the rifles are 

 stationed ; the former by their presence, the latter by 

 softly striking small sticks together. 



It is very likely, however, that the surface may not 

 admit of beating with men ; then the sportsmen advance 

 in their howdahs, and one may see how a highly-trained 

 shikar tusker can work. p 



