228 Wild Beasts 



quite the contrary. The natives, except under European 

 leadership, will not go out against dangerous animals. 

 Bapoo says, ' My cow is not killed, and besides I have ob- 

 tained a charm from a holy man, by which she is made 

 safe against tigers. Why should / go out ? ' On the other 

 hand, Luximon says, ' My cow is killed ; I shall certainly 

 not go.' ' In consequence of these reasonings, they and 

 their cattle continue to be eaten. As Barras says, " The 

 result is that the tigers get the better of the natives, and 

 kill so many of them and their cattle, that I have seen 

 many ruined villages, which have been abandoned owing 

 to the neighborhood of these animals. It is, therefore, a 

 very good thing for the inhabitants when a well-appointed 

 shooting party arrives. 



" One of the most curious features of tiger-shooting is 

 the extraordinary tenacity with which both the Europeans 

 and natives engaged in the sport adhere to certain tradi- 

 tions. In vain does a tiger break through all established 

 rules before the very eyes of those engaged ; the shikaris, 

 both white and black, continue as firm as ever in their 

 articles of faith, and, by their blind belief in the same, 

 often lose a tiger. I propose, therefore, to mention a few 

 of the most cherished laws, and to show in the following 

 pages that they are in every instance fallacies. 



" (i) A tiger never charges unless wounded, or in de- 

 fence of its young cubs. 



" (2) It never lies up for the day in hot weather in a 

 jungle where there is no water. 



" (3) It never looks upward so as to see any one in a 

 tree. 



