THE TIGEE. 259 



back of an elephant, and go to a jungle where he has heard of 

 tigers, to make sure of killing one, will find himself very much 

 mistaken on trying. A number of sportsmen with a large line of 

 elephants may kill tigers if they simply beat through likely 

 covers for a long enough time ; and many tigers are thus killed, 

 or by driving the jungle with beaters, without the possession of 

 any skill in woodcraft whatever. But no sort of hunting requires 

 more careful arrangements, greater knowledge of the habits of 

 the animal, perseverance, and good shooting, than the pursuit 

 of the tiger by a single sportsman with a single elephant. 



At the outset of one's experience in forest life it is impossible 

 to avoid the belief that the tiger of story is about to show 

 himself at every step one takes in thick jungle ; and it is not 

 till every effort to meet with him has been used in vain 

 that one realises how very little danger from tigers attends 

 a mere rambler in the jungles. During ten years of 

 pretty constant roaming about on foot in the most tigerish 

 localities of the Central Provinces, I have only once come 

 across a tiger when I was not out shooting, and only twice 

 more when I was not actually searching for tigers to shoot. 

 In truth, excepting in the very haunts of a known man-eater, 

 there is no danger whatever in traversing any part of the 

 jungles of this, or I believe any other, part of India. 



Some people affect to despise the practice of using elephants 

 in following tigers, and talk a good deal about shooting them 

 on foot. As regards danger to the sportsman, nine-tenths of 

 the tigers said to be shot on foot are really killed from trees 

 or rocks, where the sportsman is quite secure. The only 

 danger then is to the unfortunate beaters, if used ; and when 

 this is not the case the sport generally resolves itself into an 

 undignified sneaking about the outskirts of the covers, in the 

 hope of getting an occasional pot-shot from a secure position. In 



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