266 THE HIGHLANDS OF CENTEAL INDIA. 



the neighbourhood of the water occur most of the tragical 

 interviews between the herbivora and their carnivorous foes. 

 Everywhere the cruel tyranny of the tiger has imprinted itself 

 on the faithful page. His track to the water is straight and 

 leisurely, while that of the nilgai or spotted deer is halting 

 and suspicious, and apt to end in a wild scurry to right and 

 left where it crosses the tiger's. Here and there bleaching 

 skulls and bones show that the whole herd have not always 

 made good their escape. The ambush of dried leaves by the 

 pass down the bank marks, perhaps, an unsuccessful stratagem ; 

 and not seldom the trampled soil and patches of blood and 

 hair show where a stubborn boar has successfully resisted the 

 attack of a tiger. Bruin alone is tolerably safe from the 

 assault of the tiger ; but he too gets out of his way like the 

 rest, and drinks at a different pool. 



The sportsman wil] not be long under the guidance of the 

 village shikari before he comes on tracks of tigers. Where 

 one or more have been living some time in the neighbourhood 

 footprints of many dates will be found in the sandy bed of 

 almost every nala\ The history and habits of the tigers will 

 generally ooze out of the local hunter at the sight of these 

 marks. When the fresh tracks of the previous night are 

 found his impassive features will be lighted into interest, and, 

 as he follows the trail with the end of his gun, his speech 

 will be low and hurried from suppressed excitement. There 

 is little chance, however, of coming on the brute himself at 

 that early hour. He is probably lying somewhere on an 

 elevated place commanding the approaches to his favourite 

 lair, sunning himself in the soft morning light, and watching 

 against the approach of danger, until the growing heat about 

 ten o'clock shall have extinguished all signs of movement in 

 the neighbourhood, when he will creep down into some shady 



