INCIDENTS IN TIGER SHOOTING 



and firing of shots began, and continued with 

 vigour for some time, but nothing appeared. 

 Carlo, however, had gone off to perform a little 

 personal investigation, and I soon heard him bark- 

 ing vigorously under a tall banyan tree which I 

 could see from my post. 



Upon this, as shouts and gun-shots were in- 

 effectual to move the tiger, and thinking also that 

 he might be lying dead under the banyan tree, I 

 decided to go and look him up inside the thicket ; 

 and so, taking my own position in the centre of a 

 line of men armed with spears, I followed the still 

 distinct blood-trail, the men with their spears beat- 

 ing down the jungle as we advanced. After a 

 time, from almost under the spears, up jumped the 

 tiger, who went off with a loud " Woof! " Not one 

 of us saw him in the dense cover, but the spear- 

 men retired as if but one man ! After ineffectual 

 attempts till evening to obtain a sight of the tiger, 

 I had to give him up and to return to camp. 



On the following day the last of my leave 

 I went again to the thicket, but the animal had 

 left it, and we were unable to trace him, so I was 

 obliged to abandon the wounded beast very much 

 to my chagrin. 



This was the 1 9th December ; the Christmas 

 holidays began on the 24th idem, and I had 

 determined to spend them at this camp in trying 

 for tigers and panthers. 



I had occasion, in the interim, to go on duty 

 to a place called Maddur, where there is a travel- 

 lers' bungalow, which is some thirty miles from 



H7 



