BULLET AND SHOT 



do so. For a short distance I was able to follow 

 the tracks by the blood, though the jungle in many 

 places was very thick ; but at last I was unable 

 to carry the trail any further, the blood having 

 apparently stopped. I then went back to the men, 

 and insisted upon two or three of them coming 

 in to track, telling them that they might keep 

 behind me. They came, and again hit off the 

 trail, which led through rather less dangerous 

 jungle, and being enabled once more to make it 

 out and to follow it, I led the way, of course with 

 both barrels of my rifle upon full cock. All of a 

 sudden I was startled by B.'s calling out, "Come 

 back, Russell ! Come back ! " This would have 

 been a supremely risky move in the presence of 

 danger, so, in place of retreating, I looked every- 

 where in front in readiness to fire, expecting to see 

 the wounded beast, either crouching preparatory 

 to an attack, or in the act of advancing towards 

 us ; but in the next breath I heard him say, " Oh, 

 it's all right, he's dead"; and sure enough, in a 

 small nullah close by on my left, lay the dead 

 tigress. S. had hit her exactly where he told 

 me, viz., low down behind the shoulder, and had 

 thus upon the first occasion of his going out tiger 

 shooting bagged a tigress with a single bullet in 

 a country too in which the successful prosecution 

 of this sport is a matter of very great difficulty. 

 He had certainly shot most creditably, but was 

 very fortunate in obtaining so good a chance. 



I once had the luck to bag a tiger within as the 

 crow flies about twenty-five miles from the large 



'54 



