BULLET AND SHOT 



across the open in front of me, like a greyhound, in 

 the direction of the path leading to the cave. 



I fired twice, and as he stumbled under a banyan 

 tree on the saddle, and about on a level with our 

 posts, W. ran up and gave him a useful shot in the 

 back, and I fired my spare rifle at him. This con- 

 fused him, and, forgetting all about his cave, he 

 turned round and went back, down the side of the 

 hill which W. had been watching, into the valley 

 below all arms, legs, and bad language right on 

 the top of the beaters. It was indeed providential 

 that no accident happened, for I saw him plunge 

 into a bush close to a coolie, and W. fired two 

 or three shots at him whenever he saw him, and at 

 moving bushes when he did not, and then the tiger's 

 objurgations ceased, and all was still. 



A sandalwood tree growing in the dense cover 

 below was a conspicuous object, and it was in its 

 vicinity that I had heard the last " cursory 

 language," so, as I had some fireworks with me, 

 I caused some of these to be lighted and thrown 

 into the cover. Not even a growl came in response, 

 and I concluded that the tiger had either gone on, 

 or was dead. We then went down, and I found 

 him lying stretched out lifeless on a rock near the 

 before-mentioned sandalwood tree. On examining 

 the body, we came to the conclusion that I had hit 

 him twice, viz., once between the shoulder and chest, 

 probably the first shot as he raced past me and 

 again in the foot, and that W. had given him a very 

 serviceable shot in the back. 



K.'s post was a long way from ours, and he had 



158 



