BULLET AND SHOT 



large one, but the men, before commencing upon it,, 

 worked a stretch of forest into the plantations, in 

 order to drive into the latter any deer which might 

 be in the former. After my ladder had been fixed, 

 the men who brought it went off to take up their 

 positions as stops ; but, on mounting it, I found 

 that at the acute angle at which it had been placed, 

 I could hardly have fired had a stag appeared (un- 

 less he was directly under me), owing to my being 

 bent forward in a most uncomfortable attitude. I 

 was therefore compelled to call up the stop who 

 was posted on the river bank, and to cause him to 

 readjust the ladder, and place it at such an angle as 

 would admit of my firing therefrom with comfort. 



This done, 1 sat and waited. After some time 

 I heard the shouts of the beaters afar off, but their 

 progress was very slow ; no deer appeared, and I 

 was beginning to get very drowsy even if I did 

 not actually close my eyes when, to my great 

 surprise, I saw a large tiger walking along on my 

 side of the river bank, about opposite to the 

 position of the stop posted below the latter, and 

 actually coming towards the direction of the beat. 

 Raising my rifle and carefully aiming at him, I 

 fired. The tiger fell at the shot, and I at once 

 fired the second barrel at the little of him which I 

 then saw, but, as I afterwards found, this shot 

 missed. I then waited for some time, the tiger 

 lying where he fell, making only a smothered groan- 

 ing noise for some minutes, until at last this ceased. 

 Presently, one of the stops came up to my post, and 

 handing down my rifle to him, I descended, and 



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