62 WILD SPORTS OF BURMA AND ASSAM 



repented of having got on to the charah, but there was no 

 time for delay, if we wanted to bag the tigress. 



I stood where we were until I saw the other elephants 

 coming back, though at a snail's pace, protesting the whole 

 time. My mahout had been punishing my beast, and I think 

 he got his pecker up, as he did not hesitate to push his way 

 into the thicket. No sooner had his head entered than the 

 tigress sprang clean off the ground, lighted between his tusks 

 and, clinging to the trunk and forehead with her claws, she 

 set to work to maul him about the jaws. I had hit her as she 

 sprang, but she seemed to bear a charmed life, and to be still 

 full of fight. Those who are familiar with elephants will 

 realize the row mine kicked up at this mark of affection on 

 the part of the feline. 



He suddenly threw himself on his knees, and began to drive 

 his long tusks into the ground, imagining, no doubt, that he 

 was pounding the tigress to death ; but she was perfectly safe 

 where she was, and was mauling him dreadfully. As the 

 tusker dropped on his knees, the charah toppled over and I 

 was sent flying. I lit on the broad of my back, holding on 

 like grim death to my gun the rifle had fallen off with the 

 charah. I had half-cocked the weapon as I felt falling off, 

 but re-cocked it directly I embraced mother earth. When I 

 picked myself up I was about four feet in front of the infuri- 

 ated elephant and the equally enraged tigress. To shoot was 

 impossible, so rapid were the movements and so intricately 

 mixed were the two and I might perhaps shoot the 

 mahout or the elephant so I thought discretion the better 

 part of valour, and retreated backwards. 



Boyle had seen me disappear, and thought I was in the 

 clutches of the tigress ; he was thrashing his mahout to come 

 to the rescue, but not a beast would budge an inch in the re- 

 quired direction. I expected every moment the tigress would 

 leave the elephant and attack me, so I kept my eyes steadily 

 on the combatants and my gun at the ready. I had no shoes 

 or socks on my slipshods had disappeared the ground was 

 hard and lumpy and covered with the stalks of the grass 

 which had just then been burnt a short time back. The 

 stumps were sticking out of the ground like panjies, and cruelly 

 lacerated my feet ; there were thousands of trailing creepers 



