6 4 WILD SPOXTS OF BURMA AND ASSAM 



refused to budge it was all but dark so we judged it better 

 to leave her and look her up in the morning. 



My poor mahout's foot was fearfully bitten almost 

 crunched to bits. He bore his wounds like a Spartan, and 

 all he said was that it was his " nuseeb " pre-ordained luck. 

 He hoped I'd get the tigress on the morrow. Madden was 

 afraid at first that he would have to amputate the leg, but the 

 man begged him to spare it, even if so doing cost him his 

 life. So Madden, who was as good a doctor as he was a 

 companion, took out as many of the broken bones as he 

 could, and bandaged up the foot, but he had no medicines, 

 instruments, or appliances with him. I sent off a man at once 

 to Tongho ; he went all night and reached the station next 

 day getting all he was told to bring. He got into a dug-out, 

 and after an absence of only thirty-six hours he was back 

 again, having covered one hundred and some twenty miles 

 in that time, and was fully satisfied with the reward, 20 

 rupees, which I gave him. 



Thanks to our medico's skill and kindness, the man 

 recovered, but his foot was never very sound, for every now 

 and then a sore would break out and pieces of bone come 

 away ; but he remained with me whilst I was employed in 

 the Provinces. 



The elephant's wounds caused by the tigress were bad 

 enough, but the worst were where he had been cut by the 

 ropes of the charah. I have been in many scrimmages after- 

 wards, and he behaved fairly, but was never a very good 

 shooting elephant, as he would not remain perfectly still. 



At daylight next morning we were back at the scene of 

 combat. There lay the plucky tigress on her back dead. 

 She must have died soon after she drove us off, for the body 

 was quite offensive ; but I have known this to happen a few 

 hours after death. 



She had thirteen wounds ; we took out eleven bullets two 

 had gone right through. I recovered my double rifle, but 

 never saw my slipshod slippers again. 



The tigress was only 9 feet long as she lay dead, but 

 her tail was very short, and the Burmese said she was a hill 

 tigress, who had probably wandered into the plains after 

 game ; and that those of her caste were all more savage than 



