66 WILD SPORTS OF BURMA AND ASSAM 



she did not care two pins for a man, but she suddenly found 

 him transformed into a four-footed beast, more uncanny- 

 looking than herself put her tail between her legs and ran 

 for her life and escaped, but was eventually killed by some 

 Karens, after killing a great many people, and being for the 

 time the terror of the hills. Here was a case of a man-eater 

 showing no fear of even a detachment of troops, who, as they 

 were all armed and loaded, might have killed her when she 

 first appeared, had they possessed an atom of pluck. Hill 

 was carried in to Shoayghein and eventually recovered, but he 

 had a more than fortunate escape, for only the upper fangs 

 penetrated his neck, actually grazing the jugular. Had not 

 Hill fallen so suddenly and she had made good her grip, the 

 artery would have been severed, and he must have died in a 

 few minutes. 



When a tiger kills a beast he never goes far off, so if it is 

 intended to sit up for him, great circumspection should be 

 used in erecting the machan to avoid noise ; it is best to take 

 a native charpoy or couch, which is light and fairly strong, 

 and either sling it on to a tree or to fasten it to the branches. 

 When moving the carcase of the kill, care must be taken not 

 to allow human hands to pull it about not that a really 

 hungry tiger would care, but if he has had a good meal lately 

 he will be dainty, and smell the carcase all over, and if he 

 detect the least taint of a human being he will go away and 

 perhaps not return for several days. Sitting over a fresh kill 

 is bad enough, but to do the same over a putrid corpse is 

 sickening, and more than most men can stand. So if there 

 be no suitable place for sitting up where the garah lies, and 

 you have to move to a more favourable locality, throw a 

 noose over the horns and drag it to where your mart has been 

 erected. In my young days I did a good deal of machan and 

 mart work, but with little success, and I strongly advise no 

 man to sit up unless the moon be very bright ; and to use 

 luminous paint for his foresight. It seems ridiculous you 

 can see the smallest objects moving at a distance by moon- 

 light, yet you can't see the foresight of your rifle. I tried 

 many dodges all failed but the best was luminous paint. 

 With everything most carefully worked out the chances are 

 greatly in favour of the tiger getting off, and you have had 



