72 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS. 



or having no authority among its inhabitants. On the first ex- 

 pedition, my friend and I had just passed through a village at 

 some distance from any jungle, and had been assured by the 

 villagers that tigers were unknown among them, when we 

 were addressed by a man in charge of some cattle, who begged 

 that we would shoot the tigers which had killed several of 

 his beasts. On our doubting his statement, he drew our 

 attention to numerous footprints, almost obliterated by those 

 of the cattle which had passed over them. They were in all 

 directions, close up to the houses, and the tigers seemed to 

 have been walking about the village all night. We were 

 much astonished at this, for I had never before known tigers 

 wander so close to human habitations. The man informed 

 us that they came from a belt of ravines and jungle about 

 two miles farther on, and about a mile from the bank of the 

 Nerbudda. He accompanied us for some distance, and showed 

 us their tracks, both new and old, along some cart-ruts formed 

 in bringing grain from the fields. As the moon was near the 

 full, we determined to sit up in trees at night, and rode on to 

 our camp to make the necessary preparations. 



We at once sent off men, who erected two platforms in 

 trees about half-a-mile apart. Bound the edges of these seats 

 we had screens formed of boughs, selecting those with soft 

 leaves, to prevent any rustling or noise. Goats were tied with 

 strong ropes on the south side of the trees, about fifteen yards 

 from our hiding-places, in such positions that, as the moon 

 came round, they would remain clear of the shade. My tree 

 was on the path, that of my companion nearer the village, both 

 in open cultivated ground, but clear of crops. About nine 

 o'clock I saw a tiger come across the field and stand in the 

 clear moonlight about 100 yards from my tree. I had made 

 up my mind that he would come along the road and I should 



