82 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS. 



a shot, but owing, I suppose, to some projecting piece of 

 rock, we never could see both eyes at once, and two shots 

 which I fired in were without effect. Meanwhile, the Bheels 

 had collected a large bundle of grass and sticks, which we 

 rolled up to the entrance of the inner cave, and having set 

 fire to it, we all withdrew to the mouth of the outer to watch 

 the result. There was a most thorough draught into the cave, 

 and the flame was swept into it, but the beast made no sign, 

 and at length the fire died down. We then had another large 

 bundle of dry grass made up, but this time we mixed it well 

 with green leaves. On this being fired, a dense black smoke 

 arose, and was carried into the cave. It was such that we 

 thought no beast could live in it ; but again the fire died out, 

 and though the inner cave was filled with smoke, its tenant 

 had made no attempt to come out. We had just made up 

 our minds that he had died in the hole, when, from the inner 

 cave, came a sudden rush of smoke, as if driven out by some- 

 thing advancing rapidly. We stood ready, and the next 

 instant, through the embers of the fire, came not a hysena 

 but a large tiger, charging blindly, with savage growls. 



Hayward carried a short rifle, with a ball of some three 

 ounces in weight, and I had a double rifle of fourteen bore. 

 In the instant that elapsed between the tiger's emerging 

 from the smoke and his reaching the entrance of the outer 

 cave, he was struck by the three balls. Two had taken him 

 through the shoulder, and one through the loins, disabling 

 his hind quarter. As he fell we could have placed our guns 

 on his head too near, in fact, to be pleasant. 



Our followers behaved with great steadiness, and at once 

 handed us our second guns. By this time the tiger had managed 

 to drag himself from the cave, and having got on the slope 

 of the hill, he was evidently unable to move up towards us. 



