154 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS. 



My three friends left their passes and came towards me, 

 but halted when I told them of the tigress. As she remained 

 motionless, I began to think she must have been killed in- 

 stantaneously, so calling on -them to cover my descent, I came 

 down, and we went up to her. She had been struck by both 

 balls. One had entered about the root of the neck on the 

 right side, passing out behind the left forearm, the other had 

 taken her through the loins, and the combined results were 

 that she had sunk stone dead in her tracks. 



I was not in very robust health about this time, and the 

 effect of the sun, which was very powerful, brought on a feeling 

 of deadly sickness ; and, soon after coming down from my tree, 

 I became violently ill. My comrades gave me weak brandy 

 and water, and poured water over my head, and in about half- 

 an-hour the more acute symptoms subsided, but I was not 

 fit to go on. 



My friends were vexed at losing the big tiger, which they 

 had wounded badly, and they determined to go into the covert 

 together and hunt him out. I did my utmost to dissuade them, 

 but they had been reading Eice's accounts of tiger-shooting, 

 and assured me they would advance shoulder to shoulder, and 

 proceed with the utmost caution. 



Mounting a riding camel, I returned to the tents, and 

 kept quiet for the rest of the afternoon. My friends returned 

 about 5 P.M., not having seen the wounded beast ; they had 

 gone into the covert as they had proposed, and had seen one 

 small tiger, at which one of the party had attempted to fire, 

 but his rifle snapped ; and, altogether, I thought they had 

 reason to congratulate themselves on their want of success. 



As our men assured us that there were still a tigress and 

 two large cubs in the covert, we went to the same ground next 

 morning, and took up the same positions. I saw the tigress, 



