186 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS. 



friends who was marching up the country, and had assisted 

 at the death of a tiger in the bed of the Boorar river, six miles 

 south of Khull. The Mekranees are inhabitants of the country 

 to the west of Scinde, whence a number of the male popula- 

 tion migrate into Central India and the northern part of the 

 Bombay Presidency in quest of employment in a semi-military 

 capacity. They are free lances, taking service with any one 

 who will pay them. Many of them are expert marksmen, 

 and skilled in the use of both sword and matchlock. Not- 

 withstanding the services which he had rendered to my friend, 

 I did not think that the gentleman before me would prove 

 a very valuable addition to my sporting staff. He was evi- 

 dently a great dandy, and appeared before me wearing a 

 pair of very high-heeled red slippers, which were no doubt 

 greatly admired by his lady friends, but did not strike me 

 as likely to be of service for quick work over a rough country. 

 However, he said he could show me a tiger, and he kept his 

 word. 



I was on my return march to the Nerbudda, and arranged 

 for a halt at Tekree on the Boorar river, where the Mekranee 

 had preceded us. I had with me a very good little Bheel 

 named Himta, whom I had brought with me from Maunpore. 

 He also went forward to examine the bed of the river. On 

 my arrival they met me, saying, that assuredly there was a 

 tiger in the neighbourhood ; they had seen his tracks in several 

 places, but had not succeeded in marking him down. About 

 10 A.M. I mounted an elephant, and we moved up the course 

 of the stream. After going two miles, we came on some close 

 patches of cypress and willow growing in the bed of the river, 

 which at this season was dry, except in the deeper pools. On 

 the banks were thick bushes, laced in many parts with masses 

 of creeping plants, through which an elephant could not have 



