294 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS. 



and crowd into one or two compact bodies, I called up the 

 elephant, on which I mounted, and having hunted them out 

 of the long grass, I slew these two tigers. I then, with shame 

 and confusion of face, explained to Dhokul how I had missed 

 the tigress, and, as he believed she would not go far, we left 

 the beaters, and passing outside the covert, took up fresh posi- 

 tions across the jungle about half-a-mile higher up. Hayward 

 was again on the right, I in the centre, and as the ground was 

 more than we could cover, I directed Dhokul to take up a 

 position on my left. My signal-man I posted as before, and 

 as the beaters came on he intimated to me that a tiger was 

 moving towards Dhokul. Soon after I heard the report of 

 his gun, followed by roars from the tiger, and then all was 

 still. 



After a short time I called out, and received a reply that 

 the tiger had been hard hit and had gone back. As it was 

 important that the beaters should not be allowed to walk 

 blindly into danger, I directed Dhokul to descend from his 

 tree, and, having passed round behind Hayward and myself, 

 to get back outside the covert and prevent- them from coming 

 on. He was further told to bring up the elephant. Alive to 

 the importance of the order, he came down, and was passing 

 between me and Hayward when my signal-man called out that 

 the tiger was coming on. Sure enough, there she was, coming 

 right up the bed of the nullah at a long trot, and I at once re- 

 cognised the tigress I had missed in the first beat. I trembled 

 for Dhokul, for he was fair in her path, and shouting to him 

 to mount a tree, I fired. Beyond a flesh-wound in the forearm 

 I did no mischief, and with a savage roar the tigress charged 

 straight for Dhokul. She was within a few paces of the man ; 

 another bound, and she would have had him. Screwing my- 

 self round on the bough on which I sat, I fired my second 



