ADVENTUKES IN CAMP AND JUNGLE. 321 



their return they reported that they had hardly left the spot 

 before the unhappy beast was slain. This was very satis- 

 factory, as we knew the tigers would gorge themselves and lie 

 up in the cypress. 



Our men were out early next morning, and having care- 

 fully examined the bank, assured us, on their return, that the 

 tigers had not left the river. About 10 A.M. we went out to 

 the covert, which was within half-a-mile of our camp. An 

 open bed of gravel extended for forty yards from the foot of 

 the high sloping bank, and between this and the water was 

 a strip of cypress, ten yards in width. At the lower end, 

 towards our camp, the covert became wider and contained 

 some high willow-trees. Murray and Evans were posted in 

 these trees ; I was on another on the side of the high bank 

 overlooking the cypress ; while Cadell and the geologists 

 entered the upper end of the strip on elephants, and imme- 

 diately started the tigers. They were three in number, one 

 gentleman and two ladies. Several shots were fired by the 

 party on the elephants, and one tigress was there and then 

 killed. The other two came rushing down the strip, giving 

 me a fine view of them as they went by. But, though 

 wounded, they did not fall to my shots. Passing down the 

 covert, they were fired on and turned back by Evans and 

 Murray. The elephants were now closing in on them ; again 

 I fired from my tree, and they were met by a sharp fire from 

 Cadell and his party. Presently all three lay dead, and were 

 soon on their way to the tents, where we spent the afternoon 



in preparing the skins. Here we parted with Messrs. B 



and W , who went off to explore the hills. 



At a short distance below our camp was the " Hum Pahl," 

 or " Deer's Leap," at which point the province of Nimar ter- 

 minates, and the ranges of the Vindyah and Sathpoora moun- 



Y 



