184 H.R.H. DISCOVERS HIS MISTAKE. 



partial to water in any other way I cannot believe, as I have 

 never seen a tiger frequent the. numerous wallowing pools in 

 the Nielgherries or Annamullies, or a sign of one ever having 

 used them. 



Tigers when near habitations become sometimes a little 

 too familiar, and in the shade of the evening may mistake 

 yourself or your pony for a sambur. One evening on return- 

 ing home rather late I was aware of something creeping along 

 parallel with me, and getting nearer, I suddenly saw it was 

 a tiger, and at the same moment H.R.H. discovered his 

 mistake and with a smothered growl sprung away into the 

 jungle. 



Another day when I had been out after deer it came on 

 foggy, I lost my way, and when I got back to the rocks where 

 I had told my man to stop, he was no where to be seen ; at 

 last I spied him at the top of a hill, and called him to come 

 down, but it was some time before he did so. I saw he looked 

 scared, and he then told me that he had returned to the rocks, 

 and while sitting there, he saw far up the hill what he thought 

 was me beckoning him to come up, so up he went. Imagine 

 his astonishment when on getting near, instead of me, he saw 

 a tiger lying down switching its tail. I doubted the story, but 

 swearing it was true he took me up and pointed to the unmis- 

 takeable fresh foot prints of a tiger where he had bounded 

 down the hill into the shola below. I could not find the horse 

 boy with the pony, who I had also told to meet me at 

 the top of the hill, and being afraid he would get lost, I fired 

 several shots without any effect, so went home. I found him 

 at the hut in a great state of mind ; he told me he was 

 standing waiting for me when the pony suddenly gave a 

 plunge and broke away from him, and on looking round 



