I90 A SPLENDID SHOT. 



him out, and he had hardly made the remark when out he 

 came and we could see him quite plain with our glasses ; he 

 looked a noble beast. It was a fine sight as we lay watching 

 him ; the vultures had all settled down on the side of the hill 

 afraid to go near the carcass. After some time H.R. H. 

 disappeared, and Francis proposed that we should go round 

 and get above the place where we had seen him and watch 

 within shot ; in doing so we should disturb the vultures 

 which in all probability would bring him out again. We 

 managed the stalk very well, put the vultures on the wing 

 and got to the edge of the shola, creeping a little further down 

 where we could command all the ground above the buffalo. 

 R. was to have first shot, so I did not even cock my rifle, 

 intending to reserve my fire in case of a charge. The 

 vultures before long began to collect in large numbers on 

 the opposite hill ; I counted fifty, but they would not go near 

 the carcass. Several crows more bold came down and kicked 

 up a great row over their meal ; all of a sudden they all flew 

 up and I felt certain it was the tiger, but I could see 

 nothingf. Some minutes afterwards R. fired. I looked 

 about to see where the tiger was, when R. cried out, " He's 

 dead ! " and sure enough on going down there he was as 

 dead as a stone, shot right through the brain, lying just above 

 the buffalo ; he had evidently been brought down by the row 

 the crows were making. R. when he fired only saw his ear 

 and part of his head about ninety yards off ; it was a splendid 

 shot. Satisfying ourselves that he was dead by pelting him 

 with stones and making a great noise, we went down and 

 inspected him ; he was a grand beast. We made him 

 by rough measurement, 9 feet 1 inch long and 3 feet 6 inches 

 at the shoulder. He had a wound four or five inches long 



