EXCITING RENCONTRE WITH THREE TIGERS. 1 93 



A tree close by had the marks of a tiger's claws upon it 

 as high as twelve or fourteen feet. We saw by the marks 

 that there were more tigers than one, and when we got to the 

 nullah at the bottom of the slope, the footmarks were all over 

 the place. Going carefully along it for a short distance, my 

 shikarie made a sign and pointed to a bend in the nullah 

 to the left, and there I saw the striped body of one tiger and 

 part of the body of another. Creeping up to a tree a few 

 paces in front and looking round it, I saw three tigers lying at 

 full length on their backs ; they were not above thirty-five 

 or forty paces from me, but there was nothing vital to fire at, 

 as the largest, a tigress, was the farthest from me, and she 

 was lying flat on her back with all her four paws in the air. 

 I could only see her in perspective, and as I was glancing 

 my eyes over the three dozing beauties, this one suddenly 

 raised her head and stared at me through her four legs. 

 The rifle in my hand was loaded with projectiles and 

 aiming to catch her in the face about the eye I fired. At the 

 report there was a rush and a scrimmage in all directions ; 

 the large tigress came tearing towards, but not at me ; I 

 waited till she was about twenty or twenty-five paces past 

 me, going like a greyhound, and then fired. A kind of half 

 stumble and a circular swing of her tail proved she was hit, 

 and seizing my big Laing I looked round, and just across the 

 nullah not fifteen paces from me, I saw another tiger looking 

 at me in astonishment ; as its body was away from me I let 

 drive at the eye. It sprang forward up the hill, but the 

 second barrel brought it head over heels down again, and 

 catching hold of my spare rifle, I prepared to pitch a three- 

 ouncer into it as soon as it arrived in the nullah, which 

 would have been about six yards from me, but it was stopped 



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