194 EXCITING RENCONTRE WITH THREE TIGERS. 



by a bamboo clump, upon which I sent the bullet into the 

 point of the shoulder, but, I think, the other shot had killed 

 her ; she proved to be nearly a full-grown young tigress 

 seven feet two from nose to top of tail. The third had gone 

 straight up the bank and had got clean away ; I then went 

 after the wounded one and found blood immediately beyond 

 where I had taken the running shot and plenty of it. 



I knew that it was uncommonly ticklish work following 

 up this tigress which I felt pretty certain was not mortally 

 wounded, but with great caution and a steady hand I trusted 

 to be able to have the best of it if she objected to our pro- 

 ceedings ; after some time we came to several places where 

 she had laid down, and as we approached a deep narrow 

 nullah out she rushed along the bottom of it. I had to fire a 

 very snap shot, but it turned her up to the right, and a little 

 further on I saw by the movement of the grass and under- 

 wood that she was just in front of us ; she had entered another 

 nullah where I soon put her up again ; as the ground was not 

 favourable I did not fire ; but as she went across through the 

 bamboos I saw she was very badly wounded. It was some 

 time before we again got near her ; we had just gone round 

 some thick bushes through which the track pointed and were 

 looking to take it up again, when Atley pointed to some open 

 bamboo jungle, about sixty yards away and there was the 

 tigress lying down looking straight a head ; I raised my Ross, 

 took a steady aim and fired, she rolled over on her side never 

 to rise again, but as she kept gasping and showing some signs 

 of life I thought it as well to be on the safe side so put another 

 projectile into her chest. She was a magnificent tigress with 

 a most beautiful skin which I had damaged considerably with 

 the snap shot in the nullah, the ball having played ducks and 



