196 EXCITING ADVENTURE. 



seemed to fail him and he sprang across the nullah into 

 the shola, and disappeared." 



One of the most exciting adventures I ever had 

 with a tiger happened in this way. One morning on 

 going to look for a sambur I thought I had wounded, 

 I found the fresh tracks of a leopard or tiger, Francis 

 thought the former, but some of the marks appeared to 

 me too large. As we crossed the opening leading to the 

 upper crags, the lascar pointed to something red in the 

 grass on " bear hill," and on putting up the glasses I saw it 

 was a very large tiger lying down and looking steadily at us : 

 we squatted, and for four or five minutes we remained gazing 

 at one another ; he stood up, had a good stare at us and then 

 sat down like a dog. He certainly looked a huge monster, 

 the two white spots over his eyes looked very curious ; he 

 was . about five or six hundred yards off and there was no 

 getting at him, but at last he slowly rose and stole down 

 towards us into the shola ; I think he took us for sambur and 

 intended stalking us. We went to some rocks to meet him, 

 but he never came. I decided on picketing the goats for him, 

 and after fixing on a convenient tree we returned to the hut 

 about noon. Francis at once started with the lascar and the 

 two goats to build a machan ; heavy rain set in which did not 

 cease till past four when I went down to see how they were 

 getting on. I made up my mind to remain at the hut all the 

 following week in the hopes of getting this tiger. Francis 

 had built a very good place to watch, and the goats bleated 

 very satisfactorily, but a hind came out and began belling at 

 the goats which frightened them and stopped their noise. I 

 only left the machan when it was too dark to see to shoot. 

 The next morning and all that day the goats remained 



