WATCHING FOR THE TIGER. 



205 



place ; it had been dragged but a few paces and did not 

 appear to be much eaten. I commenced watching about nine 

 o'clock. At first I sat on the bough of the tree, but in that 

 position I found I could only fire from the left shoulder, so I 

 shifted to the ladder, and having brought the rifle slings I was 

 able to hang the rifles on the bough near me. At first I took 

 my big rifle "Sal," but being afraid the recoil would knock 



HE STOOD TO LISTEN, LOOKING THE OTHER WAY. 



me clean off the ladder, I changed it for Ross, which was 

 loaded with projectiles. During the watch I noticed several 

 of those large black hornets, with a yellow ring round their 

 bodies, very busy about the carcass of the bison. I had 

 previously seen one of these hornets deliberately robbing the 

 nest of a small kind of wasp, digging out the young larvae and 



