A TIGER HUNT IN INDIA 19 



It will be of interest, perhaps, to describe 

 something of the technique of the hunt. 



The cordon of beaters pressed forward, 

 always in small groups of about ten men, for 

 a tiger who has been driven from his lair might 

 carry off a beater if he came upon him alone. 

 The black dots in the diagram represent the 

 outposts (" stops "), men placed in trees and 

 armed with sticks. Theirs is the important 

 task of preventing the tiger from slipping 

 through the cordon. When an outpost spies 

 an approaching tiger he taps gently upon the 

 tree-trunk. The king of beasts then invariably 

 turns in his tracks and retreats. The circle 

 with the cross indicates the position of the 

 guns. 



A positively hellish noise ensues. Drums 

 and rattles rend the air, shrill howls are heard, 

 fireworks explode. Then, as if at a signal, the 

 clamour subsides. 



Then the performance is repeated. The 



sound comes nearer and nearer. Suddenly, 



on our platform, we hear one of the outposts 



tapping, 

 c 2 



