224 THE FORESTS OF UPPER INDIA 



fat adhering to the skin being scraped off and wood ashes 

 apphed, Colonel Ramsay ordered the carcase to be 

 dragged out from under the thick mango-trees into the 

 open. Taking out his watch, he asked us to make a guess 

 as to how long the vultures would take to clean the flesh 

 off the bones. Some said half an hour. As there was 

 not a vulture in sight, this seemed even betting, but 

 Colonel Ramsay gave them ten minutes, which proved 

 to be correct. There was one vulture at first seen soaring 

 round and round very high up in the cloudless sky. He 

 closed his wings, and dropped on to the carcase with a 

 swoop. In two minutes the sky was full of vultures, all 

 concentrating from every side on the spot, and arriving, 

 with all the impetus their drop from a great height gave 

 them, as fast as it takes to tell the story. Then there com- 

 menced a frightful scene of literal carnage, every one tear- 

 ing with sharp hooked bill at the entrails first, then at the 

 flesh — all fighting for room to get a piece and tumbling 

 over one another with frantic haste, a mass of flapping 

 brown wings and bloody heads and claws, which was 

 ridiculous and horrible to see. When each was gorged, 

 he would sit in a helpless manner round the outskirts 

 of the melee, and a fresh lot would arrive to scrape the 

 bones or screech with disappointed rage. 



Colonel Ramsay spoke of the folly of attacking a tiger 

 in the jungle on foot. By good luck a man might escape 

 several times, but he was bound to be taken in the end. 

 It was rank foolhardiness and bad shikar. It was also 

 silly to get off one's elephant and jump on an apparently 

 dead tiger, without great caution. This had been done 

 by Lieutenant S., who had struck his tiger with a buUet 

 in the head, and was immensely elated at the ease with 

 which he had finished his enemy. But, alas ! the tiger 

 was only stunned, and, jumping up again, took a nip out 



