252 MODERN PIG-STICKING 



gratitude. Captain Luxmoore, R.A.M.C. (now with 

 the 2nd Life Guards), was out that day, and he took 

 us in hand at once. I owe my life to his skill and 

 care, and was able, practically healed, to ride in the 

 Kadir Cup two months later. 



Crispin obeyed hand and leg to the end, and, 

 though severely mauled himself, took no more 

 notice of the panther than if he had been a harmless 

 sheep. When I was pulled off he stayed close by. 

 You will not wonder that Crispin and I do not part 

 in this life. 



In 1912 Norton and I beat for a tigress in the 

 Central Provinces. The beat was on the side of a 

 hill shaped like a hook ; we were in the bend of this 

 hook. Bear, hog, and sambhur broke to us, but 

 no tiger. We suddenly heard the tigress roaring 

 savagely, a great shouting of the beaters, and then 

 that ominous silence which is always hateful. 

 We got down at once and went to help. We found 

 the tigress had broken through the beat, and had 

 charged one of the men, who cut at the tigress with 

 his little jungle axe, and turned her, himself escaping 

 with some slight wounds. The tigress saw another 

 man half-way up a tree, sprang at him, seized him 

 by the thigh, dragged him down, and then left him. 



This poor fellow was badly injured. He had a 

 slab of flesh a foot long and some inches thick 

 bitten off his thigh, hanging only by skin. There 

 were deep wounds in his groin, and his elbow and 

 shoulder were much torn. He was very plucky ; 

 he did not complain at all, nor do I think was he 

 in great pain. He asked often for cigarettes. 

 Our only chance was to get him into the nearest 

 hospital forty miles away. We dressed him, and 

 I marched with him at once, while Norton went 



