THE HUxN'TIXG GROUNDS, ETC. 123 



Without dismounting, I went, guided by a 

 villager, to the place where the tiger had been seen 

 the evening before, and there I found unmistak- 

 able signs of bis presence, as the pugs were plainly 

 visible. 



I sent my horse back to the village, and, accom- 

 panied by tlie gang, followed his track through a 

 narrow ravine densely wooded. 



Here the trail became exceedingly difficult to 

 follow, as the brute had evidently been walking 

 about backwards and forwards in the bed and along 

 the banks of a dry nullah, and we could not distin- 

 guish his last trail. 



I caused the band to separate, and for half-an- 

 hour or so we were wandering about as if in a maze, 

 for the cunning brute had been describing circles, 

 and often, by following the trail, we arrived at the 

 place we started from. 



Whilst we were all at a loss, suddenly I heard a 

 low "Coo" twice repeated, and I knew that Goo- 

 jrooloo, who was seldom at fault, was now on warm 

 scent, and from his call I was as certain that the 

 game was afoot as any master of hounds would 

 have been, while breaking cover, to hear his favourite 

 dog give tongue. 



The gang closed up, and, guided by the sound, 

 we made our way through thick bush to where Goo- 

 gooloo was standing by a pool of water in the bed of 

 the nullah. 



Here were unmistakable marks of his having 



