226 THE HUNTING GROUNDS 



I knew my antagonist was dead, but to make sure, 

 I waited a few minutes before leaving my ambus- 

 cade, when, hearing nothing, I lighted a bull's-eye 

 lantern I always carried about with me, which fast- 

 ened by a spring to the front of ray belt, and, rifle 

 in hand, I took a cursory view of the bullock, the 

 hinder part of which was half eaten, and then exa- 

 mined the bush, where I found the tiger stretched 

 lifeless on the ground, in some low cover about 

 fifteen paces behind the place where I had been 

 lying in wait. I called down Chineah and Googooloo, 

 who lighted a torch, and we found that both of my 

 shots had taken efiect ; the first had struck him in 

 the centre of the forehead, ploughed up the skin, 

 and glanced off the bone ; the second entered the 

 chest, and apparently traversed the lungs, for the 

 ground about was covered with blood and froth that 



O 



had issued from the mouth. He proved to be mag- 

 nificently marked, although not so large as I ex- 

 pected, from the large imprints of his paws. 



We now lighted a large fire, wrapped ourselves 

 carefully up in our blankets, and indulged in a brew 

 of hot punch and the " fragrant weed," which never 

 appeared more grateful than on that bitterly cold 

 morning. After some time the summits of the op- 

 posite hills began to appear more distinctly against 

 a clearer sky, and presently the moon slowly emerged 

 above the horizon, and her silver rays lighted up the 

 whole scene. After having cut off the centre claw of 

 the tiger's right foot, by way of marking the game. 



