300 THE HUNTING GKOUNDS 



" A y Ciller liair, by the powers ! " exclaimed 



B . "Well, you are in luck ; but it serves me 



right for not believing in the Yanadi's warning." 



" Yes, Googooloo was not mistaken, for the tiger 

 must have been lying in wait in that bush for some 

 hours before," I replied, as I finished reloading. 

 "We then descended from our place of conceal- 

 ment, and were examining the dead tiger, when 

 Naga, whom I had sent to the hut to call up some 

 of the people to help to carry away the carcass, 

 came rushing back with fear depicted on his 

 countenance, exclaiming that he had seen another 

 tiger. 



Beckoning Chineah and Googooloo to follow with 

 spare guns, we both rushed down the pathway that 

 the people had cut through the bush, as a short 

 way to the hut, in which Naga said he had come 

 face to face with the tiger, and sure enough there 

 were the pugs close to the prints of Naga's toes. 

 The tiger must have been as much astonished at 

 the rencontre as the man, for he had evidently 

 turned back, as we could tell by the trail. 



Whilst we were examining the pugs, in order to 

 note which direction he had taken, my attention 

 was attracted by a low whimper, followed by a 

 yawn, which appeared to proceed from the bed of 

 the watercourse, and after some little trouble we 

 forced our way through the thick underwood to the 

 bank, from whence we saw a tigress coolly picking 

 her way among the stones, in the bed of the " nul- 



