A DELIBERATE POT. 379 



partridge or two which flew up not far from me 

 must have been disturbed by the latter. 



" Luckily the beaters saw us, and soon let us 

 know that the two tigers were between us and them- 

 selves. As it was, in threading our way through the 

 bushes to reach the men, we should have come 

 almost on the top of them had we not been warned 

 in time. Circling a little round, however, we reached 

 the men without disturbing or being disturbed by 

 either. 



" The elephant soon made its appearance, and I 

 mounted into the howdah, leaving the beaters in a 

 body on the bank of the river, and between myself 

 and the caves. Both tigers were declared to be 

 lying in some thick jow and grass ; and one fellow 

 in a tree declared he could see them. 



" Well, I advanced all right directly up to the 

 spot, and very soon made out, in the shade of the 

 bushes, one tiger, lying with his fore-paws stretched 

 in front, and with head erect, looking apparently 

 directly at me. A word to the mahout, and lie 

 stopped the elephant ; and, taking a deliberate pot, 

 at a distance of not more than eight or ten yards, I 

 fired. Somewhat to my astonishment, I must con- 

 fess, not a groan or a growl answered the shot ; the 

 only difference seemed to be that the beast had 

 placed its head between its paws. I had been ex- 



