TIGERS. 69 



We used to go out in the mornings after bears, and fish 

 during the day in a deep bowrie (well) close to our tents, 

 which were pitched under some mango trees. The hay las 

 (young buffaloes) were tied up some distance off, so there 

 was nothing to prevent our shooting small game near 

 camp. On the morning of the 4th June I had shot a bear, 

 and had also made an unsuccessful rush to intercept a tiger 

 (as already described under the heading of "bears "), and 

 the following day went out to look for some partridges for 

 the pot. About 11 a.m., on my way back to camp, the 

 shikari came running up to report that the tiger had killed 

 a bail (ox), and was eating it within a short distance of the 

 village. My friend and I were soon on the spot, and 

 found that, in the interim, the tiger had dragged the gfini 

 under a big rock, towards which we advanced, on the look 

 out for squalls. We had just sighted the head of the bail 

 when we were suddenly stopped by two deep growls, and 

 the tiger moved slowly away, as could be seen by the 

 bushes and grass shaking, as she brushed through them ; 

 we jumped up on the adjacent rocks, but could not get a 

 glimpse of the brute. After inspecting the gara, which 

 bore the marks of teeth and claws in the neck near the 

 shoulder, and of which part of the buttocks had been eaten, 

 we decided to sit up over the kill that night. It was 

 bright moonlight, and we watched in vain till about 

 1 o'clock a.m., when the moon became obscured by clouds, 

 and the tiger returned and had a hearty meal within 

 ten yards of the rock on which we were seated. We could 

 hear the crunching of the bones, but never u sight of her 

 did we get ; if we had done so, it might have been the 

 means of saving the lives of more than one hundred 

 natives which were subsequently killed and eaten by her. 

 During the tiger's repast a heavy shower of rain came on. 



