TIGERS. 73 



ordered to beat it over again, but with like result, finally 

 we (the guns) searched every foot of it with the shikaries, 

 but no traces of the brute could be found, she must have 

 sneaked away on our approach, but how she could have 

 done this without being seen, was a problem we were 

 unable to solve. The natives explained that the tigress 

 had been seen to strike the woman down, and that about 

 twenty of them had proceeded together to the spot, 

 beating tom-toms (which we had heard), whereupon, 

 having drank the blood, the brute moved into the 

 rocky patch, not having had time to eat the body, 

 which was then earned to the village. This was our 

 last day in pursuit of this scourge, as our time was 

 limited, and we had much ground before us. I never 

 heard more about her until nine years afterwards, at 

 Secunderabad, when inquiries resulted in news that she 

 had been shot by a Pathan from Hyderabad, but I could 

 not ascertain the details. At the commencement of the 

 hot weather about the middle of March, one or more 

 shooting parties annually left Secunderabad for the jungle 

 lying northwards towards the Eiver Godavery. There was 

 room for the operation of three parties in that zone of 

 country, without interfering with each other 's sport. The 

 mode of procedure was as follows : About Christmas time 

 the representatives of each party having met and agreed 

 upon their respective theatres of sport, their shikaries were 

 despatched to the different villages to obtain news of the 

 big game in the vicinity ; they returned before the end 

 of February bringing certificates from the head men of the 

 various villages, stating the numbers of tigers, bears, and 

 panthers supposed to exist in the neighbouring jungles. 



The chief of each party then called its members 

 together, and the plan of campaign was duly arranged. 



