84 TIGERS. 



He shot a fine male bear soon afterwards, which shammed 

 death, and very nearly scragged him. There were no kills 

 reported that morning, and next day we marched north- 

 wards. It is most disappointing having to leave a place 

 where tigers are killing regularly, on account of being 

 unable to find them. During the preceding hot weather 

 (1870) my headquarters for ten days had been established 

 at Shimoga, in Western Mysore a place in those days 

 famous for big game of all sorts, from elephants down- 

 wards. Colonel Hay, the Deputy Commissioner, had not 

 only placed his house at my disposal (he being out in the 

 district), but had also arranged for immediate news being 

 sent me of any tigers in the neighbourhood. Day after 

 day kubbur (news) being brought in of kills, I proceeded 

 to beat a series of most inviting looking nullahs, full of 

 nooks, shaded by caroonda, jamun, and other evergreens, in 

 the vicinity of the villages (Davidacoop and Moodina- 

 coop) where the tigers had killed, but all in vain, for not 

 a tiger was ever seen by anybody on these occasions. 



One morning a bail had actually been killed between 

 rows of houses inside the village of Moodinacoop, and a 

 few days later four were killed within half a mile of the 

 same place. On two occasions we carried the pugs to the 

 foot of a bare conical hill, about 150 feet high, which was 

 crowned by a small Hindoo temple, about the size of a 

 summer-house. Beyond the hill was flat, open country, 

 devoid of covert, and we were completely foiled by this 

 tiger. A fortnight after leaving Shimoga a friend wrote 

 to me that, a native having seen the tiger enter the temple 

 one morning, news of it was despatched to Shimoga, and 

 Mr. Dobbs, a well-known sportsman in those parts, on 

 proceeding there found a tigress and two cubs in possession 

 of the shrine, and shot the lot without much difficulty. 



