90 TIGERS. 



the tiger charged towards them, and, leaping up, clawed 

 the shikari to the ground, where he worried the unfortunate 

 man for some time before an opening for another shot was 

 given. Directly it was fired he ceased biting the shikari (who 

 was dead) and, although hard hit, again sprang up the tree 

 and dragged my poor friend to the ground. Here a 

 desperate struggle was being fought when a brother officer 

 came running up, but for some seconds he was unable to 

 fire without hitting his companion, who was lying on the 

 ground and pummelling the tiger about the head as it 

 attacked him. He soon, however, got an opportunity, and 

 shot the brute dead but, alas ! too late to save the life of 

 his companion.* When posted in a tree, great difficulty 

 is often experienced in aiming at an animal passing to 

 the right unless one can shoot from the left shoulder, an 

 accomplishment well worth the trouble of learning. To 

 some extent this may be guarded against by assuming a 

 special position to bring fire on the right or left flank, as 

 the case may be. The branches however may interfere 

 with this ; for instance, in the Grolamorra wood I 

 was standing on a branch that was almost horizontal, 

 and to increase my stability was leaning forward against 

 an almost similar one, a few feet higher and to the front. 

 This position gave me command of all ground in front, 

 but no fire could be brought to bear on an animal any- 

 where in rear, nor could I turn round to do so. Major 

 Fergusson, of the Eifle Brigade, told me he got over this 

 difficulty in the case of his first tiger, which suddenly 

 appeared on his right rear, by holding on to a branch 

 with his left hand, and using his rifle pistol fashion with 



* Cases of panthers acting in this way occur from time to- 

 time, sometimes with fatal results ; but it is a far more active 

 animal than a tiger, and can climb like a cat. 



