TIGERS. 91 



the right. In case of a very easy shot this might do, but 

 the recoil of a 12 -bore, burning five drachms, which I 

 generally used, would be unpleasant, if not dangerous, 

 under the circumstances. 



The morning after the Golamorra fiasco we proceeded 

 to beat the nullah towards which the tiger had been 

 tracked at Apparowpett. The main nullah was deep 

 and shady, and contained some pools of clear water at the 

 bends ; beyond it lay two smaller watercourses, both were 

 dry and ran parallel to the large nullah at intervals of 

 about forty yards. The beaters commenced before we 

 were posted, and we were hustled into our places, I being 

 on the centre nullah some sixty yards forward, and 

 Poulton and Manley to the right and left rear respectively 

 011 the flank nullahs. I had just got seated in my tree 

 a young and shady Indian beech when a look-out man in 

 a high tree behind me began to whistle at intervals, 

 denoting that he saw the tiger. At the same instant I 

 was attacked by red ants. In view of the approaching tiger 

 it was inexpedient to descend, but the bites of the ants 

 were maddening, and after a few agonising seconds I had 

 to do so, remaining at the foot of the tree in its shade and 

 carefully scanning the ground in front, which was covered 

 here and there with patches of long yellow grass. The 

 look-out man continued to whistle, and then pointed 

 towards the big nullah ; but for a long time nothing could 

 be seen, until at length a movement about thirty yards to 

 the left caught my eye, and there was the tiger walking 

 slowly along nearly past my position. As the trigger was 

 pressed he seemed to stumble in the dust, and then 

 charged on without speaking in the direction of Manley, 

 who gave him both barrels and sang out that he had gone 

 on. The tracks were then followed up towards 



