106 TIGERS. 



were joined by Colonel Eussell on our march to Eajavole, 

 where we arrived on the 29th March, after an uneventful 

 fortnight, during which we had high winds and compara- 

 tively cool weather. The second day after our arrival a 

 gara was reported, and the tiger marked down in a small 

 rocky hill ahout two miles from camp. This we proceeded 

 to beat, and very shortly afterwards three bears were driven 

 out and passed to my left towards the Colonel's posts. 

 Then a tiger made his appearance, heading in the same 

 direction, so I did not fire, but, much to my surprise, 

 neither did they. I therefore came to the conclusion that 

 he had doubled back before reaching their posts. 



The beat ended without a shot being fired, and it 

 then transpired that the tiger had passed within twenty 

 yards of my colonel, who being in an awkward position 

 in his tree, could not fire. Three days afterwards 

 we were beating over another kill, at a small isolated 

 cluster of boulders about three miles from camp. We 

 were certainly posted too near the tiger's lair, and he 

 must have detected us. He lay till the beaters were almost 

 on the top of him, being evidently most reluctant to emerge 

 from his retreat, which he eventually did at full gallop, 

 straight under the colonel, who was posted in a leafy tree, 

 which prevented his seeing the tiger. I got two snap-shots 

 at him as he galloped through the jungle about seventy 

 yards off. He spoke to the left barrel, but went on. We 

 then tracked him for some distance dangerous work, which 

 should seldom be resorted to without an elephant but 

 there were no signs of blood, and to this day I don't know 

 where he was hit, for we never saw him again. This tiger 

 undoubtedly winded us, for we were posted up wind and 

 within seventy yards of the cairn he was hiding in ; and, 

 although we were all at least ten feet above the ground, it 



