ii6 THE WILDERNESS AND JUNGLE 



provoked, the tiger takes good care to keep 

 out of the way of Europeans ; and, hard as it 

 is to make the " Griffin " (i.e. the new-comer) 

 believe it, he is probably, unless a cool shot, 

 far safer in the forest without a rifle than with 

 one, and all the protection he needs is a pair of 

 leggings and a good stick for the snakes. In 

 point of fact the jungle is in reality a much 

 less terrible place than our stay-at-home 

 friends picture it. Half its dangers are the 

 result of imagination, and most of the other 

 half are the result of lying on the part of 

 those who cannot bear to return home with- 

 out having enjoyed, on paper at any rate, 

 their share of wild adventure. The method 

 of shooting tigers from a machan has been 

 mentioned. This entails tying up a goat or 

 some other animal for bait, and also sitting 

 up all night. The sounds and sights of the 

 jungle on a warm Indian night are not without 

 their attraction, but the results are not as a rule 

 very satisfactory, as some little mistake may 

 warn the tiger to stay away, or, when it comes 

 in sight, the darkness may be so intense that 

 it is impossible to take aim. There are even 

 intrepid sportsmen who shoot tigers on foot, 

 which is not a recreation for anyone with 

 "nerves"; and in the winding waterways of the 

 Sunderbunds it is occasionally possible to get 

 a shot at one from a boat. Now and again, 



