244 ROUGHING IT IN SOUTHERN INDIA 



himself be heard in that deep, full purr of contentment — a 

 cat's very own, with her prey under her paw. 



Listening intently in order to locate the sound, which 

 was stationary, F. peered through the hole he judged to be 

 opposite the spot whence it proceeded, and made out the 

 face he expected to see in amongst, and all of a colour 

 with, the blades and stalks of grass standing up round it, 

 not three yards away. Noiselessly lifting his gun, he rested 

 it on the broken edge of the hole, meaning to let drive on 

 the least movement in the grass ; though but a charge of 

 shot, it would be blinding at such close quarters. He then 

 ordered the peon, rather brutally, but for his good, to ' get 

 up instantly and go while the chance remained, otherwise 

 he would leave him there to be eaten ; for the tiger knew 

 there were two of them.' None of F.'s men ever doubted 

 his word, or that he could and would do as he said, so the 

 rough threat had its intended effect ; it got the peon, half- 

 dead with fright, on to his feet, and sent him off. 



The man gone, F. felt more free. There was only one 

 thing for him to do now — keep his eyes glued on a special 

 blade of grass behind which lay his lurking enemy for as 

 long as he could see it, at the same time backing himself 

 out of the hut. He said afterwards that he never intended 

 to fire unless forced to it, as a last and, as he knew, hazardous 

 expedient ; besides, it was contrary to a sportsman's prin- 

 ciples ever to disable an animal without following it up, if 

 it could possibly be avoided, except in a case of dire neces- 

 sity, with a human life at stake — one's own or that of another. 

 He said, too, that all along, from the start, two thoughts 

 were prominent in his mind : one of furious anger against 

 himself for being caught in such a fix with no better weapon 

 than a shot-gun, for it was just that that made it a fix at 

 all ; had the double Express been in his hand instead, the 

 1 fix ' would have been such a chance as a man need never 

 hope to get twice in a lifetime. The other thought was of 



