ROUGHING IT IN SOUTHERN INDIA 273 



in front, too, where he knew he could not be hidden ; per- 

 haps he was old, and his keenness of vision and scent 

 diminished. However that might be, there was no doubt 

 about the tiger's being startled and scared in his turn, for 

 he went off pretty quick. 



F. kept in his eye the very spot where the tiger had 

 crouched, and upon measurement it was found to be but a 

 few yards distant from where we were sitting, nicely within 

 reach ! 



So enticing was our camp that the tiger could not keep 

 away for long, and was round again a few hours later. 

 Despite being discovered by all the dogs at once, judging 

 by their excitement, so daring was he as to hang about till 

 driven off at last by the men's torches, he was even seen 

 before he would go, for the glaring light was thrown upon 

 every corner ; and if the fact of allowing himself to be 

 chased away at last contradicts my assertion of his daring, 

 that must be put down not so much to the men's antics 

 as to the torches, for fire no wild thing can face. In all 

 regions of the globe travellers will lay themselves com- 

 posedly beside a few burning logs, assured of safety as far 

 as prowling beasts are concerned, the spiral of smoke being 

 warning enough. 



Two ibex kids were born while we were up in the hills, 

 but their mother abandoning them for some reason or other, 

 they were brought up by hand, and throve apace. As they 

 were not old enough to look after themselves when we had 

 to return to Coimbatore, we took them with us, our inten- 

 tion being to send them back later on to their own natural 

 habitat and mode of life, knowing that they would speedily 

 find their bearings. This plan, however, was never carried 

 out ; for, to our great regret, the little creatures died within 

 a short time of each other from a cause which we were at 

 first quite at a loss to imagine, as they seemed to be in the 

 best of health and spirits a few hours before. On a post- 



