SHOOT AN ELEPHANT. 169 



lated ttat I should probably find the tiger in this place after his meal. The 

 carcass had been dragged about ten yards, and more of it had been eaten. I 

 had scarcely remarked this when the mahout pointed quietly to the tiger 

 lying down about fifteen yards to our left near the carcass. He was blinking 

 at us in a good-humoured way, evidently happy after his meal, and tliinking 

 our elephant but one of the numbers he constantly saw in these uninliabited 

 forests. He had a prominent ridge of hair on liis neck, and a fine ruff 

 round his face. I lost no time in putting an express bullet into his brain. 

 He was a powerful, big, and old brute, measuring exactly nine feet in length, 

 and weighing 349^ lb. As there were no inhabitants in that part of the 

 hills, I suppose lying down close to his prey, even in the open forest, was 

 this tiger's custom. As to his killing the elephant, there were no cattle 

 anywhere in the hills, and all the tigers there were purely game-killers ; and 

 as by lurking on the outskirts of herds of elephants a stray calf doubtless 

 occasionally fell in their way, I daresay this was not the first time this 

 tiger had supped off young elephant. I have heard of what appears to be 

 a well-authenticated case in Assam, of a tame elephant of full size, when 

 hobbled and turned loose in a river-bed to graze, being attacked by a tiger, 

 and severely bitten and mauled before its cries attracted the keepers, who 

 were at a distance. In this case large pieces of flesh were torn from the 

 elephant's thighs, and the tiger's object was evidently to make a meal of it, 

 as it perceived it was in difficulties, being hobbled. 



The shooting of the tusker in the elephant-lines occurred as follows : 

 Whilst the elephants were at Gasban the mahouts had attempted to tie a 

 tusker one night, as he visited the new elephants frequently, only disappear- 

 ing with the dawn. He had followed us from Jadoogapara, and was in all 

 probability the elephant I saw on looking out of the tent during the night 

 of the 6 th January. The mahouts had failed to secure him, and had 

 thoroughly alarmed him, and though they subsequently tried various plans, 

 he had grown too wary to be caught. When the elephants marched 

 to Bhowalkali he followed, and remained with us there, accompanying us to 

 camp No. 12. He had become so accustomed to the sight of men by this 

 time that he rarely left the elephant-lines, and did not molest the people 

 who moved about. We might have caught him had we tried hard, but 

 three of our females would have been required to march with him, whereas 

 they could take charge of six wild females, which were better adapted for 

 our purpose than one tusker ; consequently he was not interfered with. But 

 he now began to be troublesome, chasing the tame elephants when they went 

 for fodder, and on more than one occasion nearly causing accidents amongst 

 the men. One afternoon I was casting some rifle-shells when a mahout 



