316 A BOrS ESCAPE FROM A TIGER. 



stooping amongst the bushes collecting more reed, a tiger, taking him for 

 a sheep (when hard pressed a tiger does not despise mutton), seized him 

 from behind, or rather seized the bag. The boy fell over ; and the astonished 

 tiger, not knowing what to make of the bag of grass in its embrace, bolted 

 forthwith. The boy is now in my employ : his father died of jungle-fever 

 in one of our excursions after elephants. Little " Koombappah " still bears a 

 lon<T scar where the tiger clawed him. This incident illustrates what I have 

 already said about tigers being easily disconcerted when seizing their prey 

 by any unlooked-for contretemps. 



One night I was awakened by talking outside my bungalow at Morlay, 

 and rousing myself to listen I found it was Bommay Gouda from Poonjoor, 

 who was telling my men in excited whispers something about a tiger. I 

 jumped up and welcomed the old boy, whose information was always to be 

 relied on, and learned that a tiger had killed two cows near Poonjoor that 

 afternoon ; that he went to see the carcasses with two Sholagas, but the tiger 

 would not let them come near the place ; that he then took several other 

 men, but the tiger charged out determinedly, and entirely refused them 

 admittance. So he had come to tell me, as such a bold animal could not, 

 he thought, but give good sport. 



Bommay Gouda had been imable to get any one to come with him to 

 Morlay, thirteen miles along a jungle-road, so he had set out by himself, 

 and arrived at midnight. Next to his anxiety that the tiger should be 

 proceeded against, the old fellow was particular in requesting that some 

 fitting chastisement should be inflicted on his eldest son for refusing to 

 come with him. I knew the youth in question as an unworthy descendant 

 of so sporting an old sire. How often had he tried to extract rupees from 

 me by making himself very busy when anything was shot and aU the 

 dan<7er over ! I promised to have him accommodated with a little whole- 

 some discipline. 



The moon was bright ; the trackers were sent for from the village, and, 

 thouo-h it was midnight, were soon in camp, and started at once with 

 Bommay Gouda. I followed at daylight. 



The place where the cattle had been killed was a piece of high ground 

 dotted with small thickets and overlooking a bamboo-cover on lower ground, 

 some two hundred yards distant, through which a ravine ran. I saw that 

 if the tiger was in the cover below it would not be likely to leave it after 

 the sun got high, as the country was bare for some distance all round ; so 

 we decided to wait till the day got hot before making a commencement. 



Bommay Gouda and the trackers were of opinion that we had only to 

 follow the trail and the tiger would dispute an advance and could be shot. 



