324 The Hunting Grounds 



death. The tiger had been skinned in the morning, 

 having been previously carried some distance away 

 from the lake for fear the scent of blood might taint 

 the air, and prevent other animals from approaching 

 the spot to drink. He proved to be a fine specimen, 

 his dimensions being as follows: Length from tip of 

 nose to point of tail, 10 ft., 2 in. ; length of tail, 

 3 ft., 1 in. ; girth of body, 6 ft., 1 in. ; girth round 

 fore-arm, 2 ft., 10 in. ; height at shoulder, 3 ft., 9 in.; 

 circumference of head, 3 ft., 5 in. The tigress was 

 much less, not measuring more than 9 ft., 5 in. from 

 the tip of the nose to the point of the tail, and her 

 limbs smaller in proportion. 



The melancholy fate of poor Ali had spread a 

 gloom upon us all, and the camp, which usually 

 resounded with mirth, seemed strangely still and 

 silent ; so, to give the people something else to think 

 about, I ordered a couple of sheep to be killed and 

 distributed with an extra allowance of tobacco, which 

 had the desired effect, for in the course of a short 

 time cooking-pots and brass curry-dishes were boiling 

 and bubbling on every side, and the busy hum of 

 voices was heard throughout the bivouac as usual. 



Towards evening, Chineah and his party re- 

 turned from their reconnaissance with three young 

 "squeakers" (hog), which the dogs had captured 

 alive, and they reported that they had come across a 

 large herd of bison, browsing in some bamboo-jungle 



