AFTER A WOUNDED TIGER. 199 



awaited its approach, hoping to get a fair shot at 

 twenty paces distant. When still thirty paces off 

 down it dropped again, and concealed itself. I 

 was once or twice tempted to fire at what I thought 

 was its head among the bushes, but wisely resisted 

 the inclination. My jemadar now called to me that 

 he could plainly see the tiger from his perch, and 

 asked me to come round to his side. When I got 

 there he said the tiger was still in the same place, 

 but I could not see it. I endeavoured to climb the 

 tree, but found my efforts unavailing. The jemadar 

 said that if I would hand him the gun he was sure 

 he could shoot the brute, as he could see its head 

 plainly. I directed him to fire only one shot, and 

 not on any account to fire the second unless the 

 tiger charged. Handing him my gun, I sheltered 

 myself behind the tree, my heart going pit-a-pat at 

 a furious rate. The jemadar now said the tiger had 

 turned and was approaching us ; should he fire ? 

 "Yes, fire, but aim at his head."- Bang ! 

 11 Ough ! " roared the tiger, and all was still again. 

 I hastily took the gun and reloaded. We waited a 

 little, and the jemadar said the tiger was dead, as it 

 had turned on its back. After a little time we 

 approached, and found the tiger stone dead, the 

 jemadar's last shot having struck it fairly over the 

 right eye. W T e took it home in triumph, and there 

 carefully measured it. It was a tigress, eight feet 

 three inches from nose to tip of tail, and three feet 

 six inches high. 



The poisoned arrow had made a nasty wound in 

 the stomach, the arrow-head being still within the 



