40 SPORT IN ASIA AND AFRICA 



already referred to in the course of this ex- 

 pedition. 



I had also an interesting but most exasperating 

 experience, when sitting up over a kill for a tiger. 

 One of our buffaloes had been killed, and we 

 had beaten the ground, but the beat was blank. 

 It was decided, therefore, that I should sit 

 up for the tiger on the chance of his returning 

 to the kill. A machan was constructed, and a 

 local shikari, who was with us, climbed into it. 

 I ordered him out, but he pleaded very hard to 

 be allowed to remain ; and, as the kill was lying 

 among bushes, I unfortunately thought that his 

 hearing might be of use, and allowed him to sit with 

 me. Before it was dark the tiger came, and 

 the shikari, suddenly seeing him standing on some 

 rising ground above the level of the machan, 

 completely lost his nerve. He stammered out 

 that the tiger had come, and threw his arms 

 round me to turn me round to have a shot at it. 

 The tiger of course saw the movement, or heard 

 the noise, and was off. I have always regarded it 

 as creditable to my forbearance that I did not 

 lay a hand on the shikari. 



On one of these two expeditions I saw a very 

 interesting instance of the sagacity of the elephant. 

 One of the pad elephants had trodden upon the 

 point of a long acacia-thorn ; and, as the thorn 

 was stout and very sharp, it ran into the foot. 

 The elephant had rubbed the skin of the foot 

 quite thin in trying to get rid of the thorn, and 

 the head of the thorn was so deeply crushed into 

 the foot that it was impossible to get hold of it. 

 The elephant was made to lie down, and, while 



