A HUNT IN A VILLAGE. 121 



Mounted upon a galloway, a double gun in hand, and 

 followed by my orderly, the trusty Doolap, similarly armed, I 

 entered the village, after some conversation with the people, 

 guided by one of them who professed to know exactly where 

 the " bagh " lay. When we had gained about the centre of 

 the village, and were proceeding silently along one of its 

 many paths, my eye fell upon a crouching form, and I be- 

 came aware -that it was no panther, but a veritable tiger with 

 which I had to deal. The creature was lying at full length 

 in the deep shade of some bamboos, in what was in the rainy 

 season a shallow water-hole, but was then, in March, only a 

 dip in the ground, and quite dry. As I rode up, partially 

 concealed by bushes, and the tiger hidden almost by rank 

 weeds, I had almost passed, when our eyes met, and I knew 

 that there was no time to be lost, unless I ceded to him the 

 initiative, or I should say " to her," for my foe proved to be 

 of the gentler sex. 



Pulling up, and dismounting promptly, I sent away my 

 pony and guide, and advanced cautiously a few paces to my 

 left, followed by my gun bearer, who stuck to me closely, but 

 although not three paces apart, I could see nothing of her 

 now I was on the ground. A couple of yards nearer to her 

 grew a mango sapling to which we moved up, and observing 

 low down its trunk a forking branch, I put my left foot upon 

 it, and rising about two feet off the ground, obtained again 

 a view of the tigress's head and right shoulder, as she lay 

 gathered up ready to spring upon me. 



There was indeed no time to be lost, for if she made her 

 attack before I fired, I was completely at her mercy, hanging 

 as I was in a manner to the tree by my left hand and foot. 

 Quickly raising my gun pistol-fashion in my right hand, and 

 resting it lightly on my right leg and foot, I took aim at 

 her neck, hoping to kill her at once by hitting her spine, and 

 pressed the trigger. There was at the time half a gale of 

 wind blowing from the south, which caused the sapling to 

 bend and sway, and somewhat disconcert my aim, on the 

 trueness of which my life depended at that moment. I 



