OUR TIGRESS'S HABITS. 129 



covert lining both sides of this creek, and up the channels 

 leading to the fields and boiling-houses. 



Accompanied by my esquire Doolap, armed with my 

 second gun, a 16-bore Joe Manton, "Moula" the melancholy 

 carrying another of the same calibre, and I myself a 14-bore 

 Westley-Richards (all light smooth bores but thoroughly good 

 guns), we beat the ground just described over and over 

 again till we had completely mastered its peculiarities, the 

 promenades of the tigress, her favourite lairs, and her mode 

 of attack. 



It appeared that this man-hunter was quite indifferent 

 as to clay or night, or the time of either, when eager to kill ; 

 also that after taking a good look around in the course of a 

 slow and deliberate stalk just within the jungle growing on 

 the sides of the creek, from which she could and did see 

 clearly although herself concealed by the dark shadows of 

 the bushes, she used to crawl up one of the water-channels 

 to a spot at which men were at work by day, or after dark 

 she would creep softly and silently to the fence or hut from 

 which a light appeared, or voices were heard. Most of her 

 victims were seized in the afternoon just before the daily 

 work was finished, and she ate them near where they were 

 taken, so long as the spot offered concealment from the direc- 

 tion of the open country. At rare intervals she would kill 

 and devour a wild hog which abounded ; and upon one occa- 

 sion she seemed in a fit of playfulness to have destroyed 

 nearly a whole sounder, as proved by the bones of five or six 

 lying about a mud hole in which the pigs had wallowed and 

 rooted. There was also a favourite tree on the bark of which 

 she cleaned her claws, and inscribed her name in very legible 

 character. She too was of a fidget ty and suspicious nature, 

 as shown by continual changes of abode, and " worritings " 

 around, as if unable or fearful to settle down ; but as a rule, 

 she never deserted the line of dense jungle growing on the 

 river bank for any length of time, returning to it immediately 

 after enjoying a tiffin or supper in the grass fields. No 

 traces of any companion, male or female, young or old, could 



K 



