140 SPORT IN BENGAL. 



the jungle-side. These perceiving us standing together after 

 other shots had been fired, and concluding that we had killed 

 the beast, now approached slowly and cautiously till beckoned 

 to hurry up, when they came on at a run, and in the course 

 of another quarter of an hour we were surrounded by a 

 highly excited crowd of fifty or sixty men and boys, all 

 eager to strike a blow at the dead tigress, and with the 

 utmost difficulty prevented from plucking the bristles off 

 her muzzle. 



A sufficient number of men being collected, a dozen or 

 more carried on their shoulders the dead animal slung upon 

 stout poles, changing every half mile or thereabouts, my 

 armed henchmen walking one on each side of her head to 

 guard the claws and whiskers. The noisy procession swelled 

 to several hundreds by the time our tents were reached, the 

 delight and excitement of the people continuing unbounded 

 till they separated for the night, the fear of travelling in the 

 dark being now no longer felt. 



The next morning, at least two thousand men, women, 

 and children, came to view the monster, which, in life had 

 caused them so much grief and terror, and the disappoint- 

 ment of the later arrivals was great when they found the 

 skin had been taken off prior to their coming. That morn- 

 ing the people were ready to do anything for me, and I have 

 no doubt that my servants benefited by the enthusiasm of 

 the moment ; however that may have been, the two " Shika- 

 rees " shared the reward of three hundred rupees, given by 

 the Salt Agent, and Moula the melancholy returned to his 

 home with a full purse and a cheerful countenance, while 

 Signor Doolap maintained his stolidity and taciturnity to the 

 last, nor did I ever hear of his burning an extra candle in 

 his chapel, albeit he, his family, and friends, for some time 

 subsequently were noticed as wearing new clothes and festive 

 countenances. 



I left the scene of this man-eater's exploits on the after- 

 noon following that of her death, and have never revisited 

 it ; but before I left, the widow of the man last killed 



