24 SPORT IN ASIA AND AFRICA 



which were said to have eaten over twenty people 

 between August and the time of my visit in 

 January. There were a tigress and two well- 

 grown cubs, and a tiger was said to join the party 

 occasionally. These tigers had created a scare, 

 and we had to tie out our own buffaloes. It was 

 rather creepy work, but the shikari did this 

 bravely enough. The last kill had occurred 

 about eight days before we arrived on the scene, 

 and the villagers had been too frightened to 

 visit the place. I went there with the old man, 

 who had been with the victim when he was killed, 

 and saw the two bundles of wood which they were 

 tying up at the time. Death appeared to have 

 been instantaneous, as his companion said that 

 the man, when seized, did not utter a cry. The 

 drag was clearly visible in the grass, and, after 

 following it for a few yards, we found the man's 

 loin-cloth, and, farther on, the place where he had 

 been eaten. We hunted for some days and tied 

 out baits, but saw nothing of the tigers, which 

 had for some reason or other left the neighbour- 

 hood. 



We then turned our attention to buffaloes. 

 My battery was not very suitable, but we had 

 an encounter with one bull, and, with better 

 trackers, I should certainly have had a shot. 

 We were following a fresh track, and the trackers 

 blundered right on to the bull as he was lying 

 asleep on the ground. The men were confident 

 that the bull, which was well known to them, would 

 stand and face us ; and this may have been the 

 reason why they were not sufficiently careful.' 

 The buffalo was, however, thoroughly scared. 



