28 SPORT IN ASIA AND AFRICA 



intelligent fellow, with very good vision, and 

 while the elephants were trying to force their 

 way into the patch of jungle, he saw the tiger 

 standing in thick cover. Lumsden failed to 

 see him until he moved. He then fired both 

 barrels, but he had missed his chance, and the 

 tiger rushed from the thicket and plunged into 

 the water with a tremendous splash, swimming 

 straight across to where I was posted among the 

 trees on the other bank. An overhanging branch 

 obscured my vision at the particular point at 

 which the tiger was crossing ; and, though I 

 could see the water moving as he swam, I could 

 not actually see his head. He was, however, 

 making for the bank very near the place where 

 my elephant was standing ; and the shikari 

 in the howdah behind me, who perhaps saw the 

 animal, was adjuring me to shoot. Very unwisely, 

 therefore, I fired. The tiger answered to the shot 

 with a roar, and the bullet evident^ struck the 

 water very near him. My elephant then swung 

 round so that I could not fire again, and, looking 

 backwards, I could just see the tiger climb the 

 bank behind me. Wood had a shot at him as he 

 ascended the bank, but missed. The tiger then 

 made off along the bank and ran right into Channer. 

 Thinking he was trapped, he turned with a roar 

 and plunged with another splash into the water, 

 and swam back to the thicket in which he was 

 lying at the outset. Owing to the overhanging 

 trees, he was not visible after he sprang into the 

 water until he reached cover. After some time 

 he was beaten out again, and this time took the 

 line he was expected to take, giving Wood a good 



