TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER 



rifle, I shot a tigress through the brain, but she held on, 

 and with undiminished speed, for fully thirty yards before 

 she fell ! 



This — with the case described in the earlier pages of 

 this chapter — shows how tenaciously at times the larger 

 beasts of prey will cling to life, thus rendering their pursuit 

 so dangerous to the sportsman when on foot. Sucl 

 tenacity to life, however, is fortunately rare, for, as a genera 

 rule, a shot if well placed will, even if not instantly fata 

 at any rate put the animal out of action. Nevertheles • 

 accidents in tiger shooting, as with polo or any oth« 

 dangerous form of sport, must occasionally occur, an- 

 sometimes most unexpectedly as the following inciden 

 will show. 



I was once encamped at Pansunba — also in the Bar- 

 wanee territory — when my men who had been out as usual 

 looking for tracks, reported the presence of a tigress and 

 two cubs in a broad, sandy ravine not very far off. On 

 my arrival there I found the ravine in question ran between 

 two sloping banks, both covered with high grass and 

 reeds. 



Placing some men on trees to drive the tigress back, 

 should she attempt to break up either side, I took my 

 post on a tree at the furthest end of the cover. Knowing 

 the danger they ran in beating up a tigress with cubs, I 

 cautioned the beaters to keep well together and distributed 

 amongst them some spare guns which I had loaded with 

 buck shot. 



I had scarcely taken up my position when I heard loud 

 shouts, followed by a succession of savage roarings from 

 the tigress. Presently one of the stops at the upper end 

 of the covert signalled that the tigress had broken back 

 and gone up the bank ; however, the beaters still came on, 

 driving before them a three-quarter grown cub which I 

 promptly rolled over. 



I then left my tree, and accompanied by my two trusty 

 shikaris, Bapu and Etoo, proceeded in the direction the 

 tigress had gone, with the intention of taking up her tracks 

 and marking her down again if possible. 



Guided by the men on trees, we cautiously approached 

 the spot where she was last seen and were carefully 

 40 



