TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER 



the middle of it, we saw a bear walking leisurely towards 

 us down this path. As she had not seen us, we slipped 

 quietly aside and concealed ourselves behind some bushes. 

 The bear, meanwhile, came slowly on, and when within 

 ten yards or so, I fired, and the heavy paradox bullet 

 entering behind the shoulder, she — for it proved to be a 

 she-bear — ^fell stone dead in her tracks. On going up to 

 her, a cub which she was carrj'ing on her back, suddenly 

 detaching itself from the carcass, scrambled off. We gave 

 chase at once, and after some difficulty secured the little 

 beast by throwing a blanket over it. It became perfectly 

 tame in time and used to accompany me when I went out 

 for a walk with the dogs, playing about with them as if one 

 of themselves. 



Another somewhat similar adventure once happened 

 to a friend of mine in Bengal. One evening, shortly before 

 dusk, he went out on a pad elephant to shoot a partridge 

 or two for dinner, in a jungle close to camp. He got his 

 first bird at once, and a little later dropped another, which 

 his orderly was Just getting off to pick up, when suddenly 

 from almost under the elephant's feet, up jumped a large 

 leopard, which, rushing through the lighter jungle, entered 

 a thicker bit a little way ahead. 



My friend, like most experienced Indian sportsmen, always 

 carried a couple of ball cartridge in his pocket, but though 

 he did not know it, it so happened that on this occasion he 

 had only one. However, inserting this into the empty 

 chamber, he quickly followed up the leopard, and, catching 

 sight of it again, dropped it, as he thought, dead. 



He watched a minute or two to make quite sure, then 

 as it gave no sign of life, he ordered the mahout to take 

 his elephant up to where it lay ; but in spite of the man's 

 efforts, the animal refused to advance ; in fact, showed a 

 decided inclination to retire. 



Meanwhile the leopard, which so far from being dead, 

 was apparently very much alive, now moved its head above 

 the jungle, and growling savagely, made desperate attempts 

 to charge, but was evidently powerless to do so, which 

 seemed to incense it all the more. 

 78 



