AN UNEXPECTED FIND 



intending to swim across and escape ; but seeing the 

 elephant, was re-entering the jungle, when both the 

 sportsmen fired at him. 



As the tiger had not spoken to either of the shots they 

 could not tell whether he was hit or not, but as he eventually 

 got away without being fired at again, they concluded he 

 had been missed ; and as it was now getting late, and they 

 were a long way from home, they padded the two tigers 

 they had shot and returned to camp. 



Next day, however, a large party of villagers came into 

 the station carrying a dead tiger slung on to a pole, which 

 they took to the Magistrate's ofifice, where they claimed, 

 and were paid, the Government reward of Rs.50. They 

 made no claim to having shot the animal themselves, 

 but said they had found it lying dead under a tree ; near 

 the jungle where the Sahibs had shot the two the day 

 before. However, they were allowed to retain the reward, 

 which, added to the Bakshish they had already received 

 for giving information, was, to men in their position, quite 

 a fortune. 



The two cases I have quoted prove how easily a tiger, 

 even when mortally wounded, may be lost ; and there 

 have been doubtless many others of the kind, as well as of 

 tigers, seemingly only slightly wounded, who have got 

 off and have died eventually in some jungle miles away 

 from where they were originally put up. 



Of man-eating tigers, too, Colonel W has some 



experiences to relate, two of which I venture to repeat, for 

 as these once dreaded beasts are now happily less numerous 

 one must generally indent on ancient history to obtain 

 accounts of their exploits. 



In the first case he tells of, the narrator was encamped 

 in the civil station of Sconce, many years ago, and was 

 roused at five o'clock one morning by his servants with the 

 thrilling information that a man-eater had just attacked 

 the Forest Officer's servants who were bringing their 

 master's camp into the station. 



The latter it appeared had warned his men not to start 

 on their journey till after daybreak, as the man-eating 

 tiger was known to be prowling about on that road ; but 



885 



