264 A Sportswoman in India 



was 104 in the shade. When there was any wind 

 at all, it was generally a sort of burning, furnace- 

 like blast. Of course, we streamed with perspiration 

 all day and most of the night. The only cool 

 moments were for an hour just before dawn. Captain 

 F. and J. always slept outside, with nothing over 

 them but their pyjama suits. The rocks would 

 grow so hot in the sun that we could feel them 

 all burning to our feet through boots. However, 

 it was a healthy, dry heat, which was a blessing, 

 and none of us were the least ill. 



At last, after several days of inaction, we met with 

 our first real excitement, and at the same time I 

 shot my first tiger. He was well known, for three 

 gunners who were in the same place last year had 

 three beats after him ineffectual beats. He was fond 

 of killing bears a very uncommon thing ; and the 

 villagers told us he had been seen to climb a tree 

 after a bear which scrambled up it to get out of his 

 clutches. He managed to reach the bear, and attacked 

 him. Both fell out of the tree on to the ground, 

 when the tiger promptly killed the bear. 



This we did not at the time believe ; it is most rare 

 for a tiger to climb trees in fact, almost unheard of. 

 But it proved to be true. He was what they call 

 a very bobbery (pugnacious) tiger, the first news 

 we heard of him being that he had killed and eaten 

 another bear six miles from our camp. We went out 

 and had a beat, and found the remains of poor Bruin ; 

 the tiger was in the beat, but he broke out through 



