274 A Sportswoman in India 



Heavens ! what an unlooked-for moment ! 



I could see before me nothing but a shadowy form, 

 owing to the lightning speed of his movements a 

 shadowy, striped form, with two large lamps of fire fixed 

 upon us with an unmeaning stare, as the beast rushed 

 upon us. Such was the vision of a moment. The trees 

 were so thick that I dared not shoot till he was close, 

 and I dimly recollect, even then, thinking that every- 

 thing hinged upon keeping cool and killing him if 

 possible. On he came. I fired straight at his chest at 

 about fifteen yards distance without moving at all ; and 

 then instinctively, almost miraculously, I sprang to the 

 left, as the tiger himself sprang fast us so close that 

 I found his blood splashed over my gun-barrels after- 

 wards. 



Captain F. had fired a shot sideways which knocked 

 out the tiger's teeth ; J. had hit him fair on the 

 shoulder, we found afterwards ; my bullet was nearly 

 in the centre of the chest. It would have been difficult 

 to have placed two bullets better than J.'s and my own. 

 Docs not this point to the uncertainty of ever dropping 

 a tiger on the spot, however straight the aim may 

 be ? For our friend was by no means dead ; he had 

 gone on. 



But we had learnt our lesson, and were now imbued 

 with a wholesome fear of this tiger. It was getting 

 dark, so we retired and rode back to Cherla, where 

 a bevy of excited natives met us. We gave orders 

 for water-buffaloes to be collected, and next morning 

 started off about seven o'clock with a pack of over a 



