TigeivShooting 281 



bathed him, bound him up, and sent him off at once 

 in a dhoolie with twenty-four men to carry him in 

 relays, to a hospital about forty miles off, at Yellandu 

 station. He died just before reaching it of blood- 

 poisoning probably. It was the one sad accident 

 which spoilt our expedition. 



Tigers' bites are often very poisonous, and even a 

 mere scratch-wound has been known to result in 

 lockjaw. After this experience the shikaris, not, alas ! 

 " wise in time," collected a herd of bullocks and 

 drove them into the tiger's stronghold. 



J. was not far from me, in his machan. I saw him 

 put up his gun ; we were about eighty yards apart, 

 and half-way between us ran a very shallow nullah, 

 with some evergreens over it. J. must have seen the 

 tiger. Would he come out on his side or on mine ? 

 No one who has not been in a similar situation could 

 understand the excitement of those moments, or how 

 I hoped against hope. For another fifteen minutes 

 there was a great clamour amongst the beaters. 



Again J. put up his gun ; the tiger was moving 

 down our little nullah, but still some distance off. 

 I saw him ! He disappeared from us both under the 

 evergreens, and then, to my joy, he emerged from cover 

 and came out upon my side, having crossed over at 

 the bottom. He walked slowly up the edge of the 

 nullah ; and when he was abreast of me and about 

 forty yards off, I took a long, steady aim, and pulled 

 the trigger. 



He gave a huge leap into the air, and I fired again, 



