HUNTING THE TIGER WITH ELEPHANTS. 239 



and stamped violently. A short, ferocious growl followed^ 

 and I saw the grass shake as if some large animal was 

 stealing away. Guessing an aim, Mr. Barrill and I fired 

 almost at the same moment, and then, with a roar of rage 

 and pain, the tiger upreared his head. He had now aban- 

 doned all intention of concealment, and was determined 

 to give battle. 



As soon as the head of the tiger appeared, one of 

 the Parsee servants fired, but being a bad shot, he merely 

 threw away the ammunition. The animal then sprang 

 towards the elephant's head, but received the mahout's 

 spear in the mouth, and tumbled backward to the ground. 

 Still, victory was not ours ; for the ferocious beast, avoiding 

 the elephant's tusks and feet, sprang upon his side, and 

 his tearing claws were actually within a few feet of the 

 mahout, who quickly jumped up into the howdah. Now 

 came the most terrible part of the encounter. In trying 

 to sh/ike off the tiger, the elephant snapped the girths 

 that held the howdah, and we fell over the side, opposite 

 that on which the tiger had sprang. The scene of fright 

 and confusion that ensued, baffles description. The Parsees 

 were tumbled some distance into the jungle, while Mr. 

 Barrill and I alighted on our feet. The tiger slipped to 

 the ground and ran under the elephant's huge legs to get 

 at us. We met him coolly, and at the same moment he 

 received the contents of a barrel from each of us, and 



