Pelts 



again. The tiger was once seen as he slunk for- 

 ward, the fact being proclaimed by a howl of 

 derision from the nearest mahouts, but that was 

 all. We reached and passed the scene of the 

 exploit of the kbits, who were now, by the way, at 

 a safe distance behind, loudly extolling their 

 prowess in face of the Shaitan, who was presently 

 to eat the bullets of the sahibs. No rustle in the 

 thick patch of grass proclaimed that the tiger was 

 there. Nor could he have broken back again at 

 this point. 



Turning a slight angle of the road, I came 

 into view of what must now prove the scene of the 

 final tussle, since ' stripes ' had refused to face 

 the road to the right, and dared not try and break 

 through the line again. I now saw that the 

 leading howdah had taken up his position in the 

 open, a few yards from where the dense patch 

 of grass at the top of the forest abruptly ended. 

 No. 2 howdah, which was occupied by a girl, 

 daughter of our host, remained upon the road 

 at the corner, commanding both the road in 

 my direction and the top edge of the grass. 

 I closed up within about 30 yards of this 

 howdah, and faced towards the grass, the 

 fourth howdah halting some 40 yards behind 

 me. 



This patch of dense grass, which must how 

 contain the tiger, was scarcely 30 yards long 

 by double that broad, and the beaters had just 



231 



