Pelts 



as a great acquisition from the keen shikari's 

 point of view. The more so, that his only weapon 

 consisted of a Service Martini-Henry rifle, relic of 

 his Oxford volunteering days. 



The party intended having a series of hanks, 

 or beats, for tiger, the rifles taking up their posi- 

 tions in a line of machans. 



The totally inadequately armed griffin was very 

 naturally relegated to the worst, and safest from 

 the parties' point of view, of the positions in the 

 first beat, with strict orders to fire at nothing 

 but tiger — this being the general order to the 

 line. 



The beat started, and all remained deadly 

 silent in the line of machans as the din of the 

 beaters gradually approached. 



Suddenly a shot was heard from the direction 

 of the obscure corner where our griffin was posted, 

 rapidly followed by another. Muttered ejacula- 

 tions from the younger men, and good solid hard 

 swearing from the more senior members of the 

 party, followed each shot — swearing which grew 

 heartier and more fervent as a perfect fusillade 

 from the corner synchronised with the near ap- 

 proach of the coolies and end of the beat. The 

 fact that each sportsman had to remain at his 

 post and swear in silence under his breath, only 

 increased the bottled-up wrath. 



At the end of the beat, a general and hurried 

 move was made in the direction of the despised 

 s 257 



