THE TIGER 219 



manages to escape at tlie sides, or break back through, the 

 beat, without coming up to the guns at all. It has also 

 the disadvantage of exposiag the beaters to much danger ; 

 and there are few who shoot in this fashion who have 

 not had more than one beater killed before them. To 

 stalk in on a tiger in his retreat on foot is generally im- 

 practicable, as a man commands so Httle of a view in thick 

 cover that he rarely sees the tiger in time for a shot. In 

 some places, however, where tigers lie in rocky places 

 inaccessible to elephants, this is the only way to do ; and a 

 very certain one it then is, there being generally httle cover 

 and plenty of commanding elevations whence to see and 

 shoot. The best way of hunting the tiger is undoubtedly 

 that usually adopted in Central India — ^namely to bring 

 in the aid of the trained elephant, and follow and shoot him 

 in his midday retreat. Any one who thinks he has only got 

 to mount himself on the back of an elephant, and go to a 

 jimgle where he has heard of tigers, to make sure of killing 

 one, will find himself very much mistaken on trying. A 

 number of sportsmen with a large line of elephants may 

 kill tigers if they simply beat through likely covers for 

 a long enough time — ^and many tigers are thus killed — or by 

 driving the jungle with beaters, without the possession 

 of any skill in woodcraft whatever. But no sort of hunting 

 requires more careful arrangements, greater knowledge of 

 the habits of the animal, perseverance, and good shooting, 

 than the pursuit of the tiger by a single sportsman with a 

 single elephant. 



At the outset of one's experience in forest life it is 

 impossible to avoid the behef that the tiger of story is 

 about to show himself at every step one takes in thick 

 jungle ; and it is not till every efEort to meet with him has 

 been used in vain that one reahses how very little danger 

 from tigers attends a mere rambler in the jungles. During 

 ten years of pretty constant roaming about on foot in the 

 most tigerish localities of the Central Provinces, I have only 

 once come across a tiger when I was not out shooting, and 

 only twice more when I was not actually searching for 

 tigers to shoot. In truth, excepting in the very haunts 

 of a known man-eater, there is no danger whatever in 



