220 THE HIGHLANDS OF CENTRAL INDIA 



traversing any part of the jungles of this, or I believe any 

 other part of India. 



Some people afiect to despise the practice of using ele- 

 phants in following tigers, and talk a great deal about 

 shooting them on foot. As regards danger to the sports- 

 man, nine-tenths of the tigers said to be shot on foot are 

 really killed from trees or rocks, where the sportsman is 

 quite secure. The only danger then is to the unfortunate 

 beaters, if used; and when this is not the case the sport 

 generally resolves itself into an undignified sneaking about 

 the outskirts of the covers, in the hope of getting an occa- 

 sional pot-shot from a secure position. In this method 

 of hunting many more tigers are wounded than are finally 

 secured, the only danger Ijdng in following up a wounded 

 animal, which is usually avoided; and thus an innocuous 

 animal is often converted into a scourge of the country-side. 

 A very few sportsmen do, for a short period of their Uves, 

 make a practice of hunting and shooting tigers really on 

 foot; but they are seldom very successful, and sooner 

 or later get killed, or have such narrow escapes as to cure 

 them of such silly folly for the remainder of their days. A 

 man on foot has no chance whatever in thick jungle with 

 a tiger that is bent on killing him. He cannot see a yard 

 before him, and is himself conspicuous to every sense of 

 the brute, who can completely hide in a place that looks 

 scarcely enough to conceal a rat, and can move at wiU 

 through the thickest cover without the slightest sound or 

 stir. At the same time the sportsman who as a rule uses 

 an elephant in thick cover wiU find quite enough oppor- 

 tunities, in special cases, of testing his nerve on foot, 

 particularly if he marks down and tracks his own game 

 instead of employing shikaris to do so. Even on the 

 elephant all is not perfect safety, instances being not rare 

 of elephants being completely pulled down by tigers, while 

 accidents from the running away of the elephant in tree 

 jimgle are still more common. Much of the excitement of 

 the sport depends on the sportsman's method of attacking 

 the tiger. Some men box a tiger up in a corner and push 

 in at all hazards, getting repeatedly charged, while others 

 keep at a distance, circling round and offering doors of 



