THE TiaER 233 



rocky bottom. I was going along the bank, with, the 

 other elephant in the bottom of the ravine, when I heard 

 the bark of a sambar to my left on some high ground, and, 

 urging Futteh Rani at her best pace in that direction, 

 shortly came on the tiger slouching across the open plain — 

 evidently suffering from a wound, with his tongue hanging 

 out, and wearing altogether a most woebegone look. He 

 made an effort when he saw me, and galloped a hundreid 

 yards or so into a patch of bamboo jungle. I knew from 

 the local shikari that he was making for a water-hole about 

 half a mile ahead, and cut across with the elephant to inter- 

 cept him. I had the pace of him now, and got clean 

 between him and his water. I never saw such an air of 

 disgust worn by any animal as that tiger had when he 

 came down the hill and saw the elephant standing right 

 in front of him. He said as plainly as possible, " Come 

 what will, I don't mean to run another yard ; and it won't 

 be the better for anybody that tries to make me." So he 

 lay down behind a large anjan tree, showing nothing but 

 one eye and an ear round the side of it. I marched up 

 within fifty yards, and now saw the switching end of a tail 

 added to the eye and ear. I could not fire at him thus, 

 and therefore sidled round till I saw his shoulder. He saw 

 the opening thus left, and eyed it wistfully, as if he would 

 rather escape that way, if he could, than fight it out. But 

 I planted a ball in his shoulder before he had time to make 

 up his mind; on which he rose with a languid roar, and 

 lumbered slowly down the hill at the elephant. So slowly ! 

 He actually hadn't steam left in him to get up a proper 

 charge when he tried. A right and left stopped him at once 

 and another ball in the ear settled him; and then Futteh 

 went up and kicked him, and it was all over. He was a 

 very large tiger, measuring ten feet one inch in length as 

 he lay, and was a perfect moimtain of fat — ^the fat of a 

 thousand kine, as the cowherds lugubriously remarked 

 when they came up. He had a perfect skin, clear red and 

 white, with the fine double stripes and W mark on the head, 

 and long whiskers, which add so greatly to the beauty of 

 a tiger trophy. The whole of the pads of his feet were 

 blistered off on the hot rocks he had been traversing, and 



