THE TIGER 253 



stepping as we went over the ghastly half-eaten body of 

 the Banjara, But the cover was dreadfully thick; and 

 though I caught a ghmpse of a yellow object as it jumped 

 down into the nala, it was not in time to fire. It was some 

 little time before we could get the elephant down the bank 

 and follow the broad plain footprints of the monster, now 

 evidently going at a swinging trot. He kept on in the 

 nala for about a mile, and then took to the grass again ; 

 but it was not so long here, and we could still make out 

 the trail from the howdah. Presently, however, it led 

 into rough, stony ground, and the tracking became more 

 difficult. He was evidently full of go, and would carry us 

 far ; so I sent back for some more trackers, and with orders 

 to send a small tent across to a hamlet on the banks of the 

 Ganjal, towards which he seemed to be making. All 

 that day we followed the trail through an exceedingly 

 difficult country, patiently working out print by print, 

 but without being gratified by a sight of his brindled hide. 

 Several of the local shikaris were admirable trackers ; and 

 we carried the line down within about a mile of the river, 

 where a dense thorny cover began, through which no one 

 could follow a tiger. 



We slept that night at the little village, and early 

 next morning made a long cast ahead, proceeding at once 

 to the river, where we soon hit upon the track leading 

 straight down its sandy bed. There were some strong 

 covers reported in the river-bed some miles ahead, near 

 the large village of Bhadiigaon, so I sent back to order 

 the tent over there. The track was crossed in this river 

 by several others, but was easily distinguishable from all 

 by its superior size. It had also a pecuhar drag of the toe 

 of one hind-foot, which the people knew and attributed to 

 a wound he had received some months before from a 

 shikari's matchlock. There was thus no doubt we were 

 behind the man-eater, and I determined to follow him while 

 I could hold out and we could keep the track. It led right 

 into a very dense cover of jamin and tamarisk, in the bed 

 and on the banks of the river, a few miles above Bhadiigaon. 

 Having been hard pushed the previous day, we hoped 

 he might lie up here; and, indeed, there was no other 



