THE TIGER 255 



on record of an elephant being actually killed by a 

 tiger. 



About eleven o'clock we again faced tlie scorching hot 

 wind, and made silently for the cover where lay the man- 

 eater. I surrounded it with scouts on trees ; and posted 

 a pad-elephant at the only point where he could easily 

 get up the high bank and make off ; and then pushed old 

 Sarju slowly and carefuHy through the cover. Peafowl 

 rose in numbers from every bush as we advanced ; and a 

 few hares and other small animals bolted out at the edges 

 — such thick green covers being the midday resort of all 

 the life of the neighbourhood in the hot weather. About 

 the centre the jungle was extremely thick, and the bottom 

 was cut up into a number of parallel water-channels among 

 the strong roots and overhanging branches of the tamarisk. 

 Here the elephant paused and began to kick the earth, 

 and utter the low tremidous sound by which some elephants 

 denote the close presence of a tiger. We peered all about 

 with nervous beatings of the heart ; and at last the mahout, 

 who was lower down on the elephant's neck, said he saw 

 him lying beneath a thick jaman bush. We had some 

 stones in the howdah, and I made the LaUa, who was behind 

 me in the back seat, pitch one into the bush. Instantly 

 the tiger started up with a short roar and galloped off 

 through the bushes. I gave him right and left at once, 

 which told loudly ; but he went till he saw the pad-elephant 

 blocking the road he meant to escape by, and then he turned 

 and charged back at me with horrible roars. It was very 

 difficult to see him among the crashing bushes, and he was 

 within twenty yards when I fired again. This dropped him 

 into one of the channels; but he picked himsell: up, and 

 came on again as savagely though more slowly than before. 

 I was now in the act of covering him with the large shell 

 rifle, when suddenly the elephant spun round, and I found 

 myself looking the opposite way, while a worrying sound 

 behind me and the frantic movements of the elephant told 

 me I had a feUow-passenger on board I might weU have 

 dispensed with. All I could do in the way of holding on 

 barely sufficed to prevent myself and guns from being 

 pitched out; and it was some time before Sarjii, finding 



