182 BIG-GAME SHOOTING IN UPPER BURMA 



number. I unloaded the rifle and substituted 

 two solid nickel cartridges for the soft-nosed bul- 

 lets which were in the chamber, and retraced my 

 steps, intending to walk down the choung, which 

 was almost dry, and to enter the jungle on the 

 opposite bank. As we got into the choung the 

 trumpeting ceased ; but we knew where to make 

 for, and expected to hear it again in a few minutes. 

 I was clambering over the boulders followed by 

 my orderly, the two trackers being behind. We 

 were going rather carelessly, not expecting for 

 a moment to see anything in the choung itself. 

 Suddenly the orderly clutched my shoulder and 

 whispered, ' Sher, dum dekkha ' ( ' Tiger, I saw its 

 tail '). The orderly was standing on a boulder at 

 the time, while I was just below. I opened the 

 rifle hastily and extracted the two nickel car- 

 tridges, which would have been useless on tiger ; 

 but while I was fumbling in my pocket for the 

 soft-nosed ones, the orderly, in his excitement, 

 foolishly jumped on to another boulder, to get 

 a better view, and alarmed the tigers — a pair — 

 which, with a roar, bounded out from behind a 

 boulder some twenty yards ahead and dis- 

 appeared leisurely, one behind the other, into 

 the jungle, leaving me to watch the performance 

 with an empty rifle. Had the orderly kept his 

 head and crept down beside me I must have ■> 

 got an easy shot at one, if not at both, as, until 

 he showed himself, they were quite unconscious 



