THE TIGER 135 



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no answer, left his tent to investigate. The 

 unfortunate boy's * puggri ' on the path, lying 

 across the fragments of a broken soup-plate, 

 left no doubt as to what had happened. Master 

 went supperless that night, but not to bed, and 

 returned to the village early next morning. 

 Whether the boy's remains were ever found 

 history does not relate. While encamped on 

 this spot some years later, I believe I nearly ran 

 up against this very tiger. I had left my tent 

 before dawn one morning, and was surprised by 

 the sound as of a heavy beast bounding in the 

 jungle close to the path. It was not a deer : 

 there were two distinct thuds as of a tiger or 

 panther bounding. I made record time back to 

 the tent, and when it got a little lighter, set out 

 again to examine a ' quin ' for tsaing, accom- 

 panied by the moksoh, and followed by an 

 elephant, intending, if unsuccessful in finding 

 tsaing, to mount the elephant and try for a 

 shot at sambur, of which there were a good 

 number in the surrounding jungle. Arrived 

 near the 'quin,' I halted the elephant and crept 

 on with the moksoh. The 'quin' was deserted, 

 so I returned to the elephant, and found the 

 mahout in a great state of excitement. He told 

 me, that just after I had left, a huge tiger walked 

 out into the path, and stood there staring for 

 over a minute at the elephant, not twenty yards 

 away. Having satisfied his curiosity, he strolled 



