WORK AND SPORT IN THE N.W.P. 65 
the forest was held to serve as a call to the tigress 
which none but the most courageous would dare 
to give. 
During weary months every endeavour was made 
to rid the country of this pest, but without success. 
She would not return to a poisoned corpse, when a 
man of high caste was killed, the relatives would 
indeed follow the trail under my protection, but 
they would insist on removing the body for the 
funeral rites; while if the victim were of low caste 
none would give me assistance. The ground was 
extremely unfavourable, consisting of steep slopes 
densely covered with undergrowth and cut up with 
deep ravines; and thus for one or even two men 
to follow the trail fully exposed to the wiles of a 
silently watching tiger, while attention was con- 
centrated on the track, was to run fearful risks 
without the smallest chance of success; moreover, 
the country was impossible for an elephant save in 
the wider valleys, and when roaming on foot with 
one orderly over the forest it was necessary to be 
perpetually on the lookout, so that, when halted to 
rest or to eat a frugal meal, we sat facing each 
other, our backs against trees, to prevent the possi- 
bility of an onslaught from the rear. 
Some occurrences there were to relieve the gloom 
of the country-side, notably when a woman hero- 
ically saved her husband from death. The couple 
were cutting rice in their terraced fields, when the 
tigress, approaching from above, suddenly pounced on 
the man; his wife instantly attacked the animal, 
and drove her off with the heavy sickle she was 
using. I went to see this courageous couple, and | 
5 
