102 FOREST LIFE AND SPORT IN INDIA 
has been taken. Later on, some two or three hours 
before sunset, it will be time to follow up the trail, 
and while doing this, though it is useless to en- 
deavour to be silent, any unusual commotion should 
be avoided. The party should proceed as if they were 
workmen or villagers passing through the forest. 
No intrusion on the “drag” should be allowed, for 
ths tiger frequently returns along this to his kill. 
Should the tiger growl at your approach, it is prob- 
able that he intends to hold his ground, and in that 
case immediate action can perhaps be taken. If an 
elephant is available, the tiger may be driven off, or 
perhaps shot at sight. If not, it will be well to 
ascend a tree to obtain further information; but in 
the ordinary course of events the tiger will move 
silently away, and then a suitable tree must be 
selected from which the kill can be commanded. The 
height at which the seat is tied depends on the 
hunter’s taste. At 18 feet there is safety from a 
tiger’s spring, but at that height the angle of fire is 
often unpropitious, and, moreover, the sportsman will 
be more visible against the sky, and will find diffi- 
culty in descending in the dark. About 12 feet is 
a suitable elevation, though if thrills are desired, or 
there is no better choice, 8 feet will serve. Lower 
than this the height of the grass may entirely 
obstruct the view. The platform, or ‘“ machdn,” is 
usually a portable framework of wood supporting a 
tightly laced canvas or other suitable material. A 
size of about 3 feet by 2 feet is ample for one person, 
but to seat two this should be increased to about 
4 feet by 24 feet. To secure the “machdn” does 
not take long, and as scon as possible the men retire 
