ON THE HABITS OF TIGERS 107 
the men reached them; that is to say, the men 
always tracked towards the elephant, they always 
remained in open ground, and never were permitted 
to enter high grass—in fact, they were there to 
ascertain the direction in which the animal had 
retreated, and nothing more was expected or 
allowed. Even for this work a stanch elephant is 
required, and the tracking if prolonged becomes 
tiring, as an incessant lookout has to be kept for 
any signs of the proximity of the wounded animal ; 
but if care is taken, and the work is done cautiously 
and quietly, there should be little danger when the 
sportsman is sufficiently experienced to note and 
take advantage of the signs of the jungle ; they are 
frequent and unmistakable enough, when a wounded 
tiger is on foot, to convey a timely warning. If no 
elephant is available, the only way is to track with 
several men—the more the better—and to have the 
ground carefully surveyed by an intelligent man 
from a tree before moving forward. If the wounded 
animal has taken refuge in heavy cover, buffaloes 
may be driven in, but there is little chance that he 
will abandon his retreat save in the stillness of the 
night. The tiger seldom charges silently ; his 
growls increase in volume until they merge into a 
roar, and sometimes he will swerve at the last 
moment and gallop away as if his courage failed ; 
but when a tiger trots towards his adversary with 
head lowered, it is seldom that he changes his mind. 
The method of capturing prey differs from that 
adopted in attacking an enemy. In the latter case 
the tiger seldom springs, but rushes close up to the 
adversary, and then, rising on his hind-feet, clasps 
