1^2 SIR JAMES OUTRAM — HIS WONDERFUL ESCAPE, 
and the tiger came bounding out exactly where the native 
was posted ; on seeing him the tiger sprang clean over his 
head, and my friend said he could just perceive a slight 
motion of the tiger s forepaws as he passed over the man's 
head ; the native fell to the ground, and on going up to him 
they found him lying dead with his neck broken, 
1 have pursued and shot all my tigers either on foot or 
from a ladder (never from an elephant) and with one excep- 
tion have never been in danger. I have always manciged to 
have my sport without any injury to myself or my shikaries 
by taking the following precautions ; never firing at a tiger 
when facing me, never following a wounded tiger into thick 
jungle, and never going up to one supposed to be dead with- 
out first ascertaining beyond doubt that such is the case, 
or by giving the coup-de-gf^ace in the shape of a ball behind 
the ean 
By not being careful in this respect one of our greatest 
Indian warriors, Sir James Outram nearly lost his life. He 
told me the following adventnre and narrow escape he had 
from a tiger. 
He was out on foot and had wounded a tiger which 
got into some low bush jungle and could not be found ; he 
and a friend who was with him separated to look for it, 
for a long time without success ; at last Outram came to 
a very dense bush, he stooped down to peer into it and had 
no sooner done so than the tiger sprang out at him. The 
charge was so rapid that he had no time to bring the rifle to 
his shoulder and so fired froni his hip. The next moment 
the tiger knocked hlni down and was on the top of him. 
Outram said he felt at once that the tiger was dead, but the 
great weight of the animal prevented him freeing himself; 
