194 
EXCITING RENCONTRE WITH THREE TIGERS. 
by a bamboo clump, upon which 1 sent the bullet into the 
point of the shoulder, but, I think, the other shot had killed 
her ; she proved to be nearly a full-growii young tigress 
seven feet two from nose to top of tail. The third had gone 
straight up the bank and had got clean away ; I then went 
after the wounded one and found blood immediately beyond 
where I had taken the running shot and plenty of it. 
I knew that it was uncommonly ticklish work followhig 
up this tigress which I felt pretty certain was not mortally 
wounded, but with great caution and a steady hand I trusted 
to be able to have the best of it if she objected to our pro- 
ceedings ; after some time we came to several places where 
she had laid down, and as we approached a deep narrow 
nullah out she rushed along the bottom of it. I had to fire a 
very snap shot, but it turned her up to the right, and a little 
further on I saw by the movement of the grass and under- 
wood that she was just in front of us ; she had entered another 
nullah where I soon put her up again ; as the ground was not 
favourable I did not fire ; but as she went across through the 
bamboos I saw she was very badly wounded. It was some 
time before we again got near her ; we had just gone round 
some thick bushes through which the track pointed and were 
looking to take it up again, when Atley pointed to some open 
bamboo jungle, about sixty yards away and there was the 
tigress lying down looking straight a head ; I raised my Ross, 
took a steady aim and fired, she rolled over on her side never 
to rise again, but as she kept gasping and showing some signs 
of life I thought it as well to be on the safe side so put another 
projectile into her chest. She was a magnificent tigress with 
a most beautiful skin which I had damaged considerably with 
the snap shot in the nullah, the ball having played ducks and 
