196 . EXCITING ADVENTURE, 
seemed to fail him and he sprang across the nullah into 
the shola, and disappeared." 
One of the most exciting adventures I ever had 
with a tiger happened in this way. One morning on 
going to look for a sambur I thought I had wounded, 
I found the fresh tracks of a leopard or tiger, Francis 
thought the former, but some of the marks appeared to 
me too large. As we crossed the opening leading to the 
upper crags, the lascar pointed to something red in the 
grass on " bear hill/' and on putting up the glasses I saw it 
was a very large tiger lying down and looking steadily at us : 
we squatted, and for four or five minutes we remained ga^jing 
at one another ; he stood up, had a good stare at us and then 
sat down like a dog. He certainly looked a huge monster, 
the two white spots over his eyes looked very curious ; he 
was about five or six hundred yards off and there was no 
getting at him, but at last he slowly rose and stole down 
towards us into the shola ; I think he took us for sambur and 
intended stalking us. We went to some rocks to meet him, 
but he never came. 1 decided on picketing the goats for him, 
and after fixing on a convenient tree we returned to the hut 
about noon. Francis at once started with the lascar and the 
two goats to build a machan ; heavy rain set in which did not 
cease till past four wlien 1 went down to see how they were 
getting on. 1 made up my mind to remain at the hut all the 
following week in the hopes of getting this tiger. Francis 
liad ljuilt a very good place to watch, and the goats bleated 
\'ery satisfactorily, but a hind came out and began belling at 
the goats which frightened them and stopped their noise. I 
only left the machan when it was too dark to see to shoot. 
The next morning and all that day the goats remained 
