208 
MY LAST TIGER. 
the tiger's track, and then heard another bark of the deer not 
very far from me. There was a high bank on the side where 
I heard the sound, with a fallen tree on the top ; creeping 
stealthily along and ascending the bank I peeped over the 
fallen trunk and my eye instantly fell on the tiger lying 
in a clump of bamboos, he was broadside on and looking 
ahead in direction of the deer, lying exactly in the position 
of one of Landseer's Lions in Trafalgar Square, When tiger 
shooting on foot I always like to aim at the brain, for then if 
you do not kill, you know there is no good in following up» 
whereas if wounded in the body there is always a hope that 
the animal may be mortally wounded, and more lives are lost 
following a wounded tiger than in any other way. Unluckily 
in this case the stems of 'the bamboos were exactly between 
me and the back of the tigers ear, and his shoulder was 
partly hidden by a tuft of bamboo, so that I could only just 
see the point of the shoulder ; as I was aiming the tiger 
turned his head and looked straight at me, but it was too 
late, the next Instant he received the bullet. After firing 1 
instantly dropped down under the bank, moved a pace or two 
on one side and was ready for him if he had come ; but on 
again peering over the bank 1 had the satisfaction of seeing 
him lying on his side apparendy dead. I say apparently, for 
these brutes have an awkward way of coming to life again, 
and In this case he began to struggle, so I slipped a shell into 
the unloaded barrel and sent a ball into the back of his head 
and this finished him. But one cannot be too careful, so 1 
waited till 1 saw the files begin to settle on his nose and eyes ; 
even then I was cautious, and stealing up behind him I gave 
a good tug at his tail, and as he did not move I went up and 
took one of his paws in my hand ; it was so flexible it almost 
