212 
COLONEL nightingale's LETTEK. 
brought in news that a ghara (a young buff) had been killed ; 
the tiger had only eaten a small portion and then had taken 
himself oflf, so I had a long beat without result, but I perse- 
vered and struck off to the Nurra river where I had shot the 
tigers two days ago, and I was lucky enough to put up the 
beast in a thick patch of grass. Toby barked at him and I saw 
the tiger running up the opposite bank of the river ; a long 
shot. However, as the jungle beyond was thick and bad, I 
fired and hit, on which my friend pulled up and lay in some 
thick bushes, growling at Toby. When I got across the river 
to the beast, I, not knowing exactly where he was, stumbled 
right on him ; up he jumped and came roaring at the huttie. 
I gave him two balls, one in the neck, one in the mouth, and 
upset him, but the plucky beast got up and charged again ; he 
was only five paces off when I fired, and before I could shift 
my gun the beast had got up to the elephant and had just 
placed his paw on the elephants trunk, when I having 
snatched a gun, leant over and firing close to the niahout*s 
head, rolled the tiger over under the snuffler's trunk just in 
the nick of time. 1 was on the top of the hill so a crowd 
of admiring niggers saw the scrimmage. My elephant is a 
small one, eight feet odd, and was the staunches t in India 1 
believe ; what he may be now I cannot say. This shot just 
in time was well for the mahout and gave him great con- 
fidence, but you will see further on how we were arranged. 
The day after this was blank. 
" Next day a large buffalo of mine was killed ; but we 
could find no tiger, and I beat for hours in vain ; however, 
perseverance is my motto, and I was beating down a 
ravine towards evening when the tiger was put up ; such 
a who]>pen After a long chase \ got a running shot at 
