Sept. 1, 1900.J THE TKOPICAL 
young tiger clashed past and then a second. I 
at once imagined that they must have stopped 
on the edge of the jungle, and to get a better 
view I proceed to scramble higher up the tree. 
As I am scrambling up out dashes a third young 
brute and stops immediately under my tree. 
Balancing myself as best I could, I fire, only to 
see the cub dash on into the jungle. 
Eventually the beaters come up ; I descend from 
my machan', and a consultation is held. Tliere 
is no doubt that the tit-ress is badly wounded— 
a pool of blood where she fell, and blood clearly 
shows the direction she has taken. But, alas, the 
three cubs have gone off unscathed. 
In the excitement of the moment I at once 
determined to track tlie wounded tigress, and 
away we start, the plucky gonds only too keeii 
to follow. The blood, however, soon stops, and 
matters are proceeding somewhat unsatisfactorily, 
wiien one of the shikaris suggests that the tigress 
must have made for water, and he assures us 
(as far as I am ^ble to understand), that he can 
take us to the very spot. Accordingly, we give 
up tracking and proceed straight for the suggested 
haven of rest. As we get near the spot, men 
climb up trees to look ahead, while the rest 
wander about somewhat aimlessly. Suddenly one 
of the men from the top of a tree remarks, in 
a very casual tone of voice— 
" THERE LIES THE TIGER." 
['Immediately we all come rushing up,— convinced 
that we should see the fallen monarch dead as m atton. 
We are all crowding round a little bush grow- 
in" out of a small nalla, when suddenly a ter- 
rorizing "uph-upli" resounds at our very feet, 
and out springs the tigress. We did not stop to 
inquire, away we scattered in all directions and 
scrambled up the nearest trees ; whilst the tigress 
fortunately for us, kept to the nalla and dis- 
appeared. That was enough for me, at least for 
that evening. Besides, it was getting dark. And 
so we wended our weary way home, sick at heart 
that no trophy had been bagged. However we 
were soon holding councils of war ; and the valiant 
Tela's proposals that a company of buffaloes 
should be brought in to our assistance next day 
were unanimously carried, and all arrangements 
duly completed. Meanwhile, I spent a restless 
night, dreaming of tigers and cursing my bad 
luck. 
Next day the beaters and a herd of buffaloes 
arrived, and away we started. All Central Indian 
portsmen will have learnt the value of the jun- 
gle-reared buffalo in tracking wounded carnivora. 
Accustomed, as they are, to live in the densest 
juntrle, they are quite prepared to meet the on- 
slaughts of any tiger, and promptly forming into 
line, heads down, they will charge straight at 
any tiger they may meet. Accordingly, on this 
particular morning, it was decided that I should 
sit on a selected tree and that tiie beaters should 
drive the buffaloes through the jungle, and thus 
beat tlie wounded animal out. 1 had not sat up 
very Ions', and the comparatively silent beat had 
only been going on for a very short time, when 
away, in the distance, down below me, some con- 
siderable distance away, I saw a huge tiger bound 
across a small open space. I at once got to the 
ready and waited patiently, shortly to be rewarded 
by 
, THE TIGER APPEAEING ; 
and there he stood, a tew yards from me, looking 
back in the direction of the beaters ; but alas his 
jbotly was covered by a clump of trees, on ohq sidQ 
AGRICULTURIST. 205 
his huge head projected, on the other his tail. No, 
it was impossible ro lire, and meanwhile I siiook 
with excitement and fear that the tiger would see 
me and bolt. However, after an age of sus^)ense, 
the tiger stepped forward quietly and slowly, and 
his body being exposed I fired, Down he dropped 
without a move, save a wag or two of his tail. But 
I was not going to lose him this time, and before 
he could ever think of coming to life again, three 
m">re bullets were duly lodged into him. 
Soon the beaters came up and there were great 
rejoicings ; but this was not the wounded tigress. 
It was a fine male, 10 feet 5 inches, and never a 
wounil had he received before, The question of the 
wounded tigress, therefore, still remained to be 
solved. Accordingly, we proceeded to track through 
the jungle, the shikaris leading the way, tracking 
down the dry nalla beds, the buffaloes being driven 
through the thicker bits of jungle. After a time 
we came to a small underground nalla, a kind of a 
small winding cave, which opened out into the 
bigger nalla down which we had been tracking. 
The trackers stopped, and after some little further 
examination arrived at the conclusion that the 
wounded tigress had retired into the little cave. 
But there were doubts expressed, and so in the 
hopes of further developments arising I took up a 
position behind a tree at some little distance from 
the month of the cavern and fired a charge of shot 
into it. At once 
A DKEP, LOW, GROAVL 
came out from the cave, and away every one fled 
to take refuge up the nearest trees, whilst I stood 
at attention. But nothing further happened and 
similar charges of sliot only succeeded in bringing 
forth low grumbling growls. Consequently, other 
steps had to be taken. On creepiag up to the 
mouth of the hole and cautiously peering in, it was 
impossible to see anything of our friend, as the 
small cave at once wound round to the right. It 
was, therefore decided to try the elfects of a prog. 
Accordingly, I stood at attention on the banks of 
the nalla just over the hole, whilst two of the 
braver gonds, armed with a long bamboo, proceeded 
to push this into the hole. Suddenly, a loud roar. 
Away they all bolted, fully expecting that the 
tigress would bound out in her wrath, but no tiger 
appeared. Again and again were those tactics 
followed ; but save for a growl there was no 
apparent result. Braver and braver grew the prog- 
gers, and the tigress, in her anger, would gnaw 
the end of the bamboo, but she refused to show 
herself. Owing to the winding nature of the hole 
it was impossible to get at ber, and so the bamboo 
was given up in despair. During these antics we 
had noticed that a small tiny crack in the ground 
led down from the hank into the hole, and peering 
down it, a small portion of the tigress could be 
seen. In fact, its tail, as it afterwaids turned out. 
Accordingly, I had sent for kerosine, but only a 
single bottle was forthcoming. This we lighted 
and poured down the hole, \yith the result that 
the tigress' tail was badly singed ; but still she 
refused to show herself. And so the day passed 
and darkness was coming on, so that all further 
plans of operation had to be postponed. Moreover 
the shikaris assured me that the tigress must be at 
the point of death, otherwise she would never have 
endured such treatment. We contented ourselves, 
therefore, with blocking up the mouth of the cave 
loosely with branches, and then wended our way 
home, fully confident that next day we would 
merely have to dig her out. And all arrangenienia 
were made to obtain the necessary implements 
f?Oi« a distant depOtj 
