62 
WILD BEASTS AND THEIR WA YS 
CHAP. 
which existed in great numbers, but could hardly 
have been shot even had I wished, as the grass was 
so thick and long that the animals could not be 
seen; there were only signs of their disturbance by 
the sudden rush and the waving of the grass just in 
front of the advancing elephants, who were thus kept 
in continual excitement. 
In about twenty minutes we emerged from the 
high grass upon a great extent of highly cultivated 
land, where the sandy loam had been reduced to the 
fine surface of a well-kept garden. Bordering upon 
this open country was an extensive jungle composed 
of trees averaging about a foot in diameter, but 
completely wedged together among impenetrable 
reeds fully eighteen feet in length, and nearly an inch 
in thickness, in addition to a network of various 
tough creepers, resulting from a rich soil that was a 
morass during the rainy season. Although the reeds 
appeared tolerably dry, they would not burn, as 
there were signs among some half-scorched places 
where attempts had been recently made to fire the 
jungle. 
Our guide soon pointed to the spot where his cow 
had been dragged by the tiger into this formidable 
covert. There was no mistake about the marks, and 
the immense tracks in the soft ground proved the 
size and sex of the destroyer. 
Nobody questioned the fact of the tiger being at 
home, and the only question was “how to beat him 
out.” The jungle was quite a mile in length with¬ 
out a break in its terrible density; it was about half 
