72 
WILD BEASTS AND THEIR WA VS 
CHAP. 
and, sitting down upon the howdah seat, I took a 
rest with the rifle upon the front bar of the gun- 
rack. A piece of tamarisk kept waving in the wind 
just in front of the rifle, beyond my reach. The 
mahout leaned forward and gently bent it down. 
Now, all was clear. The tigers eyes were like 
green glass. The elephant for a moment stood like 
stone. I touched the trigger. 
There was no response to the loud report of 6 
drams of powder from the *577 rifle, no splash in the 
unbroken surface of the water. The tiger’s head 
was still there, but in a different attitude, one-half 
below the surface, and only one cheek, and one 
large eye still glittering like an emerald, above. 
“ Run in quick,”—and the order was instantly 
obeyed, as Nielmonne splashed through the pool 
towards the silent body of the tiger. There was 
not a movement of a muscle. I whistled loud, then 
looked at my watch—on the stroke of i p.m. From 
8.30 till that hour we had worked up that tiger, and 
although there was no stirring incident connected 
with him, I felt very satisfied with the result. 
In a short time the elephants arrived, having 
heard the shot, followed by my well-known whistle. 
Moota Gutche was the first to approach ; and upon 
observing the large bright eye of the tiger above 
water, he concluded that it was still alive ; he accord¬ 
ingly made a desperate charge, and taking the body 
on his tusks, he sent it flying some yards ahead ; not 
content with this display of triumph, he followed it 
up, and gave it a football-kick that lifted it clean 
