i86 
WILD BEASTS AND THEIR WAYS 
CHAP. 
The Brahmaputra is an extraordinary river, as it 
acknowledges no permanent channel, but is con¬ 
stantly indulging in vagaries during the season of 
flood ; at such times it carries away extensive islands 
and deposits them elsewhere. Sometimes it over¬ 
flows its banks and cuts an entirely new channel at a 
sudden bend, conveying the soil to another spot, and 
throwing up an important island where formerly the 
vessels navigated in deep water. This peculiar 
character of the stream renders the navigation 
extremely difficult, as the bed is continually changing 
and the captains of the steamers require a long 
experience. 
During inundations the islands are frequently 
drowned out, and the wild' animals are forced to 
swim for the nearest shore. Upon such occasions 
tigers have been frequently seen swimming for their 
lives, and they have been killed in the water by 
following them in boats. The captain of the 
steamer in which I travelled told me of a curious 
incident during a great inundation, which had 
covered deeply all the islands and transported many 
into new positions. Upon waking at daylight, the 
man who took the helm was astonished to see a 
large tiger sitting in a crouching attitude upon the 
rudder, which, as already explained, was 17 feet in 
length. A heavily-laden flat or barge was lashed 
upon either side, and the sterns of these vessels 
projected beyond the deck of the steamer, right 
and left. 
The decks of these large flats were only 3 
