VI 
THE TIGER 
205 
something moved, and I at once made out the 
head and shoulders of a tiger crouching as though 
ready for a spring. In another moment it would 
have tried Sutchnimia’s nerves by fixing its teeth 
upon her trunk; but this time she stood well, 
being encouraged by the supporting elephants, and 
I placed a *577 bullet between the tiger s shoulders ; 
this settled the morning’s sport without further 
excitement. 
The tiger was dragged out. It was a fine male, 
and we discovered that Suchi Khan’s shot had 
struck it in the belly; the wound, not being fatal, 
had rendered it more vicious. 
It has already been remarked that a really 
staunch and tractable elephant is rarely met with. 
This renders tiger-shooting exceedingly uncertain, 
as it is impossible to shoot correctly with a rifle 
when an animal is flinging itself about to an extent 
that renders it necessary to hold fast by the howdah 
rail. I generally take an ordinary No. 12 gun as an 
adjunct. If the grass is very high and dense, the 
tiger will seldom be farther than 20 yards distant, 
and a smooth-bore breechloader with a spherical 
ball will shoot sufficiently well to hit the palm of 
your hand. This accuracy may be obtained to 30 
or 40 yards provided that the bullet is sufficiently 
large to enter the chamber, but a size too large for 
the muzzle. It will accordingly squeeze its way 
through without the slightest windage, and will 
shoot with great precision, with a charge of 4|- 
drams of powder and a ball of pure soft lead. A 
