VI 
THE TIGER 
219 
I presently observed the jungle move about 30 
yards before me, and I immediately fired into the 
spot, not in the expectation of hitting an unseen 
animal, but I concluded that the shot would assist 
in driving it from the covert. This was successful, 
as shortly afterwards we heard the shouts of the 
mahouts on the scouting elephants, who reported 
that the tiger had gone away at great speed across 
the intervening ground towards the original retreat. 
We hurried forward, and upon reaching the wild- 
rose jungle we re-formed the line, and made use of 
every possible manoeuvre for at least an hour with¬ 
out obtaining a view of the tiger. The elephants 
appeared confident that their enemy was there, and 
my men began to think that the shot I had fired 
into the bush might have wounded it, and that it 
was probably lying dead beneath some tangled 
foliage. By this time, through continual advancing 
and counter-marching, the jungle was completely 
trodden into confused masses of concentrated briars, 
which might have concealed a buffalo. 
I did not share their opinion, but I concluded 
that the tiger was crouching, and that it would allow 
the elephants to pass close to its lair without the 
slightest movement. I accordingly ordered them to 
close up shoulder to shoulder, and to take narrow 
beats backwards and forwards to include every inch 
of ground. This movement was carefully worked 
out, and in less than fifteen minutes a sudden roar 
terrified the elephants, and the tiger charged 
desperately through the line! There was no longer 
