VI 
THE TIGER 
221 
just for one moment he had distinguished something 
yellow, and the tiger was in his opinion, even then, 
crouching exactly before us. Telling him to fall 
back, my two dependable elephants took their places 
upon the right and left. My mahout advised me 
not to advance, but to fire a shot into the supposed 
position, which he declared would either kill the 
tiger or drive it forward. I never like to fire at 
hazard, but I was of opinion that it might provoke 
a charge, as I did not think that anything would 
induce the tiger to move forward after the numerous 
successful attempts in breaking back. I accordingly 
aimed with the No. 12 smooth-bore carefully in the 
direction pointed out by the mahout, and fired- 
The effect was magnificent; at the same instant a 
loud roar was accompanied by the determined spring 
of the tiger from its dense lair. My elephant 
twisted round so suddenly to the left, that had I 
been unprepared I should have fallen heavily 
against the rail. Instead of this, my left hand 
clutched instinctively the left rail of the howdah, 
and holding the gun with my right, I fired it into 
the tiger’s mouth within 2 feet of the muzzle, just 
as it would have seized the mahout’s right leg. A 
sack of sand could not have fallen more suddenly or 
heavily. The charge of S.S.G. had gone into the 
open jaws. 
The remnant of that skull is now in my 
possession. The lower jaw absolutely disappeared, 
being reduced to pulp. All the teeth were cut 
away from the upper jaw, together with a portion 
