VI 
THE TIGER 
229 
him for dead, was prepared for an onset upon 
Thompson had I not settled her with the *577 
bullet in the chest. 
On arrival at the camp the man was well cared 
for, and on the following morning we forwarded him 
by boat to the hospital at Dhubri in charge of the 
keddah doctor. It was satisfactory to learn that 
after a few months he recovered from his wounds, 
and exhibited his complete cure by absconding from 
the hospital unknown to the authorities, without 
returning thanks for the attention he had received. 
This incident was an unfortunate example of the 
panic that can be established among elephants. It 
is a common saying that the elephant depends 
upon the mahout; this is the rule for ordinary work, 
but although a staunch elephant might exhibit 
nervousness with a timid mahout, no driver, however 
determined, can induce a timid animal to face a tiger, 
or to stand its onset. Thompson had behaved so 
badly that I determined to give him one more 
chance, and to change him for another elephant 
should he repeat his nervousness. 
A few days after this occurrence, the natives 
reported a tiger to be in a thicket of wild rose. We 
had changed camp to a place called Kikripani, about 
eight miles from Rohumari, and I immediately took 
the elephants to the wild-rose jungle, which was 
about two miles distant. 
The usual arrangements were made, and I took 
up a position upon Thompson in a narrow^ opening 
of fine grass which cut at right angles through 
