VI 
THE TIGER 
245 
carrying in their arms the body of a third person, 
which was hardly to be recognised through the mass 
of blood coagulated and mixed with dead leaves and 
sand, as the tiger had dragged and torn its victim 
along the ground with remorseless fury. This was 
a sad calamity. There could be little doubt that 
when we heard the roars of the infuriated beast it 
was attacking the line of beaters, and knocking them 
over right and left before they had time to ascend 
the trees. The village was only a mile distant, and 
we immediately sent for three charpoys (native bed¬ 
steads) as stretchers to convey the wounded men. 
Demoiselle arrived with Mr. Berry, who came into 
my howdah, while the tiger was with some difficulty 
secured upon the pad of that exceedingly docile 
elephant. In this form we entered the village as a 
melancholy procession ; the news having spread, all 
the women turned out to meet us, weeping and 
wailing in loud distress, and the scene was so 
touching that I began to reflect that tiger-shooting 
might be fun to some, but death to others, who, 
poor fellows, had to advance unarmed through 
dangerous jungle. . 
The reason for this .savage attack was soon dis¬ 
covered. As a rule, there is little danger to a line 
of beaters provided the tiger is unwounded, and no 
person should ever place his men in the position to 
drive a jungle when a wounded tiger is in retreat. 
In such a case, if no elephants are present, it would 
be necessary to obtain the assistance of buffaloes; a 
herd of these animals driven through the jungle 
