Wild Beasts and Their Ways by Sir Samuel White Baker (adult books to read txt) 📕

all that remained of the native cow which had been recently killed, and the skeleton dislocated by jackals and wild pigs. Unless the tiger had been disturbed there was every chance of its being somewhere in the neighbourhood; we therefore determined to beat every yard of the island most carefully, although it extended several miles in length, and was about one mile in maximum width.

The line was formed, but no scouts were thrown forward, nor were any precautions taken; it was simply marching and counter-marching at hazard. Hours passed away and nothing was moved to break the monotony of the day but an occasional pig, whose mad rush for the moment disturbed the elephants.

It was 2 P.M.: hot work for ladies--my wife was in the howdah behind me. I confess that I am not fond of the fair sex when shooting, as I think they are out of place, but I had taken Lady Baker upon this occasion at her special request, as she hoped to see a tiger. We were passing through some dense green tamarisk, growing as close and thick as possible, in a hollow depression, which during the wet season formed a swamp, when presently the elephants began to exhibit a peculiar restlessness, cocking their ears, raising their trunks, and then emitting every kind of sound, from a shrill trumpet to the peculiar low growl like the base note of an organ, broken suddenly by the sharp stroke upon a kettle-drum, which is generally the signal of danger or alarm. This sound is produced by striking the ground with the extremity of the trunk curled up.

I felt sure that a tiger was in this dense covert. The question was how to turn him out.

The tamarisk was about 20 feet high, but the stems were only as thick as a man's arm; these grew as close together as corn in a field of wheat; the feathery foliage of green was dark through extreme density, forming an opaque mass that would have concealed a hundred tigers without any apparent chance of their discovery.

Although this depression was only about 6 feet below the general level of the island, it formed a strong contrast in being green, while the grass in the higher level was a bright yellow. The bottom had been swampy, which explained the vigorous vegetation; and although this lower level was not wider than 80 or 90 yards, it was quite a quarter of a mile in length.

Neither the mahouts nor their animals appeared to enjoy the fun of beating out this piece of dense covert, as they were well aware that the tiger was "at home." As it was absolutely necessary to form and keep a perfect line, the elephants being shoulder to shoulder, I begged the Rajah and his friends to ride towards the terminus of the tamarisk bottom, placing a gun at the extreme end and upon either side; while I should accompany the beaters to keep a correct line, and to drive the covert towards them. I felt sure that by this arrangement the tiger could not escape without being seen.

This was well carried out; they took their places, and after some delay I managed to collect about forty elephants into a straight line, not more than 4 or 6 feet from each other. The word was given for the advance, and the effect was splendid. The crash through the yielding mass was overpowering; the dark plumes of the tamarisk bowed down before the irresistible phalanx of elephants; the crackling of the broken stems was like the sound of fire rushing through a cane-brake, and this was enlivened by sudden nervous squeals, loud trumpets, sharp blows of kettle-drums, deep roars, and all the numerous sounds which elephants produce when in a state of high nervous excitement. I felt sure that at times the tiger was only a few feet in our advance, and that it was slinking away before the line.

The elephants increased in excitement; sometimes two or three twisted suddenly round, and broke the line. A halt was ordered, and although it was impossible to see beyond the animal on the immediate right and left, the order was given to dress into an exact line, and then to advance.

In this manner, with continual halts to re-form, we continued our uncertain but irresistible advance. Suddenly we emerged upon a swampy piece of grass interspersed with clumps of tamarisk; here there was intense excitement among the elephants, several turned tail and bolted in an opposite direction; when the cause was quickly discovered, by a large tiger passing exactly in front of me not 20 yards distant, and showing himself most distinctly, giving me a lovely chance.

The elephant we rode was a female named Sutchnimia, and she had been introduced to my notice as infallible, her character as usual being well supported by her mahout; but no sooner did this heroic beast descry the tiger, than she twisted herself into every possible contortion, throwing herself about in the most aimless attitudes, with a vigour that threatened the safety of the howdah and severely taxed the strength of the girth-ropes.

The tiger (a fine male) suddenly stopped, and turned three-parts round, apparently amazed at the gesticulations of the elephant; and there the beast stood, exposing the shoulder to a most certain shot if the elephant would have kept decently quiet for only two seconds. The fact of the tiger having halted, and remaining in view within 20 yards, only aggravated the terror of Sutchnimia, and she commenced shaking her colossal body like a dog that has just emerged from water. It was as much as we could do to hold on with both hands to the howdah rails; my watch was smashed, the cartridges in my belt were bent and doubled up against the pressure of the front rail and rendered useless, while the mahout was punching the head of his refractory animal with the iron spike, and the tiger was staring with astonishment at the display upon our side.

This picture of helplessness did not last long; the tiger disappeared in the dense covert, and left me to vent my stock of rage upon the panic-stricken elephant. Twice I had endeavoured to raise my rifle, and I had been thrown violently against the howdah rail, which had fortunately withstood the shock. The tiger had broken back, therefore it was necessary to repeat the beat. I was of opinion that it would be advisable to take the elephants out of the tamarisk jungle, and to march them along the open ground, so as to re-enter exactly in the same place and in the same order as before. There could be no doubt that the tiger would hold to the thick covert until fairly driven out, and it would probably break upon the second beat where the guns were protecting the end and both sides of the hollow.

The elephants were this time intensely excited, as they knew as well as we did that the game was actually before them. I ordered them to keep within a yard of each other, to make it impossible for the tiger to slink back by penetrating the line. Several times as we advanced in this close order the animal was evidently within a few feet of us, as certain elephants endeavoured to turn back, while others desired to dash forward upon the unseen danger, which all keenly smelt. At last, when several elephants trumpeted and made a sudden rush, a shot was fired from the gun upon the left flank, stationed upon the open ground slightly above the hollow. The line halted for an explanation, and it appeared that the Rajah had fired, as the tiger for an instant showed itself upon the edge of the tamarisk jungle.

We now continued the advance; the tiger had not spoken to the shot, therefore we considered that it was without effect, and I felt sure that in such compact order we should either trample upon it or push it out at the extremity of the covert.

At length, having carefully beaten out the tamarisk, which had now been almost destroyed by the tread of so close a line of elephants, we emerged at the extreme end of the hollow, where, instead of tamarisk, a dense patch of withered reeds much higher than an elephant were mingled in a confused growth, occupying an area of hardly 10 yards square. I felt sure that the tiger must have crouched for concealment in this spot.

Suchi Khan had brought his elephant upon the left, another gun was on the right, and a third in the centre at the extreme end, while I was in the bottom with the line of elephants. Begging the outside guns to be careful, and to reserve their fire until the tiger should bolt into the open, I ordered the elephants to form three parts of a circle, to touch each other shoulder to shoulder, and slowly to advance through the tangled reeds. This was well done, when suddenly the second elephant upon my left fell forward, and for the moment disappeared; the tiger had made a sudden spring, and seizing the elephant by the upper portion of the trunk, had pulled it down upon its knees. The elephant recovered itself, and was quickly brought into the position from which for a few seconds it had departed. The tiger was invisible in the dense yellow herbage.

Very slowly the line pressed forward, almost completing a circle, but just leaving an aperture a few yards in width to permit an escape. The elephant's front was streaming with blood, and the others were intensely excited, although apparently rendered somewhat confident by pressing against each other towards the concealed enemy.

Presently a mahout about two yards upon my right beckoned to me, and pointed downward with his driving-hook. I immediately backed my elephant out of the crowd, and took up a position alongside his animal. He pointed at some object which I could not distinguish in the tangled mixture of reeds, half-burnt herbage, and young green grass that had grown through; at length 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 1/2 drams of powder and a ball of pure soft lead. A No. 12 is exceedingly powerful, and if 7 lbs. in weight, it can be fired with one hand