P L A T E XV.
DRIVING A TIGER OUT OF A JUNGLE.
X h k r e are fiMv genl leinen in Indi a , who are par t ial to tlic o rdina ry fieicl spor t s ,
who ilo nol e a g e r ly eiiibracc such oppor luni l i e s a s ofVer of a l l a c k ing tigers. S o
hi ghly is ihis a rdiums uiniisoment rel i shed, tha i many , l ike P. \ui - be for e s])okcn
of, do nol eons idcr hog-hiint ing, -which cer tainly is a very manly and s omewha t
dang e rous species of llie chase, as be ing wo r thy of notice. Mog- l iunt ing has ,
however , a va r i c iy of inducement s ; and the g r e a t facility wi lh whicli il ma y be
pr a c t i s ed, is one of ihe most impor t anl . Ti g e r -hunt ing c annot be adopt ed in
the s ame desul tory ma n n e r ; for wi thout a competent numbe r of wcl l - l rained
and sizeable elephant s , iiolliiug conlil pos s ibly b e eilected ; nay, even wlien so
mater ial a point, is es labl i s l ied, much nui s l not be expec t ed if the pa r ty be not
suiliciently numerous , and that, those who c ompo s e it be not of an active turn,
aud, in some me a sure , accus tomed to the spor t . In this par t icular both diversions
agr e e ; in fact , ihrougbout bfe, wha t e v e r be the pur sui t , some pr evious
unde r s t anding both of the ma t t e r eng a g e d in, a.s well as of tbo.se with whom we
an: united, will be found, nol only to g ive facility, but lo render suc ces s more
certain
It would be utterly impos s ible lo define any l imi t a s lo the numbe r , ei ther of
spor t smen, oi' of elcphaut.s, neces sary to kill a t iger. On the one hand, many ins
tances mi ght be a<lduced whe r e g r e a t bodies of hunler.s, willi every requi s i te a t
command, have fai led; bile at the s ame t ime the mo.st surpr i s ing feat s of indi-
\i<luals, l)ut very fceljly i)rovided, mi ght be ([noted. Loc a l i ty mus t ever dc c ide
a s lo the numbe r s r equi r ed, the me a sur e s lo be adopt ed, and the pr obabi l i t y
of a f avour abl e result. In an o])cn count ry, whe r e a t iger ' s cour se and conducL
a r e easily wa t ched, and whe r e an aim can be taken with tolerable preci s ion,
a s ingle per son, on a good sized elcpl iant , tolerably f ree in ga i t and di spos i l ion,
ma y of ten s u c c e e d ; Avhilc, in a closer j u n g l e , ihe t iger mi ght bid def i ance to
thousands , howeve r well c([uipped.
No t h i n g is mo r e common, in many par t s of the counlr}% than for a pa r ty
who ma k e an e.xcursion with the view to luint bog s only, to come b y surpr i s e
on a tiger. When this happens , provided the s i lua l ion l)e conidered at all
f avour abl e , eve ry exer t ion is ma d e for hi s des t ruct ion. Ti i e e l ephant s are
a c cout r ed, and if there be c ame l s at hand they a r c added to the l i n e ; be ing ,
in gene r a l , ne a r ly a s lof ty a s elephant s , and c a p a b l e of g i v ing g r e a t aid in obs
e rving the t ige r ' s t rack. Ti i e y a r e al so well c a l cul a t ed, and indeed in the
a rmi e s of the nat ive powe r s a r e us ed, for c a r ry ing rocket s , ammuni t ion, &c . As
lo any immedi a t e utility, wi th respect to that par t of the pr o c e eding whi ch
rehitcs to a p e r emp t o r y a t t a ck on the t iger , it is out of the (piestion, c ame l s b e ing
in no respec t c apabl e of de f ending themselves ; and be ing bes ides so f a shioned in
their make , and so e q u i p p e d, a s to de b a r the me ans of a c t ing wi th eilecL f r om
thei r ba cks . Be s ide s , ihey have, p e rha p s , the r oughe s t pa c e s of any anima l s
liithcrto br ought into dome s t i c t r a ining ; and, be ing very inact ive, a r e ill calcul
a t ed for enterpr i ses in whi ch celer i ty and anima t ion be come indi.spensable
qua l i f ica t ions . Ho r s e s c annot be br ought to fol low the track of a t i g e r : they,
ha v e such a nice sense of sme l l ing, and the t iger ' s scent is so very s t rong , that ,
in lieu of be ing useful , they would in all probabi l i ty be c ome res t ive, rear , and
injure thei r r ider s , a s well as thems e l v e s ; the r eby c r e a t ing confus ion whe r e
o rde r is absolut e ly oe c e s s a ry.
T i g e r s when sat iated be come pe r f e c t ly l e tha rg i c , and but ill bro ok any disturbanc
e . Al this Lime they a r e easily f o uml ; and, indeeil, owi n g to the dullne
s s whi ch pe rvade s them for the whi le, a r e of ten surpr i sed in their nap. T h e y
a r e g ene r a l l y very unwi l l ing to ([uit the s p o t whicl i they have selected for tlieir
r e p o s e ; an<l a r e not much di sposed to retire far f rom the r ema ins of their spoi l s .
I f tiie anima l be found in a g r a s s j u n g l e , too much caut ion c annot he us ed, on
a c c ount of his disj)osilion lo lay conc e a l ed, and to s p r ing a l wha t e v e r ma y approa
ch so near a s to a l a rm him. On tiiis a c count , as .soon a s the carca.se of ihe
be a s t lie has killed ma y be found, the l a r g e s t aud bes t t rained e l ephanl s should
search the adjoining cover, in which the t iger will as snret l ly be di.scovered. Mis
imme di a t e presence is g ene r a l ly ma d e known by the elephaiit.s, which wintl
him fron'i some di s tance, and c ommenc ing a |)cculiar kind of t ruuipc t t ing and
snor t ing , becoinc a g i t a t ed, and imp a r l their feeliiig.s even to those whi ch a r e
not so ne a r a s lo scent the concealed enemy . I f the t iger rise and ende avour
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