70 T H E T I G E R A T BAY.
D„c,-a, ivl.cre Ihcy arc kqil in numlxTs for sale, liaving a very line »wo/™«/-,
or n.alei. ill.oal leell., I.roiigl.l lo mc al Tcrgo,,g by a iialive dealer. The ammal
,vas one of llio ii.ost majcslic I ever l)elielil ; al)OUt eighl feet
I.igl,, .
every respoel perfect; saving tlial its Irunk had l>ec.i cut by a ,
ioAo»/,
tlic elephant cnileavoured lo destroy. The wound was inlllctcil '
I. a c
aiUiiiK
bill, with which the u,an was chopping .»ome boughs for the ai
lal'a us
cut enllrcly through the noslrlls, and left not more lliau one third of ihc
• Iksh
unsevereil.' The I ninii was lliu.s completely dcslroycd ; since It neither retained
Ih'
power of grasping, nor of suction ; It hung as it were lifeless. From the
umslaucc of the mooknak heing atteuiled by two large elephants, which
him in security by means of strong ropes passed about him, for he had not
lu-lil
been long caught, I conclude the wouml never was dressed, but that It healed
of itself At all events, ll gives us some insight into the anatomy of the proboscis;
for it must be ohvious, lhal no blood vessel of iniportauee exists lu the
U],pi-r 'i.art. whatever there may be below. The moohmh was offered lo me at
a very low rate; but lis being in so wild a stale, would have alone operated to
my dccllnlug the purchase, if the wound had not heen a complete obstacle. It
iviis e-vlrcmely unpleasant In the eye, ami would assuredly deter a native from
purcliaslug, siuiuld I at anytime have occasion lo sell him : besides, it rendered
the animal Incapablc, in many respects, of gelling Its own food, and induccd
llie additional expcnce of a person to feed him. He was, when I saw him,
siippllcil with fodd.-r by one of the males, ivliich prepared for him bunches of
grass. ami put them into his mouth.
Tigers ilo not coiiliue themselves lo grass and imdcrwood ; tliey may sometimes
be found even ill corn liclds. Perhaps they are altraeted to them by the
abumlaiice of deer, hogs. See. which never fall al nlgbt lo visit such cultivated
spols. as are near lo the jungles in which they, for the most ])arl, take shelter.
Game of all kinds will, al parllclllar seasons, wamler 10 a great distance for food ;
ami, when ample provision, with water at lianci, can be found, ivill <lult such
a favourable situation with exlrcme reliielaiiee. The liger, however, is not partial
to Ihe open fields, such as are cultivated with wheat, barley, &c. but ordinarily,
occupics .some ghioniy rhur plantation, of which a description has been supplied
in a former part of ihis work ; liere, in some Impervious spot, he lays at his
ease, ill the eool draught of air which pas.ses through the lower parts, where
few branehes diverge from tile stems ; thus bidden from the sun, and avoiding
the Hies, which ever swarm about him while he is unsheltered. Tigers ivill
iiol lay among thorns, alliiough the jungles they fre<[ueiil may be eomposiMl
chielly of briars, lu fact, no animal is fonder of comfort; but none is more shy
of covers, hoivever comfortable, unless lliey be free from iiilerriipliou, or, at least
in a eerlain measure recluse.
There Is a spot opposite lo D/unipore house, where the monument erected lo
the memory of that expert sportsman, the late .Major Ducarel, stands, which
has ever been noted for harbouring tigers. The yce/, or lake, forms a crescent
of about a mile ni length ; in the area is a tract of very fertile land, whieh
being as it were, enclosed, is not subject 10 much visitation from travellers, &e.
Here the rhui- jilaiilalions were always very thick aud lofty, and rarely failed
lo coiilain ablludance of jackals, wllll perhaps occasionally some hogs. The chase
in such a .situation was often beauliful, at the same time that it was safe ; and,
for the most pari, it was next lo impossible for the game to escape. A large
parly wenl early one morning round the end of the /cc/, which is very deep,
with a very large pack, or rather an assemblage of dogs of all kinds, to beat a line
rhur which was near the monument before noticed. As it had been left unmolested
for some lime, no doubt was entertained of starling a good boar. The
dogs speedily entered ihe cover, and by their clamour huliealed the presence of
some large animal. The barking, however, appeared eonfined to nearly the
same spot; and such dogs as came out of the rkur, oecasloiially, shewed, by
iheir looks, that they had met wilh somellilng uncommon to ihem. As TAUL
bad killed every liger whieh could be found within ten or twelve miles. It was
supposed that some old boar, which, having been hunted before, was up lo the
trick, was maintaining his ground against ihe whole of the dogs, many of which
were grievously wounded.
A t length the cry became general, and the whole pack were heard in pursuit,
bending their course towards one end of the plantation, whieh was of great
length. Each horseman, eager to have the lirst spear, and to \vin the purse
allaehed to the feat as a stimulus to exertion, spurred his willing steed lo lhal
part where the supposed hog was expeeled lo hreak cover; when, to the astonishment
of all, an immense tiger was seen cantering before the dogs, which, lo
the number of at least an hundred and fifty, closely followed him. The liger
was seen from the house, and notice heing given to P,iuL, he lost no time in
eipiipping the elephants, whieh were-picketted at about three hinidred yards
distance. Scarcely had he got all in readiness, when the tiger, which had
passed round the end of ihe ;Wa n d bent his course towards the house, traversing
the village of Dimilfwre in his way, arrived opposite to the huts of the
wohaiHs. He continued his course, followed by the whole party, who, having
quitted their horses, and being .supplied wilh lire-arms, moiiiiled on some of the
elephants, which, to the number of about seventy, pushed after the liger. Never
perhaps was a more beauliful .scene beheld !
The tiger stole along some heavy covers of grass and ciilllvation, which
skirted the banks of ihe /ee/, having in Its lour nearly arrived al ihe oilier end
of it; which, if ellecled, wonid have enabled him to re-enter llie rhur, from
which he had been originally dislodged, where |irobably be ivoiild hav(
an obstinate stand, and have destroyed most of ihc dogs, which
have the courage lo approach within reach of his claws, lu this howc
was disappointed by ihe activity of Ills pursuers; who, though occas
surprised by the cunning with which he stole iiuperceived among llieiil, i
fall lo cut oir his retreat. Finding hiuiself nol only surrounded hut hard |
he darted from a small patch of grass, which, from its height and ihl
proved highly favourable lo his concealment, and, covered wilh u
! made
should
!ver he
lionally
ilid nol
. reused,
ckness,
,'ounds.
T H E T I G E R A T BAY. 7 1
occasioned by shots necessarily fired somewhat at random, as no accurate aim
could be taken, dashed furiously into the jeel, with the view lo swim across
towards the rhur. However his friend PAUL, who, from experience, judged
where he would break cover, coolly awaited his taking to the water, when,
with lhal deliheratiou which ever attended on his actions, he levelled his
mus<iuet and shot the tiger dead. The ball entered just at the junction of the
skull with the vertebra: of the neck, and passing through the head, smashed
one of the cheek-bones lo shivers. The liger proved lo be the largest ever
killed on the Cossimbazar island. The oireumferencc of the joint al his wrist
was twenty six inches ; he was thirteen feet and a few Inches from the lip of
his nose to the end of his tall ; and in a right line, taken as he lay, from the
sole of his fore paw to the tip of his withers, between the shoulders, gave very
nearly four feet for his height. However, when standing, their bulk diminishes
greatly lu that point; probably could he have heen measured alive, he would
have lost not less than eight or ten Inches in stature.
The mohout's shoulder, or eventually his head, if the hunter be much raised
above him, presents an excellent rest for the gun, enabling him to make certain
of his aim. But some elephants do not stand lire well; and, when they sec
or smell a tiger, can never be brongbl to stand sllll. Practice, however, enables
the sportsman, as it does the seaman to take an ohseri-ation in an agitated vessel,
to fire with great precision, in spite of ihe elephant's uneasiness. Many gentlemen
shoot partridges, (|uails, &c. Hying, as wel l from the back of an elephant as
they would do on foot. In the moment of danger, or at least of apprehension.
many arc apt to fire
of hilling the liger, a
the llesh of some poor
had more to fear from
rallier al raiidom ; and il bas happeued, lhal, in lieu
I erring hall has found ils way into the pad, or perhaps
unsuspccling éléphant. ! liave bccn of a |)arly where I
niy eomrades lhan from ihe liger.
The scenery of llie annexed Phile will give some idea of ihe coiinl
East border of ihe Ganges, opposite lo the Rajemahal hills; which
skirling ihe liver from SickrccjuUt/ up to Co/gong: a distance of ah
miles. The whole is a wilderness, replete wilh every species of game,
blled by a race of people of a very short slalurc, with broad, round fa<
noses ilal and wide; and, who are lu every respect, completely diife
the natives lu general. These people, who are callcd Pahariahs,
mountaineers, appear to be the aborigines of Ihe eouiilry. They were fc
on ihe
ire seen
111 forty
ml liiha-
:s ; their
•lit from
literally
,erly
extremely wild, living upon game, and plundering, not only passengers,but. tlie
people of ihe adjacent low eoiinlrics. Troo])» were, for a long lime, employed
to subdue ihem, but witliout siicccss. The wisdom of tlie ever venerated Mr.
Cleaveland, wlio was Collector of the Jimgkicrri/ district, eflecled what force
could not compass. He suggested tlie formation of a corps of hill rangers, to
be raised among the PulmnuLs ; and Mr. Hastings, then Govenor General,
approving of the plan, it was carried into ellecl. in consequcnc«, iiostilities
ceased, order was veslored, and thai, part of the country, which was Iwfore so
dangerous, is now as safe as any otiier. The Pahariuhs have acquired a laste
for industry ; aud at this time cultivate large tracts, which were before over-run
with jungle.