s, and an old patriarch came out
leaning on his staff, to revile and abuse the tigress. From some of
the young men we heard of a fresh kill to the north of the village,
and after tiffin we proceeded in that direction, following up the
course of the limpid stream, whose gurgling ripple sounded so
pleasantly in our ears.

Far ahead to the right, and on the further bank of the stream, we
could see dense curling volumes of smoke, and leaping pyramids of
flame, where a jungle fire was raging in some thick acacia scrub. As
we got nearer, the heat became excessive, and the flames, fanned into
tremendous fury by the fierce west wind, tore through the dry thorny
bushes. Our elephants were quite unsteady, and did not like facing the
fire. We made a slight detour, and soon had the roaring wall of flame
behind us. We were now entering on a moist, circular, basin-shaped
hollow. Among the patair roots were the recent marks of great numbers
of wild pigs, where they had been foraging among the stiff clay for
these esculents. The patair is like a huge bulrush, and the elephants
are very fond of its succulent, juicy, cool-looking leaves. Those in
our line kept tearing up huge tufts of it, thrashing out the mud and
dirt from the roots against their forelegs, and with a grunt of
satisfaction, making it slowly disappear in their cavernous mouths.
There was considerable noise, and the jungle was nearly as high as the
howdahs, presenting the appearance of an impenetrable screen of vivid
green. We beat and rebeat, across and across, but there was no sign of
the tiger. The banks of the nullah were very steep, rotten looking,
and dangerous. We had about eighteen elephants, namely, ten of our
own, and eight belonging to the Nepaulese. We were beating very close,
the elephants' heads almost touching. This is the way they always beat
in Nepaul. We thought we had left not a spot in the basin untouched,
and Captain S. was quite satisfied that there could be no tiger there.
It was a splendid jungle for cover, so thick, dense, and cool. I was
beating along the edge of the creek, which ran deep and silent,
between the gloomy sedge-covered banks. In a placid little pool I saw
a couple of widgeon all unconscious of danger, their glossy plumage
reflected in the clear water. I called to Captain S. 'We are sold this
time Captain, there's no tiger here!'

'I am afraid not,' he answered.

'Shall I bag those two widgeon?' I asked.

'All right,' was the res