THE COW-KILLERS KILLED
HUNTING ADVENTURES IN INDIA

The Cow-Killers Killed

We determined not to shift our camp, though, having already killed four beasts close to the same spot, we were not very sanguine about finding more. Buffaloes were, however, again tied up in the evening, and next morning one of our men came in greatly excited, and said that a calf had been killed in the night, and that four fresh tigers were in a patch of cypress in the Nerbudda, close to the junction, where our markers had seen them. We were not long in turning out. and on reaching the place proceeded to examine the ground. The tigers were in a covert some 200 yards in length and 150 broad, thick in parts, but broken into ridges by the action of heavy floods, and between these ridges were open spaces of sand and shingle. On the bank at the angle of the junction was a point from which a good bird's eye view could be obtained of the bed of the river, and round the corner, in the Mann, was the cypress covert, in and about which we had hunted on the four previous days. We arranged that I should stand at the angle, while Ward beat up the tigers with the elephant. As he approached the covert the scene became very interesting, and the tigers moved rapidly from one ridge to the other. I had a perfect view of the whole proceeding, and as the beasts showed, we fired with various effects. Several, I knew, were hard hit, but so many were running about the covert that it was impossible to say which were wounded. Presently, with her tail standing out behind her like a kitchen-poker, the old tigress charged past my post, growling savagely. I had a good shot in the open, but missed her very disgracefully, and she went at full speed round the corner into the Maun river. Meanwhile Ward was not idle, and as I watched his movements I observed a tiger enter a ridge of cypress on the far side of the covert, and close to the stream of the Nerbudda. Soon after Ward moved up towards me and said they were all dead with the exception of the tigress which I had let go. I asked "how many were dead?" He replied, "Three." "Then," said I, "there is still a fourth in the covert." Ward was incredulous, so I came down, and mounting the elephant beside him, directed the mahout to move towards the ridge near the water. We heat it down very carefully with no result, but I knew the beast was not far off. The side of the bank next the river sloped sharply down some eight or ten feet to the water, and was heavily fringed with a thick green shrub. I directed the mahout to take the elephant round and enter the water. This he did, and as we moved along in front of the bank, in water about five feet deep, we spied the tiger lying almost hidden by the bushes. Being anxious to save the skin, only one shot was fired, with the best aim allowed by the imperfect view. On receiving the shot, the tiger roared and sprang clean out from the bank towards us, and was shot in the water swimming at the elephant's head. He was a young tiger, but a most determined beast. When we towed him ashore he was found to be riddled with bullets. We thus had four lying together on the sand. They were all young tigers and tigresses, but as large as the mother, and only to be distinguished at a distance by their imperfect stripes. After a slight refreshment, we followed the old lady into the Maun River, and soon came on her in the cypress. She died game, but the shooting was too good for her this time, and she had no chance. On the death of the four, we had sent off to the camp for two light carts. These had arrived by this time. Two tigers were placed in each, and with the fifth bound on the elephant, the procession moved on the tents. We had within the week killed ten large tigers, the result of five days' work. Of these, nine were killed within a circle half a mile in diameter. The villagers turned out in considerable numbers, and rejoiced in their own pathetic way. Had we not come, many of their cows would no doubt have suffered. They seemed to think it strange that so many beasts should have been disposed of without loss of human life, or accident of any sort. Condensed from Wild Man and Wild Beasts; Scenes in Camp and Jungle, by Lt. -Col. Gordon Cumming. - "Library of Travel and Adventure," edited by Bayard Taylor. Hunting in India - Wild bulls Hunting in India - Tiger-hunting at night Hunting in India - Hunting the boar Hunting in India - Bitten by a bear Hunting in India - Tiger-hunting with elephants Hunting in India - The cow-killers killed Hunting in India - Death of a gun-bearer Eastern turbans Hunters paradise in China