So here was a dangerous and noted tiger killed without a shot from the brave hunters who went out after him. But they were none the less brave for that.
The only man who did hit him was a coward, and the elephant that killed him, would have run away if he could. Things turn out this way sometimes.
I can only tell of one more of Colonel Myles’ hunts. He spent many months in India and killed a good many tigers, for which he had the thanks of the people and the approval of his own conscience—two things that hunters do not always have, I can assure you.
His last hunt, as far as we are concerned, was a bear hunt. He heard that a large bear had been seen a short distance from the place where he was then encamped, and early the next day after receiving the news, he went out with one native follower to see if he could find it. They followed the tracks of the beast until they reached a place where there were some very high rocks.
Mounting to the top of these they peeped over and saw, at the bottom of a ravine beneath, the mouth of a cave that appeared to extend under the rocks a short distance.
In this cave, lying with his head on his paws, they distinctly saw a large bear, fast asleep. He was, however, in such a position that it would be very hard to get a good shot at him.
The Colonel then thought of a plan to make him come out. To be sure they might have hurled stones at him or shouted, but in either case the bear might have been frightened and drawn himself into his cave, entirely out of sight, or he might have rushed up the rocks faster than they would like to have him come.
The Colonel wanted him to come out of his cave, but to stay down at the bottom of the ravine.
So he whispered to his man to unroll his long turban and to get out on the branches of a tree that overhung the mouth of the cave. Then he was to lower the turban down and tickle the bear’s nose.
The man did as he was told, and, as the turban was just long enough to reach the bear’s nose, he was able to tickle him nicely.