TIGER.
The last stage in the proceedings is to procure a dead tiger, and to substitute it for the stuffed skin. Even with all this training, it most frequently happens that when the Elephant is brought to face a veritable living tiger the furious bounds, the savage yells, and gleaming eyes of the beast are so terrifying that he turns tail and makes a hasty retreat. Hardly one Elephant out of ten will face an angry tiger. The Elephant, when used in tiger-hunting, is always guided by a native driver, called a mahout, who sits astride of the animal's neck and guides its movements by means of the voice and the use of an iron hook at the end of a short stick.
THE TIGER IN THE REEDS.
The hunters who ride upon the Elephant sit in a kind of box called a howdah, which is strapped firmly upon the animal's back, or else merely rests upon a large flat pad furnished with cross-ropes for maintaining a firm hold. The Elephant generally kneels to enable the riders to mount, and then rises from the ground with a peculiar swinging motion that is most discomposing to beginners in the art.
The chase of the tiger is among the most exciting and favourite sports in India. When starting on a hunt, a number of hunters usually assemble, mounted on Elephants trained for the purpose, and carrying with them a supply of loaded rifles in their howdahs, or carriages mounted on the Elephants' backs. Thus armed, they proceed to the spot where a tiger has been seen. The animal is usually found hidden in the long grass or jungle, which is frequently eight or more feet in height; and when roused, it endeavours to creep away under the grass. The movement of the leaves betrays him, and he is checked by a rifle-ball aimed at him through the jungle. Finding that he cannot escape without being seen, he turns round and springs at the nearest Elephant, endeavouring to clamber up it and attack the party in the howdah. This is the most dangerous part of the proceedings, as many Elephants will turn round and run away, regardless of the efforts of their drivers to make them face the tiger. Should, however, the Elephant stand firm, a well-directed ball checks the tiger in his spring; and he then endeavours to again escape, but a volley of rifle-balls from the backs of the other Elephants, who by this time have come up, lays the savage animal prostrate, and in a very short time his skin decorates the successful marksman's howdah.