Gil the Gunner Part 18

"No sign of a tiger," I said aloud; and, to my surprise, a reply came from Brace, whose elephant was shuffling along not many yards away, and I could, as he spoke, just see his face through the tops of the tall reedy gra.s.s.

"No," he said; "but very likely one of them is creeping and gliding along just ahead of us, so keep a sharp look-out."

Just then I began thinking of Brace instead of the tigers, for it seemed so painful to be at odds with him, and to go on in the distant way we had kept up lately, because I looked upon him as a coward. I cannot explain my feelings. All I know is that I felt that I did not like him a bit, and all the time I was drawn towards him and was hurt when I spoke coldly to him, and more hurt when he gave me one of his half-sad, penetrating looks, and then spoke distantly.

"I think I could like him," I said to myself, "if he had not proved such a coward." And then I thought that under the circ.u.mstances I should have had no hesitation in going out and fighting Barton. As I arrived at this pitch, I felt uncomfortable, for something within me seemed to ask the question--

"Wouldn't you?"

Just then an elephant again uttered his harsh grunting squeal known as "trumpeting," and an electric thrill ran through me, for I had learned enough of tiger-shooting to know that the great animal had scented his enemy, and the strange cry was taken up by another of the elephants.

Orders were pa.s.sed along to right and left for us to keep in a steady line, and the men between the elephants grew every moment more excited.

For the action of the animals proved that it was no false alarm, and in the momentary glances I had from right to left, I saw that the rajah and Brace were waiting, with finger on trigger, for a shot at the striped monster creeping on up the valley.

"Keep cool," said the doctor to me in a whisper; "and if you get a good chance at him, fire at the shoulder, but don't throw away a shot. A slight wound may do more harm than good--make the brute break back through the line, perhaps, and we should lose him."

"I'll be careful," I said huskily.

"That's right. I want for us to get one tiger, and not the rajah. He has plenty of chances."

"Keep a sharp look out, doctor," came from Brace, in a loud voice, which told that he was evidently excited.

In a few minutes we were through the dense thicket of gra.s.s, and in a rocky bottom, dotted sparely with tufts of bush and loose stones; and, as I ran my eye over this, I turned to the doctor despairingly.

"There is nothing to hide him here," I said. "We must have pa.s.sed him in the thick gra.s.s."

"Nothing to hide him!" cried the doctor; "why, the gorge is full of hiding-places. I call this good cover."

"Is that something moving?" I said suddenly; and I pointed to some thin yellowish-brown gra.s.s, about fifty yards ahead.

"Eh, where? By George!"

His rifle was to his shoulder in a moment, there was a flash, a sharp echoing report, and the mahout shouted "_Bagh! Bagh_!" while, as the smoke rose, I had a faint glimpse of a great striped animal bounding out of sight, a hundred and fifty yards ahead.

"Clever miss," said the doctor, reloading, as inquiries came from right and left. "No doubt about the tigers now, Vincent," he added to me.

"I thought I saw something moving, but I could hardly tell it from the stems of the dry gra.s.s."

"I suppose not Nature has been pretty kind to tigers that way. It is almost impossible to see them amongst gra.s.s or reeds, so long as they keep still. Bah! that was a wretched shot. But it's easier to miss than hit, Vincent."

"I wish I had seen him," I said, in a disappointed tone.

"Why, you did see him, lad, and missed a good chance. Your rifle ought to have been up to your shoulder the moment he moved."

"But I thought it was gra.s.s," I said.

"Ah, you will not think it was gra.s.s again. Capital practice this in decision, my lad. You've had a splendid lesson."

We pressed on as fast as the roughness of the ground would allow, for it was so open now that, in all probability, the tiger would have gone on some distance, and with the elephants plainly in view and the mounted and dismounted men between them, we made quite a goodly show. But the heat was terrific. It seemed as if the rocks were glowing and reflecting the sun's rays, so that at any other time we should have declared it unbearable, but now excitement kept us going.

As we pa.s.sed the spot where we had seen the tiger disappear, our ranks were closed up, and we went on watchfully. In my eagerness now, I was ready to turn tufts of gra.s.s and blocks of stone into tigers; and had taken aim at one with my ears singing with excitement, when the doctor laid his hand on mine.

"What are you doing?" he said.

I pointed, for I could not speak, and he laughed, and then raised his own piece to his shoulder, as a shot rang out from Brace's howdah, followed by one from the rajah's.

"A hit," cried the doctor. "Did you see him?"

I shook my head.

"I got one glimpse of him."

"That shot was home, doctor, I think," said Brace.

"Not a doubt about it. Steady; keep on."

The elephants advanced slowly, with their trunks thrown up in the air, and as, in the midst of intense excitement, we neared the spot where the tiger had been seen slinking from one stone to the other, one of the men uttered an exclamation and pointed down at a spot of blood upon the hot stone at our feet; and then at another and another at intervals, on dry gra.s.s and leaf.

"Take care," said the rajah; "he will be very savage now."

The warning was hardly needed, for every one was on the alert, expecting at any moment to find the tiger lying dead, or to see it bound out defiantly and ready to spring at the nearest elephant.

"Mind how you shoot, Vincent," said the doctor, meaningly. "I came out for a day's sport, and don't want it spoiled by professional pursuits."

"I don't understand you," I said.

"Well, if I must put it plainly, don't shoot a beater instead of a tiger."

"_Bagh! bagh_!" came from one of the men on foot; and this time the rajah led off with a shot, but it seemed that he had only obtained a glimpse of the great cat-like beast sneaking round a tuft of bushes, as it made its way onward.

The brute was evidently severely wounded, for blood-stains were found again and again, several together, showing where the tiger had halted to watch or listen for his enemies; but still we could not get close enough for a decisive shot, and over and over again the line of elephants was halted in the belief that we must have pa.s.sed the beast crouching down among the gra.s.s.

At the last of these halts, when, in spite of careful search, no more traces of the fierce man-eater could be seen, a council of war was held, and the question was raised whether we should go back, when the distant sound of shouts and the beating of tom-toms came faintly toward us, and this decided the line of action, for the rajah at once proposed that we should go and meet the beaters, for there was another tiger in the valley, and then we could beat out the one wounded on our return.

This was decided on, and the word was given to advance again; but hardly had the elephants moved, when there was a terrific roar, and a monstrous tiger bounded out toward us, las.h.i.+ng his tail from side to side, baring his white teeth, and laying down his ears as his eyes literally blazed at us in the sun.

Brace's rifle rang out on the instant, and, with a snarling roar, the beautifully striped beast swung his head round, made a snap at his shoulder, then turned and charged straight at the rajah's elephant, which uttered a shriek of dread, spun round, and dashed back at a mad pace.

The tiger did not pursue, but, evidently untouched by a couple more shots fired at it, came bounding toward us.

The doctor fired, but it did not check the onslaught, and the brute bounded right on to the elephant's shoulder and tried to claw its way into our howdah, as the mahout yelled with horror.

But the savage brute did not get quite up to us, for the doctor s.n.a.t.c.hed my rifle from my hand, held it with the barrel resting on the edge of the howdah just as one would a pistol, fired, and the tiger dropped quite dead upon the scorched earth.

An eager shout arose, and there was a round of congratulations as a pad elephant was brought up from the rear, and the monster hauled across the creature's back, and securely fastened with ropes.

But we did not stop to finish this, for the shouting and tomtoming was growing plainer, and already a deer had trotted out of the tender growth a hundred yards ahead, stood listening to the sounds behind, and then, catching sight of us, darted down the valley at a tremendous pace.

A minute or two later, as we advanced, another deer appeared, turned, and trotted back; while soon after, a huge boar dashed out, charged through us, and was followed by a mother pig and her progeny, all of which dashed downward for their liberty.