esence, this violation of caste law, that he
immediately went home.

In the next instance I have to give, one of the Lingayet caste
(vegetarians, and abstainers from intoxicating drinks) was wounded by a
tiger, and there was a caste question raised, as to whether, under the
circumstances, he should take wine. The occurrence came about in this way.
Some miles from my house I once wounded a tiger, somewhat late in the day,
and, owing to the broken nature of the ground, and a general confusion
that seemed to take possession of the people, it seemed impossible to
bring the affair to a satisfactory conclusion, so I went home. The
following morning I returned to take up the track of the tiger, but it was
unluckily reported that the animal had quitted the jungle we had left him
in, so the party (I having been posted at a point where the tiger would
probably break cover, in case the report should prove false), it appears,
blundered carelessly into the place where the animal had been last seen
the evening before. Now, this particular spot was full of a long sort of
reed that grows in swampy ground, so that the people could not see far
before them, and, to make a long story short, it seems that the tiger
bided his time, sprang suddenly into the party, and gave one of them a
fatal bite in the loins. The moment I heard the three roars, I expected
that something disagreeable must have occurred, and, on arrival at the
scene of events, I found a fine young fellow of the Lingayet caste lying
bathed in blood, and my people vainly endeavouring to stanch the wounds.
He was half swooning away from loss of blood, and I offered him some wine
to keep up his strength. This, however, he refused to take, unless the
head man of his village, who happened to be present, would consent. The
head man, evidently wishing to shirk the responsibility, shook his head
doubtfully; but the members of his caste all called out--"It's no matter;
let him drink;" and he drank accordingly. While this was going on, I had a
rough stretcher made, and, doing up his wounds as well as we could, sent
him off on the way to his village. While we were attending to the wounded
man, rather an amusing incident occurred. It appears that when the tiger
charged, one of the party, a toddy-drawer, at once climbed up a tree, and
when the party retreated, carrying off the wounded, he was afraid to come
down. His absence had not been remarked, and when we were engaged in doing
up the wo