In the reaction from the strain the girl and Wargrave went off in peals
of laughter at his words.

"But are you not wounded?" Miss Benson repeated. "Has it not clawed
you?"

The _mahout_ shook his head.

"No, missie-_baba_; but it was my new coat," he insisted.[1]

[1] A similar incident occurred in real life near Alipur Duar in
Eastern Bengal to a lady and an officer on a female elephant named
Dundora during a beat. But in this case it was the man that killed
the tiger with his second rifle when it was standing on the
elephant's head with its fore-paws on the _howdah_-rail. I can
personally testify to Dundora's immobility when facing a charging
tiger.--THE AUTHOR.

Frank looked down at the tiger stretched motionless on the yellow grass.

"By George, you shot him dead enough, Miss Benson!" he exclaimed.

She stared down at the animal.

"Yes; but it's well to be careful. I've seen a tiger look as dead as
that and yet spring up and maul a man who approached it incautiously,"
she said.

She raised her rifle and covered the prostrate animal.

"Throw something at it," she continued.

Wargrave took out a couple of heavy, copper-cased cartridges and flung
them one by one at the tiger's head, striking it on the jaw and in the
eye. The animal did not move.

"Seems dead enough," said the girl, lowering her rifle. "Here come the
beaters."

The other elephants had now burst out in line through the scrub. Their
_mahouts_ shouted enquiries to Gul Dad and when they heard of the
tiger's death cheered gleefully, for it meant _backsheesh_ to them.
Badshah was seen to be searching for a way down into the nullah and in a
few minutes brought his passengers up alongside Miss Benson and the
subaltern. Her father and Dermot congratulated the girl warmly; and the
latter, having made Badshah kick the tiger to make certain that it was
dead, dismounted and examined it.

"Here's your shot, Wargrave," he said, pointing to a hole in the belly.
"A bit too low, but it made a nasty wound that would have killed the
beast eventually."

"I'm so ashamed of missing it with my second barrel, sir," said the
subaltern. "But for Miss Benson I'd have been a gone coon."

"Yes, it certainly looked exciting enough from our side of the
_nullah_," said the Colonel, smiling; "so what must it have been like
from where you were? Well, anyhow it's your tiger."

"Oh, nonsense, sir; it's Miss Benson's. I ought to be kick