Transcribe Hornaday, W. T. Letter to Ward, Henry A. (1877-09-01)

Camp in the Forest, Anamallay Hills Saturday, Sept 1st 1877 Dear Prof Ward: At last I have the opportunity to write you again, though under considerable difficulties. Sorry that I cannot yet report an Elephant slain, but still I leave not given up. Suring the first half of the month I hunted constantly for them rain or shine, and it was nearly always rain. In 11 days hunting for Elephants I got two fair shots, fired exactly as I had been told and both times was astonished to see my victims (?) go off with the herd. I had good shots, but my gun failed to kill. Well, that discouraged me somewhat, for I had done my best. Then Theobald said, “hold on, and in two weeks I will be with you, and I give you my promise that we will bag one, sure.” And so I concluded to hold on, give the elephants a rest, and hunt smaller game for the two weeks. I had two more doses of fever during the first half of the month but they only kept me down a few days at a time. While hunting elephants we had no chance to shoot smaller game save enough deer to eat, as all our time & attention was occupied by the elephant hunting, which by-the-way was very laborious indeed, & taxed every energy to the utmost. So you can see it is only a few days that I have had a chance to collect small specimens. At last I have the pleasure to inform you that I have killed a splendid Tiger for you as you directed some months ago. I bagged this within a mile of my hut, and directly between me and the settlement. He was evidently trying to cut off my retreat. And the best of all is that I did it with my little Maynard rifle, with two shots. It was last Monday, that I was out with two men and a boy, trying to kill a deer, as we were out of meat. I had my rifle and the boy carried a shot-gun loaded with No 5. shot. So you see we didn’t have a very heavy battery as all old Indian hunters do “of two-grooved Pundy No 12. and Westly Richards No 12 double rifle” etc. etc. Well, we came upon the tracks of a huge tiger in the sandy bed of a little marry creek, where the old fellow had been mooning along down the stream walking sometimes in the water