Page 199 - WINE DINE AND TRAVEL FALL 2021 DISCOVERING SANTA FE

I've never dressed so quickly. In two minutes, I "Take your shoes off and put them here," the
was running downstairs. guide whispered. "We are very close; make no
I already knew what to expect. Everybody at the sound."
lodge had been briefed. By the time I reached the The ground was cool; the path smooth and
center of the compound, a dozen other guests, car- swept clear of leaves. The guide flashed his light
rying flashlights and binoculars, were already at once. Ahead was the blind.
the rendezvous point. Through the blind’s tiny windows came the glow
The bell had summoned us to meet a Bengal of the spotlight. It turns out that tigers are indif-
tiger. ferent to the light, but any suspicious sound scares
A few miles into the forest, Tiger Tops had built them off.
a wooden tiger blind whose windows looked down I pressed up to a window. There below, sitting
on a small, well-lit clearing about 30 yards away. by its half-eaten prey, was a 500-pound Bengal
Each night, a water buffalo calf was tethered in tiger. Enormous, powerful, deadly. It looked up
the spotlighted clearing to draw a tiger by sound and opened its mouth. The vivid yellow-and-black
and smell. markings on its face were daubed with blood.
On some nights a tiger would come to investi- A voice inside me cried "Run!" But I couldn't
gate this new thing in its predatory world. The move. I watched the magnificent animal for as
tiger would always be alone, a territorial hunter long as I could until finally the guide shooed us
who tolerated no competition. As soon as one ar- back out onto the dark jungle path.
rived, a Tiger Tops scout, hidden at the blind, Over dinner that night, we relived our meeting
would rush back to the lodge, ring the "tiger bell," with the tiger. Words like "amazing," "massive,"
and galvanize everyone to action. and "frightening" bounced from guest to guest like
This was such a night. We jumped into a caravan pinballs. By the time our conversation drifted to
of jeeps and sped off down a dirt road. Overhead other subjects, our tiger had become a legend.
the full moon sped along with us, making the Later, after I had turned down the lantern light
branches of the acacia trees look like black archi- in my room and lay in bed, I tried to recall the
pelagos in a starry sea. dark forest and the great spotlighted cat. But
When the jeeps jammed to a stop, we got out already the scenes had become hazy and dream-
into the night. "Walk in single file; make no sound," like. Could I really have seen such a thing?
said a Tiger Tops guide. And then I heard a sound. Far off. A low, chill-
We climbed a steep path, each of us following ing, animal moan.
the flashlight in front of him or her. On either side It may have been a monkey call or an elephant
was the deep and secretive jungle. cough. I don't know. But I like to think that it
I had lost all track of time and distance when we was the tiger, making sure that its territory -- in-
came to a low wooden bench. cluding that part of my mind holding memories --
was truly secure.

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