2fiO The Tigers Cave. [MARCH, 



and before we were aware of his intention, he threw them through the 

 opening to the tiger. No sooner did the animal perceive them than he 

 gazed earnestly upon them, and began to examine them closely, turning 

 them cautiously from side to side. As soon as he became aware that 

 they were dead, he uttered so piercing a howl of sorrow, that we were 

 obliged to put our hands to our ears. When I censured my huntsman 

 for the rashness and cruelty of the action, I perceived by his blunt and 

 abrupt answers that he also had lost all hope of rescue, and with it all 

 sense of the ties between master and servant. 



The thunder had now ceased, and the storm had sunk to a gentle 

 gale ; we could hear the songs of birds in the neighbouring forest, and 

 the sun was streaming among the branches. The contrast only made 

 our situation the more horrible. The tiger had laid himself down beside 

 his whelps. He was a beautiful animal, of great size and strength, and 

 his limbs being stretched out at their full length, displayed his immense 

 power of muscle. All at once another roar was heard at a distance, 

 and the tiger immediately rose and answered it with a mournful howl. 

 At the same instant our Indians uttered a shriek, which announced that 

 some new danger threatened us. A few moments confirmed our worst 

 fears, for another tiger, not quite so large as the former, came rapidly 

 towards the spot where we were. " This enemy will prove more cruel 

 than the other," said Wharton ; " for this is the female, and she knows 

 no pity for those who deprive her of her young." 



The howls which the tigress gave, when she had examined the bodies 

 of her cubs, surpassed every conception of the horrible that can be 

 formed; and the tiger mingled his mournful cries with her's. Suddenly 

 her roaring was lowered to a hoarse growling, and we saw her anxiously 

 stretch out her head, extend her nostrils, and look round, as if in search 

 of the murderers of her young. Her eyes quickly fell upon us, and 

 she made a spring forward with the intention of penetrating to our 

 place of safety. Perhaps she might have been enabled by her immense 

 strength to push away the stone, had we not, with all our united power, 

 held it against her. When she found that all her efforts were fruit- 

 less, she approached the tiger who lay stretched out beside his cubs, 

 and he rose and joined in her hollow roaring. They stood together 

 for a few moments as if in consultation, and then suddenly went off at 

 a rapid pace, and disappeared from our sight. Their howling died 

 away in the distance, and then entirely ceased. We now began to 

 entertain better hopes of our condition ; but Wharton shook his head - 

 " Do not flatter yourselves," said he, " with the belief that these animals 

 will let us escape out of their sight till they have had their revenge. 

 The hours we have to live are numbered." 



Nevertheless, there still appeared a chance of our rescue, for, to our 

 surprise, we saw both our Indians standing before the entrance, and 

 heard them call to us to seize the only possibility of flight, for that the 

 tigers had gone round the height, possibly to seek another inlet to the 

 cave. In the greatest haste the stone was pushed aside, and we stepped 

 forth from what we had considered a living grave. Wharton was the 

 last who left it ; he was unwilling to lose his double-barrelled gun, and 

 stopped to take it up ; the rest of us thought only of making our 

 escape. We now heard once more the roaring of the tigers, though at 

 a distance ; and following the example of our guides, we precipitately 

 struck into a side path. From the number of roots and branches of 



