The Tiger 235 



tic form, looming even larger than in life, will define itself 

 upon the sight, vanish as you gaze, and by some new effect 

 of light, reappear in the same spot and the same position. 

 It is like being in the enchanted forests of old romances ; 

 and such impressions can scarcely have failed to influence 

 many whose exploits were performed amid such scenes. 

 Leveson, in a place like this, saw the only encounter that 

 has been described between the tiger and a bison bull. 



"Whilst hunting in the jungle between the Bowani 

 River, and the Goodaloor Pass, at the foot of the Nede- 

 niallah Hills, my friend Burton and I witnessed a most 

 gallantly-contested fight between a bull bison and a tiger. 

 . . . Night had scarcely set in when a loud bellowing 

 was heard, followed by an unmistakable roar that caused 

 no little commotion amongst the horses and bullocks that 

 were picketed round our tents. From the ominous sounds 

 which succeeded we knew that a mortal combat was rag- 

 ing at no great distance from our bivouac. Having ar- 

 ranged for the safety of our camp, Burton and I, armed 

 with rifles and pistols, followed closely by Chinneah and 

 Googooloo, each carrying a couple of spare guns, sallied 

 forth ; and keeping along the bank of the river for a 

 short distance, entered the dense cover, from which the 

 sounds of the contest seemed to issue, by a narrow deer- 

 run. Here we could only get along very slowly, having to 

 separate the tangled brushwood with one hand, and hold our 

 rifles cocked and ready with the other. We proceeded in 

 this manner for some distance, guided by the noise of the 

 contest, which sounded nearer and nearer, and came to an 

 opening in the woods where we saw a huge bull bison, 



