: THE TIGER. 63 
own compounds were often stalked, but from their being no 
recorded instance of accidents, I fancy that Tigers, like the 
rest of the Cat-tribe, are imbued with that insatiable curiosity 
that housewives lament in the domestic puss. The compounds 
were one ard all surrounded with stone walls, some three or 
four feet in height, and one evening, leaning up against the 
outside of one of these below the messhouse, while talking to 
the adjutant and a young civilian, our conversation was brought 
toan abrupt termination by the former officer suddenly taking 
to his heels, bolting up the messhouse hill as fast as his legs 
enabled him. Left behind we gazed on each other in blank 
amazement, looked about us and were about to resume our 
conversation when our friend, having reached his goal, turned 
round, and though far too exhausted to utter a word, pointed 
apparently straight at us. ‘Something round the corner, may 
be,’ said my companion, but as we did not know what it might 
be, we vaulted inside the wall and peeped over, just in time to 
see a Tiger creeping stealthily along under cover of the wall 
towards a deep gully. 
**A shout soon quickened his movements. It turned out 
that our friend while talking had caught sight of the brute’s 
face as he peered round the angle of the wall, taking stock of 
us. Why he did not warn us at the time he started on his 
flight, he did not seem inclined to explain, but the construction 
we put on his behaviour was that he preferred saving his own 
skin at the expense of one or other of us. Dining at the mess 
was, from its exposed position, rather an infliction, unless you 
sent your bedding and passed the night there. The com- 
pound-wall was rather higher than usual, and as the house 
occupied a commanding, though solitary, position, with a ruir. 
between it and the other station-houses, many a startle have 
people had when leaving the hospitable roof. One night on 
coming out, I found a Tiger crouched on the walls of the ruin 
