160 LETTER XXVI 3 1. 



that feeds it equally with that by which it is chas- 

 tised. 



Father Fachard has favoured us with an account of 

 a combat between a tyger and two elephants at Siam, 

 of which he was a spectator. The heads and trunks 

 of the elephants were defended from the claws of the 

 tyger by a covering made for that purpose. They 

 were placed in the midst of a spacious inclosure. One 

 of them approached the tyger, which was confined 

 by cords, and received two or three heavy blows up- 

 on its back from the trunk of the elephant, which beat 

 it to the ground, where it lay for some time as if it 

 had been dead; but although that had much abated 

 its fury, it was 110 sooner untied, than with a horrible 

 roar it made a spring at the elephant's trunk, which 

 that animal dexterously avoided by drawing it up, 

 and receiving the tyger on its tusks, threw it up into 

 the air. The other elephant was then allowed to 

 come up, and, after giving the tyger some very heavy 

 blows, would undoubtedly have killed it, if an end 

 had not been put to the combat. 



Notwithstanding the determined ferocity of this 

 creature, a sudden surprise has sometimes had an al- 

 most miraculous effect in preventing its attack. 



Some ladies and gentlemen being on a party of 

 pleasure under a shade of trees on the banks of a river 

 in Bengal, were suddenly surprised by observing a 

 tyger placing himself in a posture for making the fa- 

 tal spring. One of the ladies, with amazing presence 

 of mind, seizing an umbrella, and unfurling it directly 

 in the monster's luce, it instantly retired. Another 

 party, however, had not the same good fortune, and 

 we cannot, without sorrow, record the melancholy 

 catastrophe. 



On the 23d of December, 1792, Mr. Monro, an il- 

 lustrious character, and three other gentlemen, went 

 on shore on Sauger island, in the East-Indies, to shoot 

 deer. They saw several tracks of tygers, notwith- 

 standing they continued their sport for some hours, 

 and then sat down to re^t themselves, after taking the 

 usual precaution, of muKing a great fire, and fifing 

 G 



