4 HOW I KILLED THE TIGER. 



shooting birds, but of course of little use against 

 such a formidable animal as a tiger. But rinding 

 that I had two explosive bullets in my pouch, and 

 thinking it very likely that the tiger would turn 

 out to be only a small leopard, I decided to go. 

 A friend who was staying with me was dandering 

 about a little further down the river. I therefore 

 signalled to him to come up. The bullets I found 

 were too large to fit the gun, so I began 

 whittling them down with my knife to the required 

 size. When my friend joined me we forded the 

 river, and proceeded towards the crowd of natives 

 (Plate 2). They were in a state of wild excite- 

 ment, the Mundle, or head man, taking a prominent 

 part in the tumult. The rivers in the East, I 

 may mention, have a harmless and peaceful 

 appearance in the dry season; but when the 

 rains set in they are raging torrents, overflowing 

 their banks, and sweeping everything before them. 

 The divisions, or aisles as they are called, in the 

 paddy fields (Plate 3) are for the purpose of keep- 

 ing in the water, without which the paddy, or 

 rice, could not grow. There are one or two kinds 

 of rice, however, which grow on table lands. The 

 aisles also serve during the rains as paths for walking 

 or riding. When a horse has slipped off the 

 narrow path a few times, and had an unpleasant 

 flounder in the mud ? he learns wisdom by the 



