106 HOW I KILLED THE TIGER. 



tiger, which very nearly killed you, interested me immensely. 

 Firstly, because I think that it was a very fine example of 

 pluck and self-confidence on your part, worthy of the best 

 traditions of Englishmen, to have attacked so dangerous an 

 animal as a tiger alone and on foot, when you were only 

 armed with a gun quite unsuited for such an encounter ; and 

 secondly, because my own experience with lions in Africa tells 

 me that every word you have written of that encounter is 

 absolutely true. I have seen several lions lying perfectly 

 still, quietly watching me, before I fired at them, just as 

 you describe the tiger watching you, but without moving 

 when you first approached it. I have also noted that when 

 a lion charges, it does not come on in great bounds, like 

 the lions and tigers of the picture books, but rushes along 

 the ground like a great dog galloping, and only rears itself 

 up and seizes its victim when close to him, exactly as you 

 have described the tiger doing, when it charged and seized 

 you. 



Besides the story of how you killed the tiger, the 

 Appendix to your book, containing as it does a short 

 historical sketch of India, as well as an account of the 

 various races, languages, and religions of the country, has 

 interested me greatly, and I trust that your little book will 

 be widely read and bring you in many subscriptions to assist 

 you in carrying out the very worthy objects in the interests 

 of which you have written it. I do not myself think that 

 this country of ours will ever be invaded by a foreign army, 

 because I think that if ever any foreign navy, or combination of 

 navies, should defeat our own fleets, and so obtain command 

 of the seas, the nations to which those navies belonged 

 would then be content to cut our food supplies, and bring 

 us to submission in that way, rather than incur the heavy 

 losses and dangers of landing men on our shores to over-run 

 the country. However I think that every English boy ought 

 to be taught how to use a rifle effectively, and also that he 

 ought to be trained in physical drill and various athletic 

 exercises, so that, if the" need arose, he would at any moment 

 be useful to his country as a fighting man. 



I therefore wish you every success in the patriotic task 

 you have taken in hand, and I enclose you a cheque for 

 two guineas to help you to carry it out, and remain, 



Yours very truly, 



F. C. SELOUS. 



105, MOUNT STREET, W., 



list Oct., 1902. 

 D;:AR SIR, 



I beg to acknowledge with many thanks the receipt of 

 the book which you were good enough to send me and which 

 I found very interesting. 



I must apologise for not acknowledging it before, but I 

 have been absent from town for some time and only lately 

 returned for the session. 



Yours truly, 



WINSTON S. CHURCHILL. 

 Lieut. -Col. SHEFFIELD. 



