TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER 



going through the process of disgorging, followed by the 

 equally distinct sound of the cubs greedily lapping up what 

 their mother had disgorged. 



So interested was I in these proceedings, that I never 

 thought of firing at her, and after a few seconds, she 

 disappeared, or rather glided away as stealthily as she had 

 come, and it was only then I realized how foolish I had 

 been, to have lost so good a chance ; however, this made 

 me all the more determined to have a shot at her, should 

 she come again, as I hoped she would. 



Hours went by and I think I must have been asleep, 

 for the next thing I remember was Eloo, clutching me by 

 the arm, and saying, " Sahib, she has been again and has 

 taken away the cubs." Being naturally much annoyed, 

 I asked him angrily why he had not awakened me. " I 

 was too frightened, Sahib," he answered. " She is not 

 a tiger at all, but a Shaitan,* we had better leave her alone." 



I could hardly believe the man's story, but looking 

 down at the spot where the cubs had been I could see that 

 they were certainly not there. He then described to me 

 how the tigress had again come in the same ghostly fashion, 

 her approach being heralded as before by the gruntling 

 noises uttered by the cubs, and how she had taken one up 

 in her mouth and carried it away, evidently repeating the 

 process with the other two, for there had been three cubs 

 in all. 



Morning broke at last, and when the men returned we 

 took up the tracks of the tigress, finally marking her down 

 in a ravine about three-quarters of a mile away. Here, 

 having taken up my position, I had eventually the satis- 

 faction of bowling her over as she passed underneath my 

 tree. 



We then looked for the cubs and found them secreted 

 in some high grass at the edge of the ravine, where she had 

 evidently carried them. We brought all three of them 

 home. One died after a time, but the other two throve 

 well, and eventually grew up to be the two troublesome 

 pets, of which mention has been made in a previous chapter. 

 * * * * * * 



* Devil, meaning here, probably, " ghost." 

 136 



