THE CAT KIND. 



299 



Indies fifteen feet long. " Supposing that he 

 means including the tail, this animal, allowing 

 four feet for that, must have been eleven feet 

 from the tip of the nose to the insertion of the 

 tail. Indeed, that which is now in the Tower 

 is not so large, being, as well as I could mea- 

 sure, six feet from the tip to the insertion, and 

 the tail was three feet more. Like all the 

 rest of its kind, its motions are irregular and 

 desultory; it bounds rather than runs; and, 

 like them, rather chooses to take its prey by 

 surprise, than to be at the trouble of hunting 

 it down." How large a leap it can take at 

 once we may easily judge, by comparing what 

 it might do, to what we see so small an ani- 

 mal as the cat actually perform. The cat can 

 leap several feet at a bound ; and the tiger, 

 who is ten times as long, can no doubt spring 

 proportionably. 



"The tiger is the only animal whose spirit 

 seems untameable. Neither -force nor con- 

 straint, neither violence nor flattery, can pre- 

 vail in the least on its stubborn nature. The 

 caresses of the keeper have no influence on 

 their heart of iron; and time, instead of mol- 

 lifying its disposition, only serves to increase 

 its fierceness and malignity. The tiger snaps 

 at the hand that feeds it, as well as that by 

 which it is chastised , every object seems con- 

 sidered only as its proper prey, which it de- 

 vours with a look; and, although confined by 

 bars and chains, still makes fruitless efforts, 

 as if to show its malignity, when incapable of 

 exerting its force." 



To give a still more complete idea of the 

 strength of this terrible creature, we shall 

 quote a passage from Father Tachard, who 

 was an eye witness of a combat between a 

 tiger and three elephants at Siam. For this 

 purpose, the king ordered a lofty pallisade to 

 be built of bamboo cane, about a hundred feet 

 square ; and in the midst of this were three 

 elephants appointed for combating the tiger. 

 Their heads, and a part of their trunk were 

 covered with a kind of armour, like a mask, 

 which defended that part from the assaults 

 of the fierce animal with which they were to 

 engage. As soon, says this author, as we 

 were arrived at the place, a tiger was brought 

 forth from its den, of a size much larger than 

 we had ever seen before. It was not at first 

 let loose, but held with cords, so that one of 



NO. 25 & 26. 



the elephants approaching, gave it three or 

 four terrible blows with its trunk on the back, 

 with such force, that the tiger was for some 

 time stunned, and lay without motion, as if it 

 had been dead. However, as soon as it was 

 let loose, and at full liberty, although the 

 first blows had greatly abated its fury, it made 

 at the elephant with a loud shriek, and aimed 

 at seizing his trunk. But the elephant, wrink- 

 ling it up with great dexterity, received the 

 tiger on his great teeth, and tossed it up into 

 the air. This so discouraged the furious ani- 

 mal, that it no more ventured to approach the 

 elephant, but made several circuits round the 

 pallisade, often attempting to fly at the spec- 

 tators. Shortly after, three elephants were 

 sent against it, and they continued to strike 

 it so terribly with their trunks, that it once 

 more lay for dead ; and they would certain- 

 ly Slave killed it, had not there been a stop 

 put to the combat. 



From this account, we may readily judge 

 of the strength of this animal, which, although 

 reduced to captivity, arid held by cords; 

 though first disabled, and set alone against 

 three, yet ventured to continue the engage- 

 ment, and even that against animals covered 

 and protected from its fury. 



" Captain Hamilton informs us, that in the 

 Sundah Raijah's dominions there are three 

 sorts of tigers in the woods, and that the smal- 

 lest are the fiercest. This is not above two 

 ; feet high, appears to be extremely cunning, 

 and delights in human flesh. The second 

 kind is about three feet high, and hunts deer 

 and wild hogs, besides the little animal which 

 has been already described under the name 

 of the chevrotain, or Guinea deer. The tiger of 

 the largest sort is above three feet and a "half 

 high: but, although endowed with greater 

 powers, is, by no means, so rapacious as either 

 of the former. This formidable animal, which 

 is called the royal tiger, (one of which we have 

 at present in the Tower,) does not seem so 

 ravenous nor so dangerous, and is even more 

 cowardly. A peasant in that country, as this 

 traveller informs us, had a buffalo fallen into 

 a quagmire, and while he went for assistance, 

 there came a large tiger, that with its single 

 strength drew forth the animal, which the 

 united force of many men could not effect. 

 When the people returned to the place, the 

 3 B 



