BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! 345 



reptiles, for there was no way of shutting them out. So the man filled and lit his 

 hookah, and sat down outside the hut, Dick joining him and recharging his revolver. 



The night was a beautiful one, the moon having reached a high point in the 

 heavens, while the sky was without a single cloud to interfere with its light. 



Some distance off a dark line rose against the clear sky, stretching farther to 

 the right and left than the eye could follow. It marked the jungle, those enormous 

 reaches of forest in India which abound with multifarious forms of animal life, and 

 which are so choked with undergrowth, vines and the dense vegetation that it is 

 impossible to force one's way through many portions, except by following the 

 paths that have been opened. 



" There's enough game in there," remarked Mr. Godkin, knocking the ashes 

 from his pipe, " to keep an army of hunters busy." 



"Yes; and I would be glad if it would stay there and wait for us to go after it." 



"What do you mean ?" asked his friend, turning suddenly toward him with an 

 expression of anxiety ; " have you seen anything? " 



" I am not sure, but once or twice I fancied there was something moving along 

 in front of the jungle, keeping most of the time within the line of shadow." 



" Since I fancied the same thing I am quite sure that it is no fancy at all. Now 

 that the moon has crept much higher we shall be likely to gain a better view of the 

 object." 



"Have you a suspicion, Mr. Godkin, of what it is ? " 



" I have," he replied, compressing his lips and nodding his head ; " but I hope 

 I am mistaken." 



" What do you fear ? " 



" One of the most fearful animals in the world. You know what that is." 



"A royal Bengal tiger." 



"That's it. This little bamboo structure would be no more protection against 

 a tiger of the kind I have in mind than so much tissue paper, not even if we had a 

 second story to which we could retreat." 



" I have read fearful stories about the tigers of this country, and supposed some 

 of them were exaggerated." 



" Probably they were, but the truth is bad enough. The only way to hunt the 

 creature is with a large party, so that if he turns they can give him a volley. Since 

 it is out of our power to do that, we can only hope that we may not be troubled by 

 one of them just at present." 



"But if there should be a tiger prowling along the edge of the jungle out there, 

 Mr. Godkin, we ought to be ready for him." 



" The suggestion is a good one," remarked his friend, rising to his feet, and pass- 

 ing within the hut. Dick did the same, and the next minute the two emerged, 

 each bearing his loaded rifle. They seated themselves, as before, on the ground, 

 with their backs against the bamboos. 



The moon being so near overhead, the line of deep shadow along the jungle was 

 sr thin that any animal venturing out was quite certain to be detected. 



