348 BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! 



" He will stop before he reaches us," whispered Mr. Godkin, who had also raiseo 

 the hammer of his heavy rifle. 



This surmise was correct, for the words were yet in his mouth when the brute 

 paused. He was too cunning to venture into what might prove an ingeniously laid 

 trap. 



At this moment he was standing about fifty feet from the door of the hut, and 

 formed a striking picture indeed, the very embodiment as he was of prodigious 

 strength, cat-like activity and irrestrainable ferocity. 



No better target could have been desired could the hunters have been in a secure 

 spot. As it was, Mr. Godkin was more tempted than he would have admitted at 

 the time, to send a bullet into the neck, just below the head, where, if rightly aimed, 

 the messenger would bore its way through the seat of life. 



But the critical moment had not yet come. The tiger might change his mind 

 and go away. If he did, so much the better. 



If he decided to attack he must approach still nearer, and there was a better 

 chance of making the aim fatal, though it was hardly to be expected that he would 

 halt again in such a favorable position. 



So plainly was the beast seen that a slight turning of his head no more than 

 an inch or two each way was observed. His own posture threw the moon slightly 

 behind him, so that his front was partly in shadow, which fact added ten-fold to his 

 terrible appearance. 



Dick had read of " blazing eye-balls," " flaming orbs," and that sort of thing, but 

 never saw anything of the kind until the Bengal tiger struck an attitude before him. 



You know that the eyes of the cat species have a peculiar greenish, phospho- 

 rescent glow, and there was a glitter about those of the tiger which justified the 

 seemingly extravagant expressions that are so often used in describing them. 



If the beast withdrew, well : if he advanced, to say the least, it would not be 

 well. 



But the animal had no intention of holding the attitude he had taken, and again 

 he moved. 



Dick Brownell's heart almost stopped beating when he observed that, instead 

 of retreating or turning to one side, the creative was once more walking with his 

 stealthy tread directly toward the door of the hut. 



" He is coming for us this time sure," whispered the lad. 



" It looks so, but hold on ; the time has not yet come to shoot." 



" It is very near though." 



But at the very moment the lad had decided to bring his gun to his shoulder, 

 and not to await the command of his unduly cautious friend, the tiger once more 

 hesitated. 



He was so close now, however, that it looked as if he was about to gather him- 

 self for a terrific leap upon the hut and its inmates. 



