TIGERLAND 



it, the branches bent and gave under liis weight, he 

 plunged wildly forward, and the next instant his hind 

 quarters disappeared into the pit ! 



44 At last my hour of vengeance had come. The 

 animal, buried up to his shoulders in the hole, was now 

 quite helpless, and as 1 watched him struggling to get out, 

 1 rejoiced to think that now I could repay the injury he 

 had done me: but to do so with safety to myself it was 

 necessary to make sure he could not climb out of the 

 jut. 



44 The gun. with both barrels loaded with ball, was lying 

 elose at hand, and taking up the weapon I fired it at the 

 beast, being careful to avoid a fatal spot, but in my anxiety 

 to do this I niis>ed altogether. However, with the 

 next barrel I was more successful, breaking his right 

 shoulder. 



44 Satisfied now that he was unable to climb out, I got 

 down and attacked him with my axe intending to put 

 another bullet through his head, as soon as I had marked 

 his faee as he had mine ! " 



As he concluded his weird story, told in the ilowery 

 language of his race with many an exponential gesture, he 

 fell at Jackson's feet and touching them with his forehead. 

 in token of repent anee. begged to be forgiven. 



For, as with the Hersakers of old. the " furious fit " 

 had left him weak in mind and body, and realizing now 

 the enormity of his offence he was eager to evade the 

 punishment he had good reason to expect. Fortunately 

 for him, his story had recalled to Jackson's mind the scene 

 he had once witnessed in the forest, and now finding 

 that this was the poor mutilated being he had rescued 

 from the clutches of the bear, he was more disposed to pity 

 than to punish him. At the same time he had to bear 

 in mind that the stealing of the gun was a criminal 

 offence, and firing it in the forest a serious one against 

 the forest laws, to say nothing of the cruelty to the bear, 

 which, as a sportsman, seemed to him the worst offence 

 of all. 



However, taking into consideration the nature of his 

 injuries and all the man had subsequently suffered, 

 Jackson came to the conclusion that his was not a case 



