TIGERLAND 



for their food, and with an eagerness which might lead 

 one to believe that they had been starving for a month ! 

 What a theme it would have furnished to a " globe- 

 trotting sensationalist," in search of material for " his 

 book," and how eagerly he would have seized upon the 

 incident as an example of " the poor, starving native," 

 thus forced to eke out his miserable existence ! 



But as a matter of fact the scene had no such tragical 

 significance, being merely an illustration of the extra- 

 ordinary fascination that " free gifts " possess for all the 

 lower classes, white and black alike, emphasized perhaps, 

 in the particular instance, by the inordinate desire that 

 coolies have for fresh meat in any shape or form. 



However, it was not a pleasant sight, and I soon had 

 enough of it ; so leaving the men still squabbling for their 

 portion, I rode back to the bungalow if not a sadder, most 

 certainly a wiser man, so far as bison were concerned, for 

 until that day, I had known but little of the habits and 

 appearance of these animals, and nothing at all of their 

 disposition, hence had not realized there was any danger in 

 stalking them on foot. 



166 



