TIGER-SHOOTING. 207 



and so would, I know, my companion, if haply 

 he were alive, which I regret to say he is not. I 

 may be blamed for unnecessary brutality, but I 

 knew very little of the habits of Indian wild ani- 

 mals at that time, and still less of the extraordinary 

 vitality they will at times display, and in the inno- 

 cence of my heart imagined I had taken every 

 means to kill the animal. The result showed how 

 mistaken I was. 



Of man-eating tigers I have had no personal 

 experience ; but the following extraordinary story, 

 which I believe has lately caused considerable 

 sensation in India, was a few days ago related to 

 me by my brother, who has just returned. In a 

 certain planting district (Assam, I believe) there 

 was a notorious man-eater. Two gentlemen, we 

 will call them A. and B.. residing together on an 

 estate, had lost, besides other, employes, two 

 ' chowkedars, 7 or native watchmen, within a few 

 days, and the unfortunate men had been actually 

 carried off out of the verandah of the bungalow. 

 A. and B. therefore determined to clothe then> 

 selves like natives, and sit during the night, 

 armed, in the verandah, in the hopes they might 

 be able to get a shot at the man-eater, who they 

 thought might probably return to the spot which 

 had already provided him with two victims. 



They proceeded to carry out this intention, and 



