iv THE MAN-EATING TIGER 73 



the story, also present a promise that you need not 

 picture the like ever happening again, as I will never 

 let a beast like a tiger come too near my most valuable 

 carcase. To make you understand what kind of a creature 

 a wild, royal tiger is, I will just mention two things. 

 First, a full-grown male tiger could take Gamecock^ 

 in his mouth and jump over the deer park gate with him. 

 You can hardly believe it, but I tell you it's true, and 

 that's enough. The man-eater that I was after took 

 an Indian buffalo, which is heavier than a very large 

 English bull, and jumped a wall 8 feet high with 

 him in his mouth ; there's the proof. Secondly, so 

 fearful is their strength and activity combined, that I 

 myself have been in the same bush while a tiger killed 

 three full-grown Indian bullocks in three strokes of his 

 awful paws ; so thick was the bush that, though I was 

 not 20 yards from him, I could not see him. One 

 more little instance : A tiger, after he kills a bullock, will 

 sometimes take him and chuck him 10 to 15 yards 

 away with a single toss of his huge head, like old 

 Dandy would a rat. Well, now for my simple tale ! 

 I had been after a remarkable large powerful tiger for 

 some days, sometimes tracking him for hours, some- 

 times watching from hills, sometimes out for nights 

 trying to see him, but for some time in vain. Good-luck 

 had hid his cheerful face. What made me so anxious 

 was that he had eaten a poor little Hindoo herd-boy 

 and nearly killed another native. At last my efforts 

 and patience were, I fancied, going to be rewarded. I 

 tracked him into what is called a nullah that is a kind 

 of very narrow valley, about as wide across as the river 

 and very thickly wooded. I knew by certain signs the 

 monster was in, so now to get him out. I sent six 

 men with matchlocks to defend the beaters should the 



1 A horse his sister rode. 



