TIGERS. 93 



mid-day on horseback, within a few miles of Chit- 

 Irak, with his son, an athletic young man, walking 

 by his side, they heard a tiger roaring near them. 

 The son urged his father to hasten on ; the old 

 man continued at a slow pace, observing, that 

 there was no danger, the tiger would not molest 

 them. He then began counting his beads, and 

 offering his prayers to the Almighty ; in the act 

 of which he was knocked off his horse, and car- 

 ried away by the tiger ; the son ran after them, 

 and cut the tiger with his sword ; he dropped the 

 father, seized the son, and carried him off. The 

 father was brought to Chittrah, and died the same 

 day ; the son was never heard of afterwards. In 

 this instance I think the tiger must have been ra- 

 venously hungry, or he would not have roared 

 when near his prey ; it is what they seldom or 

 ever do, except in the veiy act of seizing. 



Whenever a tiger has carried off a man near 

 a public road or path-way, a stick is erected with 

 a piece of coloured cloth at the top of it, as a 

 warning to travellers ; and every person passing 

 that way throws a stone near it, by which, in a 

 short time, a large heap is accumulated. Such 

 heaps are to be met with throughout the Ram- 

 ghur district, and in great abundance in the 



