VIOLENT HAIL STORM. 101 



knocked down, and ran over by a tremendous 

 large tiger, which he met as he was passing 

 through the ravine ; the animal had not at all in- 

 jured him ; but the boy could not describe how 

 long he had lain on the ground, or which way the 

 tiger was gone. To prevent his doing us any 

 mischief, I discharged my gun several times in 

 the air, and the people made a general shout, 

 which had the desired effect of driving the tiger 

 out of the small cover, and we saw him as he 

 crossed a plain, leading to deep ravines and heavy 

 jungle. 



I imagine that the tiger must have been con- 

 siderably alarmed by the dogs and people, or the 

 poor boy would not have escaped so well. 



In the month of April, when the weather was 

 extremely hot, I was travelling between Ramghur 

 and Belleah. Soon after I had passed the ghaut, 

 a black cloud appeared in the sky, from which 

 some hail fell, so large as to compel me to take 

 shelter under a tree. The shower passed off in a 

 few minutes, when I pursued my journey, and 

 had not proceeded above a mile, before I per- 

 ceived that the hail had fallen very thick, nearly 

 of the same size, making impressions on the road, 

 as large as the prints of musket ball, weighing an 



