THE TIGER. 65 



" When we stood to take aim at him he understood 

 that he was discovered. A slight movement on one 

 side, as if to examine where he could fly, betrayed this 

 instinctive sentiment. Then all at once, obeying his 

 sanguinary nature, or rather his courage, he turned to 

 us suddenly, and crouching ori his haunches, prepared 

 to spring on us. 



" Immediately I called out, ' One ! two ! three ! fire ! ' 



" He fell on the path like a lump of lead, at five or 

 six yards from the foot of the eminence, so great was 

 the impulse of the fall ; and, strange to say, without a 

 cry or a groan. 



" He remained there his fore-legs extended; his 

 hind legs hidden underneath him ; his nose buried in 

 the dust : one might have said that he was asleep. 

 But was he really dead, or only stunned ? 



" We advanced whilst loading our guns ; and, in the 

 meantime, my people kept their eyes on him. Not 

 seeing him move, I had a great desire to riddle his 

 head with the balls of my revolver, remaining at a few 

 yards' distance ; for the tiger, like the lion, has some- 

 times sudden starts and returns of fury, which are 

 extremely dangerous. Let him reach you at such a 

 moment, and you are lost. His paw fells you, his 

 claws rip you open, and his teeth crush your limbs, 

 were he at the very point of expiring. 



" Laos dissuaded me, saying that I should injure the 



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