THE TIGER 



than ninety human beings. She had lost all fear 

 of man, and used to break into natives' huts, and 

 seize and carry off her victims. Several villages 

 had been deserted owing to the terror inspired by 

 this feline fiend, and great were the rejoicings of 

 the villagers when Mr. Mackintosh a man who 

 was at the death of between two and three hun- 

 dred tigers during his time in India brought her 

 in dead, and safely padded on his elephant. Women 

 held up children to let them see the murderess, tell- 

 ing them to look at the brute who had killed their 

 father, brother, or other relative, as the case might 

 be, and it is easy to imagine what a revulsion 

 of feeling her death must have caused security, 

 and freedom from fear, succeeding constant danger 

 and extreme terror. 



There is no animal in India so dangerous and 

 awe-inspiring as is a man-eating tiger. From what 

 I have heard and read, the man-eater is even a 

 greater traveller than the cattle-killer, and his beat 

 is usually a very extensive one. Over the whole 

 of the area ranged by the tiger, no villager can 

 possibly feel safe at any time when he has occasion 

 to enter the jungles. The man-eater may be even 

 then watching him, or it may be twenty miles off 

 watching for a wood-cutter or cowherd there. 

 Once the victim has been selected, there is ordin- 

 arily no possible escape. A stealthy crawl to 

 within a few yards' distance, one rush and a spring, 

 one yell from the unfortunate who has been seized, 

 and all is over, and the murderer retreats with his 

 prey to some thicket, there to make his horrible 

 meal at his leisure. 



103 



