78 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS. 



by a mass of rock, having a hole under it, through which the 

 bear had passed. Into this hole the man crept, and dis- 

 appeared, till I saw nothing but his feet. Presently he called 

 out that he had hold of the bear, and requested me to pull his 

 legs. Laying down my rifle, I hauled away, and succeeded in 

 drawing out man and bear into the outer cave, whence the 

 beast was dragged by the rest of the party. I was much 

 pleased by the pluck shown by my man, for his entry into the 

 cave was a purely voluntary act on his part, and contrary to 

 the advice of the villagers, who, one and all, declared that he 

 would be killed. 



In the dry bed of a river, close to the village, was a water- 

 hole used by the cattle, and we were informed that a tiger 

 came there every night to drink. We had been out all day 

 without getting a shot ; and on our return late in the evening, 

 we found that some men, who had promised to have a plat- 

 form erected in a neighbouring tree, had decamped, leaving 

 their work undone. 



The moon did not rise till after nine o'clock, so we re- 

 mained till then in the village, and then went down to the 

 water-hole, where we had a small breastwork of boughs 

 placed round the foot of an old tamarind tree. In the open 

 space in the bed of the river we tied up a goat, and throwing 

 our blankets into our hiding-place, we arranged our guns, and 

 dismissed all our attendants. As we came down from the 

 village, we had heard the tiger growling on the hill-side ; but 

 though we remained on the alert a long time, we saw nothing 

 of him. It had been arranged that if the tiger came, and 

 sprang on the goat, we should lie still till he commenced to 

 eat, when we were to rise on our knees and deliver our fire. 

 Altogether, it was rather an insane proceeding ; but we were 

 young in those days. 



