I 



CHAPTER XVI. 



TIGERS, LEOPARDS, AND BEARS 



THE Doon, as I have said, swarms with wild 

 animals. I have spoken of them generally ; I will 

 now describe some of the best known a little more in 

 detail, and first that most masterful and dreaded of all, 

 that lord of the forests, the tiger. 



Tigers abound in the Doon ; nevertheless, except by- 

 sportsmen who search for them, they are but very rarely 

 seen. I myself, though I marched much about the 

 valley, never saw even one. But once, though I did not 

 see him, a tiger paid me a visit ; that is to say, in the 

 course of the night he came and remained some time 

 just on the edge of my camp. It was the cold season ; 

 we were in tents, and the tents were pitched close 

 adjacent to a large patch of tall, coarse grass, and 

 immediately beyond the grass was a wide ravine, full of 

 jungle. It was about ten o'clock. We were all in bed ; 

 I was falling asleep, when there burst on my ears a very 

 babel of noise. The horses were neighing and stamping, 

 the elephant was trumpeting, and the servants were 

 running about shouting and vociferating in the wildest 

 confusion ; and mingled with the other sounds came the 

 screams of some creature in agony, and at intervals 



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