23-i THE EASTERN HUNTERS. 



< 



visible iu its whole length and breadth, stretched 

 to its utmost extent, as it strove to drag itself on to 

 the top of the broken cliff, and presented a most 

 tempting shot. It had surmounted all but the last 

 ledge, and was in the very act of scrambling up 

 that in which case it would probably have escaped 

 in the neighbouring jungle when the two rifles, 

 fired so exactly together as to give but one sound, 

 simultaneously sent forth their death messengers. 



Up went the animal's fore-paws, and with a loud 

 roar he toppled over and disappeared behind the 

 foliage of the trees. Headlong he fell into the 

 underwood at the foot of the cliff; nor did his 

 progress stop there, for the crashing of bushes and 

 his incessant growling announced that his involun- 

 tary career was unchecked, and continued down the 

 slope into the lowest depths of the ravine. There 

 he managed to recover himself, and slunk back on 

 the line by which he had advanced. He was 

 shortly viewed by some look-outs, and marked into 

 a thick bit of jungle of small extent, where he 

 lay up. 



The hunters were quickly again in pursuit ; and, 

 as a man declared he could take them up to the 

 very spot in which the wounded beast was lying, 

 they prepared to assail it in the recesses of its strong- 

 hold. Leaving Hawkes to guard an outlet in one 



