AN UNLUCKY RECEFTION. 281 



When Manajee saw that all were ready, he 

 went round and put the beaters in motion. They 

 entered the patch in one compact body, breaking 

 only so much as to enable them to thread their way 

 through the bushes. 



For the first fifty yards notliing was seen, and no 

 sound heard above the deafening noise of the tom- 

 toms, drums, and the yelling of some half-hundred 

 beaters. A moiety of the jungle was beaten, and 

 the line was still advancing, when, without any 

 warning of their presence, or being previously seen 

 by anyone, a couple of tigers broke together from 

 its extremity at full gallop, and just in front of 

 Mackenzie. Though somewhat taken by surprise, 

 he managed to discharge three barrels in rapid suc- 

 cession before they dashed, roaring, up the bank 

 some distance further on, and disappeared. Norman 

 and Hawkes also each got a longish snap shot from 

 the other side ere they made good their retreat. 



"Confound it!" ejaculated Mackenzie, "that's 

 bad. But I hit the leading one hard, I'm certain." 



At this moment, a look-out stationed in a tree in 

 the line the tigers had taken, shouted out that one 

 was badly wounded, and had nearly fallen as it 

 passed under him. 



Mackenzie immediately prepared to descend from 

 his perch, and was soon in the agonies of that slip- 



