THE SECOND VIEW. 327 



Almost immediately succeeding the first distant 

 burst of beater-music, Norman, on his side, saw a 

 yellow tawny mass top a slope a long way off, and 

 descend it at a canter straight in his direction. It 

 was, however, soon lost to view. Anxiously he kept 

 his gaze wandering over the intervening ground, 

 carefully scanning each knoll and slope, but without 

 discovering the object of his interest, till suddenly 

 and in that place quite unexpectedly a tiger de- 

 liberately walked into the plain at the foot of the 

 hills, and began to stare about him. 



The distance was about two hundred yards ; and, 

 thinking the animal was deliberating about breaking 

 right away across the plain, or that he would shortly 

 be hidden by the next knoll, Norman changed the 

 double rifle which he held in his hand for his pet 

 single, and determined to risk a long shot. But 

 before he had covered it, the tiger perhaps dreading 

 to expose himself on the plain, or for some other 

 feline reason suddenly changed his course, and, to 

 Norman's astonishment, came quietly on, straight 

 towards its lurking enemy. 



Seeing this, the hunter reserved his fire for closer 

 quarters ; but as, when within about a hundred 

 yards, it showed an inclination to resume the 

 former direction of its flight, he hesitated no longer, 

 but delivered his shot. 



