PATIENCE AND JUDGMENT REWARDED. -117 



crackling in the bottom of the nullah announced the 

 presence of some heavy animal, and almost imme- 

 diately afterwards a transient glimpse of the striped 

 jacket in thick jungle showed that they were in 

 presence of the enemy. 



Roopur, without a moment's hesitation, brought 

 up his gun to his shoulder ; but Norman placed his 

 hand on the lock and motioned that he was not to 

 fire. He saw, by the direction in which the animal 

 was moving, that he must, within a few yards, cross 

 an open space and give a clear uninterrupted view. 

 For a brief minute's space he stood silent and 

 motionless ; and then, as anticipated, the tiger's 

 form emerged from the jungle, and gave the oppor- 

 tunity for which Norman had so patiently, and with 

 such judgment waited. 



Quickly, but with precision, the bead was drawn 

 on the skulking animal's shoulder, and it fell to the 

 shot which reverberated among the nullahs. A 

 wild cheer broke from the throats of some thirty of 

 the beaters, who from a distance saw the beast fall, 

 and shouted his death knell. This was followed by 

 a shot from Roopur, who had been all this time 

 aiming. In its expiring agony the tiger was still 

 giving one or two convulsive kicks, so that the 

 shikaree might fairly claim to have assisted person- 

 ally in closing its career. It is true, his shot was 



