TIGERS. 89 



Many of the natives of India believe in the 

 doctrine of the metempsychosis or transmigra- 

 tion of souls ; as soon therefore as a tiger or 

 leopard is killed, they light a fire and burn 

 off the long whiskers that grow near the 

 mouth; by doing this they have a super- 

 stitious idea that they shall not be turned 

 into tigers in another world. 



A Tailor at Chittrah went out with the 

 Gentlemen of the station and a number of 

 natives to kill a tiger, that had taken shelter 

 in a plantation of sugar canes near the town. 

 He happened to be the fortunate man who 

 shot the tiger, and in the excess of his joy, 

 vauntingly exclaimed that he would shoot a 

 tiger at any time. Mr. Mathew Leslie who 

 was then the Judge Magistrate, and collector 

 of the district, promised to call on him for his 

 assistance the first opportunity. Not lorig 

 after, a tiger killed a bullock about a mile 

 from the town ; the tailor was sent for, whose 

 courage was considerably abated; however, 

 he consented to sit up in a Michaun, which 



