TIGERS. 99 



reach the opposite side and shoot at the hare 

 as it carne out, I stepped into a bush., where 

 a tiger was lying asleep; it awoke him, he 

 looked at me grinning horribly, but did riot 

 move, my situation at the moment cannot be 

 depicted. Had he sprung at me, I could not 

 have made any resistance; as soon as I had 

 recovered a little from the fright, I retreated, 

 walking backward with my gun presented to 

 him ; In a few seconds he arose but appa- 

 rently with considerable reluctance; when he 

 was on his feet he began stretching himself, 

 and then I saw Mr. Barret, who was about 

 fifteen yards from me, in the act of firing at 

 him with shot. I called loudly, that if he 

 fired at the tiger, one of us would certainly be 

 killed; on which he immediately dropt his 

 gun, 



He had not seen the animal distinctly, and 

 had no idea that it was a tiger, until he heard 

 what I said; I joined him, and immediately 

 put bails over each load of shot. The tiger 

 moved off in an oblique direction from us, at 



H2 



