304 SPORTING AND 



beguiled the time till it was getting near 

 sundown, and still my bearers were rapidly 

 getting over the ground. I then took a 

 cheroot, and, leaning back in the palan- 

 quin, closed my eyes : after a time I was 

 sound asleep, and I think I must have had 

 a good long nap, when I was awoke by a 

 crash and a great shock ; on starting up 

 to ascertain the cause, I found the bearers 

 had let the palanquin fall, and that they 

 were scuttling off into the jungle at their 

 best pace, screaming out " bdgh bdgh" 

 (tiger, tiger), at the top of their voices. 

 It was pitch dark and raining steadily, as 

 miserable a night as I ever recollect, and 

 my first care was to pull the sides of my 

 palanquin together quite close, and then I 

 held in my breath to listen. Presently 

 my ear caught the sound of a stealthy 

 step, as of some large animal, approaching, 



