THE VENGEANCE OF THE WILD 259 



but those who play the terrible game of the 

 jungle should play to win. After all, a single 

 human life is worth a great many tigers. 



Only last year a European, a mere lad, had 

 a wonderful escape from a tiger in Burma. As 

 the story is told in the Pioneer Mail^ he was 

 out near Hmawbi after deer, with two com- 

 panions, and the party met a number of natives, 

 armed with spears, who besought them to shoot 

 a tiger that had been caught in a trap. The 

 hero of the adventure set out with some of the 

 native spearmen to do what they asked, but it 

 soon became apparent that the tiger had got 

 loose. Quite suddenly it stood before them, 

 snarling and growling, with portions of the 

 broken trap hanging by the chain to its neck. 

 The animal's right foreleg was also broken, and 

 if it had not been handicapped in this manner 

 it would assuredly have been the young 

 sportsman's last encounter with tigers. The 

 spearman who was showing the way fainted 

 without further delay, and the other natives 

 made their way into the higher branches of 

 neighbouring trees with equal promptness. The 

 boy and the tiger were left face to face. The 

 boy fired, the tiger fell ; but it was on its 

 feet again and upon him like a flash. It got 

 his left leg in its teeth and crushed it terribly, 

 and it also clawed his right knee and thigh. 

 The boy fell on the guide, who at this moment 



