ANECDOTE. 105 



curious story to tell me connected with that 

 place, and that if I chose to sit down on a 

 fallen tree at the edge, we could rest awhile. 

 So we lighted our cigars, and after a puff or - 

 two he began this little zoological tale, the 

 truth of which I cannot vouch for, but the 

 man was well worthy of credit. 



" Don Jorge," he began, " I have pur- 

 posely brought you here to shew you the 

 spot where a curious accident befel a tigre 

 a few years since. I had crossed the trail of 

 a tigre, but as it was rather stale I took little 

 notice of it at first ; but as the trail led 

 towards the bed of the river, which was on 

 my road, I began to take an interest in it. 

 The trail left the river and entered the wood, 

 and I followed it to this very spot, but never 

 was I more astonished than at the sight be- 

 fore me. You see, Don Jorge, that large 

 shooting branch," pointing to a horizontal 

 limb that shot out at right-angles from the 

 isolated tree, and about eight feet from the 

 ground ; " well, from that branch was hang- 

 ing part of a tigre, with his hind claws stuck 

 deep into the bark. His head, neck, and 

 fore-arms had been torn off and mangled as 

 far as the shoulders, and a young pig, badly 

 striped by the panther's claws, was lying 



