of the Old World. 235 



could not see my hand before me. Chineah gave a 

 signal to me once or twice, but I dared not answer it 

 lest I should attract the enraged animal's notice 

 towards the place of my concealment. After a 

 lengthened period of anxious and exciting suspense, 

 I heard the wounded tiger heave a long deep-drawn 

 sigh, which was followed by a succession of smothered 

 groans and gaspings for breath ; then came a heavy 

 fall, another violent struggle, a gurgling bubbling 

 sound in the throat as of suffocation, a hollow rattle, 

 and all was still. 



I knew my antagonist was dead, but to make sure 

 I waited a few minutes before leaving my ambuscade, 

 when hearing nothing I lighted a bull's-eye lantern I 

 always carried about with me, which fastened by a 

 spring to the front of my belt, and rifle in hand I 

 took a cursory view of the bullock, the hinder part of 

 which was half eaten, and then examined the bush, 

 where I found the tiger stretched lifeless on the 

 ground, in some low cover about fifteen paces behind 

 the place where I had been lying in wait. I called 

 down Chineah and Googooloo, who lighted a torch, 

 and we found that both of my shots had taken effect ; 

 the first had struck him in the centre of the forehead, 

 ploughed up the skin, and glanced off the bone ; the 

 second entered the chest and apparently traversed the 

 lungs, for the ground about was covered with blood 

 and froth that had issued from the mouth. He 



