THE WHITE TIGER. 145 



a roar at our very feet that made us lie down and 

 cover our heads in fear. Then we heard a great 

 scratching at the door of the shed where the skin 

 was, and we knew the tiger was trying to break in. 

 We could not see the tiger, so some of us shouted 

 and others fired their guns, but he continued 

 scratching and roaring. We then arranged to fire 

 together at the door in the hopes of hitting him. We 

 fired and heard a scream of rage and then a great 

 scuffling as if something was trying to climb the 

 tree on which our machan was built. Of the eight 

 men on my machan, six had fired off their match- 

 locks, and only two shots were left. If the tiger 

 succeeded in climbing the tree we were dead men. 

 I can assure you, Huzoor, I was like a twisted rag ; 

 there was no sap in me. The tiger would rush up 

 the trunk of the tree, and then fall back. This he 

 did several times, and then went back to the door 

 and began his scratching. When the other men 

 had reloaded, we arranged to fire four at a time. 

 This we did several times, and at last it appeared 

 as if we had struck him, for the scratching ceased, 

 but he continued to roar. We kept on firing till 

 all sounds from him ceased, and then we knew we 

 had killed him, or he had gone off. In the morning 

 we saw he was dead near the door and near to his 

 mate. He had twenty shots in his body. He was, 

 in truth, a motee-joad. He gave up his life rather 

 than leave his mate ! " 



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