%S6 THE TIGER. 



lay stretched out upon the neck. In return for this^ 

 it would, however/ now and then steyl their meat. 

 Raying one day stolen a piece of beef from the car- 

 penter, he followed the animal, took the meat out of 

 its mouth, and beat it severely for the theft ; which 

 punishment it suffered with all the patience of a 

 Dog. It would frequently run out on the boltsprit ; 

 climb about the ship like a Cat ; and perform a 

 number of other tricks, with an agility that was truly 

 astonishing- There was a Dog on board, with 

 wliich it would often play in the most diverting man ■ 

 ner. This animal was taken on board the ship when 

 it was only a month or six weeks old, and arrived in 

 this country before it had quite completed ajxar. 

 How much lonsrer its oood-hum.our miffht have con- 

 tinued;, it is impossible to say : but it is very much 

 to be doubted, whether the same innocent playful- 

 ness would have formed apart of its character when 

 arrived at its full state of maturity *. D'Obsonville 

 seems, however, of opinion, that the Tiger may be 

 in some measure educated ; but that the Eastern na- 

 tions deem it useless to make subservient to their 

 a-nusement an animal, whose strength is the more 

 dangerous from its natural gloomy ferocity, which, 

 roused by certain cu^im stances, might be found to 

 Iiave been by no meBp eradicated -i^. 



The method of tlie Tiger's seizing his prey is, by 

 concealing himself from view, and springing, with i> 

 horrible roar, on his object, which he carries off into 

 the recesses of the forest ; having first, if undis- 



* Bcv/. Qi'.ud. 187. 1" D'Obsoiivnie, 8x'. 



