132 JOURNAL, BOMB A Y NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. X. 



from the midst of the greedily-feeding buffaloes, " Tonk," reverberated 

 another, a little further in the forests ; and then a perfect chorus of '' Tonk " 

 rang out from different parts. I sprang for my rifle, for I knew well what 

 this portended— either a tiger or wild dogs were afoot, most probably the 

 former. I had scarcely regained the verandah with my rifle when a most 

 awful combined roaring and bellowing issued from the forest, and I knew 

 at once that " stripes " and the buffaloes were engaged, Not all the buffaloes 

 however, for with dismayed snorts a number rushed back to the shed, as 

 if in a headlong flight that nothing could stop. Suddenly, however, they 

 stopped as if by word of command and, as though ashamed of their momen- 

 tary panic, they circled round and returned to the scene of conflict. I never 

 saw anything more magnificent than their steady resolute advance. In 

 serried ranks, like a squadron of cavalry, with their great heads lowered to 

 the ground, and bellowing out encouragement to their fellows fighting in 

 the forest, they swept onwards to the rescue, while I nimbly ran along in 

 their rear with my rifle. In this order we crashed into the forest. A feeble 

 gurgling noise announced that the buffalo had been vanquished, and a 

 hoarse roar of rage proclaimed that " stripes " refused to quit his victim, despite 

 the formidable array of horned heads which now bore down upon him 

 or rather " her " as she proved to be a tigress. Then ensued a perfect pande- 

 monium of roaring, bellowing, stamping and crushing, in the midst of which 

 I was obliged to drop my rifle and shin up the nearest tree, owing to two 

 blundering buffaloes, who could not force their way through their strug- 

 gling companions in front, fixing their regards upon me and, in the insane 

 delusion that I was the cause of all the turmoil, charging me savagely. 

 Were it not for the fact that I am long-limbed and as active as a Chenchu, 

 those buffaloes would have flattened out my carcase like a pancake. It 

 was very annoying to be treed and thus to lose sight of what was going 

 on ; but, after what appeared an interminable time, a number of Chenchiis 

 arrived on the scene, attracted by the row. Even they had the greatest 

 difficulty to appease the ferocious buffaloes and get them away. But at last 

 they succeeded in doing this, and with cocked rifle and finger on trigger, I 

 advanced to see how "stripes" had fared. The undergrowth was trampled down 

 all round, and I had no difficulty in finding the tiger trampled deep into 

 the mud and gored all over. Beside it lay the carcase of an immense 

 she-buffalo, and a yard or two further away the body of her calf. 

 This explained everything ; the tiger had crept up and seized the calf ; the 

 mother had immediately assailed " stripes " in defence of her offspring, but 

 had been overcome, and dramatic justice had been finally executed on the 

 marauder by the united members of the herd, notwithstanding that in the 

 momentary panic of the tiger's onset they had, at first, run away. 



ROBIN HOOD. 



(The above appeared in the Pioneer.) 



