148 TIGER AND BUFFALO FIGHT. 



pretty boy, about ten years old. His favourite son, 

 however, the third, whom he has named as his suc- 

 cessor, was now sick. A Frenchman and a Prus- 

 sian were present in uniform, both being in the Sul- 

 tan's service —the one training his infantry, the 

 other his cavalry. He always keeps under arms a 

 body of one thousand infantry and about sixty horse. 

 After a slight refreshment, carriages were ordered, 

 and we went to see a fight between a buffalo and a 

 tiger. This took place in a large court-yard on the 

 north side of the square, in the middle of which was 

 a tall cage of square posts, driven into the ground 

 and partly roofed over. At one side of it was a 

 stage for the principal spectators, while the people 

 crowded round it on the ground. It was a wretched 

 sight, for the tiger, though a large and once power- 

 ful animal, seemed wasted by disease, starvation, 

 and old age. It was a well known animal, and had 

 killed at different times seven human beings, but it 

 had now been caught more than twenty days, during 

 which time it had refused all food. Without *a 

 thought of fighting, it lay crouched on the ground 

 in a corner of the cage, while the buffalo, one of the 

 large mud oxen, stood looking at him very uncon- 

 cernedly. Lighted torches and scalding water were 

 applied to him, but the poor old tiger only yelled, 

 and tried to crawl away, while the buffalo, as soon 

 as he moved, gave a snort, and walked up and butted 

 him with his horns against the bars of the cage, and 

 after once or twice fairly tossing him into the air, 

 and letting him fall on his back, he left the poor 



