COLONEL nightingale's LETTER. 213 
the beast and missed, however, I soon got another [>oint at 
him and hit him in the shoulder; he rushed off over the brow 
of a low hill opposite, and suddenly 1 saw him when about 
a hundred and fifty yards off charge something in the bushes 
with an awful roar. I could see nothing, as I knew all the 
coolies were out of the jungle on a hill and in trees ; however, 
I took a shot and hit, but did not stop the beast, and the next 
instant I saw to my horror a man emerge from the bushes 
beyond and walk straight towards the tiger who rushed 
furiously at him, struck him down and pounced upon him with 
the evident intention of tearing him to pieces. The tiger and 
man were in a confused heap on the ground about a hundred 
and thirty yards off, a very long shot from a huttie ; there was 
a ravine between us, and I could not get closer, I was as 
likely to hit the man as the tiger if I fired ; I was perfectly 
cool though of course alarmed for the man, and 1 therefore 
claim credit for deliberately running the risk of shooting the 
man and losing my shikar reputation at one blow. It being, 
however, the poor fellow's sole chance for life, I fired my 
left barrel with, as it turned out, a good aim. I heard the 
ball smack loudly, but at such a distance I could not be 
sure of my shot, but as it sounded like hitting bone I 
feared it might have hit the man's skuIL To my delight 
the tiger gave a baffled roar, rolled off the man and plunged 
into the ravine ; my conical from the double Kennedy had 
carried off the entire lower jaw and fangs of the brute. Did 
you ever hear of such a lucky shot ? Anywhere else could 
not have saved the man, but without a jaw the tiger could 
not grab him. It is supposed about here that I fired at the 
jaw, but you and I know better, don't we ? It was a cool 
shot and a good one, but not such a teazer as all that ; the 
