A TIGER-SLAYER. 
39 
The morning after our arrival it was signified to 
us that there was a large royal tiger in a nullah* near 
the town. This was soon confirmed by the appear- 
ance of a native who was preparing to attack it 
single-handed. The man was short, not robust but 
compactly made, sinewy and active, having a coun- 
tenance remarkable for its expression of calm deter- 
mination. He was entirely naked above the hips, 
below which he simply wore coarse linen trowsers 
reaching about half-way down the thigh. He was 
armed with a ponderous knife, the blade of which was 
exceedingly wide and thick, with an edge almost as 
keen as a razor. On the left arm he bore a small 
conical shield, about eighteen inches in diameter, 
covered with hide, and studded with brass, having a 
point of the same metal projecting from the boss. 
My companions and myself walked with this intrepid 
little Hindoo to the lair of the sleeping foe. We 
were the less apprehensive of any personal danger, 
knowing that the tiger is a very cowardly animal 
and seldom makes an open attack; and further that 
it always prefers attacking a native to a European. 
We soon reached the nullah and discovered the beau- 
tiful beast at the extremity basking in the sun. Its 
proportions were prodigious. I have never seen one 
larger. The nullah was narrow, but the bottom 
tolerably free from inequalities, so that the area was 
more than usually favourable for the operations of the 
undaunted tiger-slayer. 
As soon as we reached the spot, the man boldly 
* Nullahs are water-courses, which are generally dry except 
during the rains. 
