120 
the tiger. 
breaks the skull ; but this is not his invaria^^^^ 
practice. Though the little midshipman 
motionless on the back of his enemy, the 
officers were uncertain whether he had receive'^ 
the mortal pat or not, and were consequently 
afraid to fire, lest they should kill him to- 
gether with the tiger. While they were 
this state of suspense, they perceived the hao^ 
of the youth gently moving over the side 
the animal, and, supposing the motion to 
the effect of the convulsive throbs of death/ 
they were about to fire, when, to their uttot 
astonishment, the tiger suddenly dropped 
stone dead; and their young friend sprang 
from the carcase, triumphantly waving ^ 
bloody dirk drawn from the heart, for which 
he had been feeling with the utmost coolnes® 
and circumspection, when the motion of hi* 
hand had been mistaken for a dying spasm. 
The following curious fact, related by Pen- 
nant, shows that the tiger, like the lion, may 
