THE TIGER. 
199 
is almost certain to become the prey of the 
man-eaters. "Women are carried off, chil¬ 
dren are constantly missing, and every one 
is in distress and terror. At last, perhaps, a 
party of British officers come into the neigh¬ 
bourhood, and the head-man of the village 
waits upon the sahibs with an humble peti¬ 
tion that they will deliver them from their 
cruel foe. The sahibs, on their part, wish 
for no better fun. Elephants are procured, 
rifles made ready; and in a few days the 
dreaded man-eater lies dead before the feet 
of her enemies, who will lose no time in 
singeing off her whiskers, saluting her in the 
mean time with a variety of expressions 
more forcible than select, addressed to her¬ 
self and all her ancestors.’’ 
“ Why do they singe off her whiskers ?” 
asked Annie. 
“In order that they may not be haunted 
by the'spirit of the tiger, which is sure to 
appear to them (as they believe) unless they 
go through this ceremony.” 
“ That story of the man-eater reminds me 
of something I found in looking for texts 
about leopards,” said Richard. “It is in 
Isaiah v. 6 :— 4 Wherefore a lion out of the 
