the gun in my hand, and
at the crack of the rifle the huge brute settled forward with hardly a
quiver not ten feet from the kids upon which he was about to spring. A
second shot was not necessary but was fired as a matter of precaution as
the tiger had fallen behind rank grass, and the bullet passed through the
shoulder blade lodging in the spine. The beast measured more than nine feet
and weighed almost four hundred pounds.

"Upon hearing the shots the villagers swarmed into the ravine, each eager
not so much to see their slain tormentor as to gather up the blood. But
little attention was paid to the tiger until every available drop was
sopped up with rags torn from their clothing, whilst men and children even
pulled up the blood-soaked grass. I learned that the blood of a tiger is
used for two purposes. A bit of blood-stained cloth is tied about the neck
of a child as a preventive against either measles or smallpox, and tiger
flesh is eaten for the same purpose. It is also said that if a handkerchief
stained with tiger blood is waved in front of an attacking dog the animal
will slink away cowed and terrified.

"From the Chinese point of view the skin is not the most valuable part of a
tiger. Almost always before a hunt is made, or a trap is built, the
villagers burn incense before the temple god, and an agreement is made to
the effect that if the enterprise be successful the skin of the beast taken
becomes the property of the gods. Thus it happens that in many of the
temples handsome tiger-skin robes may be found spread in the chair occupied
by the noted 'Duai Uong,' or the god of the land. When a hunt is
successful, the flesh and bones are considered of greatest value, and it
often happens that a number of cows are killed and their flesh mixed with
that of the tiger to be sold at the exorbitant price cheerfully paid for
tiger meat. The bones are boiled for a number of days until a gelatine-like
product results, and this is believed to be exceptionally efficacious
medicine.

"Notwithstanding the danger of still-hunting a tiger in the tangle of its
lair, one cannot but feel richly rewarded for the risk when one begins to
sum up one's observations. The most interesting result of investigating an
oft-frequented lair is concerning the animal's food. That a tiger always
devours its prey upon the spot where it is taken or in the adjacent bush is
an erroneous idea. This is often true when the kill is too heavy to be
carrie