d been seen to enter. Soon after they had
taken their places, a tremendous clamour arose near the head of the
valley. Drums were beaten, horns blown, and scores of men joined in,
with shouts and howls.

"What on arth are they up to, Mr. Charles?"

"They are driving the tiger this way, Tim. Now, sit quiet and keep a
sharp lookout, and be ready to hand me a rifle, the instant I have
fired."

The noise increased, and was plainly approaching. The elephant
fidgeted uneasily.

"That baste has more sinse than we have," said Tim; "and would be off,
if that little black chap, astraddle of his neck, didn't keep on
patting his head."

Presently, the mahout pointed silently to the bushes ahead, and
Charlie caught sight, for a moment, of some yellow fur. Apparently the
tiger had heard or scented the elephants, for it again turned and made
up the valley. Presently a redoubled yelling, with the firing of guns,
showed that it had been seen by the beaters. Ramajee Punt held up his
hand to Charlie, as a signal that next time the tiger might be
expected.

Suddenly there was a movement among the bushes. A tiger sprang out,
about halfway between Charlie's elephant and that of Ramajee Punt. It
paused for a moment, on seeing them; and then, as it was about to
spring forward, two balls struck it. It sprang a short distance,
however, and then fell, rolling over and over. One ball had broken a
foreleg, the other had struck it on the head. Another ball from
Ramajee Punt struck it, as it rolled over and over, and it lay
immovable.

"Why didn't you hand me the next rifle, Tim?" Charlie said sharply.

"It went clane out of my head, altogether. To think now, and you kilt
it in a moment. The tiger is a poor baste, anyhow. I've seen a cat
make ten times as strong a fight for its life.

"Holy Moses!"

The last exclamation was called from Tim's lips by a sudden jerk. A
huge tiger, far larger than that which had fallen, had sprung up from
the brushwood and leaped upon the elephant. With one forepaw he
grasped the howdah, with the other clung to the elephant's shoulder,
an inch or two only behind the leg of the mahout.

Charlie snatched the rifle from Tim's hand, and thrust the muzzle into
the tiger's mouth, just as the elephant swerved round with sudden
fright and pain. At the same moment the weight of the tiger on the
howdah caused the girths to give way; and Charlie, Tim and the tiger
fell together on the ground. Charlie had pulled his t