st
the noise upon a larger scale that a cat would make when crouching down
over the rat that it had seized; and the doctor felt that there could be
only one creature in the jungle that would seize its prey in such a
manner--the tiger.

In spite of his bravery and the strength of nerve that had often made
him face death without a tremor, Dr Bolter felt a cold shiver pass
through him as he realised how near he was to a terrible end. The tiger
might have seized him instead of the Malay--in fact, might spring upon
him at any moment; and as he felt this, he brought the barrels of his
gun to bear on the dark spot where the tiger lay crouching upon its
victim, and with his fingers on both triggers stood ready to fire at the
first movement of the beast.

That first movement, he knew, might be to spring upon him and strike him
down; and nature bade him flee at once for his life--bade him drop his
gun, run to the first tree, and climb into its branches--escape as a
timid beast, a monkey, might have done.

Education, on the contrary, bade him stay--told him that it would be the
act of a coward and a cur to run off and leave the poor fellow lying
there to his fate, the horrible fate of being torn and half devoured by
the tiger--bade him be a man, and do something, even at the risk of his
own life, to save the Malay who had been stricken down in his service;
and as these thoughts came to Doctor Bolter his eyes dilated in the
darkness, and he strove to make out the positions in which tiger and man
were lying.

It was some time before he could make this out, and then it seemed to
him that the tiger had struck the Malay down upon his face, and was
lying upon him, with his teeth fixed in his shoulder.

Just then the unfortunate man uttered a loud cry, when the tiger gave an
angry snarl, and Doctor Bolter was able to assure himself of their
relative positions. In fact there was the side of the tiger's head not
six feet from him, and, dare he fire, it was almost impossible to miss.

But the gun was loaded with small shot, and even at so close a range he
might injure the unfortunate Malay, if he were not beyond the point when
a fresh blow would do him harm.

Doctor Bolter stood unable to move. He did not feel very much alarmed
now, the danger was too near, but he could not for the moment act.

At last, though, his nerves seemed to become more set, and setting his
teeth he held his piece ready, and with one motion advanced his l