felicity. He was
young, you see, at that time, and moderately foolish! But although he
had often dreamed of such bliss, he had never before expected to be
within reach of it. His knowledge of sport, moreover, was entirely
theoretic. He knew indeed how to load a rifle and pull the trigger, but
nothing more.

"You haven't got many tigers in these parts, I suppose?" he said to
Flinn as they sauntered towards the house after seeing the electrical
party off. He asked the question with hesitation, being impressed with
a strange disbelief in tigers, except in a menagerie, and feeling nearly
as much ashamed as if he had asked whether they kept elephants in the
sugar-basin. To his relief Flinn did not laugh, but replied quite
gravely--"Och! yes, we've got a few, but they don't often come nigh the
house. We have to thravel a bit into the jungle, and camp out, whin we
wants wan. I heard master say he'd have a try at 'em to-morrow, so
you'll see the fun, for we've all got to turn out whin we go after
tigers. If you're fond o' sport in a small way, howiver, I can give ye
a turn among the birds an' small game to-day."

"There's nothing I'd like better," said Slagg, jumping at the offer like
a hungry trout at a fly.

"Come along, then," returned the groom heartily; "we'll take shot-guns,
an' a spalpeen of a black boy to carry a spare rifle an' the bag."

In a few minutes the two men, with fowling-pieces on their shoulders,
and a remarkably attenuated black boy at their heels carrying a large
bore rifle, entered the jungle behind the electrician's bungalow.

CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE.

A GREAT FIELD-DAY, IN WHICH SLAGG DISTINGUISHES HIMSELF.

Now, although we have said that Jim Slagg knew how to pull a trigger, it
does not follow that he knew how to avoid pulling that important little
piece of metal. He was aware, of course, that the keeping of his
forefinger off the trigger was a point of importance, but how to keep it
off when in a state of nervous expectation, he knew not, because his
memory and the forefinger of his right hand appeared to get disconnected
at such times, and it did not occur to him, just at first, that there
was such an arrangement in gun-locks as half-cock.

Flinn reminded him of the fact, however, when, soon after entering the
jungle, his straw hat was blown off his head by an accidental discharge
of Slagg's gun.

"Niver mention it," said Flinn, picking up his riven headpiece, while
poor Slagg o