I obeyed, Mr. Frampton followed my example, and, after sipping his wine,
and grunting several times to clear his throat, began the following
recital:--

"Umph! ha! let me recollect. When I was a young shaver, having lived
in the world some twenty years or so, I was engaged as a sort of
supernumerary clerk in the house of Wilson and Brown at Calcutta; and,
having no one else who could be so easily spared, they determined to
despatch me on a business negotiation to one of the native princes,
about eight hundred miles up the country.

"I travelled with a party of the -- Dragoons, commanded
by a Captain Slingsby, a man about five years older than myself, and
as good a fellow as ever lived. Well, somehow or other, he took a great
fancy to me, and nothing would do but that I should accompany him in all
his sporting expeditions--for I should tell you that he was a thorough
sportsman, and, I believe, entertained some wild notion that he should
be able to make one of me. One unfortunate morning he came into my tent,
and woke me out of a sound sleep into which I had fallen, after being
kept awake half the night by the most diabolical howls and screams that
ever were heard out of bedlam, expecting every minute to see some of the
performers step in to sup, not with, but upon, me.

"'Come, Frampton, wake up, man,' cried Slingsby; 'here's great and
glorious news.'

"'What is it?' said I--'have they found another hamper of ale among the
baggage?'

"'Ale! nonsense,' was the reply. 'A shikkaree (native hunter) has just
come into camp to say that a young bullock was carried off yesterday,
and is lying half eaten in the jungle about a mile from this place; so
at last, my boy, I shall have the pleasure of introducing you to a real
live tiger.'

"'Thank ye,' said I, 'you're very kind; but if it's at all inconvenient
to you this morning you can put it off: another day will do quite as
well for me--I'm not in the least hurry.'

"It was of no use, however; all I got for my pains was a poke in the
ribs, and an injunction to lose no time in getting ready.

"Before we had done breakfast the great man of the neighbourhood, Rajah
somebody or other, made his ~237~~appearance on his elephant, attended
by a train of tawnies, who were to undertake the agreeable duty of
beating. Not being considered fit to take care of myself--a melancholy
fact of which I was only too conscious--it was decreed that Slingsby and
I should occupy the same howdah