y body, of which only a glimpse could be caught, emerged as if
fired from the throat of a Columbiad and, curving over the shoulders of
the man and the boat, dropped into the stream with a splash that sent
the water flying in every direction.

Beyond the line of shadow, where the faint moonlight fell upon him, the
tiger was seen to be a beast of extraordinary size. He emitted one
rasping snarl while sailing through the air, but was already dead when
he fell into the water, where it could not be seen he had made a
struggle. The sinewy body dipped out of sight, bobbed up again and the
next minute was swept beyond view by the rapid current.

Rather strangely, not one of the women was awakened by the report of
the rifle so near them, and of the men Dr. Marlowe and Anderson were
the only ones who rose to a sitting posture and anxiously inquired the
cause of the firing.

"I discovered an animal prowling near the boat," replied Jack, who
thought it well not to disturb them with the whole truth, "and I winged
him."

"You are sure you killed him?" asked the doctor; "most likely it was a
tiger."

"I am quite sure of that, and am just as sure that, considered strictly
as a tiger, he is of no further account. I made another bull's-eye in
his case."

"How many is that?" asked the physician, entering into the spirit of
the jest.

"My fifth, counting only those that I am sure of."

"You are doing well; keep it up; let the good work go on," replied the
elder, again adjusting himself for slumber, quite content to leave the
valiant young American in charge of the boat and its occupants. Jack
had it in mind to question him about that distant murmuring sound that
puzzled him, but when ready to do so he discovered that the doctor was
again asleep and he did not disturb him.

The fact that one denizen of the jungle had paid the boat a visit was
ground for looking for a call from another. Jack remained, therefore,
on the alert, and though under ordinary circumstances he would have
fallen asleep he kept wide awake until the growing light in the sky
told of the coming day. Before the sun was fairly above the horizon
all were astir. They bathed faces and hands in the roiled water and
greeted one another with thankfulness that the night had passed without
harm to any member of the little company.

When the three men and their wives fled from Meerut they took with them
enough food to last for several days. There is little excus