"Oh, no!" he replied; "they are as bad as they can be; and the resident
will put them all to rights when he arrives, and save me a vast amount
of trouble. In the meantime you may amuse yourselves with hunting.
There must be an abundance of game in the neighbourhood, as the tigers
alone, I am told, carry off at least a dozen peasants a week; and there
are deer, bears, and wild boars without number. You will find it a
perfect huntsman's paradise."

"Not at all a paradise for the unfortunate peasants," observed Burnett.
"However, we will take advantage of your highness's permission, and try
to rid the country of some of the savage brutes."

Several elephants were immediately got ready, and a party of horsemen
ordered out to attend on Reginald and his friend. They preferred being
together on one howdah, into which they mounted by a ladder. The
weather was pleasant, and a breeze from the mountains gave a freshness
to the air not to be found in the lower plains.

They had gone some distance, passing through a magnificently wooded
country, when, as they approached a village which was said to have
suffered greatly by the depredations of tigers, they were met by the
chief man and two of his principal officers, who, with humble bows, gave
them welcome. They had heard, they said, of the prowess of the two
sahibs, and begged that they would exert their skill and destroy all the
tigers which infested the neighbourhood. Burnett was highly amused; but
promised that he and his companion would do all they could, if the
people would undertake to drive the animals towards them. The answer
appeared to be satisfactory, and Reginald and Burnett entered the
village mounted on their elephants, and accompanied by a noisy
multitude, some on camels, others on horseback, and a number on foot,
shouting their praise, and threatening death and destruction to the
formidable man-eaters which had long been the terror of the
neighbourhood.

"We must perform wonders, to retain our reputation," said Burnett,
laughing; "though I doubt if our friends will do much to help us. They
stand too much in awe of the tigers to venture near their lairs; and it
will only be by great good fortune that we shall fall in with any of the
brutes to kill."

As they were anxious not to be long absent from the camp, they
immediately started towards the jungle in which the tigers were said to
take refuge.

As we have more exciting matter to narrate, we must not dw