oung. Her eyes
quickly fell upon us, and she made a spring forward, with the intention
of penetrating our place of refuge. Perhaps she might have been
enabled, by her immense strength, to push away the stone, had we not,
with all our united power, held it against her.

"When she found that all her efforts were fruitless, she approached the
tiger, who lay stretched out beside his cubs, and he rose and joined in
her hollow roarings. They stood together for a few moments, as if in
consultation, and then suddenly went off at a rapid pace, and
disappeared from our sight. Their howlings died away in the distance,
and then entirely ceased.

"Our Indians descended from their tree, and called upon us to seize the
only possibility of yet saving ourselves, by instant flight, for that
the tigers had only gone round the height to seek another inlet into
the cave, with which they were, no doubt, acquainted. In the greatest
haste the stone was pushed aside, and we stepped forth from what we had
considered a living grave. We now heard once more the roaring of the
tigress, though at a distance, and, following the example of our
guides, we precipitately struck into a side path. From the number of
roots and branches of trees, with which the storm had strewed our way,
and the slipperiness of the road, our flight was slow and difficult.

"We had proceeded thus for about a quarter of an hour, when we found
that our way led along a rocky cliff, with innumerable fissures. We had
just entered upon it, when suddenly the Indians, who were before us,
uttered one of their piercing shrieks, and we immediately became aware
that the tigers were in pursuit of us. Urged by despair, we rushed
towards one of the breaks or gulfs in our way, over which was thrown a
bridge of reeds, that sprang up and down at every step, and could be
trod with safety by the light foot of the Indians alone. Deep in the
hollow below rushed an impetuous stream, and a thousand pointed and
jagged rocks threatened destruction on every side.

"Lincoln, my huntsman, and myself, passed over the chasm in safety; but
Wharton was still in the middle of the waving bridge, and endeavoring
to steady himself, when both the tigers were seen to issue from the
adjoining forest; and the moment they descried us, they bounded towards
us with dreadful roarings. Meanwhile, Wharton had nearly gained the
safe side of the gulf, and we were all clambering up the rocky cliff,
except Lincoln, who rem