ed to kill a few they would
have an opportunity of doing so. Although Reginald would gladly have
pushed on, he sacrificed his own wishes for the sake of allowing his
friend to enjoy a few days' sport.

Burnett had a friend (Major Sandford) living at a village not far off,
who, hearing of their arrival, invited them to take up their abode at
his bungalow. He confirmed the report of the abundance of tigers, which
the superstitious Hindoos took no pains to destroy; observing--

"They believe that the souls of men pass after their death into the
bodies of animals, and that it must be the soul of some great personage
alone which is allowed to inhabit the ferocious tiger. They therefore
allow the creatures to range about as they please; and when any poor
fellow is seized by one of the brutes--as is frequently the case--he
will humbly beg the tiger sahib to set him free, or to finish him
mercifully. The natives, however, have no objection to my killing any
of their lordships; and we will this evening go to a fort on the banks
of the Ganges near which they are wont to pass on their way to drink at
the river. We will carry provisions and liquor, so that we may pass our
time agreeably till one of the brutes appears."

The party accordingly, accompanied by several natives of rank, with
their servants, set out, and were not long in reaching their
destination. The top of the fort offered a safe spot whence any number
of wild beasts could be shot down without the slightest risk to the
sportsmen of being attacked in return. A table and chairs were placed
on the roof of the fort, and the English gentlemen and Hindoos sat in
the cool of the evening quaffing their claret and conversing on various
topics, with their rifles ready loaded placed against the parapet, while
a lookout kept watch for the approach of a tiger, panther, or any other
denizen of the forest.

"Few men have more narrowly escaped becoming tiger's meat than I have,"
said Major Sandford. "I carry some ugly marks about me to bear witness
to the fact; besides having the slight `halt' in my walk which you may
have observed. I was, some eight years ago, out shooting with several
companions, and being somewhat tired, I sat down on the side of the
bank, having left my gun a few feet from me. The rest of the party had
gone to a little distance, when, suddenly looking up, I saw a huge tiger
spring out of the jungle, and before I had time to reach my gun the
brute ha