ets and ropes with which the tigers are bound and taken away."

A little crowd had, by this time, collected round them; and the women,
when they heard that the strangers were shikarees, who had come up
with the intention of killing tigers, brought them bowls of milk,
cakes and other presents.

"I suppose, now that the sultan is away at war," Dick said, "his
hunters do not come here for tigers?"

"We know nothing of his wars," a woman said. "They take our sons from
us, and we do not see them again. We did hear a report that he had
gone, with an army, to conquer Travancore. But why he should want to
do it, none of us can make out. His dominions are as wide as the heart
of man can require. It is strange that he cannot rest contented, but,
like his father, should be always taking our sons away to fight.
However, these things are beyond the understanding of poor people like
us; but we can't help thinking that it would be better if he were to
send his armies to destroy all the tigers. If he would do that, we
should not grudge the sums we have to pay, when the tax gatherers come
round."

After pausing for an hour in the village, they continued on their way.
Two or three other small collections of huts were passed, but it was
not until the evening of the next day that they issued from the
jungle-covered country, onto the cultivated plain. At none of the
places they had passed was there anything known, as to Tippoo or his
army, but they were told that there were parties of troops, in all the
villages along the edge of the plain, as well as in the passes.

"We must be careful now, Surajah," Dick said, as, after a long day's
march, they sat down to rest, at a distance of half a mile from a
large village. "Our tale, that we are shikarees, will not do here. Had
that really been our object, we should have stopped at the first place
we came to, and, at any rate, we should not have come beyond the
jungle. We might still say that we are shikarees, but that tigers had
become scarce on the other side of the hills, and, hearing a talk that
Tippoo and the English are going to war with each other, we made up
our minds to go to Seringapatam, and enlist in his army."

"That would do very well," Surajah agreed. "They would have no reason
for doubting us, and even if the officer here were to suggest that we
should enlist under him, we could do so, as there would be no
difficulty in slipping away, and making off into the jungle again."

T