ed for being
such a muff."

"Jungle law, Mr. Wargrave," said the girl, laughing "You hit it first,
so it's your beast."

"You needn't be ashamed of missing it," added the Colonel. "A charging
tiger coming full speed at you is not an easy mark. No; the skin is
yours; and Muriel has so many that she can spare it."

"Well, Miss Benson, I accept it as a gift from you; but I won't
acknowledge that I have earned it," said the subaltern.

"Now, we'd better pad it and see about getting back," said Dermot,
looking at his watch.

The other elephants had now found their way up the bank and joined
Badshah and his companion. When their _mahouts_ heard from Gul Dad the
story of the tiger's death they exclaimed in amazement and admiration:

"_Ahre, Chai_! (Oh, brother!) Truly the missie-_baba_ is a wonder. She
will be the death of many tigers, indeed," they said.

Then each in turn brought his elephant up to the prostrate animal and
made her smell and strike it with her trunk in order to inspire her with
contempt for tigers. Colonel Dermot measured it with a tape and found it
to be nine feet six inches from nose to tip of tail. It was a young,
fully-grown male in splendid condition. Then came the troublesome
business of "padding" it, that is, hoisting it on to the pad of one of
the elephants to bring it back to the bungalow to be skinned. It was not
an easy matter. For the tiger weighed nearly three hundred and fifty
pounds; and to raise the limp carcase, which sagged like a feather bed
at every spot where there was not a man to support it, was a difficult
task. But it was achieved at last; and with the tiger roped firmly on a
pad the elephants started back in single file.

As they went over the plain in the burning sun Wargrave looked back to
where the striped body was borne along with stiff, dangling legs.

"By Jove, it's been great, Miss Benson," he exclaimed. "Some people say
tiger shooting's not exciting. They ought to have been with us to-day. I
am lucky to have got a bison already and now to have seen this. With
luck I'll be having a shot at an elephant next."

The girl replied in a serious tone:

"Don't say that to Colonel Dermot. Elephants are his especial friends.
Besides, you are only allowed to shoot rogues; and since he's been here
there have been none in these jungles which formerly swarmed with them.
There's no doubt that he has a wonderful, uncanny control over even wild
elephants. Do you know that once a