tion
whatever, "which if properly carried out is efficacious beyond the
possibility of failure. Certain component parts of your body are
lacking, and before the desired result can be obtained these must be
supplied from without. Of all courageous things the tiger is the most
fearless, and in consequence it combines all those ingredients which you
require; furthermore, as the teeth of the tiger are the instruments with
which it accomplishes its vengeful purpose, there reside the essential
principles of its inimitable courage. Let the person who seeks
instruction in the matter, therefore, do as follows: taking the teeth of
a full-grown tiger as soon as it is slain, and before the essences
have time to return into the body, he shall grind them to a powder, and
mixing the powder with a portion of rice, consume it. After seven days
he must repeat the observance, and yet again a third time, after another
similar lapse. Let him, then, return for further guidance; for the
present the matter interests this person no further." At these words the
youth departed, filled with a new and inspired hope; for the wisdom of
the sagacious Poo-chow was a matter which did not admit of any doubt
whatever, and he had spoken with well-defined certainty of the success
of the experiment. Nevertheless, after several days industriously spent
in endeavouring to obtain by purchase the teeth of a newly-slain tiger,
the details of the undertaking began to assume a new and entirely
unforeseen aspect; for those whom he approached as being the most
likely to possess what he required either became very immoderately and
disagreeably amused at the nature of the request, or regarded it as a
new and ill-judged form of ridicule, which they prepared to avenge by
blows and by base remarks of the most personal variety. At length it
became unavoidably obvious to the youth that if he was to obtain the
articles in question it would first be necessary that he should become
adept in the art of slaying tigers, for in no other way were the
required conditions likely to be present. Although the prospect was one
which did not greatly tend to allure him, yet he did not regard it
with the utterly incapable emotions which would have been present on an
earlier occasion; for the habit of continually guarding himself from
the onslaughts of those who received his inquiry in an attitude of
narrow-minded distrust had inspired him with a new-found valour, while
his amiable and unrest