ten miles from the town there was a long stretch of desert and
barren land, extending for about a quarter of a mile from a jungle and
forest to a river; and here, I was told, tigers were often to be found,
sometimes crossing the open country to slake their thirst at the stream,
but more frequently to prevent antelopes and other tender animals from
slaking their thirst. There could be no better spot than this for my
experiment.

"Our journey to the hunting-ground was most delightful. Seating
ourselves in the commodious car which hung beneath the balloon, we rose
to the height of the rope which restrained its ascent. The lower end of
this rope was then seized by natives, active and strong, who ran along,
pulling the balloon above them. It was the most comfortable method of
progression that I had ever known. There were no jars, scarcely any
sense of motion. The great overhanging balloon sheltered us from the
sun; we leaned over the side of the car, surveyed the landscape, and
breathed the fresh morning air. Then we breakfasted and smoked our
cigarettes. I was happy; my Irene was happy. We could have journeyed
thus for days.

"But when we came to the appointed place we prepared for business. We
had with us a machine for anchoring the balloon, and the natives
immediately went to work to drive this deeply into the soil, about
half-way between the water and the jungle, so that we might be moored
at a proper distance above the ground. There was no wind; the balloon
hung almost motionless. It had been arranged that when it should be
properly attached the natives should leave us, and return in the evening
to pull us back to the town, and to carry away the skins of the tigers
we had killed.

"It was truly luxurious hunting! The rifle of my Irene was light and
suitable for a lady; mine was of the most improved pattern. We had
another one in case of emergencies. We sat and looked down upon the men,
urging them to hasten their work and be gone; we were longing for our
sport.

"Suddenly there was a cry from one of the natives. Gazing toward the
jungle, he yelled: 'A tiger! a tiger!' Instantly our hearts stopped
beating and our eyes were turned toward the jungle. There, against the
matted leaves and stalks, was a mass of yellow and black--half a tiger.
In the bright sunlight we could see it plainly. It had been roused by
the noise of the pounding, and was gazing out to see what was the
matter. With one united scream, the natives