Leaving, then, Sir Marmaduke seated in the centre of his cage, we
towards night returned to the cutter, first scattering two or three
quarters of fresh beef in the vicinity of the cage."
"That should have assembled all the tigers in Coromandel," said
Fritz.
"Anyhow, it brought enough. Towards midnight Sir Marmaduke could count
thirty noble brutes capering in the moonlight and feasting upon the
beef that had been provided for them."
"What did the Englishman do then?"
"He took aim at the most magnificent specimen of the herd and fired.
No sooner had he done this than the whole pack came scampering towards
the cage, thinking, doubtless, they had nothing to do but scrunch the
bones of the solitary hunter. This was the signal for a regular
slaughter. Sir Marmaduke discharged his rifles point blank in the
noses of the animals that environed him on all sides; those who were
not wounded by the balls were severely injured by the spikes of the
cage in their furious efforts to seize their enemy. The howling,
yelling, and fury was quite a new sensation for Sir Marmaduke; he
rather enjoyed the thing whilst the excitement lasted. However, all
things must have an end; when the sun appeared on the horizon the
wounded retired, leaving the dead masters of the situation."
"I suppose, in the meantime," remarked Fritz, "that the amiable Hindoo
was considering whether or not, under the circumstances, she should
wear mourning for her defunct cavalier.
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