In some parts of India the superfluous Pariahs are utilised by giving them as food to caged Tigers. An anecdote is related of one who proved himself a match for the Tiger, and who was, as a reward, admitted to close intimacy with the royal beast. “I knew an instance,” says Captain Williamson, “of one that was destined for the Tiger’s daily meal standing on the defensive, in a manner that completely astonished both the Tiger and the spectator. He crept into a corner, and whenever the Tiger approached, seized him by the lip or the neck, making him roar most piteously. The Tiger, however, impelled by hunger--for all supply of food was purposely withheld--would renew the attack. The result was ever the same. At length the Tiger began to treat the Dog with more deference, and not only allowed him to partake of the mess of rice and milk furnished daily for his subsistence, but even refrained from any attempt to disturb him. The two animals at length became reconciled to each other, and a strong attachment was formed between them. The Dog was then allowed ingress and egress through the aperture; and, considering the cage as his home, he left it and returned to it just as he thought proper. When the Tiger died he moaned the loss of his companion for a considerable period.” In Siam, these unhappy creatures are equally abundant, and are even worse off. Mr. Thomson[116] states that they occur in great numbers in nearly all the temples. “It is contrary to the Buddhist creed to take away life; hence many of their temples become places of refuge for troops of famished Dogs, who remain there till they die; for though the priests give them what food they can spare, there is never enough for them all. These Dogs, then, are usually animated skeletons, their skins destitute of hair, and covered with many sores. I tossed them a little food; it gave rise to the most savage fight I ever witnessed. One or two wretched curs limped away from the strife, torn and lacerated, probably to lie down and die. This canine community--fierce, hungry, and diseased--must surely be one of those many Buddhist hells where sorcerers expiate their crimes. The animals are deemed to be animated by the spirits of the departed, and are undergoing a lifetime of torture. The priests, if they are good men, look on at their misery with pious complacency, and probably take the lesson to heart, lest they, too, in the next stage of their existence, should be condemned to howl for offal or garbage to satisfy the hungry pangs and sore-eaten frames of starving Pariah Dogs.” [Illustration: DINGO.] THE INDIAN WILD DOG.[117]