It is amazing how quickly he drew back, jumped up, and ran off at the top of his speed. As soon as he reached what he thought was a safe distance he turned and fired at the spot where he had seen the tiger. And what was very astonishing indeed, he hit it. Up jumped the beast in a rage, and in an instant he bounded out of the thicket into the open field. He was all ready for a big fight, and he growled and gnashed his teeth in a way that would have made your blood run cold. Every body leveled their guns at him, but he did not give them time to take a good aim, for he charged at headlong speed right for the foremost elephant. The animal on which the Colonel and his friend were mounted was a brave one, but he did not fancy such a tiger as this, and he turned to run away. But he was not quick enough. The tiger bounded at him like a flash and had him by the trunk before he could lift it out of harm’s way. The driver on the elephant’s neck drew up his legs in a hurry, and the hunters leaned over their box to try and get a shot. But the elephant’s head was in the way, and they could not get a fair sight at the tiger. As for the poor elephant, he did not at all fancy having a tiger chewing away at his trunk. So he bellowed and floundered about at a great rate, but that did not seem to inconvenience the tiger, who held on like a good fellow. The other elephants and hunters were coming up, but they did not come fast enough. The elephants seemed to be a little particular about their trunks, and were in no haste to get near the beast that was hanging so grimly to their big brother. [Illustration: THE TIGER SEIZES THE ELEPHANT BY THE TRUNK.] Then our elephant got tired of this sport. He gave his trunk a swing under him at the same time that he made a step forward. This brought the tiger just in front of his right foreleg. Down knelt the elephant with one great knee directly upon the tiger’s body. The elephant weighed tons, and there was a dead tiger under his knee in less than twenty seconds. So here was a dangerous and noted tiger killed without a shot from the brave hunters who went out after him. But they were none the less brave for that. The only man who did hit him was a coward, and the elephant that killed him, would have run away if he could. Things turn out this way sometimes. I can only tell of one more of Colonel Myles’ hunts. He spent many months in India and killed a good many tigers, for which he had the thanks of the people and the approval of his own conscience—two things that hunters do not always have, I can assure you. His last hunt, as far as we are concerned, was a bear hunt. He heard that a large bear had been seen a short distance from the place where he was then encamped, and early the next day after receiving the news, he went out with one native follower to see if he could find it. They followed the tracks of the beast until they reached a place where there were some very high rocks.