'I have knocked the brute fairly over,' replied Beverley; 'don't fire, Chute, please, as, for Ida's sake, I wish to have all the glory of the day.'
And without even reloading his rifle the heedless fellow rushed towards the fallen animal, which was certainly lying quietly enough among the jungle-grass that clothed the rough sides of the water-course.
The tiger suddenly rose with a frightful roar, that made the jungle re-echo; and springing upon Beverley with teeth and claws, they rolled together to the bottom of the nullah!
Two of the native attendants fled, and two clambered up a tree. Left thus alone, with a heart full of horror, anxiety, and trepidation, Trevor Chute went plunging down the hollow into which his friend had vanished, and from whence some indescribable, but yet terrible sounds, seemed to ascend.
He could see nothing of Beverley; but suddenly the crashing of branches, and the swaying of the tall feathery grass, announced the whereabouts of the tiger, which became visible a few yards off, apparently furious with rage and pain, and tearing everything within its reach to pieces.
On Trevor firing, his ball had the effect of making it spring into the air with a tremendous bound; but the contents of his second barrel took the savage right in the heart, after which it rolled dead to the bottom of the nullah.
On being assured that the tiger was surely killed, the cowardly natives came slowly to the aid of Chute, who found his friend Beverley in a shocking condition, with his face fearfully lacerated, and his breast so torn and mutilated by the dreadful claws, that the very action of the heart was visible.
He was breathing heavily, but quite speechless and insensible.
Though many minutiæ of that day's dreadful occurrence came vividly back to Chute's memory, he could scarcely remember how he got his friend conveyed back to the cantonment of Landour, and laid on a native charpoy in their great and comfortless-looking bungalow, where the doctor, after a brief examination, could afford not the slightest hope of his recovery.
'It's only an affair of time now,' said he; 'muscles, nerves, and vessels are all so torn and injured that no human system could survive the shock.'