own pace, which happened for the moment to be a gentle trot, when
a piercing cry rang through the air a hundred yards ahead. Bathurst
started from his reverie, and spurred his horse sharply; the animal
dashed forward at a gallop. At a turn in the road he saw, twenty
yards ahead of him, a tiger, standing with a foot upon a prostrate
figure, while a man in front of it was gesticulating wildly. The
tiger stood as if hesitating whether to strike down the figure in
front or to content itself with that already in its power.

The wild shouts of the man had apparently drowned the sound of the
horse's feet upon the soft road, for the animal drew back half a
pace as it suddenly came into view.

The horse swerved at the sight, and reared high in the air as
Bathurst drove his spurs into it. As its feet touched the ground
again, Bathurst sprang off and rushed at the tiger, and brought
down the heavy lash of his whip with all his force across its head.
With a fierce snarl it sprang back two paces, but again and again
the whip descended upon it, and bewildered and amazed at the attack
it turned swiftly and sprang through the bushes.

Bathurst, knowing that there was no fear of its returning, turned
at once to the figure on the road. It was, as in even the momentary
glance he had noticed, a woman, or rather a girl of some fourteen
or fifteen years of age--the man had dropped on his knees beside
her, moaning and muttering incoherent words.

"I see no blood," Bathurst said, and stooping, lifted the light
figure. "Her heart beats, man; I think she has only fainted. The
tiger must have knocked her down in its spring without striking