A FIGHT OF WILD BEASTS.

A TRUE STOBY.

"Well, M , you've been through a good many battles, but this one that's coming on now wili be a new experience even for you, eh?'' "It's an international fight, anyhow; 'troops of mixed quality,' as our old general says when they send him a batch of recruits half made up of Hindoo sweepers from Calcutta, and half of Engglish thieves and burglars from the gaols at Home."

"And it'll be a fight to the death, too, my boys — no prisoners taken, no quarter, and. no escape for anyone !" Such was the jesting talk which passed among three or four young English officers one fine spring morning towards tho close of the lust century, as they sat on ft high platform, profusely ornamented with gay flags and embroidered hangings, on the edge of a wide pasture field just outside one- of the great towns of Northern India, waiting for tho opening of the entertainment prepared by the Rajah for his gueßts. What the nature of that entertainment was it would not be easy to gueßß from their careless chat, except that it was to be a fight of some kind; nor could much more information bo ' gathered from the details of the scene itself, which was much more suggestive of a gorgeous pageant than of the deadly battle at which the young Englishmen had hinted.

Under a gold-fringed awning of crimson silk, in tho front of the platform, sat the Rajah himself, surrounded by his courtiers. All Were arrayed in the full pomp of Eastern splendour, and the blaze of jewels and embroidery contrasted very strikingly with the plain scarlet uniform of the prince's British guests, who sat in a group at his right hand. Below this kind of grand stand were ranged, in a double line, the Boldiers of tho Rajah's body-guard, enclosing the platform in a bristling hedge of spears and matchlocks, which glittered brightly in the morning sun. All were fine and powerful men, and the scarred faces of many among them showed that their service had been no noliday parade. Beyond this living palisade were ranged in a row four richly harnessed elephants, each of which carried on its back something like an enormouß litter, covered with matting; and these elephants and their load — judging from the eager glances cast at them by the crowd of spectators — appeared to bo in somo way connected with the event of the day. Amid the dead hush of expectation there broke forth all at once a deep, hoarse growl, at which the eyes of the oldor British officers brightened as if at a familiar sound. "There's old 'Stripes' giving tongue at last," said one of them, with a knowing chuckle ; "ho thinks it high time for the curtain to rise and the play to beg'n." "Tho orchestra's tuning up, anyhow," laughed another, as the ominous" growlwas answered by a deep-mouthed roar that seemed to shako the air, and mado the horses of the mounted native officers start and plunge. "Do you hear 'em," muttered ono of tho Englishmen to his neighbour; "tho beauties scent each other, aud they aro all agosr to be up and doing." "Well, they won't have long to wait now," replied tho other; "for thero goes the signal to peel and set to." And, as he spoke, the deep, booming roll of a huge Indian gong echoed through the stillness liko a peal of distant thunder. At that signal the mahouts (elephant drivers) mado their animals crouch down upou the earth, while a gang of tiarelimbed coolies nimbly ungirthed the litters from their backs, drew off the coverings of matting, shot back the sliding doors, and then darted away behind the ranks of the soldiers as if flying for tlioir lives. And well they might; for, when thus uncovered, the supposed litters were seen to be iron cages, from tho first of which bounded forth, with a mighty spring and a long, rejoicing roar, a magnificent lion. His challenging ory was ansewered by another roar, sharper and more ■cruel, whilo the second cage gave forth the long, gaunt, sinewy body, striped fur, and fiery eyes of a splendid Bengal tfgor ! At tho same time there issued from tho third, with a hoarse bellow of defiance, a huge, black buffalo bull, whoso long, sharp horns Bhowed that he, too, was well armed for the impending conflict. The tenant of the fourth cage seemed in no hurry to make his appearance; and the Rajah (who evidently valued the lives of his wild beasts imich more highly than those of his men) was juefc about to * order tho soldiers to goad forth tho lingerer with their spears, when a thick, grunting snort heralded the appearance of an enormous bear, which shambled lazily out of its prison, and stood looking round it with a puzzled air, as if wondering where it had got to. Just at that instant one of the British officers caught sight of something which had hitherto escaped theni all — viz., the horse of a' native trooper quiotly grazing at the other end of "the pasture which had been chosen for the battlefield. "Hallo !" cried he ; "there's a non-com-batant in the field !" "And a pretty cool one, too," added ono of his comrades. In fact, the horse, after lifting his head and snorting angrily for an instant when the monsters first made their appearance, had taken himself to his pasture again as composedly as if tho terrific beasts which wero so -closo to him had been merely a flock of sheep. "I'm sorry for the poor creature, though," said tho youngest of the band — a tall, handsome, young lieutenant, whose clear bye and fresh colour showed that ho had but lately arrived in this land of fevers and sunstrokes. "It was too bad' to leave him there- at all; and now it's too late to help him. He can't jump over the hi h stockade; and, of courso, whou these brutes have done making mincemeat of each other, tho last ono that's left will go and finish him." But thero was no time to say more., for at that moment the battlo began in. earnest. For n few seconds the natural forocity of tho terrible beasts had been held in check by the bewilderment of their sudden passage from tho twilight of their covered cages to tho full blaze of the tropical sunshino, tho sight of so many new objeots, and the threatening aspect of this great mass of armed men. But the pause was a brief one. Their savage nature speedily reasserted itself, and tho tiger, with characteristic fierceness, was tho first to commence.

Tho buffalo, seeing that the lion (which was, doubtless, attracted by his superior fleshiness) was making hostilo- demon stration towards him, lowordd his ter-

riblo horns to meet the threatened attack, and in doing so unwarily offered his flank to the tiger. Quick as lightning, but .noiselessly as a shadow, tho huge yellow body glided along the ground till within range, and then, with O7ie tremendous bound, alighted right on the buffalo's back, and bore it down.

The gallant bull mndo terrific efforts to freo itself, and had it not been taken at such a fearful d : sadvantage, might havo got the better of its foo even then ; for a tiger, at its beet, is seldom a match, on fair terms, for a full-grown buffalo, and rarely attacka it except by surprise. Hut the monster's fatal clutch was not to be shaken off, and in a few momenta tho brave boast lay dead, tho first victim of the combat.

But ho was speedily avenged. Tho lion, taking little heed of the bear (which, on its part seemed well inclined to remain passive, and to act merely as a spectator of the battle), fell tooth and nail upon the tiger, and after a brief but terrible conflict— the sight of which shook tho iron nerves of the oldest hunters present— despatched him iv his turn.

"It was a pity to waste the tiger liko that," said flic senior captain of the English party, eyeing: the mighty bulk of the slain monster with the instinctive regret of a true sportsman. "He'd havo shown us some noble sport if we'd hud him out in the -jungle, and now he's been killed without doing pood to anybody." Meanwhile the lion — whoso native ferocity had, becu. rouaud to its UigUcat

pitch by the fury of the combat and the woundß that he had received in it — felt it absolutely necessary to kill something as a relief to his irritated feelings, and accordingly made a sudden dash at the unoffending bear, wliich was still as inactive as ever.

"That's what cornea of being neutral in time of war," said the senior captain, with a grim laugh. "I don't think Mr Bear will gain much by shirking his duty, after all." But, seemingly, the bear thought he had carried the principle of non-resist-ance quite far enough, for, as the lion made at him, Bruin reared himself up on his short, clumsy, hind legs, extended his massive fore paws like a wrestler, This new combat was almost as soon over as those which had preceded it, but it ended in a totally unexpected manner. Had not the lion been deprived of his wonted agility by the severe wounds which ho had received from the tiger, it would have gone hard with the valiant bear; but, as it was, when once Master Bruin had fastened his terrible hug upon the struggling body of his opponent, the latter had no chance whatever.

For a moment the tawny mane and the dark shaggy fur were jumbled together in a writhing mass, and then the "king of beasts" was seen lying stretched upon the earth, a helpless, lifeless mass, while the victorious bear walked slowly round him, sniffing at him with a puzzled air, as if astonished at his own success. Now the bear, in his turn, began to show signs of having been heated by the combat, and of meaning mischief, and finding that no more fight waa to be got out of the fallen lion, Bruin naturally turned his attention to the horse, which was still grazing at the other side of the field as quietly as ever. As he was seen to turn towards it tho young lieutenant sprang to his feet, and, turning to tlip Rajah, said, entreatingly : "Your Highness, don't let such a fine boast as that be eaten up by this ugly brute. That horse is too good a one to be made into bear's meat."

"I do not wish to seem discourteous to one of my English gueßts," replied the Rajah, politely, and in very good English ; "but this horse- is one that has been born and bred in m- country ; and, since he has been challenged, he must show his mettle. However, since you havo been good enough to intercede for him, I promise yoii that if he escapes alive from this fight, he shall be yours." Tho young Englishman seemed dissatisfied, and would have urged his petition further, but seeing the senior captain making signs to him to say no more, ho drew back and watched, with a look of unconcealed displeasure, the last act of that strange tragedy. By this time the bear, though moving more slowly and painfully than usual — for the lion's teeth and claws had penetu'tcd his thick hide in more places than one — had got pretty -close to tho "horse, which now, for the first time, seemed to

pay some attention to what was going on. The noble creaturo lifted his head

aa the hideous brute came waddling up to ir,and snorted loudly and angrily, as if in disdain at being compolled to encounter such an enemy.

Then, before the b"ear could rear up to seizo its prey, the hundreds of watching eyes saw tho horse whirl round with tho quickness of thought, and its powerful hind hoofs shoot out like a catapult, striking full upon the ribs of the shaggy asailant with a thud that was heard distinctly by every spectator on the platform. Beneath that fearful shock tho

monster reeled back as if struck by a ball, while the Rajah called out, approvingly "Shavash, Tufaun !" (Well done, Whirlwind), for so the horse was named from its swiftness.

Recovering from its first repulse, the bear came on again more furiously than over. Again the iron heels were darted out against him, but this time they al'ghted on his head, and the - monster fell to rise no more.

The combat was at an end, and of all the beasts which had entered that fatal arena, the quietest and most inoffensive was the only one that survived.

The Rajah kept his promise to tho young lieutenant, and when the latter left the city a few days later, he rode out of it upon the victorious horse, wliich in after years carried him safely through many a hard-fought battle-field, when ho was no longer alleutenant, but a majorgeneral. _^___