The record-union., 1898-06-12
HONORS EASY.

| 1t was quite lawful to sell Lieutenant
Doyne a pup 1t was also easy; that
was because he was a "griffin"-the
greenest kind of griffin" Nature
had cut him out for an innocent boy.
and his mother had never allowed the
| pattern to get out scf shape. 1t was
not particularly witty to call him 'the
| Cherub," but it was deuced appropri-
| ate.
Also at Hokeypoorey-that's where
| the regiment was stationed when he
came out to join-things were different
from what they were at Ballycumjerry,
in dear old Ireland.
But he took his troubles as lightly
| as an Irish hunter takes stone fences;
| the result was that the seniors were
kept busy finding new things for him
| to discover
He'll never be aisy till he Stays a
tiger" said Captain Malone. THE
bhoy is foriver talking about his shoot
ing and how he'd loike to lay out
Masther Sthripes."
That means, I suppose" drawled
Herbert, that We'll have to get tiger
for him to shikar.
1t seemed rather tall order, for there
wasn't a tiger within 300 miles of
Hokeypoorey easy; but the chaps in the
mess did not bother their heads about
the little matter of distance, for they
| knew that Herbert would fix up the
| Shlkar all right enough, and without
| saying much more about it, either.
1t seemed miraculous coincidence
that Buldoo, the shikari, should turn
| up the very next day with a startling
tale of devastation from a ''man-eater."
Ten kos out this tiger, las big as
bullock, sahib. and as bloodthirsty as
a head-hunting hillsman," was eating
up men and cattle beyond all count.
1t was Doyne's chance. His predeces-
sors there in HokeypoOrey were salts
fled with the Staying of tigers. OF
course they would help him; weren't
they always helping him! But, for the
sake of his mother-who was Mahone's
cousin-should he have first crack at
Master Stripes"
1t was like getting up a lottery on
the gymkhana sports, it was so
smoothly and easily done Buldoo
would arrange for a kill for bait out
at the ten kos place. and they would
go that night and be ready for busi
ness in the early morning He was
an early bird, was this tiger, getting
up for his chota hazree at daylight,
and surely might the sahib bag him
just when the crows began to call to
the breaking day.
Half a dozen of the fellows went with
Doyne to see fair play between him
and the tiger-as sort of beaterS they
explained. Not that they took any in
terest in the killing of the tiger they
had outgrown that-grown weary of it.
So, instead of turning in that night,
when the business of the evening was
over, when whist billiards and Cup had
been settled for another twenty four
hours, they took to horse and hied them
over the ten kos.
Buldoo was there when they arrived
and explained to Herbert the plan of
campaign.
The bait had been placed down in a
hollow. or sort Of low-lying field. which
gave them a good chance to steal upon
the game.
Toward daylight, under the guidance
of Buldoo, they worked their way along
to this place.
Now We'll have to crawl up this
slope on our stomachs, like Indians
stealing upon a foe" said Herbert to
Doyne; and suiting the action to the
word, he got down and began to wrig-
gle along like snake in the grass, fol-
lowed by the Cherub''
The Cherub" thought the crawling
would never come to an end; it seemed
as though he had really gone about four
miles; but he could stand it if the 9TH
ers could, he thought, so he said 10th
ing, but kept crawling.
After a time they got to the top of
the incline up which they had been
wriggling. Herbert put out his hand
and stopped him. Then he pointed
down in the hollow straight ahead If
him.
There was just gray enough coming
up the eastern sky for him to see the
tiger.
Don't miss him." whispered Her
bert, as Doyne leveled his Express"
He waited until the light got little
better, until he could see the sights on
his rifle. AS he poked over the bar
rel he could just make out the fierce
brute tearing at the bait.
He took a long careful aim-it was
wonderful how long it took him to get
bead on the undulating form Of the
huge beast as it tore at the yearling
heifer that had been placed there as a
bait. 1t was nerves; he had thought
that he would be wondrous steady, brt
he was nearly going to pieces. Fer
the thousandth part of a second the
sights lined up against the dark body
of the animal. With a spasmodic clutch
he pulled the trigger.
Above the noise of his rifle he could
hear the roar of the wounded tiger for
he had bowled him over
Better give him another one" said
Herbert quickly; and he did.
They We're joined by the other fellows
as they rushed down.
| Damn YOU. Herberti" was all the
Cherub" said when they stood at the
side of the slain animal-it was 4 jack
ass, just a common little jackass, tied
10 stake in the ground.
Then sorrowfully, as men returning
from a funeral, they wended their way
back over that ten kos, and Doyne
knew that for many days there would
be food for cheerful banter in Hockey
poorey.
1t was felt that a great thing had
been done; ii would be sacrilege to per-
petrate any common place joke upon
Doyne for some time to come He
was. as it We're, made free of the city.
BY one Of those peculiar chances Of
fortune which give into the hands of
the innocent that for which the wise
struggle. the Cherub" had become pos
sessed Of a really fast pony 1t was
not his fault: il was not Judgment of
pace, or make, or any other quaiifica-