Yesterday I was privileged to inspect the skin of a very fine tigress, trapped and-hunted by some natives only two miles from the south gate of Tint'ai. The best is probably one of the number I wrote you of in former letter as
this and the southern county of Linghai.
eating the scrub country bordering, When we arrived at the city on our journey westward, it had been purchased by a"'syndicate" for $230, and upon being guided to the house of x city magnate, we found that it had been already ned. The guest hall resembled more a cat's butchery, being hung up 2 down with half pounds of tiger moat, and the place reeked with that peculiarly strong odour common to the flesh of carnivorous animals. The skin was a trifle over ten feet from nose to tail, and six feot from claw to claw along the hind logs over the spine. The characters for Heaven and King could be plainly discerned on the forehead. The coat was short and thiok, but was marred by three or four jagged holes, According to their own story her highness had been trapped by moans of a bamboo crossbow, and a poisoned iron quarrel, which had evidently entered hor chest. In the morning the hunters had come upon the blood marks, and started in hot and unguarded pursuit. They came upon her in her agonies und someone fired at her. But the poison had been inferior, and at the insult she sprang upon the intruder, seized him at the junction of the shoulder with the neck and shook him as a "cat with rat." Whereat his brother ran up, thrust 'a spear into her mouth, which caused her to let go and spring at a third, driving her claws into the buttock and laying open the thigh nearly to the knee. The man nearest, having no weapon in his hand hurled a stone, and before he could recover she had caught his hand with her teeth and crushed the wrist. But weakened by the poison her strength was ebbing fast, and as her assailants gathered round, she gave up the unequal contest and succumbed to their spears. The condition of two of the men is precarious.
9th January.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.