Presently the girl moved slightly and opened her eyes. At
first there was no expression in them; then a vague wonder stole
into them at the white face looking down upon her.
She closed them again, and then reopened them, and then there was
a slight struggle to free herself. He allowed her to slip through
his arms until her feet touched the ground; then her eyes fell on
the kneeling figure.
"Father!" she exclaimed. With a cry the man leaped to his feet,
sprang to her and seized her in his arms, and poured out words
of endearment. Then suddenly he released her and threw himself
on the ground before Bathurst, with ejaculations of gratitude and
thankfulness.
"Get up, man, get up," the latter said; "your daughter can scarce
stand alone, and the sooner we get away from this place the better;
that savage beast is not likely to return, but he may do so; let
us be off."
He mounted his horse again, brought it up to the side of the girl,
and then, leaning over, took her and swung her into the saddle in
front of him. The man took up a large box that was lying in the
road and hoisted it onto his shoulders, and then, at a foot's pace,
they proceeded on their way--Bathurst keeping a close watch on
the jungle at the side on which the tiger had entered it.
"How came you to travel along this road alone?" he asked the man.
"The natives only venture through in large parties, because of this
tiger."
"I am a stranger," the man answered; "I heard at the village where
we slept last night that there was a tiger in this jungle, but
I thought we should be through it before nightfall, and therefore
there was no danger.
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