AswerantowardDelcarte，bothTaylorandIwerestruckbythefactthatthebeastuponhimappearednottobemaulinghim，butlayquietandmotionlessuponitsprey，andwhenwewerequiteclose，andthemuzzlesofourgunswereattheanimal’shead，Isawtheexplanationofthissuddencessationofhostilities——Felistigriswasdead。
Oneofourbullets，oroneofthelastthatDelcartefired，hadpenetratedtheheart，andthebeasthaddiedevenasitsprawledforwardcrushingDelcartetotheground。
Amomentlater，withourassistance，themanhadscrambledfrombeneaththecarcassofhiswould-beslayer，withoutascratchtoindicatehowclosetodeathhehadbeen。
Delcarte’sbuoyancewasentirelyunruffled。Hecamefromunderthetigerwithabroadgrinonhishandsomeface，norcouldIperceivethatamuscletrembledorthathisvoiceshowedtheleastindicationofnervousnessorexcitement。
Withtheterminationoftheadventure，webegantospeculateupontheexplanationofthepresenceofthissavagebruteatlargesogreatadistancefromitsnativehabitat。MyreadingshadtaughtmethatitwaspracticallyunknownoutsideofAsia，andthat，solateasthetwentiethcentury，atleast，therehadbeennosavagebeastsoutsidecaptivityinEngland。