Several years of the time of my childhood passed away very happily. Sir
Charles was placed as ruler over a large Province in the interior, and
he took me with him. His residence was situated on some lofty hills,
which were cool even in hot weather, so that I grew up strong and
healthy. Some British troops were sent to the same place, under the
command of Captain, now Major Clayton, and thus I was once more united
to my kind friends and young sister. Ellen Barrow was so no longer; she
had become Mrs Northcote; but was the same kind, lively creature as
when I first remembered her. Major and Mrs Clayton had no children of
their own; and they therefore loved my little sister even as if she had
been their infant.
I must not omit to mention an occurrence which happened about this time,
and is well worthy of note. My friends were residing in a sort of fort,
situated on the hills, with a high wall surrounding the habitable
portion. In the hot weather the windows are left entirely open, or are
simply closed with a sort of venetian blind. The crib in which my
sister slept was placed in a large apartment outside Major and Mrs
Clayton's chamber, while beyond it were the sleeping-places of the
nurses and other household domestics. It was used in the day-time as a
sitting-room, and against the wall was a large and handsome mirror, and
from the ceiling hung a lamp, which shed a soft and subdued light upon
it. I am thus particular in describing the scene from the circumstances
which follow. It was an hour or more past midnight, when Major Clayton
was awakened, and from, to him, some unaccountable reason, he could not
again compose himself to sleep. While he lay awake, he fancied that he
heard a slight noise in the adjoining room, and throwing on his
dressing-gown, he rose to discover what could have caused it. Think of
his horror and amazement to see, in the centre of the apartment, as if
about to spring on the cradle where the infant slept, a royal Bengal
tiger of vast size! In a moment it might have seized the child, and
before any human aid could have availed, it might have carried her away
into the wild jungle. He stood almost paralysed, not knowing how to
act. Had he moved to get his pistols from the next room, he might only
have hastened the catastrophe he feared. He looked again; the fierce
animal was lashing its tail and grinding its teeth with rage. Before
its eyes, reflected in the mirror, was its own image, which it had
beheld when just about to spring on its prey. It now stood, every
moment its fury increasing, fancying that another of its species was
there to contest the prize it had come to bear away. The major watched
it with breathless anxiety; he was about to rush to the crib, at the
risk of his life, to carry off the child, when the tiger sprung forward.
Alas! It is too late, and the savage beast will destroy it; but no,
the tiger expects to join combat with its rival, and with a loud crash
the mirror is dashed into a thousand fragments. The animal, frightened
by the unexpected event and the wounds it received, without an attempt
to commit further injury, turned round and leaped out of the open window
by which it had entered. A few springs carried it to the outer wall,
which, though of great height, it surmounted, and before pursuit could
be made it escaped. The noise aroused the whole household, who came
rushing into the apartment from all sides, while Mrs Clayton clasped
the still sleeping child in her arms, to assure herself that it was
unharmed. Surely this was one of those evident inter-positions of
Providence which occur to most of us, but are seldom acknowledged in a
proper spirit of gratitude. It is another of the many signal proofs I
have had to convince me that God is everywhere. This escape of their
darling endeared little Eva still more, if possible, to her kind
guardians. I ought to have said that both they and Sir Charles had
taken every measure in their power to discover our relations and
friends, but that hitherto they had totally failed in the search. Most
certainly they would have made the discovery with deep regret had it
tended to deprive them of us; but still this sense of right prompted
them to spare no expense or trouble for that object. Sir Charles drew
up a circular, addressed to the consuls, Lloyd's agents, and others, at
all the ports from which the ship could have sailed, to have carried us
to the neighbourhood of where we were found; but though several were
missing, and were supposed to have been lost about that time, there were
no proofs forthcoming that we had been on board one of them. Now and
then our friends fancied that they had found the clue to our identity;
but either the children inquired after were subsequently discovered, or
it was proved that we could not possibly be them. Thus year after year
passed away, and I was entirely dependent on Sir Charles, while my
sister was in every respect the adopted child of Major and Mrs Clayton.
Little Eva, from a sickly infant, had become a very beautiful child;
but at the time of which I am speaking she was remarkably small for her
age, so that she looked even younger than she really was. I, on the
contrary, was rather taller and stouter than most boys of my age. My
excellent guardian had taken great pains, not only to cultivate my mind,
but also to give me a variety of manly accomplishments; and I could
ride, shoot, and fence, sufficiently well to elicit a considerable
amount of applause from all who saw me. At a very early age, mounted on
an elephant, I used to accompany parties of officers on their
expeditions against the tigers and wild boars of the jungle. One day I
was thus engaged, when the elephant I was on, being some way from the
rest, a tiger flew out and fastened on his trunk. In vain the mighty
beast tried to shake off his savage assailant. He then endeavoured to
kneel upon him and so to crush him; and I fully expected to be thrown
over his head. My gun was, however, ready. I caught a sight of the
tiger's eye; and, firing, sent a ball directly into it. In an instant
his claws relaxed, and he fell to the ground dead. I gained great
applause for the deed, and for the coolness I displayed; but I don't see
how, having a gun in my hand, I could have acted otherwise than I did.