Uncle Dick and Lisa's Old Time Animal Tales

About eleven O’clock in the afternoon we cast anchor in the Burchura Nuddle, with an extensive forest on both sides; when at about a hundred yards from us, an alligator came out of the river, to enjoy his noontime sleep in the rays of the sun. After remaining there about an hour, apparently in a sound sleep, we observed an immense tiger emerging from the jungle, and bending his steps towards the place where the alligator lay. In size the tiger exceeded the largest we had seen, and his broad round face, when towards us, striped in white, his fierce eyes, with the amazing beauty and strength of his limbs, made the stoutest heart on board tremble at the thought of encountering such a dreadful foe. With the most cautions pace imaginable the tiger approached the alligator, his raised foot remained up for some seconds before he replaced it on the ground; and so he proceeded till he came within the power of his leap, when exerting all his strength, and bounding from the earth he descended immediately upon the alligator’s back and seized it by the throat. The monster of the deep roused from his slumber opened its tremendous jaws and lashed its terrific tail; and while the conflict lasted each seemed to exert its utmost strength. The tiger however had the advantage, for he had grasped the alligator in a part of the neck, which entirely prevented him from turning his head sufficiently round to seize his antagonist, and though many severe blows were inflicted on the body of the tiger, by its saw-like tail, the noblest beast of the forest when the battle was concluded shook his brawny tail, and seemed unconscious of any pain.
Having overcome the alligator, he dragged it a little further on the shore and sat over it exactly in the attitude of a cat over a captured mouse; he then took the creature in his mouth and gently walked off with it into the jungles. About ten minutes after we saw the tiger, emerge from the forest and after gazing at us for a few minutes, and perhaps imagining that we were too far from the shore to allow him to add us to the number of his trophies of victory and blood, he slowly pursued his course in a different direction to where he had left his prey, and we saw him no more. In less than an hour afterwards, the alligator, which had been stunned but not killed, crept out of the jungle, and though evidently injured, yet with some difficulty reached the river. He however was too much lacerated to remain long in the water, and came to land, with the precaution of exposing but a part of his body, and keeping his face towards the shore; he continued but a very short time, and launched into the deep, repeating his visits to the beach almost every quarter of a hour while we remained. The sight was dreadful and magnificent and one we believe, which is very seldom witnessed.