By that time it was not absolutely dark, but the forest had assumed a very sombre appearance.

Suddenly the tiger made a tremendous bound on to the track right in front of the man.

Whether it had miscalculated the position of its intended victim or not we cannot say, but it crouched for another spring.

The professor, almost instinctively, crouched also, and, being a brave man, stared the animal straight in the face without winking! and so the two crouched there, absolutely motionless and with a fixed glare, such as we have often seen in a couple of tom-cats who were mutually afraid to attack each other.
What the tiger thought at that critical and crucial moment we cannot tell, but the professor's thoughts were swift, varied, tremendous--almost sublime, and once or twice even ridiculous! "Vat shall I do?
Deaf stares me in zee face! No veapons! only a net, ant he is _not_ a bootterfly! Science, adieu! Home of my chilthood, farevell! My moder--Hah! zee fusees!" Such were a few of the thoughts that burned but found no utterance.

The last thought however led to action.