Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1850-1854, 1851-08-22
The Boy and the Tiger.

The following account is by the Rev Mr. La
! croX, an excellent missionary at Calcutta:
Bees are very numerous in India but they
are not kept there as they are here, in hives for
they store up their honey in hollow trees, in the
| forest and junges.
But although il is difficult to enter these wood
en- places, and those who do so are in great dam
ger from serpents and savage beasts; yet there
are many poor men who get their living by gath
ering and selling the wild honey. Now a few
months before Mr.. Lacroix wrote his letter, four
OF these men, aud boy eleven years DID, went
from one of the stations of the London Mssiona-
ry Society, for this purpose.
They got into boat, aud rowed into an inlet
OF river, where the banks on both sides were
grown all over with high trees and thick shrubs,
which formed what is called in India Jungle
When they came to the place where they inten-
ded 10 land, the men jumped on shore, and left
the boy to take care of the boat while they were
gone after the honey. As the tide was then run
nlng out OF the creek, in little while the boat
was left dry upon bank of deep mud. The sun
was hot, and fireplace was very silent, as the boy
sat quietly in the boat, looking about him and
wishing that the men would come back when
10. all at once the poor little fellow stared and
started as ne saw very large tiger standing up
on the bank just above the boat looking right
down upon him with his great glaring eyes -
\ GU may fancy how he felt as he bcheld the say
age beast first fix his fierce look upon him, and
then crouch and crawl along the GROUND prepar-
ing to spring and make him his prey.
The boy was very much frightened, as you
may suppose, but he had his wits about him and.
therefore, without losing moment, he crept I'M
der the deck of the boat for fortunately the boat
he'd deck.
R1t h,I io on4o vol
than down came the tiger at one great leap and
such was the force with which he sprang, that
one of his legs went right through the deck and
got damned in between the planks, just over the
place where the boy lay.
Withoutloss oftime and with wonderful pres
ence OF mind, the little fellow snatched hold OF
rope which was lying near him, and twisted il
quickly around the tigers leg he tied ii firm, and
held it fast.
Not understanding this treatment, and never
having been trained, like a dog, to give his paw
to boy or man, the teroclous creature groaned
and tugged; and tried in every way 10 get his
leg out; bat the boy knew that the only chance
of saving his own life was TO keep the rope firm,
and therefore he held it fast as he could. After
twisting and turning and pulling for long time,
without getting away from the boy, the tiger was
quite cowed, and laid himselfquety down on the
deck. Now you may suppose how the poor boy
must have felt as he peeped up through the bro
ken deck and saw the red eyes and the great jaws
of this fierce monster.
But at last the honey gatherers, having finish
ed their work in the Jungle made their appear
ance on the bank. Seeing the tiger lying upon
the deck of their boat, they at once concluded
that he had killed and gobbcd up the boy, and
that he was now getting quiet nap after his dim
ner. They therefore raised great shout which
so frightened the beast that he made one more
desperate tug; and as the boy this time was not
quite so watchful as he had been before, the H.
ger jerked ont his leg from the hole, and leaped
clean off the boat Fortunately he jumped right
into the deep mud, and as he was floundering
about and trying 10 get out of it, the four men
rushed down upon him, and with great sticks
which they happened to have in their hands, they
Iabored away with all their might at his head, till
they stunned and then killed him.
How glad they were when they saw the boy
whom they thought had been killed and eaten by
the tiger, quietly creeping out from under the
deck, safe and sound, you may easily suppose
for he was the son of one of the men and the ne
phew of another.
In closing this account, Mr.. Lacroix obser-
yes:
Young people what an excellent thing is
presence of mind especially in the time OF dan
ger! With it many have saved their own lives,
or the lives of others and if such presence of
mind was found in a heather child, how much
more should Christian people, young and old,
have of il, who, when in danger, have a kind
Father and faithful God 10 look to; a God who |
watches over them, and who, if they put their
trust in Him, will never leave, or forsake them.
--preSbWeridn