Saint Paul weekly Minnesotian., 1858-11-27
The Death OF the TfgreSe.

The time for action, however, was nearer
at hand than any of us imagined, which was
to test our nerves, and bring US into some
what unpleasant proximity with the game,
which with the exception of Lieutenant C.,
none of us had seen killed, much less en-
countered on foot. Immediately beneath
where we stood in the lower fort commenced
one of those ravines or deep assures with
which the mountain side was fnrrowed-
BOulders of rock, betwixt the openings Of
which sprang trees, cactus, and grass, served
to conceal its shadowy Depths and to affords
safe retreat for the larger description of game
we hoped to find. At this juncture of our
tale, when the cries of the beatcrs announced
their approach below to the mouth Of.the ra-
vine, and the hopes of the expectants above
became fainter, from the little space of ground
that remained unbeaten, one of the nearest
beaters shouted to Lieut. C., who had
clambered little way down the hillside,
that he had seen something in the jungle Tor
a moment like "a small COW OF
yellow COLOR making for the mouth of
the raxine, and the next instant, the
officer addressed fired small shot at some
| object below, which was responded to by
| roar that left little doubt Of the nature Of the
game on foot. A call for volunteers from the
party above was quickly followed by the adj
dition of Lieutenants p and W, to
the stOrming party, consisting now Of three
tai active young men, tit for the work before
them.
No time was lost, however, in moving for
| the mouth of the ravine below, which it was
Judged, the animal must have made for and
knowing that it had been struck by the shot
fired by Lieutenant C., the beaters were
ordered to form in rear Of the officers, who
lnro f,ns,. ~,
ine and through tangled mass of brush
wood, trees and rock, towards an abrupt cliff
that appeared to terminate it. Here, an Op-
ening cliff formed a cave of some ten feet
wide, and as many deep at the further ex-
tremity Of which appeared an onnious-look-
ing, circular hole, about three freet in diamer
"a sugg retreat for the enemy we were IN
search oi.
The ground was strewn with sand, and
from the unastakabc foot prints of cheese
plate size, surrounded by smaller ones of q
similar form, the startling fact announced it's
self that we stood within few feet ofa
wounded tigress with cubs Nothing ami
mate, however, was visible, except the sup
pressed voices of the beaters outside the den
We looked at one another in silent question
as to what was next to be done. To return
to our party above, empty handed, after hav-
ing run our game to the earth, was not to be
thought Of AS a reconnaissance, C., now
cautiously crawled with rifle cooked, to the
mouth of the hole, and listened but nothing
was heard from the darkness, though, from
the recent foot prints, it was clear it had
resident but how to draw her out was
the great difficulty.
Smoking, at last was determined on, and
quantity of dry grass was heaped up at the
mouth of the hole, and set fire to. The blaz-
ing pile now lighted up the nte-chamber in
which the expectants sat or rather kneeled,
with their rifles cooked, and presented in the
direction from which we expected her advent.
Not sound was heard save our deep breath
inc and the cracking of the burning grass and
sticks the smoke from which rolled in vol
umes into the hole. Our nerves, strung to
tension for several minutes, were on the point
of relaxing, and the expiring flames Of the
grass as it shone forth it last hickering CLEANS
revealed our compressed hps, and somewhat
pald hccS--paled, but not, l trust, from
fear.
a glance around the place we stood within
six feet from the mouth of the hOlc-at
once assured us that our game could not es-
cape, or rather what more probably suggested
itself at that anxious moment, even o. q. tho tic
boldest heart of the party was that the tigiess
could not possibly pass out, without the loss
of life to one or all of us! In other words,
three armed men with the door behind them,
stood in room with wounded tigress The
fire had now burnt low, and no longer obscur-
ed the aperture and seeing nothing of the
enemy, hopes gave way to fears that she had
in some mysterious way, eluded us, when,
at that moment, volume of smoke gently
rolled back from the aperture. and hardly
fn <01vrn du
She comes v'-ere the chest and head of att.
gress slowly developed themselves. At first,
She stood within six feet of us, her eyes glar-
ng, and with her month open, from which the
souts of blood slowly trickled down, turned
Oward us happily for us, she appeared mo-
blinded by the smoke. But little
line was left for reflection in an instant
more, and our rifles were discharged into the
white field of her chest-a roar and spring,
md the next moment she lay dead at our
eet !