The star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1849-1866, 1860-11-07
A Night with the Tigers.


10 camp and seizes any one, he is out of
it again with one bound. My own plan is
TO fire of the heaviest charged piece al
hand as al the sound of the sudden shot,
there is good chance OF the tiger dropping
his victim, who, unless killed by the spring
or first blow, may .hus be recovered.
All that night the lungo are the
baboons of India, and stand, when on their
hind legs, five and half feet high-were
chatering and hooting on the branches OF
the trees, up 10 The very edge of the camp
These animals; which live in the mountains
with the tigers and panthers, never allow
them 10 move without following them, and
by Jumping from branch TO branch of the
trees, over their heads, they warn other ami
mails and man of the tigers approach. The
horses, also, this night were very unea sy
but the fires and the cons tant watch OF the
sentries kept the tigers out.
| watched for daylight with much ankle
ty and directly there was sufficient light,
rubbing the Gotten ofmy rife sights, | got
my people up and started for .he place
where the calf had been tied. The kulIal
or wine maker was taken as a guide, lest
we should lose ourselves in the jungle, and
also TO carry the drink water. Scarcely two
hundred yards had been passed when we
heard the Tiger, which infested that part OF
the forest, roar loudly. The poor villager,
the father of The remaining family, whisp>
ed, "Wuh hal-that is he that's the tiger
who owns my village" | replied, eff you
run you are a dead man keep behind us"
Placing in front my head shikaree, Mang-
kaee; who has very good sight, while in
the dusk my own is very bad, we hurried
along The path. Coming 10 some rocks
from which | knew shat the :ied-up calf
could be seen, and thinking that the shika-
rec might not have remembered the spot, ]
pulled him back cautiously. ] looked
There was the white calf apparently dead.
Mangkalee remarked as much in a whisper
The younger shikaree, Nursoo, was behind
me on the left. We all gazed al tail. The
distance was some sixty yards from us, but
we could not make out the tiger. At length
the end Of the tail moved. Nursoo, making
a similar motion with his forefinger, whisp-
cred in my ear, ''Doom-hilta hai''-C'The
tails moving''). now made out the body
oil the animal clear enough. Not 4 blade of
the grass nor leaf was between u.s. A sim
gle forest tree, without branch on it for
thirty feet from the ground, was twenty
yards nearer the tiger.
1t was very probable that he would see
us, but il must be ri-ked; so, pressing down
my shikaree, Mangkalee, with my hand be-
hind me, and keeping the trunk Of the tree
between the foe and me, while | said with
in myself "God be with me II | got be-
hind that tree, without your seeing me,
you're a dead tiger" | past rapidly for
ward So intent was the huge beast upon
the poor calf that he did not hear me. !
placed the barrels of my rife against the
tree, but was obliged 10 wait.
The tiger ard the calf lay contiguous,
tails on end TO US. The calls neck was in
the tigers month, whose large paws en-
braced his victim. looked, waiting for
some change in tAe position OF the body to
allow me 10 aim at a vital part.
There were some forty PAGES between us.
AS all rifle shooters know, this a very un-
certain distance, and one at which all the
polygrooved rifles with a large charge OF
powder, that have seen tried, rise from
four 10 six inches.
The weapon | had in my hand was a
very broad-belted, two grooved rifle, carry
a. ,,ornI- o,I O,lx,
days before this had proved that, when
loaded with the bullet mould full of powder,
it carried It's ball point blank, without rising
or falling, fer ninety yards. Strange ii was
that had this rifle by me for three years,
but owing to having very favorite double
! polygrooved rifle some pounds heavier, by
| Westly Richards, 10 which | was much at
tached, had but very rarely used the Wilk-
| inson.
AT length the calf gave struggle and
kicked the tiger, on which the latter clasp
| ed him nearer, arching his own body, and
exposing the white OF his belly and chest
pulled the trigger very slowly, aiming Tor
| his heart-he was on his left side-as II
were firing at an egg Tor a thousand pounds
/ knew that hit the spot aimed at but
to my astonishment, the tiger sprung up
several feet in the air with roar, rolled
| over and toward me-for he was on higher
ground than was-when, bounding TO his
feet, as if unscathed, he made Tor the
mountains, the last rock OF which was with.
in forty yards of him.
must acknowledge that firing at beasl
of this sort, with no vital part TO aim at
standing as was for some time looking al
aim, and on lower ground, my heart bea
rather quicker than was lis won't Albeit
had never turned my back 10 any anima
/ In The innolas and not one had ever seer