The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1870-07-01

Eversley brought It down; but the
bird lowered and pitched dead hun.
| drcd yards further on the edge of a
trip of jungle.
The old dog was sent to retrieve it.
AS they drew near the spot, and were
feathering eagerly along tho brush,
the dog, with a yelp and growl,
came racing back to his master, his
! tail between his legs, and every hair
on his back erect aud quivering with
rage and fear.
"What's up now, Grouse ?" said,
.Eversely, with q laugh. $50 on, old
dog. Seek dead"
But the dog refused to move, reply
ing wit doep growl, and gazing in
tentiy at the jungle.
Eversley walked to tho spot, with
the vicw Of recovering the bird and
asccrtaining the. object of Grouse's
terror. Something on the ground at
tracted his attention. STOPPING, he
examined it intently, and, then rising
called to tho shikarru:
banda, no wonder poor grouse is
in such funk. Here are the tracks
Of our friend the tiger, and not half
an hour old, and Good God, Miss
Sandiland is out and aloner
Eversley was q man of great COO
ness and and nerve, but for momen
a terrible feeling of fear came over
him. But for moment only. tho
next, he was again the man >f'n' IT
and decided action.
"Draw tho charges from : ;un,
Banda, and load with ball: then fol-
low up the track; I am going to
search for Miss Sandiland."
And, seizing the rife from the shik-
arro's hand. he struck across the low
jungle toward the path taken by Kate
crashing through the tall grass and
brush Mt pace that would have dis
tanccd any but q sportsman.
NJ Sandiland pursued her way to-
ward spot, the frequent termination
OF her evening walks. Onco a mere
bridle-track, occasionally used by
coolle fisherman, her brother at her
wish, had carried it to be opened and
enlarged. To-day lost in thought,
she had followed it carelessly, until
she found herself upon the gray sandy
The sun was setting behind the
blue line of mountains, and the water
blazed with vivid streaks Of red: the
sky, broken into heavy masses of
clouds, which was glorious in gold and
purple, and oil the wonderful blessings
of an Indian sunset.
Kate stood for O while watching
with eager eyes the rapid TRANSFORMED
tions of shape and color and then,
tempted by the smothe sand, strolled
along the beach, and seated herself
upon low hedge of rock.
She sat long, absorbed by the, SUM-
set and her thoughts, Interviewing
the rich hues Of the ono with tho va
rying lights and shadows of the other,
until the palling clouds warned her
that it was time to return. |
But rs she rose from her seat, her
eyes grew suddenly glazed and fixed
the rounded, graceful lines of the fair
form appeared to stifen into marble,
and she s:ood breathless, almost life
less with terror, half-blinded with tho
horror of her first glance. She rath-
er felt than saw that she stood face
to face with O tiger.
Crouching, motionless, upon the.
edge of the jungle, not thirty yards
from where she stood, with its bag
gard, cowardly eyes glaring at her,
lay the gaunt form of the huge beast.
Flashing through the girls brain !
came a score of mad, wild impulses,
with lightning like yapldity. But she
remembered-she had heard Eyerslev
say, and tho pain at her heart grew
greater as she thought of him-that |
the only chance of safety was to face
with u steady eye, the .treacherous
brute before her. Her. eyes had been
fastened upon it with helpless sort
of fascination; but now she reused |
herself to fix them. sternly on the |
fierce great orbs that thrilled her with |
their cruel glare.
Her. courage rose and sank as hope |
and fear alternated; but at last even
her brave nutnre began to fail. She
felt that her breath came in long, gasp
ing sobs; the light began to fade |
from her eyes; the dreadful form of
the tiger grew dim and indistinct, and
she knew that, she was fainting.
With last effort she reused herself
buN CI1cu '..r
-. .Eyysrsls;y, :yscd e! Evorsley' why are you
,"My brave darling. I am herel". !
And q dark form swept rapidly
past and stood between her and her
Terrible foe.
. Kate recovered her senses In an in
stant, and the scene before her was
never forgotten. The tiger, reused
by the presence of new antagonist,
was still croutching with its head be-
tween it's enormous! paws, but the
long striped back was arched for
spriug, and the long, 1.-the tail swept
in angry curves from side to side, its
eyes sparkled red with rage, and a
savage snarl that made Kate's blood
run cold came from the .wrinkled,
grinning jaws. III.
Eyerslsy, no. new hand at tiger
shooting, and, next to "Tiger Rice"
the keenest eye and steadiest hand
on trigger in India, stood like q rock,
for what to poor Kate seemed: an
eternity, though but O. few swift sec
onde, = But. as he, drew the; trigger,
4 ha, fioyay, tnnyoA ;fa hood Ss,;<h a of;ryh f.