The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1874-10-10

since partaklng OF an carry nlc"h."St'
both tired, hungry and thirsty as aismounl
ed, and glanced with satisfaction nj SciI'il
the black cook, who had kindled rre, aG'
was busiy engaged in preparing our cVeh'h:
meal.
"a fine soring of water flowed from the III
terror of the oasis, springing from the mids
of a nile of rocks that had been cast up b.
some great COnvulsOn OF nature in by.gOn
ares. The spring of water formed the grca
attraction 10 the numerous wild beasts tina
roamed over the Great Desert, and in conse
! ouencc the oasis had become noted rcsor
/ for hunters.
"Sehm, with the true tastes Oft native, hat
shouldered his gun and wandered back int
the bush few yards, leaving his assistant t
look after the details of the repast The cap
tam, major and the merchant had WANDERED
off together, and were hidden from view by
ridge of sand-hils that had been formed oy
the wind, which at times blows with gFca
violence.
Catching up my rifle, followed the loot
steps Of Selim who was some niue distance
in advance His weapon was ,owllng,plccc,
and he was in hopes to obtain sullclch'
number Of birds for supper. -,
"Suddcnly IL sharp, piercing ana teriIoIc
roar rcsOunded through the solitude OF the
desert, anu WAS IL tCIlJC'i III wv 4
lions from the numerous gullics ana chaShs
in the rocks.
"Sclim started back glancing kcenly about
him. lie was an old hand at igcr-shooting
and probably forgot in his excitement tha'
his weapon was only a birdgC AS Tor my,
self the roar of the savage beast was 50 un
expected, so unlookcd.iOr at that cal!y hour,
that stood transtXcd with amazemcnl, una
Bile to move Il muscle
"Soon heard Il rapid movmcnt, the crack
ling of twies, and the rustic OF dried leaves,
followed by deep hoarse growl Of rage.
"Wnh powerful bound, IA tiger sprang from
under cover of the bushes, which he broke
like a straw in his impetuOus course. His
ears were drawn back, hair bristllng, and
mouth open, from which prOtruded his
tongue covered with Il white irOthy foam.
The ewes of the brute were starting from his
head and flashing fire, as he rushed toward
Sellm, who, calm, cool and motionlcss as a
statue carved from ebony, waited Ior favor
able opportunity to deliver his fire.
IL had recovered my seltpossesslon by this
time, and, without the slightest fear As to the
result, watched the icrociOus beast as he rap
idly ncarcd the large form Of the negro. In
the hurry and hustle Of the excitement, too,
forgot the nature of the natives gun. | could
hear the shouts of my friends as they hurried
toward the camp, alarmed by the roarS Of
the tiger, who WAS now within thirty yards
of Selim
Raising his piece, he fired one barrel; the
tiger sprang INTO the air, and the second re-
port came, followed by frIghtiul cry of ter
ror The fine bird.shot had laCeraed and
stang the fcrocious beast into a degree Of
frenzy without inllicing any serious injury.
In Il moment | realized The mans peril and
the fatal mistake he had made; but all too
late My heavy rifle was to my shoulder, but
the tiger was quicker in his movements than
"a cry of agony rang through the air, and
the beast sprang upon his enemy before !
could deliver my fire, My finger pressed the
trigger with nervous movement, but | dar,|
ed not fire, for the man and tiger were so en-
tangled in their wrilhings, that | was fearful
IF missing my mark.
"Springing forward, | was soon in close
proximity to the growing animal The ii.
ger, with his eyes on fire, his mouth all bloody
and covered with atoms of quivering flesh,
his tail switching rapidly to and fro aban-
ioned the motionless body Of the unfortunate
Sellm, and prepared to spring upon me.
1T was my first experience with an African
igcr although | had hunted them often in
he jungles of India; but | had heard the
shouts OF my friends approaching on II run,
md the fact braced my nerves, filling me
with confidence. Both of my shots followed
me another in rapid succession. | had aim
ii al the brutcs heart, and, dropping the ri
lie, | drew my revolver as last resort. The
iger launched himself into the air, his paws
extended and teeth cleaning in the dim twi.
Ight; but jumped aside in time to avoid
he charge, and the dying brute rolled at my
Get, tearing up the grass and dirt with last,
,Xpiring effort.
MY three companions appeared upon the
Gene nj that m )mcnt, and the tablcau would |
nave formed wild, mOurniul, but striking
ubieCt for an artist
I'm the center of the group was the large, /.
awny carcass of the tiger; further on the
nanglcd corpse Of poor Seim, stretched on
he grcCn.sward, dycd with his litcbIOOd,
with the dark shadows of the trees and under
Irush for back .grouod We buried him
beside the clear, running stream, and the ira
gic event was soon forgotten, at least by the
FrcnChmcn. \ ncgrO's bfC is not considered
If much importance here on the coast.
AT supper the laughter and tlippant jokes
If my comrades grated hnrshly on my ears.
had not forgotten the horrible event so late
V enacted. In fact, my absence Ot mind
nearly cost me my life, and | had narrow
'sCapc from sharing the fate Of the black
I'VE had taken our respective stations, rifle
II hand waiting for our game To steal forth |
rom thicr hiding.places. Night is the favor.
tc time for beasts of prey To prOwl over the
icscrt in search of food ana water and our
patience was not severely taxed, can assure
'Ou.
Il had chosen a small clamp of bushes, a
hort distance from the spring, where had a
lear unbrokCn view of the desert. was
startled by the great change thas had taken
place in the appearance OF the weather. The
moon had risen far above the horizon, cnycl-
oped in light ycllowish mist. The stars
were completely hidden from view by a gau-
~ vail of the same hue, and a dark cloud OF
threatening appearance was rapidly rising
along the whole extent OF the eastern horizon.
The air had suddenly become hot and opprcs-
Sivc; fine, subtle dust that appeared To fly
in the atmosphere annoyed lac exceedingly.
1t was very evident 20 my mind that we were