The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1876-04-04
A Tiger Hunt.

- I'D Va &&0hV
In the spring of 1862 the Captain
spent nearly a week in the destruction of
famous man eater, which had complete.
ly closed several roads and was supposed
to have devourcd over a hundred human
beings. He occupied large triangle Of
country between the rivers Moran and
CANAL, stopping the work of the sleeper
contractors Of the railway in course of
construction in the Narbada valley, and
striking terror into breadth Of not less
than thirty to forty miles. Having
pitched bis camp in this pleasant country
under a splendid mango grove, the Cap.
tain was laid up for some days by
sprained tendon, during which time sen.
sational news was brought in of whole
families of tigers waiting in the river
beds to be killed, and at length that the
man cater had struck down man and
boy on the high road about ten miles
away. IIe now resorted to severe rene.
dies, which after a few more days per.
mitted him once more to resume his
quest but in the meantime numberless
stories were told him Of the fearful size
and appearance of the man eater. OF its
belly pendant to the ground, and the
white moon it bore in the centre Of its
forehead-of the pork.butchcr.like mode
in which it would detain party Of trav.
elers while il rolled in the sand, and at
length, having inspected them all round :,
select the fattest-of his power of traus-
forming himself into an innocent.looking
woodcuttcr, and calling or whistling
through the woods till an unsuspecting
victim approached ; and how the spirits
of all his victims rode with him on his
head, warning him of every danger and
guiding him to the suitable ambush by
which traveller would pass. 1t is worth
while noticing the despairing terror Of
the people which such superstitious aud
imag ginary details evince. No clearer
proof could be laid before a Western
reader of the paralyzing effect which a
man eaters ravages appear to produce,
\ whnn n,en's life is safe for a moment.
: and the whirr Of every quail or peacock
which springs up near him seems the
bound of the fell animal which will strike
him down. All the best shikarries of the
country, together with the land owners
and many of the ryots, bcsieged the
camp daily, Many villages were utterly
deserted ; men lived in barricaded houses,
t and only left them when compelled by
necessity, and then in large bodies, shout
ing and beating drums as they passed
8 along the roads. This had gone on for a
year, and the country was slowly being
depopulated. Through this desert then
the sportsman rode on his trained ele.
phant, preceded and followed by baggage
elephants, and protected by guard Of
J police with muskets and shikarries with
their matchlocks. Traces of the brute
were seen here and there, but no recent
ones. while heaps Of stones at intervals
showed where q traveller had been struck
5 down. AT length he reached spot
where one of party Of pilgrims had been
D carried off the day before, and discovered
s the sad relics and blood stained grass
o which yet told of the tragedy and pointed
out where the man eater had dragged the
corpse into water course, in which its
remains were left. 1t was Of no use
waiting for the tiger to return to its hor.
. rid feast, as this one had learned caution
@ and never ventured back to its "kill
=. All the rest of that day, in extreme heat
the party beat the jungles of the Moran
o river, the trackers working in fear and
! trembling under the trunk OF the sahib'l
q. elephant and covered by his rife at full
t cock. Returning to camp at night one
G of the men spied the great square foot
\. print of the creature they were search
s ing. Early next day the Captain care
n fully beat the neighboring water course
g but without avail, AS he was sitting
down to breakfast, however, some mer
f brought in word that about mile and {
# half from camp the tiger had that very
r morning taken away one of them out o
f the midst of their drove of bullocks al
d they were starting from their nights en-
IS camPment. Instantly securing some foot
g and bottle Of claret the Captain mount
J. ed the elephant and pursued. Soon hi
II startled the monster from the lair wher'
o he was devouring the unfortunate victim
o but the grass was so thick no could no
Q obtain shot. All that day. however, b,
/. held on after him, carefully tracking tn,
IT footprints through difficult country
a and allowing him no rest. At night tn,
Captain slept in tent he had ordered OIL
d to the other river, the CANAL. Mex
}. morning the trail was renewed, until a
1t length the tiger was fairly ringed in
70 dense cover Of tamarisk and jamaD, sur
q rounded by tho river, After a short res
:, this cover was beaten out and the indie
/. fatigable Captain obtained two shots
e which told on the tiger. Immediatel,
}. the brute turned, and, with loud roars
e charged him, being again dropped int,
., the water course by shot fred within
IT twenty yards. Once more, but NOR
g, slowly, he picked himself up, when tn
,. sportsman's elephant being badly handled
@ spun round, and, with a loud. worrying
d noise, the tiger spraug on its back anC
g began clawing its quarters, At lengtI
C the elephant stopping its frantic caree
e for moment, the Captain turped rounC
!. in the howdah, and, scizing the oppor
d tunity, put the muzzle Of his rife to th
It skull Of the tiger and blew it into fift,
n pieces -Frasers Magazine.