The Fairfield herald. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1849-1876, 1876-03-29
ROYAL GAME.

AL III region Close TO- CAVtlfzRtlOl
: can tho enthusiastic sporteutan fsnt
more varied and noble game than il
the northwestern provinces Of Indi.
whore roams the magniRcent roya
Bengal tiger, the very Ang OF beasts
Our double page illustration show,
him az he appears at home, in on,
of the dense jungles, whence, When
pressed by hunger, Tho issues fortl
on his marnuding expeditions. Few
people have my idea of tho number
of human lives annually destroyet
by this ferocious and blood thirst,
animal. In 1869 one tigress was re-
ported to have killed 127 people
and to have stopped public roae
for many weeks. Similarly, in 1868
the magistrate Of Godavery reportet
that "that part of the country wa,
overrun with tigers, every villagt
having suffered from the ravages o
man eaters" On another oeoasso,
thirteen villages were deserted, anc
250 square miles Of country wer,
thrown out Of cultivation through
tho havoc made by u single tikress
And according to tho reports Of tn,
British government during tho si1
years ending with 1866, 1918 Gvet
were lost through those beasts. II
Is little wondor that an English
sportsman is hailed with JOY in these
districts. He becomes a second St.
George sent to deliver the people
from their scourge.
In describing tigor it is fair to
say of him that he is nothing more
or loss than q hugo cat, with mower
and ferocity excessively developed,
Travellers sleeping in their tents
may hear ono calling TO it's mate in
the neighboring jungles, till night ia
made hidoous by their amntory
growls and roarings, just as their
dlmnutivc congeners ON American
house tops sorenade the moon, ana
provoke exasperated auditors to dis,
lodge them with whatever missile
comes first to hand. The crowning
point of n cats ferocity and delight
i'll bloodshcd is arrived ut in the
royal tiger. When not raging with
huger, he appears to derive the
same pleasure from playing with his
victim that the former shows in tor
menting Il mouse. He will gambol
around buffalo as if enjoying his
alarm md when the affrighted
animal, in mad despair, feebly at-
tcmpts to butt at his remorsoless
foe, the tiger bounds lightly over
his head, and recommences his
gambols on the other side. At last,
rs if he had succeeded in creating
an appetite for his dinner, he
cr,lshcs the skull Of his victim with
one blow of his powerful fore paw,
and commences his bloody meai.
The following story is told of IN
unfortunate hunter, who, having
attacked tiger on foot, succeeded
i'll womding but not killing tho
beast: ut charged, and seized him
ny the loins on one side, gave him n
fierce shake or two, dropped him
and thon Selling him upon the other
side, repeated tho shaking, and
again dropping him disappeared.
His boators had escaped up trees or
elsewhere meanwhile, but whom the
tiger departed they came to his aid
and carried him to tho station. The
man suffered no pain, and described
how the tiger had seized and wor-
ricd him. But he sank from the
shock and exhaustion within few
hours."
Any one who has ever aocn q
tigers skull and examined it's for
canine teeth must wonder
how man can over escape who has
once been grippoI in their suvago
wise. Very seldom does Il season
pass without tho death of some
gallant sportsman being reported
from n tigor's charge. But the
fangs Of these creatures arc not
worse than their terrible claws. As
IN the cat, those weapons are pro-
viacd with curious arrangement
Of elastic ligamonts and muscles, by
which they arc withdrawn into the
foot so rs to escape bunting by con-
tact with the ground in walking.
These fearful Weapons arc objects
Of peculiar care on tho part of the
tiger. Trees aro frequently seen in
the junglcs scored with long vertical
issures to tho hoight of eight or ton
feet from tho ground, where tigers
have clcunscd and sharponod their
claws. Some trees arc creator
favoritcs than others, and the poopul
or Indian fig, is, often disfgured in
this manner.
In charging, tiger will some
times burst out of noighboring
cover, and with never sweryo
pouncc upon his prey, his ears laid
back, his tail on end, every feature
OF his face distorted with dinbolical
rage. But more often he bears
steadily down four or fivo hundred
yards in tho opon, stopping occa-
sionally and putting his head half
ovor his shoulder, rs if to listen for
n noiso bohind him. A most mag
niiicont creature he looks in this
position, his head erect, his tail
dropping, and tho sun glancing
from his lustrous yellow skin. This
,ty. Il L.