The Canton mail. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 18??-1882, 1876-05-13
HUNTING TIE TIGER.
Thrilling Experience of a Famous Hunte'
With a Man Eater.

IcuIly WCch III Vic uCSliuCtiOu VI "a |
man-eater, which had completely closed
several roads and was supposed to have
devoured over one hundred beings. He
occupied a large triangle Of country be-
tween the rivers Moran and CANAL,
stopping the work of the sleeper contrac-
tors on the railway in their course of |
construction in the Narbada Valley, and
striking terror into breadth of not less
than thirty or forty miles. Having
pitched his camp in this pleasant coun-
try under splendid mango grove, the
captain was laid up for few days by
sprained tendon, during which time sem
sational news was brought in of whole
families OF tigers waiting in the river
beds to be killed, and at length that the
man-eater had struck down a man and
boy OH the high road about ten miles
away. He 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 to him of the fearful
size and appearance of the man-eater, OF
its belly pendant to the ground, and the
forchead-of the pork-butcher-like mode
in which it would detain party of trav-
lers while it rolled in the sand, and at
length, having inspected them all around,
select the fattest-of his power of trans
forming himself into an innocent-leoking
woodcutter, 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 passenger would pass. 1t is
worth while noticing the despairing ter
rorof the people which such superstitious
and imaginary details evince.
| No clearer proof could be laid before
the reader of the paralyzing effect which
a man-eater's ravages appeared to pro-
duce, when no mans 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 landowners and many of the ryots
besieged the camp daily. Many villages
were utterly deserted /; men lived in bar
ricaded houses, and only left them when
compelled by necessity, and then in large
companies, shouting and beating drums
as they passed along the road. This had
gone on for year, and the country was
slowly being depopulated. Through
this desert, then, the sportsmen rode on
his trained elephant, preceded and fol-
lowed by baggage elephants and pre-
tected by guard of police with their
muskets, and shikarries with their match
locks. Traces of the brute were seen
here and there, but no recent ones, while
heaps of stone showed where a traveller
had been struck down. At length he
reached spot where one of the party Of
pilgrims had been carried off the day
before, and discovered the sad relics and
blood-stained grass which yet told of the
tragedy and pointed out where the man
eater had dragged the corpse in water
course in which its remains were left. II
was of no use waiting for the tiger to re
turn to its horrid feast, as this one hat
learned caution, and never ventHreG
back to its CHILLED" All the rest O
that day, in extreme heat, the party
beat the jungles of the Moran river, thu
crackers working in fear and trembling
under the sahib's elephant and covered
by his rifle at full cock.
Returning to camp at night one of thu
men spied the great square footprint o
the creature they were searching. Earl.
the next morning the captain CAREFUL.
beat the neighboring water-course, bu
without avail. AS he was sitting dow
to breakfast, however, some men brough
in word that about mile and a hal
from camp the tiger had that very nigh
taken away one of them out of the mids
of their drove of bullocks as they wer
starting from their nights encampment
Instantly securing some food and bot
tie of claret, the captain mounted tn
elephant and pursued. Soon he started
the monster from the lair where he wa
devouiing the unfortunate victim
but the grass was so thick he could no
obtain a shot. All that day he .helt
after him, carefully tracking the foot
prints through difficult country, ant
allowing him no rest. At night tn,
captain slept in tent he had ordered OF
to the other river, the CANAL. Mex
morning the trail was renewed, until a
length the tiger was fairly hinged in i:
dense cover of tamarisk and jamon, sur
rounded by the river. After brief res
this cover was beaten out and the indie
fatigable captain obtained two shots
which told on the tiger. Immediately
the brute turned, and, with loud roars
charged him, being again dropped into
the water-course by shot fired within
twenty yards. Once more, but more
slowly, he picked himself up, when the
sportsman's elephant being badly han
died, spun round, and, with a loud, whir
ring noise, the tiger sprang on to it.
back and began clawing its quarters. Al
length, the elephant stopped its frantic
career for a moment, the captain turned
round in the howdah and, selling the
opportunity, put the muzzle of his rifle
to the skull of the tiger and blew it into
fifty pieces.