The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1876-12-20
a Thrilling Adventure in
India.

It was at one of our evening camp |
fires ia India, that he told his story. !
Far in the distant Jungle sounded the |
cry OF the terrible wild beasts that
reigned there-iU sounded over the
plains and came to our ears with the
most dismal OF monoL0nes. We could
easily imagine how gracefully the tiger
crouched there, now like flame his eye
balls cleaned.
Above us was the deep, deep purple of
an Indian sky, its stars burning with
luster that our cooler England never
knows. The lurid baZ9 of our fire threw
eerie glimmers out into The darkness.
The were four of US. We were half
lying along the ground, each of us in
dustrlously putting at our cheroot. There
had been a silence OF quarter OF an
hour, when Chafteris. looking at the
Captain as he calmly smoked, said:
Now, Roland, isn't it a favorable
time 10 redeem your promise OF year
agoW
Captain Roland looked up question
| ingly. | believe there was no greater
laVorite in the regiment than Roland,
ana there was no danger OF spolling him
either. He was about thirty-hve years
| old--he had been In India ten years, and
thus far escaped teVers and wounds,
though no man exposed his lie more
| braYely-but he never did 1t ho0lhardily.
| His left arm was gone, but none OF US
| knew how it was lost; IL had not been in
| battle.
| In reply to his look, Charteris said:
| You know you promised to tell us
how you happened to lose your arm"
| Roland snuddered perceptibly as he
withdrew his cigar from his mouth, and
said:
"Yes, did promise, and hope it'll do
me good to tell that story once. Eve
| kept silent about it, but L haven't forgot
| ten it. You see, man remembers a
thorough fight good while.
| sit was Wnenl was in the - Regi-
ment before l was transferred 10 this.
| That was almost eleven years ago, and l
was good deal younger, and rushed
into all sorts of scrapes-though l DO
hope under the same circumstances as
happened that day l snoulI do the same
thing over again.
| was "a Lieutenant in those days, and
that morning was sent out in command
of halt a dozen men in pursuit of a de-
serter, who was reported TO be hiding in
the vicinity OF that place we call Mar
YePs Gully. You know the place! There
are not many OF us soldiers but DO know
it. The sun glared down with unvary =
ing, cloudless heat, u gentle wind blew
over the earth like the breath from an
oven ten times heated; it struck against
me as l rode, and L shuddered as l felt
1t, for it seemed the breath OF some fire
monster that would deVour this luckless
Iaud. am more used to that breeze now,
but it used to make me the most home
sick of anything.
1--WE rode as last as we dared in the
lheat, anu by noon had reached the
IA a vi u bapn a
to search for the deserter. L did not
much like the job, and raUner hoped we
ishould not find HIM; but we did, and
while we were safely securing the mis-.
cradle wretch, party OF natives came
up i'll great excitement, aud begged us
to go down to the gully with them, say
ing that that morning young girl, the
pet of the village, had gone down OIL
some KIND Of an errand, and that they
were afraid she mad fallen a victim to a
tiger, as one of them had been lurking
about after the girl had started.
"rhe men in my little command were
weary and disincliDed to go, and some
| of them had rather disagreeaDle expe.
Iriences in such expeditions. But
thought of the giFleand hoped the tigel
thad missed her; and in anticipation
Ilelt the triumph OF killing him before She
Ehad fallen into his power. SO told the
natives 1 would go with them, and lef
Imy men in the village, with strong sus
lpIcious that they Wal all be drunk when
l. L came back.
"With my gun over my arm-I had
Ebotn arms-L stole softly along over the
Ibaked earth with my dusky companions
Iwho did not seem DO mind the heat al
Iau. but went on, with skins glistening
lin the sun, with eyes that looked
jstealthisy on every side as they ad-
lyanced, 1t was the first time l eve!
hunted q, tiger, and from the N Omant G
started L felt a strange excitement, more
lpainful than eXhilarating.
In an hour hours time we reached
lthe yullv--the deep bed of dry sLream
Ia, place where at some seasons rushes
a, torrent OF water. The place ,Was NOS
so dry but, at some. parts ,ot lit grew a
lwild Iuxuriance, OF vegetation, u. gor-
ipeous blossoming of deep-c0lOred flow
l ers. and the air was sickening aud heavy
Il with tho per luine OF them. As We came
4 close to- the ruins L thought the half
1duzen natives with me gave some signs
tof disposition to shirk out of too near
an approach te,the supposed lair OF the
beast, l did. not know much about
those fellows, tAen; but have learned
to think since that, on the whole, they
are aboutas brave AS the average OF us
human beings,
"L mad reached the thickest part of Ghe
tall shrubbery, and saw ahead the CLEAN
of an open space--a part OF the empty
bed Of the stream. With my gun cooked
| care fully pushed aside the leaves,
feeling asis some dreadful sight was to
Inject the eye. And true enoughl In
the open space, but t,under the shade of a
ibroad-leaVed tree sat huge tiger--sat
upon his hannches like cat-panting,
but apparently enjoying his rest ana his
anticipated least. Lying, in front oil him,
SO near that his paws touched her, was
the motionless, insensible body of girl
OF sixteen or seventeen, her long black
hair streaming on the ground, her lace
. upturned and colorless!
| Il could not tell whether she was
dead or not. 10 that first horrible,
n fascinated moment / did not, move. ]
forgot that had agun. The tiger looked
down at her, touched her little with
his paw. just MS ! had a. hundred times
seen a cal do with q mouse, His motion