Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1877-12-07
A Savage Sport.

The tiger, the tyrant of the Indian
Jungle, has, as Is due, the precedence
over his teeb!rr or less dreaded con-
gener>. Skir,Ing the base of the Him
aiayan range. extending east and west
Tor many hundreds of miles, is a tract
OF land covered with jungle, called the
Terai; this is his chosen home. Cra-
died IN the long feathery grass Of the
Juggle, he Sambols about in his infancy
playful As kitten, and usually attains,
when full grown. the length Of nine or
nine and half feet. Wild hogs, deer,
and all the larger species Of game are
bis usual prey; but sometimes a pair
Of tigers will take up their abode with
IN mile OF village. sallying out from
their lair every three or four days to
pull down a bullock or a buffalo, al.
ways selecting the latest in the herd.
The strength Of their muscular fore.
arms is enormous. Captain Baldwin
says: 81 remember in Assam tiger in
the dead Of night leaping over fence
nearly five feet high, seizing one Of the
largest oxen. and again leaping back,
dragging the bullock after hum across
several fields and over two hedges"
In his old age, when his teeth become
worn, he not unfrequently becomes a
man eater; and such is the devastation
he then occasions that whole villages
are sometimes deserted and extensive
districts laid waste from dread Of these
feline scourges. In these disastrous
circumstances the advent Of an English
sportsman, with his rifle and elephants,
Is hailed as a God.end by the whole
neighborhood. A tiger when brought
to bay often "spi,s" like a cat. Con.
trary to the received opinion, tigers sell
dom roar; but all night the forests re-
sound with the hideous din oftheir cries,
which resemble the caterwauling of a
whole squadron Of gigantic tomcats.--
In making charge the tiger utters a Sc
ries Of short, vicious. coac hing grcwls,
as trying TO the nerves as the most ter.
rife roar. Tiger hunting, even from
elephant back, is always accompanied
with danger. One day when Captain
Baldwin and friend were out beating
the bush tor tigers, one Of his beaters-
. fine young man fooiishly crept for
ward to try and discover the actual spot
where the tiger was hiding. He must
have approached within a few feet Of
the animal, tor It struck h,m one blow
without moving or exposing its body.
and dashed the unfortunate man with
great violence to the bottom OF stony
ravine." He was rescued a, once. but
died the same evening. his skull having
been fractured by the blow from the
tigers paw. la tiger-shoosiag, when
you discharge your piece, whether you
bat or miss, YOU must not move, but,
standing perfectly still. keep your eye
on the animal. and put in a fresh cart
ridge. Many lamentable accidents have
occurred from sportsmen going rasily up
10 fallen tigers, enormously supposing
them to be- dead. One or two stoaes
should always be thrown first, to see
wha, power of mischief is left in him,
for !, Us quite possible that he NAV re-
qu're another ball as quie,us. A IL
ger cannot climb trees but he can spring
to considerable height, and thi. should
be remembered in shooting them from
/ what are called machans, q sort Of frame
work Of poles resting on the higher