The Lamoille news. (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1877-1881, 1877-05-30

large sized Colts revolve' and heavy
hunting knife. The pistll was cooked
and ready for instant use In such a
case as this, all depended ON the judi
cious employment of moments.
l had not proceeded ar before /
felt, as by curious sort of instinct,
that | was not the only occupant of
the jungle. | could har nothing.
The velvet feet that Segdated their
pace by mine were noiselss, nor was
there any sound of rusting through
the high grass, which rise above the
level Of a mans head waved and bent
to the left. l glancefaside, but could
see nothing; yet | dFined, as plainly
as if my vision had Ren perternatural-
ly sharpened, thatI had been both
seen and scented, md that the man
eater was pursuing a parallel course
to mine, watchinI me as ifit had been
a cat in stealthy chase of mouse.
My heart thro6bed wildly, but the
memory of Enestine's palid face and
wistful eyes aose to give me courage.
1t was too laie now to finch. | must
do or die.
All this tine my mind was quite
clear, and my train Of reasoning lucid
enough. Ihad only once before shared
in hunting tiger, but / knew their
habits by report, and was careful to
keep moving atan even pace, know
ing that to run or to halt would be
alike certain to lrecipitate the attack.
At length | saw before me an open
space where the grass had been mown,
probably to feed the goats of the fer
ryman, whose thatched roof | could
see between the peepul trees. The
time for action had come. The grass
and boughs to the left were trembling
under some pressure. l made one
step forth from the screen of tangled
stood motionless listening,
for an instant, and then fell forward
on my hands and knees as but just in
time. There was a low, hoarse roar,
and over my head flew, as if propelled
by a catapult, huge dark shape. The
man-eater had made his spring and
missed his stroke. Had | chosen,
having won this first point in the game,
to act a passive part andplay for safe
ty, / could probably have come unin-
jured out of the affray, An unwound-
ed tiger, and especially the cruel and
cowardly brute that has acquired q
prospensity for human flesh, is almost
sure to stink off abashed after fail
ure 50 signal. This, however, was
not in my plan, and before the bafliet
tiger could gather himself up | was
ON my feet, and had fired three shots
at close quarters.
Bang bang! bang !, rang out thu
sharp reports as the ounce bullets sanl
with dull thud into the soft striped
hide but words are too weak to ex
press the rapidity with which the man
eater turned upon me, or the hate ant
fury that glistened in those. terribl
green eyes. Again the tiger lowere'
his head and arched his neck back 70
a spring. With all the GOODNESS tina
/ could muster, / took aim at the glaI
ing eyes, but almost as i pulled tn
trigger | was hurled to the earth wit
violence that left me breathless an
dizzy on the ground, while across, m
lay the tiger, its handsome head rest
ing on a tuft Of moss and wild flow
ers, and the blood yelling fast frol
wounds in its neckan side. Itsweigl
fairly pinioned down my right arm
and, although the revolver, with tw
chambers yet loaded, lay within reacl
| could not make a motion toward it
The tiger was dying. Ofthat thel
was not much doubt. Even the quiC
heaving Of the striped flank told thi
my bullets had taken fatal effect. Bl
the great cat Of India, like his CO.
gener the lion, is tenacious Of life, al
it might well be that the man-eate
before he died, would safe his We
geance on his PROSTATE foe who seer
ed so utterly at his mercy. | wa
save for a few bruises and a trihil
scratch on one shoulder, unhurt, b
Heavens The fierce brute had /
membered me at last, for he lifted |
head, and his glowing eyes were fixe
with malignant gaze, on mine. Slo
{ ly, and with an effort that was evidei
II painful, the creature turned its he
} toward me, and, with blood mingli
, with the foam on his whiskered lii
crawled forward. AS the weight Il
pressed on my right arm was partia
removed, ] struggled, and BY gr'