The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1878-04-03
A THRILLING TIGER HUNT.

A THRILLING TIGER HUNT.
Confronting a Man-Enter in his Native Jur
CLEAN American Hunter Among tn
h1aluys. .... ..f,.'
If ever there was hunters paradise
writes q correspondent of the Chicag
Times, itis the little island of Singapor
and the adjacent Malay peninsula Th
jungles swarm with game, from tn, lie
phant and tiger down to the wild boar
while birds from the gorgeous plumet
parrots and cookatoos down to the tin.
humming birds, rise before you il
droves. Birds Of paradise soar here ant
there in the heavens, while peacocks ant
golden pheasants strut in every opening
Of the forest. But I have not space tt
give an entire List OF the game that {
days tramp in the Jungle will show one
here, nor to give a diary Of the two
weeks elcampment Of Chicago resi-
dent in these wilds, but simply to tel
you how a green hunter from Chicago
killed tigen -! :" q.
The statiSt 4scoi the COLONIAL govern
ment of Singapore, it being an English
colony, showth the tigers eat on an
average man per day during the year.
The most of these were coolies from the
sugar plantations, but instances are on
record where they have boldly entered
the city, and carried off Policemen on
their night rounds, and I do not remem-
Der in our night rambles about Sigma.
pore of seeing any.police asleep in the
doorways. The government by a re.
ward of fifty dollars for every tiger kill
ed on the island, has greatly reduced
their numbers. Yet they breed unmo-
Tested in the Malay jungles, and, swim
ming across the narrow strait that separ.
ates Singapore from the main land, are
still the terror of the planters, for a
tiger will take to the water like duck.
The city of lahore I found squalid
Malay village, the houses built on piles
driven in the ground, the floors being
some ten feet from the ground, 80 as to
protect the inhabitants from dampness
and wild beasts. Space will not permit
description of the Sultan's "palace, "
or the pompous dignity with which he
received me; suffice it to say that fee
of twenty silver dollars secured me the
right TO hunt in his domains, and author
ity to hire twenty natives as camp SER
wants and beaters to scour the Jungle
and drive up the game-the salary Of
said natives to be seventeen cents per
day each, and one pound of rice per
man. The extra supply of rice was soon
laid in, and tile head man of the party,
furnished by the sultan, who rejoiced in
the name of Rajma, and who was as
villainous looking Malay as the PENN
sula could possibly produce, yet a vet
eran tiger-tracker, started out to find a
suitable camping spot, and was to return
at five o'clock in the afternoon, 30 We
could move in the cool of the evening,
while I was to wait in the village with
my Singapore servant, for his return.
About three o'clock Rajma came back in
breathless haste to say that not three
miles from the village he had found the
carcass of q buffalo COW, whic had been
freshly killed by tiger, who would
doubtless return in the evening to eat
the rest of it, and that if I watched I
would be able to get shot.
Twas all excitement at once. I hur-
ried Raima off to fix some kind Of a
platform in tree near the carcass, while
+ followed with two other natives carry
ing my guns and good supply of am
munition. Arriving at large opening
in the Jungle, I bcheld the scene of &C.
ton. The carcass lay about thirty
yards from large jaman tree, in which
Raima had, about fifteen feet from the
ground, erected a small platform OF
bamboo poles, loosely covered with huge
leaves Of the cocoanut tree. Rama
ascended first. I followed him, while
the two servants handed up the guns
and then returned to the village. I cut
away few branches that obscured the
view, put cartridge in the Creedmoor
rifle as O reserve-the others were al
ready loaded-and then sat down with
nothing to do, but sit quiet and keep
sharp lookout.
We watched for two long hours, ex-
changing rapid glances whenever
twig fell or leaf stirred. At last the
sun was nearly setting, when heard
the parrots chattering wildly not far off;
Rajma motioned to watch sharp now,
and I fairly held my breath but the
sound died away and nothing came.
Now the Jungle was all animation, cries
of birds and animals arose on al! sides,
the sun set and the darkness came on
rapidly. For an hour or more I sat e1-
pectant, but the. longed-for tiger came
not. It was now to dark to see to shoot,
so we reluctantly descended and started
on our return.
I began to question Rajma, who spoke
little broken English, and began to
doubt that there was o tiger in the
vicinity. Before he had time to answer,
there came a sound from the depths of
the Jungle that made me start and
tremble and look round for convenient
tree to climb. It spoke for itself of the
whereabouts of the forest king. he no
doubt suspected something wrong, or
had scented us, and this was warning
to clear out. At any rate, it was such
roar as I never heard any menagerie
tiger give. It Nas deep, continuous,
heavy boom, that seemed to fill the
whole forest with massive volume OF
sound that lasted for more than min.
ute. It seemed aggravating to be
ordered out of the Jungle in that way,
but we went, and stood not on the order
of our going, for, even with thirty
four-shot repeating rife, tiger is not
to be faced in the night.
The night I passed in a miserable
Malay hut, fighting feas and mosqui.
toes, and was up early to hold council
of war with Rajma. He advised to take
the entire party of twenty natives, pro-
vide them with tom-toms, or native
drums, which could easily be borrowed
in the village, and 60 to the same
place, track the tiger to his lair, and
then with the drums rouse him up and
drive him into the opening of the jungle,
where could shoot him from the plat
form. In less than an hour we were
under way, and soon beside the remains
of the buffalo, a good deal of which had
been eaten during the night. It was
still untouched by the vultures or
jackals, which Raima declared was
proof that the tiger was very close by.
I mounted to the platform, as on the
previous day. while Raima gave the
party directions to beat up the jungle
about quarter of mile to the north