Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1878-06-21
A ALady,s Adventures in India.

L had one rather serious rencontre with
party of Mahratta Dakoits Tor robbers),
on which occasion think may justly
lay claim to having escaped solely by my
fearless horsemanship and unwaYering
presence ofmind, was riding along, very
early one morning, on little Mahratta
mare, about eighty miles from IndOre,
escorted by several troopers of the Cav
airy Contingent, and two of my own ser
wants. My body-guard was so arranged
that some rode before me, leading the
way, and some behind. Just as the
day broke, five Mahratta horselnen, arm
ed to the teeth, with long spears in their
hands, rode up to our party, and demand
ed in authoritative terms that the little
mare I was riding should be delivered up
to them upon the spot My valiant es-
cort fed at their approach, and l was left
to settle accounts with these wild horse
men in the best way could. Their long,
sharp spears, pointed at me, threatened
each moment death and destruction.
Twice l managed to break through the
laWless band, and maneuvre my horse
through the ring they formed around me;
and twice was again surrounded, and
nearly overcome by the overwhelming
number of my enemies. ] made my lit
tie steed lash out before and behind, to
prevent the too near approach of the
spears, and fortunately for me, the ahi-
NAL was too full of life and vice to re-
quire much prompting to rear, and
plunge, and kick. Repeatedly the FIVE
spears narrowly grazed either me or my
gallant grey; but after nearly ten min
utes of desperate battle, / succeeded IN
dashing through the lists of wild horse
men, and, with the aid of whip and
spur, rode fairly away. My escort, who
had so gallantly and courageously left me
to my fate, skunk into camp long after j
was safely housed.
l had another narrow escape on the
following evening, my enemy ON this oe-
casion being a panther. 1t was Just sun
set; and having distanced my attendant
troopers, by taking longer and harder
gallop than their steeds or their nerves
permitted, was not at all charmed to
see huge panther approaching me from
the waste land to my left. For long
time he lay crouching behind bush, ap-
parently awaiting my coming up. My
steed was exhausted by the long gallop
he had had, and appeared little lame.
Neither persuasive nor coercive meas
ures could at first induce him to acceler-
ate his pace; so / turned my thoughts to
the hope of escape offered by the jungly
expanse on my right, purposing to strike
OH across country, and having circum-
vented the foe lying in wait, to return to
the road mile or so in advance. But
my plans were frustrated almost as soon
as formed; for not a hundred yards dis
tant appeared second wild animal, hor-
ribly like tiger, which stood eyeing me
steadfastly as hesitated on the road.
Despair made me bold-With sudden en-
ergy urged on my hating steed, and
escaped both the wild denizens of the
jungle at once.
Wild elephants are very numerous in
the jungles of Malabar. Not long ago, 6
lady and gentleman were travelling in
palanqulns, carried by sixteen men each,
when the conveyancss were suddenly
put down on the road, and the two-and-
thirty brave carriers took to instant flight
uttering wild cries of ''The elephantsl
the elephantsp The lady was asleep.
and never heard anything; but the gall
liant escort, jumping out of his paiky,
hurried to the fair sleeper and dragged
her out Of the conveyance before she un-
derstood the meaning of his frantic and
unceremonious haste. They had Just
time to rush wildly down slight decliv-
ity and hide themselves in the under
wood, when the gigantic monster came
upto the deserted vehicles, and imagining
them to be still tenanted, first trampled
them to atoms, and then eontemptuously
scattered the debris, leaving the luckless
travellers to reach Ootalnacund the best
way they could.