The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1879-10-01
THE MAN-EATER

when, in tile middle OF Cne rOaQ we came
upon bloody mass, apparently the re-
mains of woman, but bruised and lar
cerated, and crushed almost out Of SEM
blance tn humanity.
Stopping the buggy, we looked around
for some explanation, and then per-
ceived that the streets were utterly de-
serted ofman, woman, child and beast,
although few scared and cautious faces
were to be seen peeping from the doors
and windows, or over the parapets Of the
houses.
"There must have been an attempt at
a riot, and the soldiers have made an eX-
ample or two for the benefit Of the re-
mainder," said my friend, as we drove
hurriedly on.
corpse of a young man similarly dlstlg-
ured and also lying in the middle OF the
road.
"This is really awful. They must
have made the elephants kill him. NUT
tered my friend again, stopping the
horse and gazing at the frightful spec
tacle.
At this moment man appeared upon
the top of an adjoining house, and
looked anxiously down the street. To
him my friend shouted, and he cried:
Pardon, sahibs, but the boy was my
boy, and the house is desolate. BY the
teeth of Kali, but he has turned this way
again. Take careof yourselves, sahibs,
he is coming. The man-eater is upon
you!"
eater! ! have seen him. He is a horse
with the temper Of tiger and the cou-
rage of man. He belongs to the king,
who sometimes sends a slave who dis
pleases him into the stable, They dag
the body out with hooks"
As he spoke my friend was hastily
turning his horse, while the terrified
syce, who had hitherto run beside the
buggy, scampered off to the side of the
road and disappeared. / know not
where. ..'
At the foot of the hill we had just as
cended both my friend and I had noticed
q sort of park, or pleasure-ground, sur
rounded with a hig gh iron fence. its gates
standing Hospitality open. Toward these
gates we now drove at the top speed Of
our horses. while behind us, on the road,
thundered the iron hoofs of our pursuer.
Once the sound ceased, and standing up,
looked over the top of the buggy to see
if he had left US. But he had only en-
countered child, too young to know its
danger or to escape it. and when caught
sight of him, the savage beast was shak-
ing the poor little object in its mouth:
precisely Us dog does a rat. Another
moment and he had dropped it, and was
again in pursuit of US. That moments
pause, however, had lost him his prey,
for Just as he was about to overtake us,
we turned into the inclosure, my friend
leaped from the buggy, slammed the
gates, and shot the heavy bolt securing
them.
As he did so the man-eater arrived and
hurled himself against the gates with a
shock that must have shattered them
had they been of wood.
Then he stood for an instant glaring
savagely at US through the iron railing
with distended nostrils and glaring eye
balls, his head covered with blood, his
jaws streaming with recent slaughter,
great clots of coagulated gore clinging
to Lis cheeks, as horrible sight as can
we'll be conceived. s ~
At the sound of his ferocious whinny-
ing and snorting the horse we had been
driving trembled and covered as if at
the roar of lion.
For q few moments the man-eater per-
sisted in his determination to assault us,
galloping up and down in front of the
inclosure, glancing at the height of the
fence, and raining o perfect battery of
blows from his iron heels upon the gates.
At last, however, convinced of the use
lessness of his efforts, he turned, with an
indignant neigh, and galloped off down
the road. A little below US an archway
had been thrown from one house to an
other, and upon this arch number OF
troopers stood awaiting the opportunity
now presented, for as the horse. with
head and tail erect, and wildly glaring
eyes. searching upon every side for fresh
victims, passed beneath the arch, rope
skillfully thrown settled upon his neck,
chnked and threw him.
The next day the king ordered the
roan-eater to be turned into the arena
with Burrhea, his finest Bengal tiger.
The arenawas courtyard about sixty
yards square, surrounded by buildings
with q veranda below and gallery
above.
The front of this veranda was closed
by heavy bamboo railing, and behind
it, in space just below the royal bal.
cony, the ladies of the harem, or as they
are called in Hindoostanee, the purdah.
beebees, meaning literally curtain ladies
As distinguished from the poorer class O
females, were allowed to peep as they
could at the combat. --.
The man eater had been enticed int<
the inclosure by means Of a country
horse of small value, to whom he mani
tested no animosity, but seemed to re-
gard with contemptuous indulgence a
= creature not. indeed, of his own kind
but sufficiently near it to secure hin
from the ferocious attacks he reserved
for the inferior race called man. . = >'
While the horses sported together
Burrhea's cage was brought into tn
veranda, just oppo' te where the king
and his court were low seated, = doc
in the bamboo rail- lg was thrown open
and the front of thu cage raised.
Burrhea, who had been kept withou
food or drink fer the last twenty-fou
hours. waited for no second bidding, bu
leaped at one bound from the cage dow
to the middle uf the courtyard, lashinl
his sides with his long tail, and glarin
furiously at the horses, while his gloss.
and beautifully-striped coat shone ik