West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1879-05-10
Thrilling Adventure, with Tigers.


DR. Wilson tells the following stories i'm
I relation to interviews with tigers i'm New
Granada. 'On the Maglalcna river a fellow
J traveller pointed ont TO us his farm. and also
/ his two dogs, which gaze at us as We pass
/ AT some distance from the shore, and which
/ he assures uS, are masters i'm the art uf trail
| ing the tiger ami bringing him tu hay while
/ himself and comrades surround him with
strong spears, upon which hc rushes To his
/ destruction. These spears havcCruSS pieces
I AT the distance of eighteen inches from their
| points, in order 90 keep the fierce brute at a
safe distance after hc is penetrated by the
! spear. The hunters here fear tu attack the
/ tiger with the rifle because, il not hit in "A
/ vital part 10y the first shot they will incvi-
| tahly destroy the hunter, because his terri
hle charge must uuncrvc the stoutcSt heart
and slcadicst aim. So that IL would hr only
a very lucky bullet that would arrest his
fearful onslaught The tigers have killed
! thirty cattle ON the farm of our fellow
| passenger during the last two years, and lac
and his assistants have Killed twenty one
| tigers in retaliation. Their favoritc mode
/ of attack upon grown cattle is To stcalthily
/ approach and spring upon them while sleep
/ ing, aud bite them through The uupc of the
! neck, just as their smaller feline relatives
/ do their prey hut they often dispatch horses
and mules 10y single blow of their power
| iul claws upon the head, after which they
/ eat away the breast and neck frequently
returning for a second meal the following
/ night. 1t seldom attacks man, and only when
/ pressed with hunger, or when the victim
| is found sleeping, then lac clcavcs open his
| skull with terrible stroke of his powerful
/ paw. When attacked, however, ne does
/ not fail 10 return the aggression with fear
! ml carncstncss.
! Our captain relates one of the former
! cases that happened to his knowledge dur
the last year viz. 1t is the custom of wood
choppers along the river, when their huS
are in isolated spots, to construct a high scal-
fold or grrct, 90 which they ascend to sleep
/ 10y ladder, which they draw upaftcr them:
but one who had not yet finished his hut,
located AT the confluence of considerable
creek with the Magdalcuu, had neglected
the usual prccautiOn of building "a fire and
keeping it burning during the night i'm order
/ to irighlcn away the tigers that might bc
| prowIing about his camp. As il was bright
moonlight night hc chose, instead, to sit by
! his door with his rifle, ON guard, while his
\ wife slept Towards morning the wife
aWokc and insisted on relieving her hus-
| band of the watch, i'm order that hc might
get some sleep and he refreshed for the next
! day labor He consented, and when hc
| awokc nm the morning the wife was missing.
| Eagerly he sought and called aloud for his
| missing companion, but all in vain, till on
nearing the creek lac discovered i'm the sand
"a trail as II something like u body had been
dragged along, and tiger tracks by its side,
lent "A painful probability To his horrible SUB
| picions Following the trail il soon led in
| 10 the water; procuring his canoe and rifle
he struck the trail ON the opposite side of
the creek, and not far away, came upon the
manglcd, half -dcvOured remains of his mis-
sing wife, with skull crushed i'm, showing
that death had probably surprised her so
| instanlancOusly that she had no time for
/ uutcry. knowing the habits of the fierce
| brute aiscr gorging himself the husband
! pccrcd about i'm the direction of the tracks,
and soon discovered him asleep under thc
! edge of the jungle. Creeping 10 sure dis
! tancc and taking careful aim hc sent lcadcn
messenger Of death crashing through its
brain. With his own hands The woodman
| performed the mouruful task of gathering
! the mutilatcd remains of his loved com
panion into his canoe, 10 which he also
| dragged the body Of her slayer, aud com
mcuCcd his solemn retreat 10 the nearest
hamlet
\ passenger told Of another case be knew.
of recent occurrence, in which man and
his son, camping for The night, had built the
usual fire, which the tigers seldom approach
wrapped themselves i'm their blankets and
lald themselves down TO sleep with their
dog between them as guardian. Towards
morning their fire had gone out and sudden.
is, strange, rushing, bustling and yclpiug
noises and cries startled them from their
slumbcrs. Npringing to their feet and star
Ing wildly about them nothing was to be-
seen, except the dog was missing and, with
out doubt had paid the penalty allotted To-
sleeping scntincls. At low STAGES Of the
water in This river, tiger tracks are very
numerous upon the sand. and we are told
these animals are not unfrcqucutly seen
swimming across the river The allirators
which inicsl these turbulent waters. and
which DO not fail 10 snatch the luckcss no.
mo That falls INTO them, respects thc pres
cncc OF this august quadupcd perhaps ON
account of the terrible weapons with which
I his powerful paws are armed our cap
tain recently saw one of these respectable
canivOra swimming the river bat % short
distance ahead Of the boat and gave him
chase with the intention of running him
down. The brute reached shOal water. how
ever, when the boat was very near ~ him.
and looked back over his shoulder at his
pursurr with an air of dignfcd iudiHcr-
CuCp