The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1879-02-12
MISCELLANY.
A TIGER AND AN ELEPHANT.


Bengal tiger, so big and savage that even
Barnum himself wouldn't dare travel around
with him unless he had double extra-strong
cage. He lived in an Indian jungle, and even
the lion, though they call him the king of the
beasts, wasn't quite sure he was boss of the
woods when this tiger was around, for he was
quarrelsome fellow, and greater He had
paw as big as the top of your school-boy
cap, and his fore-leg was so strong that he
could kill a man with one blow on his head.
"On whose head =
"Why, the mans, of course'
The leopards were awfully afraid of him,
and changed their spots very lively when he
was prowling around.
Who was prowling around ?"
"The tiger, of course don't get excited.
viii, but just wait and see how the story
comes out"
Well, one moonlight night this old tiger
went trotting out of tho woods towards a lake
that was near by, thinking he could catch a
deer that had gone down to drink. The wolves
skunk away before him, and the little white
tailed rabbits scud and scamper like mice be-
fore the cat. For the tiger is only big cat,
you know, and the rabbits are his mice, and
the wolves his rats.
Pretty soon he came down to the edge of
the water, and crouched along looking for
deer for his supper, for he hadn't had any
thing to eat but one young Indian for two
days. And he was dreadfully cross-about as
you'd'be if you'd had only oae sandwich to
eat in all day. But the deer had smelt him
and legged it away, carrying their bushy tails
straight up behind them like flags. AS he
crawled along he saw some immense big ami
NAL standing in the edge of the lake, drink
ing. 1t was an elephant, but as he'd never
met one before, he didn't know what it was.
But he wasn't the sort Of tiger to stand a.
round waiting for an introduction before he
spoke, and SO he dashed his side with his tail,
and growled
" Me ye-o.w! R-r-ow-ow--t-st !"
The old elephant looked up kind of surpris-
ed, as much as to say
6 / guess somebody's cat has got lost"
And then the tiger growled and spit again,
savager than before. This riled the elephant
the bottom, filed it full of muddy water, and
taking good aim, spnrted it right into the tig-
er's savage eyes and wide-open mouth"
You never heard such howl as he set up.
1t just split crack in the airsfor half mile.
The old elephant had no idea that SO much
noise could come out of one cat, and SO he
walked slowly up to the shore 10 see about it.
He hadn't been out more'n quarter Of a
second before he wished he hadn't come. For
that tiger just lit on to his back, and went to
clawiug and biting like mad. The elephant
tried to shake him off, but you might as well
try to shake burr out of your hair A tiger
don't shake off worth a cent. SO the elephant
started on lively run for the woods, as they
generally do when anything is on their back
scooted under the low limb of big tree, and
that brushed the tiger off.
Then he turned and faced the tiger, and
put his two long tusks straight out, and kept
his sharp little eyes on keen lookout, for
he was mad by this time. And as the tigers
long curly tail kept lashing his striped sides,
the elephants funny little tail, with its bunch
of bushy hair on the end, kept switching too,
faster than a colts in fy-time.
Pretty soon the tiger crouched down and
made spring but the elephant caught
him ON his tusks, and tossed him about ten
feet into the air, and when he came down
caught him again with sharp jab, and threw
him on the ground And then he walloped
that tiger with his trunk, and punched him
with his tusks, and I" stamped " Oh him with
his big feet, until he was glad to get up and
run away, with his tail between his legs.
And the tiger thought to himself that If he
ever picked quarrel with any other stranger
1t wouldn't be with an animal as big as load
of hay, with an India rubber hide, and two
great teeth yard long. and tails at both ends
lone Of 'em made ON purpose to thrash folks
with.
And the elephant went back to the water tx
wash bis wounds, vowing that he never die
! like cats, any way Golden Rule.