Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1879-10-06


back to it with the care of a Sioux In
dian trailing an enemy through an
American forest. Our footsteps were so
distinct that l had little difficulty in my
retrogression, and ] reached the descent
at the very point where he had left it.
"'If company of the Sepoys should
run across'our trail,' reflected. with a
shudder, and should suspect our identi-
ty, they wouldn't have any trouble in
running us down.
"However there was no evidence of
danger to distract my attention from
the search for the shawl, and approach
ing the edge of the descent, | looked
scrutinizingly downward.
T---L~--s-1 1as-s-a . is<s..a /,
exclaimed the next moment, for | had
caught a glimpse of the brilliantly-bea
tiful skin beneath some broad-leafed un-
dergrowth, such as is common in Asiatic
jungles.
Immediately was making my way
down the descent, jumping, sliding and
catching the branches, by way of brake
until finally reached the bottom, with
a momentum which compelled me to run
a rod or SO before / could check myself.
81 turned as quickly as possible, but
could see nothing of the tiger-skin. This
/ concluded, however, was merely due
to change in our relative positions, and
moved toward the bush underneath
which | had seen it a few minutes be-
fore.
"When the spot was reached the tiger
skin had vanished stood dumbfound-
ed. There was no mistake as to the
locality, and the mystery was incompre-
hensible.
"'There seems to be some magic
going on here
"A rustling of the leaves attracted
my notice, and, turning my head, there
stood the tiger-skin within fifty feet ! 1t
was alive and bristling with fury. In
stead of the shawl, it was the terrible
creature itself which lay beneath the
bush.
81 was surprised, as you may say, to
find myself confronted by the most
dreaded denizen of the Asiatic jungle,
and stood staring at him, loaded gun
in hand, as if 1 were really undecided
to what to do about it.
"But tiger never shows indecision
at such times, and | have no doubt the
animal looked upon me then as his game
to dead certainty.
| "There was something horribly fasci
mating in the appearance of the tiger
with his tail irregularly waving from
side to side, his long. white, dagger-lik,
teeth displayed. his huge greenish eye
afame with passion, while cavernou
growl issued from his vitals.
i During that second or two that w
confronted each other. | discovered an
| other thing. The skin or shawl fo
which l was searching lay on the grounC
between the tiger and me.
Il speedily recovered from my paral
ysis and comprehended that if ever ther
was a call for excellent Workmanship i
had now come. If could shoot an,
kill the tiger. that was the end of it;
| should miss or only wound him, tha
would be the end of me- And the wors
phase of it all was that. owing to th
tenacity of the tigers life, it is almos
impossible to wound him so as to inca
pacitate him on the instant. He wi
, often tear round and make horrible hay
oc when half dozen balls are in hin
and he is mortally wounded.
} "All this was we'll known to me whe
| raised my gun and took deliberate ali
at the beast l held my fire until
was evident from the twitching of tn
: muscles and that restless gathering hin
self for spring.
cat that instant | pulled the trigge
, A curious result followed. The ba
passed directly through the right eye {
the animal, and out again in the neigl
borhood of the ear. The shock at til
: very instant of leaping. and the sudde
blotting out of half of his vison, destroy
r ed for time his power of co-ordinatin|
81 sprang aside the instant after pu
, ling the trigger. but it was useless. II
tiger struck six feet from where stoo.
Q and then, instead of following me u
/ seemed to become wild and bewildere,
< He acted as if he imagined a spllnt
t had been thrust into his eye. He ke]
: flirting his paw against the side of h
head, which he also leaned over al
] rubbed upon the ground in the effort
e remove the annoyance. | did not lea
$ my remarkable advantage Runimprove
n This can-can was not likely to contin1
long, when the infuriated beast wou
q go for me with a vengeance.
: "The nearest tree was rod distan
J. and | ran to that. No such despera
e climbing was ever witnessed as | di
played for the next few second but a
d ! cended, and pcrched myself at the hig
n est point which would sustain me. Th,