The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1879-09-09
THE MAN EATER.


friend through street in Lucknow,
when, in the middle of the road, we
came upon bloody mass, apparently
the remains of a woman, but bruised
and lacerated, and crushed almost out
G semoiaiiiecAA to humanity.
Stopping the buggy we '"oAeo arouna ana
for some explanation of the tragedy, o
then perceived that the streets were ut
terly deserted of man, woman, child and
beast, although lew 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
. riot, and the soldiers have made an
example or two for the benefit of the re-
mainder," said my friend, as we drove
hurriedly on.
A few rods further we came upon the
corpse of young man similarly dlsiig-
ured, and also lying in the middle OF the
road.
"This is really awful. They must have
made the elephants kill them," muttered
my friend again, stopping the horse and
gazing at the frightful spectacle.
At this moment man appeared upon
the top of an adjoining house, and looked
anxiouslv 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 care of yourselves, sahibs,
be is coming. The mm-eater is upon
you!"
"The admee-kanawalla! the man.
eater! | have seen him. He is horse
with the temper of tiger and the cour-
age of man. He belongs to the
King, who sometimes sends slave who
displeases him into the stable. They
drag the body out with hooks"
As he spoke my friend was hastily
turning his horses while the terrified
Syce, why 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
eended both my friend and had noticed
sort of park or pleasure ground, sur
rounded with high iron fence, its gates
standing Hospitality open. Toward these
gates we now drove at the top speed of
eur horse, 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
rec if he had left us But he had only
encountered child, too young to know
its danger or to escape it, and when |
caught sight of him, the savage beast was
shaking the poor little object in its mouth
precisely as dog does rat. Another
moment and he had dropped it, and was
in pursuit of us, That moments pause,
however, had lost him his prey, for just
Is ne 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
Ghock 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
bis cheeks, as horrible 4 sight as can well
be conceived.
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 a lion.
For few moments the man-eater per-
listed in his determination to assault us,
galloping up and down the front of the
mclosure, gIancing at the height of the
fence, and raining 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
che road. A little below us an archway
had been thrown across from one house
to another, and upon this arch a number
Of troopers stood awaiting the opportu-
nifty 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,
choked, and threw him.
The next day the king ordered the
man-eater to be turned into the arena
with Burrhea, his finest Bengal tiger.
The arena was courtyard about six
ty yards square, surrounded by build
ings, with veranda below and gallery
above.
The front of this vcranda was closed
by heavy bamboo railing, and behind
it, in space just below the royal balco-
ny, the ladiesof the harem, or as they are
called in Hindostanee, the Purdahbee
bees, meaning literally curtain-ladies, as
distinguished from the poorer class of fe
males, were allowed to peep as they
could at the combat.
The man-eater had been enticed into
the inclosure by means of a country hors'
of small value, to whom he manifested
no apimosity, but seemed to regard will
contemptuous indulgence, as creature
not, indeed, of his own kind, but suffi
ciently near it to secure him from th'
ferocious attacks he reserved for the in
ferior race called man.
While the horses sported together
IL