The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1881-09-10
THE TIGER.HUNTER OF MADRAS.


THE TIGER.HUNTER OF MADRAS.
While sitting in the little depot at
Jooa one afternoon, in conversation
with the station agent, freight No. Is,
from Madras, came on to the sliding
opposite to wait for the Bombay express
to pass. Attached to the long train of
rice cars, were several flats, some with
daks'' ON them, others with palan-
quins, and on the hindermost a very
odd-looking object which at once at
tracted our attention-the more that
there seemed to be man inside it.
What have you got on that rear car.
Falesp'' my friend the agent called out
to the conductor of the freight.
"You've got me nowr' replied that
official, with laugh. That's nom
descript. No name on it. Billed to
Yuloodian. Walk up and see for your
selves, gentlemen. That is the shipper
inside; name, Geeter Zoom Jooqr,. by
trade tiger-killer. But you won't find
him laxative" T
The nondescriptp was round,
cage-like structure, some twelve feet in
diameter, by six or seven in height. The
bottom was of heavy black timber, and
the flat top of the same, but not quite
as massive, while the sides were of
thick, straight, brown bamboo rods, or
bars, set upright like stanchions in the
black bed-pieces, with spaces betwixt
them four or five inches wide. In
short, it was heavy, round cage, made
years and years ago, and of curious
workmanship. r-s
But the old native inside it was still
greater curiosity. He was arrayed in a
dirty blue cotton frock, and drawers,
or trousers, of the same stuff. His feet
were bare-such feet! They were so
shrunken and bony, and of such shiny,
wine-brown hue, as to give one the idea
that they had been calcined over a slow
fire. e4
The man was bare-headed, too, and
what is not common among Hindoos,
his hair, thin and in part gray, was
braided in acne down his back.
The tightness of the skin across his
brows gave to his countenance astrange-
ly mummitied expression, hardly re-
heved by the deep, dull, black eyes and
coarse, thin eyebrows; while the lower
part of his face was curiously marked
with still coarser crinkled hairs, too
scattering to be called a beard.
His general complexion was like an
old, withered walnut. From the elbow
down, his arms were bare; and they
seemed mere parcels of bone and sinew
bound tightly up in sun-dried hide,
while his lean fingers like claws termi-
mated in nails an inch or more long.
Indeed, in the matter of personal APP
pearance, Mr.. Geeter Zoom Joogr was
one of the strangest u,abunaan human
beings / have ever CHANGED to meet in
any country.
Set against the side of the cage were
two short spears, or lances, five or six
feet in length, with handles of some
black wood, and thin, sharp, slender
points of bright steel which shone like
silver These blades, or points, were
of themselves nearly or quite two feet
long; altogether very ugly-looking i'm
plements.
l did not find him at all communica-
tive. He sat on cane stool, with his
back to the bars of the cage, and solaced
the fatigues of his journey with an enor-
nous pipe. t..
My knowledge of Hindustani was not
sufficient to make much impression on
him at first. A few stolid responses
were all that l could elicit from him.
He said, or rather admitted, that he
was going to Yuloodian to kill a tiger;
and that killing man-eating tigers was
his business. Fifty rupees was his price
for killing dangerous tiger.
He had made this his business TO,
twenty years, since the Sepoy war.
felt very curious to know how the ole
man hunted, and asked permission t.
60 up to Yuloodian and participate il
the hunt. To this request he made NJ
reply for awhile, but upon my urging i
several times, at length said:
1.-The Sdliib can suit himself
just then the express whistled in
and as soon as it had passed, the freigh
and with it old Geeter and his Gag,
moved on. lif +.,stT ,,
Late in the afternoon, after my dutie
on the section were over for the day,
went up on the sway freight" t
Yuloodian, taking my Remington car
bine and a stock of cartridges.
1t was one of those little Hindoo vii
lagos of perhaps two hundred souls
where the people were prosecuted by
tiger; a state of things hard to conceiv
of in America. But in India, wher
Buddhism prevails to some extent, it
contrary to religion to kill any creature
even tigers and venomous snakes.
Ordinarily tigers are not dangefou
TO the people. But sometimes one wi
get taste of human blood Thence
forward such a tiger will subsist 0
nothing save mans flesh, if it can b
any boldness obtain it, and making il
lair in the thickets on the outskirts {
t'