The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1881-02-17
A TERRIBLE MOMENT.

l had Just reioined my regiment in
India. the FOrtv-second Higlanders,
better known as the Black Watch, after
n year OF sick leave in Europe, and was
seated in nv friend Major McGregor's
cool and comfortable bungalow, gossip
inc over all that had occurred in the
corps during my absence, when young
Alick TarquhGrson, one of the Inver-
cnuld FarQuharsons, strolled in with
the, to me, pleasing intelligence of
"Iiger.'
BY Jove, that old shikarree, what
-mav-call- em--l never can recollect
his name-has smelt the beast, and the
colonel is for getting up Il grand hunt,
for the purpose of bagging the brute
and-the skim; the latter for Mrs.
-" mentioning lady's name, the
owner whereof-well, will not repeat
the story.
"Deil take the colonel" grumbled
Sandy Mcpherson, who spoke with as
strong Scotch accent as any "braw
chiel" north of the Tweed; "he's a
the time spcerin' about tigers and var
mint, and if ane O the laddies kills a
beastie, down he pops on him for the
skin"
at would be awfully jolly to cut out
this hunting expedition" | suggested.
"And how ?" demanded Farquharson.
Just to beat up a few beaters, get
out to the Jungle. and pot the beast
while the colonel is ordering elephants
in impossible Hindoostanee."
"By Jupiter Olympus l'm with your
ii l-1t Gto ri
right away, for 1 heard Old Bagpipes" :"
commanding officer was known, ac-
pipers of the corps to play at
chotohassuv, alias breakfast; titiin, alias
luncheon, and dinner, till the mess was
fairly "sliirted" to death" telling
Gordon to look up the guns"
"Wa shall start now" | cried. 81
have broutht out capital pair of
double -barrelcd breech-loaders, smooth
bore-the Prince Of Wales brought
down sag of ten tyne with
one of them at Mar Forest this season.
and Il Snyder"
"Then I'll look up the beaters and
old wha.-do-vou-call-'em, the shikarree, y
said FarIuharson.
Far1uharson and left the compound
by different exits, having agreed upon a
rendezvous When we arrived at the
trvsting place [ found the shikarTee and
half dozen beatcrs armed not only
with rifles, but with rockets, the latter
for the purpose of driving the tiger out
of the Jungle.
had taken the prccaution of thrust
ING conteau dc chasse, or deer-knife-
given to me, by the way, by his royal
highness, the Duke of Connaught, while
at Lord Fife's-in my belt, and armed
with my double-barrel l felt match
for any tawny dcnizen of the yellow
jungle.
The shikarrce assured us with con-
siderable circumlocutiOn--and after eX-
acting solemn promise to save him
from the wrath of sahib, the colonel
that a tiger had been lowering about
this particular jungle for some time
past that a COW had mysteriously dis
appeared, and, having been tracked, its
bones were found close by where We
were then holding council of war.
The jungle in which his Tigerian
majesty was supposed to be ensconced
was but short quarter of mile from
camp, and of a very close and dense
nature, save in bald patches, which
yielded q goodly crop of boulders, or
where small stream cut it in two. A
few stunted trees endeavored to beard
the fierce rays of the Indian sun, but
King Sol had shriveled up their foliage
until it was of the tawny yellow of the
Jungle grass, that color so admirably
arranged to conceal the hide of the
tiger.
"Ah!" suddenly exclaimed the shi-
karree, in a low tone, "it's all right.
sahib. The tiger is in the Jungle. All,
here's his pug" (track). "See how it
leads right into it."
That's a large fist" observed
Farquharson.
Yes, sahib, it is one great pug.
Great tiger-great shiker " (beast) " for
sahibs."
The beaters, who, as a rule, are the
most cowardly wretches in the world,
now huddled together and held council
in low whispers, their heads close, their
eyes directed to the jungle, their burn
ished bodies in attitudes suggestive OF
instant flight.
The shikarTee ordered us to beat
that section of the Jungle on our
immediate right as being the most
dense, and where, in all probability, the
tiger was now enjoying -prandial
nap, good digestion having waited upon
appetite.
The beaters were accordingly assem-
bled, and Farquharson took the near
side, while took the other
With sharp glance at our gunlocks
and a general hitch to garments, VIZ
prepared to go into action.
81 say, old fellow" pleaded my com
panion-in-arms, "won't you give m,
the first shot ? It's my first tiger-pott
ing, you know"