The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1882-04-26

How Nysterious Marksman Shot
. Royal Bengal Man. Eater
Nineteen Feet Lon9.

NOt many miles ICOU1 tue ats Ol M.
agara IL stationed Canadian custom
official, an ex-MajOr, ar, as he would
say, MeejOr-of Her Majesty's service.
In oint of fact he served in regiment
of Irish MALTA, and then crossed the
department. This, however, does not
upon his startling experiences in India,
the Crimea and variO.s other parts Of
the world whenever he can obtain an
audience. Another veteran, whose
skill with the weapon OF the old Eng
lish yeonlan was remarkable, General
F. visited Canada not long ago, and
party Of prominent politicians, aware
Of their fellow failing, cOntrivetl meet
ing between them at dinner where the
conversation became speedily animated
and took the direction Of personal ad-
venture.
"Verv remarkable, indeed :" observed
the General, a.. by way of starter"
one of the party told IN anec(lOte OF an
escape from an infuriatell buffalo,; ''iu
fact, 1t reminds me Of most singular
occurrence that happened to myself In
India. Hem! 1t was about 1917, and
the Forty eleventh fighting Forty
eleventh. as it was cnlleti-was station
ed ut Cundclbund, up in the Bogomaroo
e. untry, when one day delegation Of
headnien came in to ask the Colonel Sa-
hib tO allow one Of his officers to ~
with them and kill royal Bengal
nan-eater thst had been infesting their
district for years. 1t was u very lonely,
Out-Of-the-way place, and no European
had ever visited It, and, being rather
an adventurous young chap, l'egad,
gentleman, l volunteered for the job
and ACCOMPANIED the poor devils hack
through the jungle. Well, the event.
full day came; they marked down the
brute in patch Of jungle, and the whole
able-b0died population turned out with
tOna-t0nls and manages and other music
al instruments to make him break cov-
er. The way tO the jungle was up .
mullah-the dried-up bed Of q mO'nt-
ain ayah"-
"Donkas, We used to call 'em insouth
Africa, !" interjected the Meejor.
"Precisely. Well, l was walking in
front and = dozen shikarries were fol-
10 wing carrying my guns, ammunition
h00kah. and 50 on, when, gentlemen,
We heard . roar like cataract, and BE-
sad that royal Bengal man-eater came
boiling out Of the jungle and charged
down that mullah like whirlwind.
Nineteen feet from noso to tail, and -
tall as an elephant, Begad, the coward
ly shikarries gave one wlloOp and cut 1t,
and there was yours truly facing the In
furiated least with no other weapon
than . bamboo cane. 1t was the tight
est place ever was in; but the honor
Of the Caucasian race and the the fight
ing FOrty-elI Iventh was in my hands,
and l advanced on the brute. About
forty feet from me he gathered himself
for spring, and ut that moment, gem
tlemcn, there came y shot from u cluster
of plantain palms on the right and that
royal Bengal n,an-eater fell dead ut my
feet-sl,Ot through the eye"
every remarkable. indeed"
"But, gentlemen, the remarkable Imrt
of the story ia yet to come. We hurried
| tn that clulnp Of trees to sec who this
markan,an cOulll Ike, and not q trace Of
him could We find. The hea.lmcn swOrt,
by all the incarnatiOUs Of Visllnu that
no European Sahib had ever l*en in
their country, and from that day tn this
have never known tO whom ! Owc<t
my preservation"
''(;eneral," s..Id the Mee:Or, solemn
| ly, II was the man."
It was terrible shock to the General,
hut he recovered promptly to embrace
his prescrvcr and invite him, whenever
he was passing through Cumberland. tn
stop ut castle CarnfelIy and see the skin
of the royal Bengal nnI,-tnter, nineteen
feet from na,se tn tail, lNgud.