Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1882-04-19
IN THE TIGERS NAV
BY MAJOR HAMILTON.

we were tar down among the lnnum-
cradle islands of the South Pacific, when
at Jangapore, little coral islet where
we stopped to trade and and refill our
water barrels, the captain found and
purchased Sahib. Sahib was nagnif-
cent Bengal tiger, lett by the proprietor
of a menagerie three years before, a
sickly cub, with the chieftain who ruled
the island, to raise and sell for his keep
ing, or Kill if not saleable. The beauti-
full cat had grown, carefully watched by
his dusky owner; and was rapidly APP
preaching that time when he would have
been marketable as full grown tiger,
when a suddenly developed liking for
"maruka," or human flesh, proven by
his devouring the chiefs daughter one
night, determined that worthy to make
immediate disposition of the brute; and
SO it was that Captain Seeber. finding a
bargain In the animal, bought him, and
he became a passenger on the Lotus.
We were a sort OF daredevil crew.
Yet / well remember the remarks which
our new supercargo occasioned the first
night after we had left Jangapore [
may well term him supercargo, for the
cage which confined his striped highness
both see and be seen.
On this evening, and a glorious night
it was, even for those glorious ATTITUDES,
the labored watch were gathered In a
little group, just below the tiger, dis
cussing his arrival.
=" Els a 'andsome beast, surely" said
English Ned, but dash my heyes eff I
wouldn't see i'm drowned afore I'd chose
him for shipmate -
"Aye, he's none o the best" growled
old Tom Bovine; in the jungle is the
place for the brute, feedin' on niggers,
not aboard a Christian ship. An mark
ye, me lads, he'll bring no good luck to
our homeward tour, either, I" and the old
seadog shock his grizzly head. /.
''Tut, tut, Tom," cried his friend,
young Jem Hepworth, ''the tiger will
do Us no harm, and who do you worry
the boys with your croaking? Do you
not see that the cage is of green bamboo,
the strongest and toughest wood In the
world, and the animal is quiet. We will
sell him In England for good profit,
and you will be as willing as any of US
to take your five pun note for his glossy
hide, % and Jem laughed cheerily.
AYE, aye, my boy, laugh while We
may" still grumbled old Tom, g but the
tiger bf1ngs us no good, I tell We.
Watch ont that yer own hide Is not as
striped as his before We see the cliffs OF
old Englandp'
The truth was the men did not like
the beast. Nevertheless as the days
passed and only an occasional mutter OF
rage or an angry growl, when the lazy
cook delayed the dinner hour, came from
the bamboo cage. Sahib grew to be re-
garded as less of an enemy than former
ly, and at last some Of the sailors actually
expressed themselves as enjoying the
company of the great cat
We had been three weeks out from
Jangapore, and were just free from the
''doldrums, and running day and night
on the starboard tack, with a steady vino
and a fresh sea, when trouble arose or
board the Lotus. 1t was not on account
of Sahib, but the removal of an old quar-
rel between Jem Hepworth and Burr.
the cook. The latter was an ugly. surly
dog, and disliked by the entire ships
crew. Three years before he had sailed
mate of South Sea trader, and Jem was
cabin boy. It seems that Burr had al
that time treated Hepworth with I'M
needed cruelty, and now when he found
himself only cook on board ship where
Jem was boatswain, it CALLED him, and
he was constantly doing aud saying
things to annoy the latter At length