The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1883-12-05
TIGERS.
Man-Eaters Whom the Hindu
stani AbhOre.

to The same objectionable practice
and many a paId does likewise
Every wild beast shuns or fee.
from the lords of creation generally
there are exceptions, of course, sucf
as q must elephant or a solitary tuf
falo; these but prove the rule, L
may be ash ed, then. how comes il
that so many 1elines get over the
dread of man and prey upon him =:
1t may arise from old age, malforms'
ton, Gecrepitude, or al injury, which
incapacltates the beast from replen.
ishing bis larder from the game
which abounds in the jungles of In.
dia, as is universally believed; or q
playful or alarmed tiger. in his full
strength and vigor accidentally
strikes down a man, or, being hard
pressed by hunger, in sheer despera-
ton springs upon him, and. hnding
how much easier he is 10 kill than =
wild beast or the ponderous cattle OF
the villages, perseveres in securing
for the future the same food.
The tigers get verv cunning and
are almost impossible to destroy. A
case is on record, related by a we'll
known and truthful sportsman-the
late Sir James Outram-of q tiger he
was IN search OF following his ele-
plants footsteps and thus eluding
his pursuer. AT tunes their daring
equals their cunning. as witness the
following, which occurred in 1851,
When tue Thirty-sixth n. l., on being
relieved at Samulcottah, marched for
Berbanpore. AS is usually the case,
the mess kit, or q portion of it, was
sent on ahead the evening before, so
that on arrival tea Or breakfast might
be ready OF the officers. The detach-
ment was marching along the high
road and va within three miles of
Toonee, when an officers servant,
who was riding on q pony with a
child in his arms, close to the mess
guard. was carried off by q tiger, the
infaLt being quite unhurt in the aw-
full rush that took place. It would
be interesting to know what effect, if
any, the recollection Of this scene
may have had on the child in after
life. Two Of the officers and a civil
ian, early next morning went back
to the spot to try and recover the
body. EXCEPT that they had to make
their way in Indian file through
thick, thorny bushes, under which
they had to crawl on hands and knees
the trail, marked with fragments CT
the clothes, the cap, keys, purse,
blood and hair Of the victim, was an
easy one. The body was very little
mangled. SC 1t was determined to
wait for the return of the tiger, and
IN the mean time to erect a machan
or platform in the only tree near.
One of the officers returned to camp,
as be had work to attend to. leaving
his two companions to watch for the
m~an-slayer. These two took shelter
from the sun, as it was then midday.
under y bush close to but not within
sight OF the body, which was not a
pleasant spectacle during their meal.
Their gun carriers were about the
spot collecting the rough materials at
hand for the platform. While all
were thus employed, the tiger carried
off the body from their midst in open
day. and through not very thick
brush wood, without being observed
by any oDe. They endeavored to fol-
low the trail, but without success, for
the body had then neither blood nor
rags to mark the trail, and the ground
was hard. The beast had out witted
them and escaped with his prey.
Another desperate and almost in
credible attack by y man-eater was
that made by one, in the Yonzaleen.
Captain C. Hill, of the Sixty.
ninth regiment, who, marching along
at the head of a strong force of con-
stabulary in pursuit of a body of
Shan Levies who had deserted the
taking with them their arms
wa seized by one in open day, and.
after q desperate haEd-to hand en-.
counter, lives to tel! the tale. His
cowardly peelers gave him no assist
.nce, and he owed his escape to fall
ing down suddenly when the tiger
struck him on the neck, the beast 90
ing a complete sOmersault Over him.
When they met face to face again al
ter this upset, the man on his hands
and knees, with The blood pouring
down his face and beard, appeared to
The feline metamOrphosed into a four
10 ted beast more uncanny than him
self. For man he did not care q pin,
Tor the object opposed to him he did.
putting his tail between his legs
le beat q retreat.
Bad as tigers are when they take
% preying On man, panthers, then
hey take to the same hOnicidal pro-
,enslties, are far worse. A tiger can
,ut he will seldom climb q tree. A
nan who ia perched on an elevation
n on a mechan ia generally safe.
Instances have been known where
me of these dreaded cats has delhi.
rately climbe, up a tree and, after .
ringing down the sportsman. reas. !
ending and killing the shikarie who. :
ere't OF his senses, remained, uuies- =
eDt though armed; but this again ia ,
u exception to the habits of the am !.
AL; but q pard can climb a tree :
nth the greatest facility and often !.
oes so, lying in wait on a pendant :
ranch and on any thing passing !.
nderneatn bouncing down upon it '
Thus, when one of these lesser but =
'rmidable felines takes to killing y =
AN, he is far more destructive than I"
10 bigger brother. Nothing is safe =
ON him. Men watching in their pad y
'-fields on machines disapper. Hou- .
q are entered and inmates carried n
way. He becomes q ~courge indeed. !;
not speedily killed. Very often the u
llage is deserted; Their cunning j is ~
ual to their ferOcity. Many of these =
rds are in size equal to young IT, g
rs or full-grown ~tigeresses; their u
lck and activity far greater, their Il
ocity and attack, when wounded. n,
1al. 1 would sooner any day have =.
deal with the largest tiger than an ~
mary sized panther. They take an r.,
mence deal of killing and will ~
N after being shot through the -,
lrt kill several men If they can get
hem, before giving up the ghost. T.
erl
ONDON, Nov. 3O-It is stated that ma