The southern sentinel. (Winnfield, La.) 1883-1910, 1884-11-21
INTERVIEWED BY A TIGER.
A story of Northern India.

story of Northern India.
"Tiger-hunting's very good fun in its
gav,i said Mr. K, as we sat in the
veranda of his bungalow (house) one
fine July evening. watching the sun
sink over the rocks that overhung the
Nerbudda River. .It's very good fun
at least, so long as you're hunting the
tiger; but when the tiger takes to hunt
ine you, it's not quite SO jolly.
..But, although I've had some mar
row escapes in that way, too, I'd sooner
have them all twice over than one such
adventure as happened to me close 70
this very spot, about six years ago.
In those days. as you may think. the
place looked very different from what 1t
does now. Tie railway wasn't even
begun then. and was the only white
man for miles round.
..All this clearing was as thick as
hat-brush, with trees and jungles right
down to the waters edge, and If you
wanted to GO anywhere. your only
chance was to look out for some place
where an elephant had crushed his way
through the thickets, and then follow
his track.
II don't believe you'd have slept verv
sound here in those times. / can prom
Use YOU didn't for the first month or
so. No sooner did it get dark than
you'd hear q row like fifty cracked
trumpets all blowing at once, and by
that YOU would know that an elephant
was coming down to drink at the river.
"Ther that would wake up the croco-
dies in the mud along the bank. and in
a minute they'd all be splashing and
believing in chorus. one louder than
another.
Then the monkeys in the trees
overhead would begin squeaking and
chattering and bowling like mad.
Then that would arouse some dread
full old native bird, whose name could
never find out (perhaps no one had
ever been able to invent one bad
enough for it). and it would start
shrieking away as if somebody was be-
ing murdered. :.
aAnd then, all at once, there would
come rolling through the depths of the
forest the roar of tiger. which seemed
to strike them all silent for moment.
as a cannon browns the crackle OF tire
works; but in another minute or two.
they were all just as bad as ever.
.sBut the things that plagued me
most were the jackals. You've heard
them often enough. and SO you can
Judge what it must have been for q
man fresh out from Europe (and rather
| feverish into the bargain) to hear under
his window, every night and all night
| long, a noise as if forty children were
being bitten by half a dozen mad dogs
| ..At last, / couldn't stand it any
longer, and made up my mind thai
I'd teach them to hold their tongues be.
fore had done with them. if l had Il
keep watch for fortnight to do it.
so, early one morning, went on
to a small clearing in the very heart o.
the wood, where there were plenty o.
iackals' tracks about, and dug q holt
deep enough to cover me, leaving jus
my head and arms out.
"Theu waited till night came on
and when all my native servants wer
asleep, took my double barreled rifle
and away / went and got into the hol
70 wait till the ia,kals turned up.
"But one would have thought tn
sneaking brutes knew what / was after
for, although they had come in crowd
when l didn't want them. yet now
when was watching and wishing TO
them, not one would show his nose.
"Well, there I waited and waited
till at last got so tired and stiff that
was Just thinking of giving it up an
going home to bed, when / thought
heard rustling in the thicket just j
front of me.
1.-THE next moment there was
L cIls~~ 1sIo ArsoI txvsnps =
ping under heavy weight. and on
into the clearing, with every point {
him quite plain in the glorious summf
moonlight, came stalking the bigge.
tiger had ever seen in my life.
Its no use trying to make out tn,
wasn't frightened. iDas frightenet
and very badly frightened, too. I ca
tell you.
"fndeed, couldn't well have bee
in worse fix than was. II hs
been on . tree, l should have had I
fear, for the real Bengal tiger can
; climb like the panther or the couga
Even If had been out on level groun
| I'd have felt moro comfortable; (,
; then, at least, should have had
! chance to fight or run. But, jammt
, | as was into this precious hole, wit
my head just level with the ground.
seemed put there on purpose for Il
. beast to eat whenever he liked.
1.-The tiger saw me rs plain as 81
Mins. and came creeping on till l cou
, feel his hot breath on my face, al
i count every one of the great white fam
, that glittered so ominously in tho moo
, light. Why didn't I shoot him? "
. say. Why, just because at the We
, first movement / made he'd have b
ten my head of like strawberry. \
) only chance was to keep stock still. al
did it.
Meanwhile, Mr.. Tiger seemed q1i
; - much taken back as / was. 81
!. night of . mans head growing out
4 the ground like . mushroom was.
doubt, cutie new thing 10 his exPs