The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1884-09-03
ADVENTURE WITH A TIGER.
A Story Of Northern Tndin.

way" 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 ve'y good fun
at least, so long as you're huntingth
tiger; but when the tiger takes to hunt
ing 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 TO
this very spot, about six years ago.
''ln those days, as you may think, the
place looked very different from whatit
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 II you
wanted to 90 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 have slept very
sound here in those times. | can prom
ise you didn't for the first month or
so. No sooner did il ret dark than
you'd hear a 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.
"TheE tnat would wake up the croco'
dies in the mud along the bank, and in
a minute they'd all be sp,ashing and
bcllowing in chorus, one louder than
another.
"Then the monkeys in the trees
overhead would begin squeaking and
chattering and howiing like mad.
Then that would arouse some dread
full old native bird, whose name 1 could
never find out (perhaps no one had
ever been able to invent one bad
enough for it), and 1t would start
shreking away as if somebody was be-
ing murdered.
"And 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 cannon browns the crackle OF tire
works; but in another minute or two,
they were all Just as bad as ever.
''But the things that plagued me
most were the iackals. You've heard
them often enough, and so you can
Judge what it must have been for o
man fresh out from Europe land rather
feverish into the bargain) to hear under
his window, evers-night and all night
long, q noise rs II forty children were
being bitten by half dozen mad dogs.
"Nt last, | couldn't stand it any
longer, and made up my mind that
I'd teach them to hold their tongues be-
fore | he'd done with them, II had To
keep watch for fortnight to do II.
$50, early one morning, / went out
to small clearing in the very heart ol
the wood, where there were plenty OF
iacISals' tracks about, and dug hole
deep enough to cover me, leaving just
my head and arms out
''Then waited till night came on,
and when all my native servants were
asleep, took my double-barrcled rifle,
and away went and got into the hole
10 wait till the ia,kals turned up.
but one would have thought the
sneaking brutes knew what was after;
for, although they had come in crowds
when / dldnt want them, yet now,
when / was watching and wishing fol
them, not one would show his nose.
"Well, there / waited and waited,
till at last got so tired and stiff that ]
was just thinking OF giving it up and
going home to bed, when / thought ]
heard rustling in the thicket just il
front Of me.
"The next moment there was 9
snarp cracking, like dtied twigs snap.
ping under heavy weight. and Out
into the clearing, with every point oi
him quite plain In the glorious summer
moonlight, came stalking the biggest
tiger had ever seen in my life.
"lts no use trying to make out thai
wasn't frightened. | Das frightened
and very badly frightened, too, l car
tell you.
"Indecd, Icouldn'. well have beer
in worse fix than l was. IL had
been on tree, should have had nc
fear, for the real Bengal tiger cant
climb like the panther or the cougar,
Even il had been out on level ground,
I'd have felt more comfortable; foi
then, at least, should have had 8
chance to fight or run. But, iammeC
as was into this precious hole, with
my head just level with the ground. ]
seemed put there on purpose for tn,
beast to eat whenever he liked,
"The tiger saw me as plain as l saw
him, and came creeping on till / could
feel his hot breath on my face, and
count every one Of the great white fang;
that glttered so ominously in the moon
light. Why didn't | shoot hjmP you
say. Why, Just because at the very
first movement | made he'd have bit
ten my head off like strawberry. My
D only chance was TO keep stock still, and
v I did II.
. meanwhile, Mr.. Tiger seemed quite
as much taken back as was. Tht
sight Of mans head growing out Of
Az ,-xn,rd lilo n rnuahrnnm was nj