Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1885-02-11
A Tiger Story.
TCor, London Telegraph,


There are two principal ways in
Southern India of destroying the jungle
monarch. One is with heaters and ele-
plants gathered in array to drive the
game from his cover into the open; and
the other method is sitting up all night
over "kill" Ii. e., dead COW or goat
struck down by the tiger), and thus
patiently waiting until he comes to
finish the carcass, when at least one
good shot is certain. The Old
Shikaree" tells good story of this mid
night watching, which also illustrates
an Indian superstition. He asked his
native hunter on one occasion whether
it was true that he had sat up for tiger
by the body of man who had been
killed. The native nodded, and in a
whisper, stealing glace along the
margin of the jungle, pausing to listen
now and then for few seconds, said 1t
was in the hot weather five years ago,
and he had gone home to his village in
Mysore with some rupees saved, and
rifle. He had been idle for few days,
when news came one morning to the
head man that woman had seen fakir
stricken down by tiger not mile his
door. From what the woman told, the
tiger was recognized as well-known man
eater, one that had long been the dread
of the lonely stretch of road he haunted,
the beast being supposed to live pro-
tected by the souls of people he had
killed. Nevertheless, the huntsman
determined to shoot him IL possible !;
said his prayers, and loading his gun
with two bullets, when evening came he
went out alone to avenge the poor pill
grim. It was such night as ours, with
a bright moon and no sound any where,
and he soon reached the spot, and
climbed into tree directly over the dead
body, which was lying horribly mangled
and torn, with the face downward, in
the grass. Il was not afraid" said the
shikaree, "but longed for the tiger to
come, aud had not been in my tree for
ten minutes when some peacocks at
roost in the jungle began to chatter and
cry, thus showing he was moving. A
very little while longer and he stole out
of the shadow as silently as the moon
energies from behind cloud, creeping
forward to begin his meal on the body
in the grass below. I made sure of kill
ing him, and only waited to fire until
he came little closer. What I'm going
to say, sahib, you will not believe, but
it is as true as that I am here that when
the tiger had arrived within ten yards
of the body, and my finger was just
pressing the trigger, the dead man
slowly turned himself over, and raising
one of his shattered arms pointed to me
for as long time as it would take to
count ten, whereupon the tiger with a
deep growl bounded back to the Jungle.
For moment or two my heart was as
cold as the dew on the barrel of my
Candahar rife, but soon my blood moved
again and was more than ever deter
mined to shoot the tiger in spite of the
spirits that seemed to care for him.
Twice more. sahib, did the lean, NANCY
beast come out of the jungle all hungry
for the feast, and each time the horrible
mangled fakir sat up and pointed at me
in the bright moonlight. At last, when
the tiger had gone away the third time,
1 came down from the tree, and with
the hunting-knife which hung at my
belt cut two strong bamboo pegs, and
with these fastened down to the ground
the broken and crushed hands of the
poor victim; then, taking up my posi-
ton again, waited the next appearance
OF the tiger. This is all my story, sahib.
The man-eater came once more from
the gloom and crawled up slowly to the
dead pilgrim, who writhed Intellectually
to free his hands For a minute the
tiger watched, and then, hungry with
waiting, seeing no warning sign, sprang
upon his benefactor with a roar ike the
thunder of bursting monsoon. / hit
him hard, SO that he fell helpless, and,
sliding down from my seat, walked up
to the beast as he was rolling over and
kicking, and killed him with at shot