Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1885-02-27

FEBRUARY q. 1
the slaughtered COW, lying in fun
moonlight, and most strange and oun.
c"nny it looked. But our native
gulue whispering that we were al
reaay iate' now glanced round and
Seisc'lng neighboring tree. signed to
i' 'uaI we should climb into it. Moth
lng io'h for the sha1ows of the iun-
sie were iearfully dark, and the tiger
"ss' as my comrade said in nv ear
'overdue'-we were speedily aloft and
saieiy perchel in the hollow of a deep
lorA commanding a good view Of the
deaa helfer. Our rifles loaded and ar
ranged, we proceeded to brace our
nerves to an iron clad calm, while en-
Joylhg the contrast of bright white
IshJ and deep shadows on the plateau
Oelore our eyes. But the suspense of
waiting soon became very hard to bear
every rustic in the Jungle, every
chlrrup Of cricket, made US grip our
guns under the impression that the en-
emy was at hand. Royalty, however,
at home is not to be hurried, and the
beast took his time The delightful
quletness Of the evening was broken
only by the familiar voices of the for
est, grown so common to our sense of
hearing that they were now hardly
a 4eptible. Every twig had its hum
n4hg night-perfotmer, every blade of
g Ess or loose stone was an orchestra
fd a chorus Of winged insect musicians
a ing to the general murmuring.
p and again the black monkeys in
a u tree in the valley below appeared
tIibled by dreadfully bad dreams Of
wsdering panthers or gliding snakes,
all disturbed the universal peace by a
sf9len chorus of barking. Overhead
Il (5leaves made a fairy tracery against
t6purple vault Of heaven spangled
YE glittering consultations, and a
sfoting star flashed occasionally
a3oss the vault, dragging after it a
pR streamer of saffron light
suddenly the cold, black, nervous
fingers Of the shikaree tightened on
mI arm, and l could feel his agitation,
Though he was invisible, for at this
mSmeat the moon went behind a fleet
ofRight, feecy clouds sailing up from
thb westward before the faint midnight
Wind. My own hands closed on my
rile. while eyes and ears were strained
id ectually to see or hear anything
id le gloom, and heart and breathins
VI Kept under close control to pre-
She possibility OF any sound q,
- - How long ttAta 1s.,.,t =
Served it is dfnIcuIt Co say, ouS
peMrhaps forty seconds the wind war
q ae of the cloud shrouding the mooi
1 he'd siIvery with light, and another
d nd or two saw the great shield o1
81 Ter ride out triumphantly into space
II tantly all eyes were TUNED to the
II II at our feet, and there, his ap-
pfbach unannounced by the cracking
of a single twig or the displacement of
one pebble, stood our quarry, his royal
livery of striped gold and black show
ing with wonderful richness in the
clear glimmer of the stars; one mon
strous paw planted firmly on the swell
ing flank of the dead kline, and the i'm.
fcrial jowl already at work mailing
Fnder the creatures body for the
!rickle of blood yet yelling from the
ugly gashes in its neck. Then the
royal beast giving way to his appetite
tore long goblet Of flesh from the
shoulder, and was settling himself
down to a comfortable evenings re-
past But he never said grace after
that meal! saw my friends rifle 90
pto his shoulder as the tiger turned
lls broadslde for a moment, and the
next a tongue of flame leaped forth,
and the sharp crack of the rifle hushed
every wild thing in the forest. while
It's own echoes rolled away among the
distant hills to light and left.
1t was clearly hit. for we noticed
.he bullet plump on the mark and
heard the short, sharp, angry growl
which responded like an echo to the
mot, and when the smoke drifted off
through the branches we perceived
stripes limping away badly wounded
n the direction Of a nullh or deep
Sater-course thirty yards over the
lead grass. Into this he was hasten-
hg Just as | got good sight upon
nm ana my ball, taking him in the
'ack' made him leap high in the air
Ind plunge apparently dead, into the
orlnda bushes. Ny companion ever
mpetuous-was down to the ground
md running after him quick as
nought Following, but keeping
teady finger on the trigger to meet
ny charge of the enemy-.for nothing
more dangerous than a badly
tiger-I was at the brink al.
lost as soon as my comrade. "Wbere
neF was then the question. and for
moment we were uncertain; but two |
ZONES thrown into a patch of dwarf
alnooo elected a feeble stir and n
aunt waugh waugh" from the tiger. |
'lo actually endeavored to crawl nm
I uS otuuob1i. -