The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1886-11-20
A "NERVY" HUNTSMAN
ShooJ8 e. Tiger While Being At
tackled by Serpent.

81 have hunted wild animals in al
most every country where they exist"
said Captain Kincardin, land of course
have had my share Of perllous adven-
lures. To be a successful sportsman, in
the higher sense of the term, requires
perfect health and powers of endurance
TO start with. a man who can't tramp
ten or twelve hours on stretch, ford
ing streams, climbing hills, lodging
jungles, and wading swamps, is no
good in the game countr.e-. The next
things required are nerve and GOODNESS,
although the two generally go together
No sportsman of reputat on will feel
tlatterod when you praise his nerve. 1t
is something which comes natural to
him. When YOU have only one shot
left, and rhinoccros is bearing down
upon you, or mad tiger is lashIng his
tail for spring, or lion is giving you
warning that he considers you his meat,
YOU don't want 10 make a mistake. In
the few seconds left you, you want to
do just the right thing, If you are the
least ratified our friends might as well
write your obituary notice.
Il went out from Bengalers in the
fall of 1870 with party of British Off
Gers to hunt tigers. We, of course, in
tended to knock over any thing else in
the shape of game, but tigers were the
main object. We took the railroad for
hundred miles UP the country, and
then secured carts and drivers and beat
ers at a village, and drove twenty miles
TO Il range of wooded hills which were
greatly cut up with gulies and traversed
by several small creeks. The nearest
village was in a fertile valley three
miles from orr camp. The inhabitants
were preparing to leave IL as we reached
the neignborhood. Two man-eating
tigers had made their appearance the
hi Is and C Gated the grea est consterna-
ton. Their first victim had been seized
from a fam ly circle sitting around a tire
Just at dusk. He was 10y about lif-
&c n years old, and the beast had seized
nm by the hip and trottod Off with him
as a dog carries bone. She was in no
hurry, going at slow trot, and her
male covered her retreat and menaced
the father as he shouted and flung fire.
brands. The boys cries were heard for
a long time, and next morning many
places were found along the trail where
he had clutched the grass with h S hands
and pull ed it up by the roots. He had
beOn carried less than half mie. and
all that was found of his remains were
two or three of The larger bones and
some bloody fragments of clothing.
The villagers organized a grand hunt to
either k II the tigers or drive them away,
but the result was the killing of one
man and the wounding Of two others,
the beasts seeming rather to seek a con.
aict than avoid one by running.
The hunt was abandoned and the
villagers lived in state of terror fol-
the next week. The appearance of Q
single man-eating tiger in the vicinity
of a native villags creates more terror
than fire or flood or epidemic. After a
tiger has eaten three or four human be.
ings he seems to lose all his fear o
man, and it is fact that he will eat ne
other meat unless reduced to fierce
hunger When the natives would ne
longer 90 forth to give this pair o
tigers opportunities to seize them tn,
beasts invaded the village. The hut
were frail structures. with doors anC
windows guarded by blankets, and the
tigers had entered three ditleren
places by night and carried off victims
A woman whose husband had beef
seized related the circumstances witt
great detail. A light had been KEEP
burning TO keep the beasts away, bu
as the family of five were asleep on tn
floor at midnight one of the great cat
sprang in at the window, which wa
undefended. This opening, as ] sa,
myself, was only about two feet square
The beast sprang over a child to sfiz
the husband and father, gripping tn
man by the right shoulder There va
u heavy blanket at the door, and th
tiger had not noticed that opening {
course all the sIeepers were al ono
aroused and all set up great vellin
aud screaming. SO far from the t;r,
being in the least put out by the COZ
fusion, he tooS his own time and pa
10 attent on to any one but his victim
lie pinned the man down flat on