, 1886-12-25
HUNTING THE MAN EATER.

A cunning Brute, Before which People
Are Powerless-Comedy and Tragedy.
An old man eater develops an amount
OF cunning which is simply appalling. 1t
never remains for II length of time in
one place. but necessarily travels from
one village to another, concealing itself
with the utmost art. carrying OIL one of
the inhabitants and Immediately making
its way to some distant spot. A single
tiger has been known to paralyze II tri-
angular district of some forty miles i'll
extent. The natives feel themselves
powerless. Their only real hope lies Ill
the European, whom they despise and
abhor as an unbeliever, but respect for
his powers. Mounted on trained elephants
and guided by native crackers, mostly
belonging to the Bheel tribe, the English
hunters first discover the beast in its
hiding place. A man eating tigress had
been tracked for four days by the Bheels,
and at last "harbored.' As the party
approached the tigress charged them and
then retreated to the thicket. The ele-
plant was taken through the cover. but
the tigress had slipped out.
On making a cast to discover the
lost track a fresh footprint Of a tiger was
seen over lftl VI III tltDiiii' hp"H' -
circuit was made and with the same re-
suit. Completely puzzled. the Bhecl was
about to start of on foot in search of the
track. when one of the hunters happened
to look Jack and saw the tiger crouching
behind the elephant and scarcely visible.
The crafty animal had been creeping
after the elephant, waiting for an oppor-
tunity of bouncing on the Bhecl as soon
as he left the shelter. Had it not been
for the casual glance by which the posi-
ton of the animal was detected the de-
vice would have bee successful. As it
was. the hunter placed a bullet between
her eyes rs she was watching the Bheel.
whom she instinctively knew to b. tn
real element Of danger to her. The ex-
u~ltation of the little man may be con-
ccived.
Comedy and tragedy go hand in hand
in these hunts. An amusing example of
the former is given by the same traveller.
A tiger had been wounded, but. al
though one of its hind legs was broken.
il made its way into a patch'o high
grass and hid there. Guided by tho
Bheels, the elephant entered the grass
patch for the purpose of driving out the
tiger. The cunning animal allowed the
party to pass and then sprang ut one of
the Bheels, "a little, hairy, handy legged
man. more like a satyr than "A human
being The Bheel dashed at the nearest
tree, and. owing to the broken leg of the
tiger. was able to climb out of reach.
Finding himself safe, the Bheel com
menced a philippe against the father.
mother, sisters, aunts, nieces and chill
dren of his helpless enemy, which sat
with glaring eyeballs fixed on his on
temptible little enemy and roaring as if
his heart would break with rage. As tn,
excited orator warmed by his own elo-
quence, he began skipping from
branch to branch, grinning and
chattering with the emphasis of an
enragcd baboon; pouring out II tor
rent Of the most oul abuse and attrih-
uting to the tigers family in general and
his female relative in particular every
crime and a~trocity that ever was or will
be committed. Occasionally he varied
his insults by roaring in imitation of the
tiger: and at last, when fairly exhausted,
he leaned forward till he appeared 10 be
within the grasp of the enraged animal.
and ended this inimitablc scene by splitting
ia his face. "'Rev. j. G.. Wood in Good
Words.