Sierra County advocate. [volume] (Kingston, N.M.) 1884-1960, 1886-02-27

| tgcr caution. OF the silence OF his ap
proach, and of his immense strength
Near village herd boy had beei
killed, and | was one day shown tb,
body of u COW which tiger had JUS
struck down. 1t lay close to som,
rather thin jungle, near ridge of low
rocks, few large trees, such as man
goes, We're interspersed in the brush
wood, and the ground was covered
with dried-up leaves so crisp that i
seemed impossible for an insect even tt
pass over them without being heard
1t was then about noon, and ! deter
mined TO sit up for the tiger, who, We
knew, would come again at nightfal
or before next morning to devour the
carcass. A charpoy or small bedsteaC
was speedily procured from the village
and lashcd across the fork of mango
tree, within few PAGES of the carcass
of the COW. Before sunset | and my
companion were escorted to the spot
by body of armed natives. ! disem-
barrasscd myself of a huge sola, or pith
| hat, which placed on the ground near
the tree, and in it / deposited a brace
of revolvers which thought would be
useless in our elevated position. | also
took off, and left at the foot of the tree,
pair of thick shooting-shoes, and then,
with the help of my village friends,
gained the charpoy and prepared to
wait for the tiger. How patient
ly we waited, Loins, and back
bones, and necks and legs grew suffer
and stifler, and ached wearily. but not
a sound did we utter, and still we sat.
At last we got tired of waiting and a
few remarks were whisperingly uttered:
i don't think he's coming, Il think
he heard those fellows and he is of,
etc, etc. Gradually such feeble sug-
gestions gave way to positive asser-
tions, delivered in a tolerably audible
tone, and at last | declared that /
would wait no longer and descended to
the ground. My first act was 10 get
my shoes, and while putting them on
and chatting without further restraint,
| remarked that it would be as well to
call the guides, and accordingly did
SO. Hardly had the word passed my
lips when an abrupt startling roar from
thicket within few feet of me petri-
fled me with amazement. Never had |
been so wretchedly helpless. Stand
ing unarmed at the foot of the tree,
had one shoe off and was about to put
on the other. While expecting every
minute to be my last, felt sure that
any attempt to climb back to my perch
would be the signal for the tiger to
seize me. 70 remain standing there
was equally disagreeable, My revolv-
ers came to my recollection. They
were lying in my hat, but the hat lay
somewhat in the direction of the thickct.
1t was IA trying moment, but in another
moment found myself striding toward
the hat, one shoe off and the other on,
and hardly conscious of what did. l
remember grasping the revolvers. cock
ing them, and, with the barrels leveled
toward the bush. which steadily faced,
shutiling sideways to the tree. The
feel of the trusty weapons in my hand
was comforting, and at length |
reached the tree on the side furthest
from the thicket, and went up it like a
lamp-lighter, although on my first
arrival | had required the assistance of
other peoples arms and shoulders.
When | got up fired right into the
lighted torches, and we returned to our
tent in the village.
Next morning | repaired to the
scene of our nights vigil. The COW
was gone, and broad trail showed
which way she had been dragged. At
about a hundred yards from our mango
tree, and near the foot of the rocks,
lay the stomach and entrails and pool
of blood. Further on was II spot
where the tiger had been rolling, The
marks were plain, with some Of his
hair lying where the ground had been
pressed down. And on a ledge Oh the
of a perpendicular rock lay the
carcass of the cow, partly eaten away
The tiger must have jumped upon the
ledge with the COW in his mouth; there
were no other means of ascent The
power of the animal may bo
from such feat. didn't
ret the tiger that day, but | did few
lays afterward.
II can not call to mind having met
n any book with an accurate descrip- !
ion of the tigcr's cries. The snarling
md growing of the animal when |
stirred up with long pole is familiar
o all who have visited a menagerie, |
md appears to be the only noise the |
,reature makes when in state of cap |
ivity; but in his native forest, in the |
ong nights of the cold season when the |
woods on the hills seem to sleep in the |
moonlight, the tiger striding along in |
lis native forest news like an old tom !
at-or rather like hundred old tom
ats in chorus. 1t is a loud and harsh |
md grating NEW. 1t is seldom heard |
nore than twice or thrice. When the |
iger is on the lookout for food, usually |
n the evening, he lies silent and mo- |
ionless in some dense covert close to |
water, where animals resort to drink, |
nd when one of these approaches near
nough he bounds out on his prey in
'erfect silence, or with an abrupt, SON
rous grunt, terribly startling, which
ppears to paralyze the victim and de-
rive it of all power to fly or resist.
"Of tiger shooting in the orthodox
is to say, mounted on how
ahed elephants much has been
old and written that | have nothing
eft to add. Safe as this amusement is
. has its dangers. To be on q run
way elephant in mango grove, or a
lrest of middle-sized trees. is some
hing like being taken aback in hurri-
ane. Aud crossing the 'dnlduf or
of the Gunduck river has
lade stout-hearted men turn pale.
he tiger is now almost eradicated
'om the borders of Guruckpore and
irhoot, and may the same fate await
inn by and by in the Tcrai. y Chicago
lera}d.
Only few days ago the Transcript
)ok the Glebe 10 task for It's mistake