New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1886-04-28
"IN AT TILE DEATH"


We were Cooper's Hill young men; and
fate and the government had given us
q chance Of distinguishing ourselves
and extinguishing our fellow creatures
by, the making OF a branch railway in
Guiding bridge and a, tunnel. So
there were thee ofus; and q right jol-
ly time we had on the whole. Our
bungalow was real work of art, COW
cred with creepers, by which I do not
mean to insinuatecentipedes, of which
however, there was also,a good few, but
jessamine, plumbago acliM bling moss
which one of us had rescued from the
tangle Of the jungle, andeoaxed to live
in a more civilized. pesition-besides
many other lovely specimens. To
save our valuable time, we generally
addressed each other by our initials.
Mine, unfortunately, spelt NJ. A. G.,
to which my companions, in moments
of hilarity, sometimes added q second
course of P. l. E.. Twas the eldest of
the trio.
/ We had not beens very long at our
/ branch-line work when was laid low
with an exhausting attack of jungle
fever and ague. My friends E. S. p.
! and H. f. by turns nursed me with
tenderness and care for which l can
never be sufficiently grateful. Ipulled
through, thanks to them; but since
that time, have%aeen subject to rather
severe fits OF agae, from one OF which |
was recovering at the time the Incl
dent happened Lwish to tell you about.
1t had been an absolutely broiling
day, and we. lad, been driven to the
Verge OF insanity BETWEEN the heat and
| the flies. We were reclining after our
| days work.. on our basket sofas. on
the veranda, in the cool of the evening,
putting away solemnly and silently at
our brler-root pipes, when it suddenly
struck us, that q group ofnative work
men, WHO were experimenting the
cooking Of their evening meal in cor
ner OF our very improvised sort of
compound, must have received some
exciting intelligence. Being young and
sportively inclined, we were all three
fellows OF one idea, and that idea was
"tigers.'
"Just call to that gaping fool and
ask him what's up" suggested I, in a
washed-out voice.
est. John!" shouted E. S. P, whose
voice carried farther than either OF
ours, clapping his hands loudly at the
same time, to attract the attention
OF the cabling group, and up came the
| tallest, thinnest native to be met in a
| 4 do w o%1 or
ened this man est. john" first, be-
cause he wore the most fearfully and
wonderfully made camel's hair gar
ment that civilized eyes ever looked
upon; and secondly, because he was
so desperately lean and lank, We were
certain that he must feed on either
locusts or grasshoppers; which are
both supposed to be very anti
fat diet.
Up, then, came this mysterious
coolie, and with many salaams, much
gesticulation and showing the whites
Of his eyes, he informed us that there
was a most bloodthirsty man-eater
lurking in the neighborhood, close by,
at our very door! looked nervous
ly round, not enjoying the idea of be-
ing caught by Monsieur Maneater
armed only with a brierwood pipe. E.
and H. at once appeared to be seized
with St. Vitus's dance so absurdly and
Historically active had they suddenly
become.
"Where was he last SEEM" Chow
large was he?" "What village was
the scene of his last meal?' Chow
many people was he known to, have
eaten?" "Who brought the news?"
"Send him up to be questioned.
St. John went away, and in a few
minutes reappeared, accompanied by
a native postman, who, it seemed,
knowing that the railway Sahibs were
partial to tiger, had kindly. dropped
in with the intelligence. Wefound out
all we could from the man and re-
warded him with some money and to.
bacco.
The last victim was poor native
woman, who had crept into the cor.
ner OF the veranda of ia bungalow some
miles away and fallen asleep, from
which, poor soul, she was roughly
awakened, and then half carried, hall
dragged to a clump of thick jungle
grass and bushes about two and a
half miles from where we were. The
postman's eyes and teeth glistened
with sympathetic pleasure as he saw
how keen and eager the other two fel
lows were to be after the brute. Twas
out of it altogether, as l could not
trust my shaky hands with q rife in
such case OF life or death, so look.
cd on and listened to all their sug
gestions and arrangements with the
deepest interest.
THAT poor old bag of bones is not
/ likely to have afforded him much OF 8
gorge" said H. HE may turn w
on our veranda tonight, boys, to sex
if he can find some light refreshment
here1'
! He will get some black pepper