Smyrna times. [volume] (Smyrna, Del.) 1854-1987, 1888-02-22
TALE OF A TIGER HUNT.


barreled gun. But the former has,
through all the years of my Indian career.
waited mutely for the burglar, who, thank
goodness, has never invaded my bachelor
bungalow, and the latter has chiefly justi-
fed its continuance in my possession by
giving my faithful bearer something to do
in cleaning its almost unused barrels.
When | say that my gun is a choke bore,
you will understand that it is more suited
for snipe shooting and the pursuit of
ducks and plover than for the destruction
of larger game In 1880 | was in camD
at the foot of the Tipperah hills.
My tent was pitched under the
shade of vast banyan tree, and on the
bank of picturesque little hill stream,
close to the station where his highness the
maharajah Of Independent Tipperah col
lects tolls from such of our fellow sub
JectS as cut timber in his vast forests.
Hard by was the collection of matched
nuts III which lived the maharajah's
agent, Mohammedan gentleman of
much local influence, hOspitable as al
most all Indians of position are hosDit-
able, especially to those in authority over
them, plausible and pleasant in his man
ners, rs MOhammedans nearly ALWAYS are.
and bent upon showing me-who was.
alas, quite content to take him at his
word-that he was as good and stanch
sportsman as any Sahib Of them all. For
days before my arrival the hill folk had
been warned to look out for traces of
tigers or bears, and it was with obvious
PRIDE ana satisfaction that my friend an
uOunced to me one lovely, cool morningin
December that he had succeeded in put
ting nets round patch of jungle in which
urked fine tiger. There was notbiur
Tor II but to make a hasty breakfast and
to start with my trustygun aforesaid over
my shoulder for the agents house. In
fortunately the only cartridges I had
with me were loaded, if you will believe
me, with snipe shot. ! was 10th to damn
my friends enthusiasm by admitting that
l was insufficiently armed for a TIGER
hunt and | resolved to trust to his skill
III forest warfare for the conquest of the
tiger and the safety OF our skins. To me
was allotted the post of honor on the back
OF a small and, as it seemed to me. ex-
tremely nervous young elephant, whose
movements were so cratic that it was as
much as | could do to hold on to the
ropes by which the pad on which I SAT
was bound; and l could not help wishing
that l were gifted, like an Indian god.
with an extra pair of arms for the due
management of my weapon. To make
matters more uncomfortable, the mabout
or driver, behind whose back | was
perched, was either very cold or very
frightened, for his teeth chartered dds
fully, and, unlike most of his class. he
seemed unwilling to talk.
We were picturesque procession
enough as we started for the forest.
led the way on my elephant; next came
my Mohammedan friend with a gaudv
skull cap perched very much on one side
OF his flowing and curly locks: over his
shoulder was slung an ancient single bar
relied, muzzle loading gun; and it was no
small comfort to notice that, whatever
my own inward doubts and tremors might
be, my kriend at least was full of enthu-
siasm and pleasant anticipation of an ex-
citing day S work. Behind him came two
OF three Mussulmans armed like himself.
aud the rear was brought up by miscel-
Ianeous crowd of Tipperans, Manipuris
and plains people, who had been i'm
pressed as heaters.
1t was a lovely neutrality-suspicious. clear
and cOol-and, even in my somewhat ex-
cited state. it was impossible not to adj
mire the lovely glimpses of forest scenery.
which opened to our right and left as we
made our way slowly up the bed of the
little stream by which my tent had been
pitched. Every now and again we passed
Il small 1ipperah village, the wooden
houses raised like those of all the eastern
hill folk, on piles some six or seven feet
above the level of the ground. In one an
ancient headman, gray and bent with age.
advanced to wish us success in our effort
to rid the countryside of a pest whose
ravages had thnhed the cattle of the
nelghboring villages wOfully; and as |
acknowledged his salaams, l heartily
wished that my place could have been
taSen by some one better armed and more
skillful than myself. But soon the vii
lagos grew rarer; the patches of golden
paddy, set in frame of dark, dense Jun
gle, lOre infrequent. We heard the shril
cry of jungle fowl in the woods and
the cooling of innumerable doves in
the feathery branches of the wild
bamboos. Soon the path became al
most impossible; and the elephant and its
driver were busy tearing down branches
and clearing way for us through the
dense underground of treefern and COR
geous Towering oreepers, Where the
shade was densest, the air struck chill
even TO my well clothed limbs, and could
sympathize with the tremOrs of my half
naked mahOut; and again, when we
emerged into clearing, deserted by the
migratory cultivation of the hill people.
the sun struck fiercely and rendered the
protection of ones huge sun hat very
grateful. At last, and, as l thought. ONLY
TOO soon, we reached the patch of forest
which had been netted The beaters dis
appeared by jungle paths to right and left;
the Mussulmans climbed into convenient |
trees, and, with an occasional friendly !
shout to me, peered anxously into the |
dense jungle below Presently we knew |
that the beating had begun, for we heard |
the distant sound of shouts and tOmtoms. |
a sound which raised strange elation and |
excitement even in my unspOrtsman-like |
bosom, and for moment | forgot that | |
and in my hands only choke bore gun |
loaded with snipe shot; that | was hold
ing with might and main to my uncertain |
seat on nervous and unframed elephant:
and that, if the tiger charged, should be
in situation of very considerable danger.
there was not much time for
thought, for the roar of voices and of
drums came rapidly nearer, and my No
friends grew more eager and
excited. At last, close on my right, and
with startling suddenness, l heard the
mighty roar of a tiger. Impelled by l
know not what impulse, l managed to
draw both triggers of my gun, and, al
most simultaneously, l heard two other
shots fired in rapid succession. But the
proximity of the tiger and the sound of
firearms were too much for the nerves Of
the elephant, or the mahout, or both, for
the next moment ! found that l had
dropped my gun, and was holding on for
dear life to the ropes, as the terrified
beast beneath me plunged headlong
through the forest.
How far we went before the mahout
regained his control over the beast can
not say; and it is with unbounded thank
fulness and wonder that l think, even
now, of the escapes l had from the over
hanging bOughs and coils of clustering
creepers through which we forced oar
way. AS often happens in situa-
lions of extreme peril, my mind was
3ingularly clear and tranquil, and, among
other homogeneous thoughts, remembered
what new Byron would make
)f the story of an Indian Mazeppa on a
frightened elephant. At last, however,
lhe mahOut was able to guide the animals
and after a long and weary
slow, because we had to
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