St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-03-18

from such of our fellow subjects as cut
timber iu his vast forest. Hard by was
the collection of matched hutS in which
lived the maharajah's agent, MOham-
medan gentleman of much local infiu-
ence, hOspitable, especially to those in
authority over him. plausible and pleas
ant in his manners, as M0hammedanS
nearly always are, and bent upon show
ing 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 and bears: and it was
with obvious pride and satisfaction that
nv friend announced to me. one lovely
cool morning in December, that he had
succeeded in putting nets around apatch
of Jungle in which lurked fine tiger.
There was nothing for it but to make d
hasty breakfast and to start with my
trusty gun aforesaid over my shoulder
for the agents house. Unfortunately
the only cartridges / had with he were
loaded, if you will believe me, with snipe
shot. was 10th to dampen my friends
enthusiasm by admitting that |
was insuf1iciently armed for a
tiger hunt, and l resolved to
|
the conquest of the tiger and the safety
of our skin. TO me was allotted the
post of honor on the back of a small, and
it seemed to me, extremely nervous
! young elephant. whose movements were
so erratic that it was as much as L
could do to hold on to the ropes by
which the pad" on which | sat was
| bound; and | could not help wishing
that | were gifted, like an Indian god,
I with an extra pair of arms for the due
management of my weapon. TO make
matters more uncomfortable, the ma
hOut, or driver, behind whose back
was perched, was either very cold or
very frightened, for his teeth chattefed
dOlefully, and, unlike most of his class,
he seemed unwilling to talk.
We were picturesque procession
enough as we started for the forest.
my MOhammedan friend with gpudy
| silk cap perched very much Oh one side
of his flowing and curly locks; over his
! shoulder was Slung a Slngle-barreled,
| muzzle-loading gun and itsWaS no small
| comfort to notice that, whatever my
| own inward doubts and tremOrS might
be, my friend at least was full of EN-:
i thusiaSm and pleasant anticipation of
an exciting day;s work. Behind HIM
came two or three MusSulmans, armed
like himself, and the rear was brought
up by miscellaneous crowd of Upper
ane, Manipuris and plains people, WHO
had been impressed as beaters.
1t was lovely morning, bright, clear
and cool; and, even in my excited state,
it was impossible not to admire 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 then we passed
small Tipperah village, the wooden
houses raised like those of all the East
ern hillfolk. 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 country side
of pest whose ravages had Trimmed
the cattle of the neighboring villages
woefullN; and as | acknowledged his
salaams heartily wished that my place
could have been taken by some one bet
ter armed and more Skillful than myself.
But soon the villages grew rarer; the
patches of golden paddy, set in frame
of dark, dense jungle, more infrequent.
We heard the shrill cry of jungle fowl
in the woods, and the cooling of innu-
merable doves in the feathery branches
of the wild bamboOs. Soon the path be-
came almost impossible, and the ele-
plant and its driver were busy tearing
down branches and clearing a way
for us through the dense under
growth of tree fern and gor-
geouS Towering creeperS. Where
the shade was densest the air struck
chill even to my well-clothed limbs, and
l could sympathize with the tremors of
my half-naked mahout; and again, when
we emerged into the clearing, deserted
by the migratory cultivation of the hill
people, the sun struck fiercely and rem
dered the protection of ones huge sun
hat very grateful. AT last, and, as
thought, only too soon,, we reached the
patch of forest which had been Melted.
The heaters disappeared by jungle
paths to right and left; the Mussulmans
climbed into convenient trees, and with
an occasional friendly shout to me
peered anxiously into the dense jungle
below.
Presently we knew that the beating
had begun, for we heard the distant
sound of shouts and tom-toms, sound
which raised strange citation and eX-
element even in my unspOrtsmanlike
bosom, and for moment forgot that [
had in my hands only choke-bOre gun
loaded with snipe shot: that / was hold
ing with might and main to my uncer
tain seat on nervous and unframed
elephant; and that if the tiger
charged l should be in situation
of very considerable danger. Forum
ately there was not much time for
thought, for the roar of voices and of
drums came rapidly nearer, and my
Mohammedan friends grew more eager
and excited. At last, close on my right
and with startling suddenness. heard |
the mighty roar of tiger. Impelled by
| know not what impulse, [ managed to
draw both triggers of my gun, and
almost simultaneously heard two other
shots fired in rapid succession. But
the proximity of the tiger and the sound
of fire arms were too much for the
nerves of the elephant, or the mahdut.
or both, for the next moment l found
that had dropped my gun and vas
holding on for dear life to the ropes, as
the terrified beast beneath me plunged
through the forest.
How far we went before the mahoutre
gained control over the beast / can
not say; and it is with unbounded
thankfulness and wonder that l think,
even now, of the escapes [ had from the
overhanging boughs and coils of cluster
ing creepers through which we forced
our headlong way. AS often happens
in situations of extreme peril, my mind
was singularly clear and tranquil, and
among other homogeneous thoughts, /
remember wondering what new Byron
would make of the story of an Indian
Mazeppa on frightened elephant. At
last, however, the mahout was able to
guide the animals movements, and
after a long and weary journey-very
slow because we had to clear our way as
we Went-We emerged into the open