Wichita eagle., 1888-01-12

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As the Hindoo rapidly unfolded it my
brother smiled obviously and shook his head
at the length of time it would involve.
| Cunning may be met with cunning said
the Hindoo.
@It'll take three hours to arrange it" TO
marked.
"Truly, three hours will bring the dawn,
| and who can see in the dark? Not the sahib;
but yes, the tiger"
"Very well, said Ezra, "letls set about it at
| once
| From the gardeners room we brought a
roll of wire netting that had been put there a
| few days previously for fencing in paddock
| Together we gathered armfuls of shavings
the workmen had not cleared away, dried
leaves, rags, everything we could find soft
and pliabe, and having cut the wire into
! three lengths, laid them side by side and
dashed them together. When completed il
was the shape, but rather larger than the big
window in the room where the tiger still Law.
Our operations had been carried on outside
upon the veranda near the gardeners room
and the new clubhouse, then in process of cree
ton. Rolling mp the wire netting we carried
! it round the corner of the house, within few
yards of the big window. Here it was I'M
rolled again and fiattened out; then upon its
surface we strewed all the shavings and
| leaves we had collected, some bundles Of lon,
grass and rags, and then upon the mass
smeared and spread quantity of lime left bv
| the workmen. This we smoothed down as
we'll as we were able till the whole mass as
sumed some consistency and chung to the in
| terstices of the netting. Rance next took
some stout Irvine and improvised a rough
kind Of needle from bamboo cane. With
this he sewed all over the mass of stuff a
netting of string that helped to keep the conn
position in its place. When finished it re-
sembled nothing so much as huge mattress
| So far so good. The most difficult opera
ton yet remained.
take my gum" said Ezra to me, "and give
me the revolver
''Sahib," said the Hindoo, ''let Rance COM
plete his task. Is it not his work! If he fails,
shall he not suffer-
"You foolish mani" said Ezra. How can
YOU do it alonea We are wasting time" He
pushed the revolver in his belt laid hold Of
one end Of the netting and threw off his
shoes. With slow ard noiseIess steps the net
ting was carried exactly opposite the window
and laid gently down; then both retired az
silently as they had advanced Rance then
brought from the clubhouse a ladder, and
with gesture of entreaty signed to my
brother to stand aside and take his rifle in his
hand
With bare feet the Hindoo crept up to the
window again and reared the ladder against
the wall. Taking a coil of wire rope from
his neck he deity fastened it to the highest
wall staple of the shutter Descending, he
quickly enlaced the short strand in the net
ting. placed the ladder on the other side and
ran it through the other staple.
For the first time he made noise It was
unavoidable and was caused by the netting
being drawn upward till it hung like an i'm
mense curtain hiding the whole of the win
dow from us. Ezra and / stood waiting and
ready to fire.
The Hindoo, with perspiration running
from him at every pore, descended the ladder,
which he took and placed horizontally OH the
windowsill and dashed it to the bottom of the
netting and again fastened that to the two
lower staples ON either side. The thing was
done Far away in the east the dawn was
breaking; overhead the morning star was
slowly paling its silver fire.
"But-Ramee, the shutters are still fas-
tened"
"Sahib! unfastened them. Presently the
light will stream through. They are open the
breadth of two hands"
"Quick! fetch another rife"
He was gone, and swiftly returning handed
me the gun, into which slipped couple of
cartridges, and gave him the revolver A
light breath Of wind passed, murmuring
through the feathery crowns of the slender
cocoa palms, two great spears of light shot up
into the sky, and somewhere in the garden a
little bird sang. The sun had risen
wait for my signal whispered my
brother; show. Rance"
The Hindoo knelt down and initiated the
bleating of kid that has lost it's mother.
At the instant he sprang to his feet the
silence was rent by sundering crash and one
terrific roar, the shutters were torn from
their sockets as great mass hurled itself
through the window, and the tiger. with its
head and shoulders buried in the lime colored
debris, was graphing il maddened rage with
an enemy he could not see.
'Wait," said Ezra.
The nimal was twenty feet from us, tear
ing up the graveled path and coiling itself in
ineXtricable confusion il the broken netting
and sphntered ladder. Rance uttered loud
cry. The animal had freed his head ard
stood, i'll an enforced listening attitude with
his mouth full of mingled wire and lime
stained matter.
1t was the moment Ezra had waited for,
and he fired The tiger, evidently not seeing
us, spran2 at the window. but missed the
opening, hurting itself against the wall and
falling on the broken shutter At the mo-
nent it alighted aimed at the spot behind
the shoulder and fired. 1t gave a convulsive
leap and turned in our direction with blood
shot eyes: then Ezra fired again and called to
me to do the same. 1t fell. Back, back
cried Rance.
The animal had gathered itself together,
5prang forward with one mighty bound and
rolled over. II was dead-Charles Lille in
San Francisco Chronicle.