The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1888-04-19
lMacmillan's Magazine,1
A Night in the Jungle.
|CONCLUDED./ I I

the handsomest birds IN India. he
sembling large bantam in shape,
with bold upright carriage, splendldly
varied plumage and long spurs, ne
looks game-cock all over; deter
mined fighter, he does not know when
he is beaten, and [ have seen bird
too exhausted to use his spurs seize
his opponent by the harkle and CHING
to it with the tenacity of bulldog.
The Burman enjoys few sports more
than this; and IN many districts seven
paddy-boats out of ten may be seen
with the owners bird on board tied by
the leg, for bout Of fighting, if op-
portunity occurs.
This, however, is not the place to
dilate upon the pleasures and excite
ments of cock-fghting, so we will re-
turn to the camp where, having fin
ished dinner, l called on Moung Tso
to produce the clothes had given
him in the morning. He received the
order and started as if to carry it out,
but stopped suddenly with bewil-
dered look round him. Taking a
large splinter of bamboo he knelt
down and began to grub, in a specu-
lative uncertain way, in the sand be-
hind the tent; he dug out few hand
fuls and paused, rose from his knees,
and looking doubtfully about, selected
spot few PAGES farther on and be-
gan another hole. This attempt also
proved futile, and Moung Tso, drop
ping his bamboo, thought hard for at
least three minutes without moving.
Again he reused himself, and grasp
ing his shovel devoted all his energies
to digging third hole, as if with the
answering purpose of finding the
clothes this time, whether they were
there or not. No result again, and
my servant, in a profuse perspiration
induced by overtaxed memory and
hard work, rocked himself to and fro
in sheer desperation. Then he sprang
to his feet and walked hurriedly up
and down round the groups Of men,
round the tent and the fires, his eyes
in steady fixed gaze upon the sand.
Once more he paused, and taking a
great resolution crawled timidly to
my knees, and crouching respectfully
on his heels begged for forgiveness
He could not find my honor's clothes
have told this little incident as an
example of the exceedingly casual
way in which a native servant per-
forms his work, and not by way Of
accounting for our want of success
that night; for Easton and /, posted
in our machans. patiently watched
our goats until day, undisturbed by
the tiger. We have all read the
thrilling accounts Of successful shoot.
ing published in the sporting papers
from time to time; but no one OBJ.
trudes a record of his monctonous
wakeful nights, fruitlessly spent
among the gloomy surroundings Of
the jungle waiting for the tiger that
does not come!
Disappointed (perhaps unreasona-
bly, at the tigers failure to give us a
meeting on the night we were pre-
pared for him, we next day decided to
let him take his chance, and arranged
to spend the approaching night on
the outlook for the sambur which had
tempted our guns on the previous one
| selected for my ambush a nook on a
low sloping rock, overlooking large
pool round which there were numer-
Gus fresh tracks of deer. This nook
had rooted in roughly with kline
grass to keep off the heavy dews, and
to assist in concealing me.
1t was a lovely moonlight night,
clear and cold, when | took up my
station shortly after dark, accompa-
MED by young Karen, to whom |
intrusted the responsibility of keeping
me awake. Hour after hour we sat
there three feet above the level of the
sand to which the rock shelved gently
down; the startling bark of a distant
deer, the musical ringing call of the
bell-bird, and the screaming of insects
in the foliage around, were the only
signs Of life. Cold and chilly the
night drew on, while on the far side
of the pool, well out Of range, an oc-
casional sambur issued from the jun
gle and stalked solitary and ghost-like
across the sand, stopping every dozen
yards to sniff the air suspiciously.
Wearied aud sleepy, l lay back against
the rock as a sambur disappeared for
the third time without giving me
shot; my rifle lay across my knees,
and some evil spirit prompted me to
open the breech, that it might lie
more easily upon them.
The moon was sinking, and the
white clammy mist came rolling in
huge pillows down the mountain-side,
hiding the trees thirty yards away,
and making the night colder and
damper with its heavy shroud. Dark
ness and discomfort have a bad effect
On the nerves, and | felt, as l sat
there, in no mood for great deeds of
daring. Tired and Indifferent | had
dozed off to sleep, when my compan-
ion touched my arm lightly and whis-
pered the single word, kya (tiger). |
awoke with start, and looked in the
direction indicated. Here he was,