Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-04-04
PERSONAL BRAVERY.
DANGERS WHICH No LIVING MAN
CAN FACE VERY LONG.
A Hunter Who Would Fight Tigers Nor
tally Afraid of Observation-Disclosures
by a Deadly serpent-An OIcer's


doesn't seem to know what fear is. He may
not, so far as standing UP before other men
or facing ordinary dangers, but there are
two dangers which no living man can face
and hold his nerve very long. / assert this
because it has been my fortune to NEE. some
Of the most courageous men Of this genera
ton, and have had opportunities to see
their nerve under fire.
While was IN the employ Of the English
mail service in India, one Of the ideas worked
out was speedier transportation. New routes
were selected TO save distance, and whenever
1t was possible the rivers were made use Of
On one occasion | was descending the Little
Rangoon river with three natives and the
mail bags. when we were hailed from shore
by an English hunter who had been camping
out among the fierce wild animals and
poisonous serpents for seventy days He
was entirely alone, and he had killed five
leopards, three tigers, six or eight large SER
penis and much ether game. He had several
fresh scars TO prove hand to hand conflict
with wounded tiger, and the bare fact Of
his being alone in that country, exposed to
almost every danger one could dream Of, was
proof that he was brave man.
He had q raft at the bank and was about
to cross the stream. After visit Of quarter
Of an hour We took him in tow and dropped
down about mile We had just headed
for the other bank when saw a large croco-
die rise TO the surface just behind the hun
ter's raft. The man hsd not entered the boat
with US, but was sitting on his traps on the
raft. / called to him to shoot the reptile, and
be rose and made as pretty shot as one ever
saw, striking the saurian in the eye and kill
ing him at once We were applauding the
shot when dozen of the monsters broke
water all about the raft.
The hunter had repeating rife, and
he stood on his feet and banged away
right and left as coolly as YOU
please. l ordered the men to cease
rowing and got out my own rife, but before
/ had fred a single shot monster crocodile
climbed upon the side Of the light bamboo
raft and upset it. We backed water very
rapidly, and it was not over thirty seconds
before boat and raft had bumped. At the
same instant the hunter rose beside the boat,
and one Of the natives pulled him in. While
be lay On the bottom of the boat We rowed
about and picked up such Of his traps as
were afoat. Il was very little we saved as
his firearms had gone to the bottom and his
skins and pelts had been swiftly devoured by
the crocodiles.
When l came TO offer the man some spirits
his looks had changed SO that could scarcely
believe he was the same man No one stand
ing on the gallows trap could have been more
broken UP. He had scarcely swallowed the
whisky when he began to cry, and be insisted
that we cover him up in the bottom of the
boat II yx-lnia f1~rvsir1r farOra ba
nan recovered his coupOsure, while his nerve
was gone forever. He VINO had stood with
knife drawn awaiting the rush OF tiger,
and who carried marks to prove MS bravery
and his victory, had been totally broken Up
by an experience Of less than two minutes in
the water with a dozen croccdiIes. On one
Of my trips up this same river, and leo miles
from the coast, camped ono night with a
party Of British officers who were out on
hunt The leader of the party, and the best
shot and braveSt man IN it, was Mai. Curtiss,
a man about 40 years old. He had killed
more wild animals than any white man in
the province. Armed only with a revolver,
he had entered bungalow in which muir
derer was concealed, and taken Kim away
from crowd Of his friends, and delivered
him over to justice. On a bet of SO he had
swan the river amid the alligators, and he
would stand for tho rush of a tiger or the
spring of a panther with a laugh on his lips
They said OF tie ma ior that ne did rot know
what fear was. He, perhaps, thought so
himself
The camp was On the bank of the river,
and only temporary one, and no tents or
covers were erected. We sat around the
fires until late hour. smoking ana EARNING,
aud when We rolled ourselves for sleep the
major and were only four feet apart, with
nothing between Us. The camp grew silent at
once, and everybody was soon sound asleep.
I was just doing OF when l thought de-
tected the crawl Of O snake near me, but
after listening closely for a minute | con-
cluded that it was lizard or an insect
Daylight was just coming when opened
my eyes. ! was on my left side, turned
toward the ma or, and noticed that he was
On his back Close beside ne was revolver.
which I had slipped out of its holster the
night before that l might have it handy in
case OF need Not another soul in the camp
was yet aroused, SO far as / knew, and I lay
listening TO the noises in the surrounding
forest while daylight continued to grow
stronger. was about TO arise, when | sud-
81" tL4E LCdsl VI u pNlt lALE lLSSL
above the majors breast and wave TO and
fro. shut NY eyes for few seconds, and
then opened them 70 see the same sight
again. l even tried it again and again, fear
ful that | was doing, and not wishing 20
believe what plainly saw.
1t certainly was the head Of a venoruous
serpent, species closely resembling the
American black snake, and as deadly as any
serpent in India It waved its head and
darted its tongue for moment, and then
settled back into its coil AS soon as the
head went down felt for my revolver ard
drew back the hammer. The click! clickl
alarmed the snake, as knew it would. but
by the time he had elevated its head again l
had my arm outstretched, and the muzzle Of
the revolver within two feet of him Il was
q snap shot and had to be made on the in
slant. and it was by pure good luck that 1
sent bullet through his ugly head. He was
writing AID Topping about as l sp-ang up,
and was dead as bent ever the major
The snake had crept out of the bushes and
upon the majors breast early IN the night
Ii was not more than midnight when the lat
ter awoke and found the serpent coiled I'D,
end be knew that any movement on his part
would result in certain death For three
hours and q half he had rested on the broad
Of his hack, never moving muscle. with his
eyes wide open, and that serpeEt's head part
OF the time waving 20 and fro within six
inches Of his face. When bent over him he
was helpless. When We got him of the
ground he sank down again and began 10
weep, and it was fully two toUrs before he
would talk to Us The result of his expert
ence was that be became q perfect physical
coward, started at the slightest noise, and
was ready TO run from even house dog
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