Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1889-05-01


Then got up with sudden alacrity, took
from its case large revolver, and turned
into the passage again. In minute or so
l was in Godfrey's room. He was half
dressed. "What's the matteri' he demand
ed, with startled eyes. When 1 had told
him he took my hand and wrung it. "You
may thank God that you are alive, old fell
low" Then he dressed hurriedly, took
heavy rifle from rack, filled his pock-
cts with cartridges. "Come along; stay,
let me go first; your nerves are bit shaky
yet"
We crept out and awakened the punkah-
wallah, an old and faithful Hindu, whom my
brother once nursed during dangerous
illness-a brave, reliable and trustworthy
man, who would have laid his life down for
Godfrey.
"It Is the man eaterl" said the Hindu,
sitter my recital. "Will the sahib let his
servant advise himl'
"Yes, Rance; tell me your plan"
As the Hindu rapidly unfolded It my
brother smiled obviously at the strange
idea.
"Cunning must be met with cunning"
said the Hindu.
"Itn take three hours to arrange" re-
marked.
"Three hours will bring the dawn; now,
who can see in the dark; not the Sahib, but
yes, the tiger"
"very WELL" said Godfrey. Lets set
about it at once" From the gardeners
outhouse we brought roll of wire netting
that had been put there for fencing in
paddock few days previously Together
we collected armsful of shavings the work.
men had not cleared away, quantities of
dried leaves, rags, every thing we could
~ coAk n..I l.aL1 Al
wire into three square lengths firmly lashed
them together, one over the other. When
completed it was the shape, but rather
larger than the window in the room in
which the tiger lay hidden and the doors Of
which had been locked. Our operations so
far had been conducted upon the verandah
outside, near the gardeners room; we then
rolled up the wire netting and carried it
round the corner Of the house to within
few yards of the big window; here it was
unrolled again and flatteped out, then upon
its surface we poured all the shavings,
rags, leaves and the refuse we had
collected, and upon this mass smeared
and spread quantity of lime left by
the workmen for the morrow. This we
smoothed down as well as we were able till
the whole mass assumed some consistency
and clung to the interstices Of the netting.
Rance next took some stout twine and i'm
provised rough kind of needle from a
bamboo cane. With this implement he
sewed all over the mass of stuff, thus max
ing string netting that helped to keep the
composition in it's place. So far, so
good the most difficult operation yet re-
mained.
stake my gun," said Godfrey to me-
land give me the revolver"
He pushed the revolver in his belt, laid
hold of one end Of the netting, and threw
of his shoes. With slow and noiseless step
the netting, looking very like large mat
tress, was carried exactly opposite the
window and laid gently down; then both
retired as silently as they had advanced.
Rance then brought from the outhouse a
ladder, and with q gesture Of entreaty
signed to my brother to stand aside and |
take his rife in his hand. With bare feet |
the Hindu crept up to the window again
and reared the ladder against the wall.
Taking a coil of rope from his neck, he
deity fastened it to the highest wall staple of
the outside shutter. Descending, he quick |
ly enlaced the short strand in the netting, |
placed the ladder on the other side, and ran
the thong through the other staple. For
the first time he made q noise, but it was
unavoidable, and was caused by the net
UuR UtluR uTdWu upWdEu ~ nun ~ AAho %
great curtain covering the shutter and hid
ing the window from us.
Godfrey and Istood ready to fire.
The Hindu, perspiring at every pore, de-
scended the ladder, which he lowered and
placed horizontally on the window sill, and
lashed 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, above which the
morning star was slowly paling his silver
fire.
"But, Rance, the shutters are still fast
enedp
"Sahib, / unfastened them; they are
open as the breadth Of mans hand;
presently the light will stream through"
s'Quicki fetch another rifeW
When he returned took the gun and gave
him my revolver
A light breath of wind passed murmuring
through the feathery crowns OF the slender
cocoa palms, two great spears Of light shot
up in the sky, somewhere in the garden a
bird sang; the sun had risen. "Wait the
signal" whispered my brother; snow,
Rance" The Hindu knelt down and imi-
tated the bleating of a kid that had lost its
mother. At the instant Rance sprang to
his feet the silence was rent by sundering
crash and sudden terrific roar; the shut
ters were torn from their sockets; great
mass hurled itself precipitately through the
window, and the tiger with its head and
shoulders buried In the uncovered debris,
was graphing in maddened fury with an
enemy be could not see nor make much i'm
preston upon.
Our guns were at our shoulders.
The animal was twenty feet from US,
tearing up the graveled path and coiling it.
self in inextricable confusion in the broken
netting and splintered ladder Rance ut
tered q loud cry. The animal had freed its
head, and stood with its bleeding mouth in an
and listening attitude. 1t was the
moment Godfrey had waited for, and he
fred. The tiger, evidently not seeing him,
sprang at the window again, but missed
the opening, hurting himself against the
wall and falling on the broken shutters.
At the minute it alighted ! aimed at the
spot behind the shoulder and fired; it gave
q convulsive leap and turned its bloodshot