The Arizona sentinel., 1889-08-10
IN A TIGERS DEN.
Exciting Adventure of Party or Hunte
In "A Chinese Wilderness.


A huge tiger was killed near Annoy
in March last, the hunt being marked
by a number of exciting features. Tho
hunting party consisted of Messrs.
CullinsOn, Des Voeux, Harding and
Lcyburn, and eight native hunters, the
latter armed only with spears and
torches. They were out several days.
beating many ravines unsuccessfully
and finding only tracks and traces of
tigers. Then they reached a place
where Leyburn had shot a tiger a year
before, wounding him severely but
failing to secure him. The following
account by one of the party refers to
the same den in the rocks to which
the wounded beast retreated:
cit cleared up about breakfast time
and we proceeded leisurely to the
cars about eleven o'clock. Collinson
took ALIENS rock Des Vpux Hard
ing's rock and Leyburn and l placed
ourselves near the bridge entrance
The native hunters went in below the
bridge. From the marks they made
out that tiger had been lying down
below the bridge, but had shifted
higher up.
After they had been in half an hour
some of them came out much excited
and said they had 'cornered' a big
tiger. A few remained in the cave
holding torches in the beasts face
while the rest carried in bundles of
brushwood and gradually built him in.
This building in took a long time and
consisted in closing up with brushwOod
all the holes by which the tiger could
charge.
Then we were invited to waltz in
and kill the beast. l must say that l
did not feel a bit inclined for this part
of the programme, but old Quartermain
Oeyburn) was right on it and after
much discussion in we went. We
went down into the cave from the
bridge entrance by ladder about
twelve feet long and we scrambled on,
mostly on hands and knees, for about
thirty yards, lighted by torches. 1t
was very wet and muddy and the at
mosphere was stuffy and ill-smelling.
''At last we got to where the tiger
was built in, and the first thing we
saw was the skull and bones of the old
tiger Leyburn had killed at the bridge
entrance in January, 1888. In front
of us were two piles of brushwood clos
ing two holes, behind which was the
live tiger.
'Leyburn scrambled and was pushed
up bit of slippery, sloping rock, and
then one of the hunters removed a
fagot and Leyburn found big tiger
with his head about five feet from him
looking dazed at the glare of the
torches. He aimed as well as he could
by the uncertain light between his eyes
and fired, knocking the beast down.
The hunter instantly replaced the
fagot and we heard the tiger roaring
and scul1ling about behind the brush
wood. In a minute or so all was quiet
and we all waited and listened and
could hear the brute breathing heav-
lily.
I'VE had to crouch behind the
brushwOOd nearly an hour before the
hunters ventured to peep in over it.
Then they began a most cautious in
vestigation, removing little brush
wood, looking in then quickly replac-
ing the brushwood. At length they
seemed satisfied that the tiger was not
killed, but had gone on. They took
down part of the brushwood and rushed
in with torches and spears, we follow
ing as well as we could.
After moving about ten yards we
came up to two more holes or passages.
and the men shouted that they could
see the tiger. was hoisted up on
nearly perpendicular rock and saw
yellow head about five feet below nv
right hand. fired into the center of
it, and as soon as the smoke cleared
the beast appeared in another hole
about five feet above my right hand,
so that l could nearly touch him with
the barrels of my guns. He was
close TO hole a little to my right,
where Leyburn and Quilp (two of the
hunters) were standing.
Il fired into his neck this time and
dropped him, and he fell with his ear
close to me. and as he still moved
| fired into him right behind the ear,
finishing him off.
''Leyburn's shot had gone in above
the nose, knocking his head about
awfully, and my first shot had entered
about three inches below the eye, and
yet with these two awful wounds in
the head from bullets he had managed
10 move about.
The atmosphere in the cave was
by this time simply suffocating, and
we were glad enough 10 get out, after
being in there an hour and half. All
the men came out and had food before
dragging the beast out He was very
heavy-built tiger, measuring eight feet
ten and half inches as he lay, his
skin two days after measuring eleven
feet three inches. We had a triumphal
procession back to the boat, but man.
aged to keep the natives off, and then
began the grewsome operation of skin
ming. Shanghai (China) Cor n. Y.
Herald.
A Disastrous Clerical Error.
7