Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1889-03-22

lcS uAS ~ urSti your nerves arc d O1t Sudhy
YETI
We crept out and awakened the punkah-
wallah, an old and faithful Hindu, whom my
brother once nursed during a dangerous
illness-a brave, reliable and trustworthy
man, who would have laid his life down for
Godfrey.
at is the man-eater" said the Hindu,
6 fter my recital. CIVIL the sahib let his
servant advise him!'
eyes, Rance; tell me your plan"
AS the Hindu rapidly snfolded it my
brother smiled obviously at the strange
idea.
Cunning must be met with cunning"
said the Hindu.
"It'll 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 we'll" said Godfrey. Let's set
about it at once.n From the gardeners
clubhouse 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
find soft and pliable; and having cut the
wire into three square lengths firmly dashed
them together, one over the other. When
completed il was the shape, but rather
larger tnan 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 f1atteDed 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 a 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
bamboo cane. With this implement he
sewed all over the mass of stuff, thus max
ing a string netting that helped TO keep the
composition IN its place. So far, so
good the most difficult operation yet re-
manned.
"Take my gum" said Godfrey to me,
''and give me the revolver"
He pushed the revolver in his belt, laid
hold of one end of the netting, and threw
off 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 clubhouse
ladder, and with gesture OF entreaty
signed to my brother to stand aside and
take his rifle 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
" 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 a noise, but it was
unavoidable, and was caused by the net
ting being drawn upward till it hung like
great curtain covering the shutter and hid
ing the window from US
Godfrey and stood ready to fire
The Hindu, perspiring at every pore, de-
scended the ladder, which he lowered and
placed horizontally on the window sill, 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, above which the
morning star was slowly pallng his silver
fire.
"But, Rance, the shutters are still fast
enedp'
'>Sahib, 1 unfastened them; they are
open as the breadth of a mans hand;
presently the light will stream through"
"Quickl fetch another riiem
When he returned l 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 hgh- shot
up in the sky, somewhere in the garden
bird sang; the sun had risen. "Wait the
signal" whispered my brother; "now,
Rance" The Hindu knelt down and imi-
tated the beating of kld 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 preciptately through the
window, and the tiger with its head and
shoulders buried IN the uncovered debris,
was graphing in maddened fury with an
enemy he could not see nor make much i'm
Our guns were at our shoulders.
The animal was twenty feet from US,
tearing up the graveled path and colling it
self n ineXtrIcable confusion in the broken
netting and splintered ladder. Rance ut
tered a loud cry. The animal had freed its
head. and stood with its bleeding mouth in an
enforced and listening attitude. 1t was the
moment Godfrey had waited for, and he
fired. 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
a convulsive leap and turned its bloodshot
eyes IN our direction. Then Godfrey free
again and told me TO do the same.
Back backn cried Rance.
The animal had gathered itself together
and sprsng forward with one mighty bound,
and rolled over with a scream of dying
rage.
When we came 10 measure the brute
afterward we found it was fifteen feet
from the nose to the tip of the ta!l-Charles
Lille, In Pail Mall Gazette.