Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1889-07-25
IN A TIGERS DEN.
chS Adventure of q Party of Hunters
In u Chinese Wilderness.


"A huge tiger was killed near Annoy
An March last. the hunt being marked
oy number of exciting features. Tho
hunting party consisted of Messrs.
Suillnson, Des Veux. Harding and
eyourn, and eight native hunters. the
latter armed only with spears and
torches. They were out several DAYS
beating many ravines unsuccessfullv
and finding only tracks and traces of
tigers. Then they reached a place
"nere Leyourn had shot tiger 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:
1t cleared up about breakfast time
and We proceeded leisurely to the
cars about eleven o'clock. Coll:nson
TOOK ALIENS rock Des Voaux Hard
1ngs rock and Leyburn and I placed
ourselves near the bridge entrance.
Inc native hunters went in below the
ofldge- 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.
Ihls building in took 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. / must say that
did not feel bit inclined for this part
OF the programme, but old Quartermain
(Leyburn) 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 We're 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
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 scuffling a bout behind the brush
wood. In minute or so all was quiet
and we all waited and listened and
could hear the brute breathing heav-
lily.
1--WE 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 a little brush
wood, looking in then quickly rcplac-
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. l was hoisted up on a
nearly perpendicular rock and saw a
yellow head about five feet below my
right hand. l 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 a 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
vet with these two awful wounds in
the head FROM bullets he had managed
to 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 triumphal
procession back to the boat. but man.
aged to keep the natives off. and then
began the grewsome operation of skin
ning."-Shanghai (China) Cor. n. \.
Herald.