The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1889-08-17

! SOW vOAA00 GAA0 va AVA Va vAI POAs
and we were face to face. I thinl
he had been lying in the shade OF
the other side. I had my gun in m.
left hand, and I realized that an,
movement on my part would be
signal for him to attack. The liol
was as much astonished as I was
Indeed, his first idea was to drol
his tail and bolt. At first ! coule
have put my right hand out ane
laid it on his nose, but presently
he shifted at me and backed off te
q distance of about ten feet ano
then stood and stared at me. ]
stared back. 1t was the only thing
I could do. He was neither hungry
nor petulent, and he finally laid
down and rested his head on hit
paws and kept his great yellow eyes
steadily fastened on mine. / stood
like stone for about ten minutes.
Then I sank to my knees, feeling
that if l did not I should soon lose
my equilibrium. As I went down
he rose up with a menacing grow]
and seemed about to spring, but as
I remained quiet he sank down
again and resumed his stare.
was dangerously fascinated by
the stare of this beast, and by and
by | felt q strange exultation and
wanted to shout and wave my
hands. / really believe l should
have advanced upon him had we
been left uninterrupted two minutes
longer. One of the natives followed
after me, and as the sound Of his
footsteps in the brush reached the
lions ear he whined and seemed
uneasy, and finally made bolt for
the thicket. l was still on. my
knees when the natives came, end
was so weak all day that l remained
in camp.
Near Kharme, in Burmah, some
natives once came about twenty
miles to beg of me to return with
them and rid their village of the
presence of q man-eating tiger. /
went with them in hopes to catch
the beast alive. We found his lair
in a mass of rocks in the midst of
q thicket, and also the water hole
from which he quenched his thirst.
We dug q pit in the path he used,
but every beast, except the one
wanted, fell into it. I therefore de-
termined to shoot the tiger as he
came to drink. One night when he
had killed and partially devoured
COW early in the evening, l took
native and repaired to the water
hole. It was then Il o'clock at night
and tho tiger might be expected
along at any moment. l first took
position under tree just above the
water, but after q few minutes
moved ten feet to the left, and gave
the native my place. We were
armed with shot-guns heavily
charged, and intended to kill the
tiger at the first fire whether we
saved an inch of his skin or not.
We had been in the place about
fifteen minutes when the native sud-
denly shrieked out that the tiger
had got hold of him. I sprang up
and it was not so dark but that /
could make out some animal shak-
ing and worrying him. l shouted
and ran forward, and as the beast
wheeled upon me I fired and rolled
him over. The native was not dead,
but so badly wounded that he lived
only two days. / supposed, of
course, that he had been attacked
by the tiger, and when I came to
strike e light and investigate I dis
covered that / had killed panther.
The beast was perched on a limb
Of the tree directly over the spot
had at first selected and had | re-
aimed it he would have made me
ais victim in place of the native.
One more instance: was out
,ne day With native in the prov.
nee of Siam, looking up the liar Of
. panther which had worked great
havoc, when we sat down in the
shade to rest. / had been up the
hight before, and soon fell into a
lrowse. The man dared not awaken
ne, and yet be vas too cowardly to
'emsin beside nae. He therefore
luietly climbed a tree, and | went
'ound asleep. I had been in this
condition half an hour, according
o his calculation, when great rock
make came out of q ledge a few
,ards away, and approached me.
This species of serpent is kin to the
,ythons and anacondas, only much
more fierce and active. The native
,aw, but dared not speak. If he
Lroused me l was certain to move,
md receive the terrible fangs and
he deadly embrace. He said that
he snake crawled over my legs
hree or four times, and twice it
,eemed on the point of striking me,
md had / moved in the slightest
yould have been made q victim.
Happily for me I slumbered on;
nd hv and hv the aerD0nt went Cff |