The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-01-10
HUNTING THE MAING-HO.
An Exciting Adventure In the
Wilds Of Corea.
A Fierce Beast as Much at Home Among
Snow-Drifts as In Tropical Jungles
The Yankee Mill-Owner's
Story.

Story.
To many readers it will be a sur
prise to learn that the Asiatic tiger
often known as the royal Bengal tiger,
and usually regarded as belonging
wholly to the torrid regions in which
lie the East Indian jungles-is found
also in the northeastern portions of
China and Corea.
In fact, the largest, fercest tigers in
the world are found among the mount
aims of that wild region which lies
along the western coast of the sea of
Japan, in the parallels of latitude
which include Pennsylvania and New
York, and In which the climate, at
certain times of the year, is very cold.
The province of Ham Kieng, in the
north OF Corea. abounds in large for
ests of pine and cypress. interspersed
with trees which resemble the syea-
more and elm. In this region an
American named Cloudman. in the
employ of a company of Japanese
lumber merchants, had built a saw
mill on small river which flows into
the bay where their junks were loaded
Near the river stood an old. abandoned
Buddhist temple. The roof of the old
stone temple had not fallen, and a
bronze bell still hung in the cupola. As
the site was favorable, and the struct-
ure was dry and commOdious, Cloud
man occupied it as a ba"rack for him.
self and his laborers, and used the
Buddhist bell to arouse his workmen
in the morning, and to summon them
to their meals.
With him was a man-of-war's man
named Barrows, who had deserted at
Yokohama from British ship several
years before The japanese have a
high opinion of English fighting
qualities, and Barrows was employed
by the lumber n erchants to watch and
guard their property at this place.
The force of laborers consisted of
eighteen or twenty Corean and jap
anese laborers.
Cloudman and his party had thrill
ing and tragic experience with Cor
can tiger. which he thus relates:
'1n the latter part of October the
weather became very cold, with high
winds, snow-squalls and frosty nights.
By the middle of November the mill
pond was covered with ice two inches
thick, and there was considerable
snow on the ground.
1.-THE cd stone joss-house now stood
us in good stead. built fireplace
in one corner of the idol-room, and, as
fuel was plenty, Barrows and I had
quite CHEEKY quarters. The Corean
dah-hosOs. or choppers, camped in a
part of the old temple which opened
upon porch, and, as the two crews
were apt to scold and quarrel when
brought together, put the Japanese
mill-men into an apartment in which
the priests formerly held their private
devotions.
Il heard a great deal about tigers
all that season; the Coreans, among
whom were two san-cherag, or trained
native hunters. were constantly talk
ing of these beasts and telling stories
of flights and escapes from them, but
we saw no tigers during the summer
and autumn, and I had no fear that
they would give us trouble.
''But on the night of December IS,
a little before five o'clock, as the bell
was about to ring to call the choppers
down from the mountain side, l heard
great cutlery in the woods, and soon
the men appeared, running toward
the joss-house in q state of great
alarm.
"From their cries Of 'Masng no =
and 'San-tolr conjectured that they
had seen tiger, but could scarcely
believe their assertions that one OF
their number had been seized and
dragged away till had counted them
and found that we were, indeed, man
short Even then I was inclined to
think that the fellow might be some
where in the rear; for it was one OF
the san-cheng, or professional tiger
hunters, who was missing. It was al
ready dark, bnt I summoned Bar
rows from the mill, and, arming our
selves. we went up the valley to the
side of the mountain where the dab
hoWs had been at work. We took
lanterns along, and were accompanied
by eight or ten of the millmen,
equipped with hand-spikes and axes
'.After a short search the blood
stained trail of the man-eater was dis.
covered. The tracks showed that
after seizing the luckless Corean the
animal had bounded away with long
leaps through the snow, carrying its
victim without difficulty. The night
was dark and cloudy, with indications
that it would snow and blow before
morning. We followed the trail for
about half a mile, when the prospect
of rescuing the poor man. or of over
taking the creature at all, became so
evidently hopeless that took the men
back to their quarters.
The next morning four or five
lnches of snow had fallen. and the