Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1890-12-04
MAN-EATERS.
THE TERRIBLE AND CUNNING
TIGERS OF INDIA.


Years.
Sir Samuel W. Baker, in his recent
book, 'sWild Beasts and their Ways,n
says that if the tiger has been born in
jungles Astounding in wild pigs he is apt
to have well-fed and comfortable ap-
pearance, very different from the tigerof
the Geological Gardens, which "ls
long, 1.-the creature, with little flesh,
and from the lack of exercise the muscles
are badly developed. Such a specimen
affords poor example of the grand ami
nal in its native jungles, whose muscles
are almost ponderous in their develop
ment from the continued exertion in
nightly rambles over long distances and
in mortal struggles when wrestling with
its prey. A well-fed tiger is by no means
slim figure, but, on the contrary, it is
exceedingly bulky, broad in the shoul-
dcrs, back and loins, with an extraord!-
nary girth of limbs, especially in the
forearm and wrist. The muscles are
tough and hard, and there are two pecu-
liar bones unattached to the skeleton
frame; these are situated in the flesh of
either shoulder, apparently to afford ex-
ira cohesion of the parts, resulting IN
additional strength when striking blow
or wrestling with heavy animal"
He has something very clear and def
mite TO say about the man-eater: "a pro-
fessed man cater is the most wary of
animals and is very difficult to kill, not
because it is superior in strength, but
through its extreme caution and cunning,
which renders its discovery work of
long labor and patient search. An aver
age native does not form very hearty
I meal. The man-eatcr will seize an un-
suspecting person by the neck and will
then drag the body to some retreat in
i which it can devour its prey in undls-
/ turbed security. Having consumed the
more fleshy portions, it will probably
leave the body, and will never return
again to the carcass; but will seek a
fresh victim, perhaps, at some miles dis
tance, in the neighborhood of another
village. Their cautious habits render
it almost impossible to destroy cum
ming man eater, as it avoids all means of
detection. In this popularity the ordi.
nary man-eatirg tiger differs from all
others, as the cattle-killer is almost GER
tain to return on the following night to
the body which it only partially de-
voured after the first attack.
But the "man-eater" is not the only
scourgc. There are tigers which never
touch men but are terrible robbers of
cattle. Sir Samuel gives an account OF
one of these:
although the tiger as man. eater is
a terrible scourge, and frequently inflicts
incredible loss upon the population of a
district, there are tigers in existence
which would never attack human be-
ing, although they exist upon the cattle
of the villages and have every opportu-
nifty of seizing women and children in
their immediate neighborhood. About
nine years ago there was well-known
animal of this character at place called
Bhundra, in the Jubbulpur district,
which was supposed to have killed up
ward of 500 of the natives cattle. This
was peculiarly large tiger, but so harm
less to man that he was regarded merely
in the light of cattle litter, and neither
woman nor child dreaded its appearance.
The natives assured me that during
fourteen years it had been the common
object of pursuit, both by officers, civil
ians and by their own shikaris, but
as the tiger was possessed by the
devil, it was quite impossible to dc
stroy it. This possession by al
evil spirit is common belief and ir
this instance the people spoke of il
as matter of course that admitted of nc
argument; they assured me that the
tiger was frequently met by the natives
and that it invariably passed them in {
friendly manner without the slightest
demonstration of hostility, but that il
took away COW or bullock in the most
regular manner every fourth day. II
varied its attentions, and having killed
a few head of cattle belonging to ont
village it would change the locality fol
week or two, and take toll from those
within a radius of four or five miles
always returning to the same haunts and
occupying or laying up in the same jun
gle. The great peculiarly of this par
ticular tiger consisted in its extreme
contempt for firearms; it exposed itsel
almost without exception when driver
by line of beaters, and when shot at il
simply escaped, only to reappcar upor
everybody that had gone aftel
it had obtained a shot, but bullets
were of no use against devil, therefore
it was always missed"
The account of his killing Of this an
imal is as follows:
SAT this moment raised my eyes from
the nullans in which he was expected,
and saw through the intervening leaf
less mass of bushes upon the opposite
slope. dim outline of an enormous tiger,
50 indistinct that the figure resembled
the fading appearance of a dissolvins