The morning call., 1890-06-29


men were clinging to the bars of one of the
windows In spite of the desperate efforts
of the unfortunate wretches in their rear
to dislodge them. A word from one of the
Burman officials sent the bowling
mob crouching back to the iron
which there seemed to be dozens upon
dozens of wretches similarly situated.
to those in their front. A member of the
Enjoys staff asked one of the unfortunate
whites what brought them there, their
names and whether they belonged to any reg
iment. They answered in partially broken
English as to their names and regiments,
and that they had deserted to the Burmans
some four years ago from Moulmein, the
capital of the British Tenessarem provinces
up to 1926 Burmese territory-but for
mercy's sake to take them away and send
them back to their regiments, and that
they would willingly suffer any punishment
awarded them without a murmur. The un-
fortunate wretches were released the next
day and sent down the lrrawaddy IN dis
patch-boat and discharged at Rangoon,
being utterly unfit to serve.
THE ARENA.
We now entered the palace gates and TO
the center of qusdrilateral piece of ground
surrounded by high and handsome balco-
MES filled with Burman soldiers. AT the
farther side was a large open gateway,
leading to broad, white marble stairway.
up which all were conducted, and filed into
balconies running round an immense tennis
court or amphitheater, the walls and floor
of which were of white polished marble,
the front seats on the balconies being some
twenty feet above the floor Some seventy
feet from the entrance TO the balconies, on
the left was hung heavy cloth OF gold,
with double tent or flap doors. Four n0bles
of the highest rank stood two on each side,
with drawn scimitars, as guards. The cloth
of gold extended from the second seat
to the tOpmost one. Similar provisions
were made on the opposite side, some thirty
feet distant. In front. another cloth of
gold was hung from the bacony's roof tC
the second seat, and there, as well as at the
sides, made secure from outside obServa-
ton. At the lower portion Of the cloth,
in front, was an aperture large enough Tor
golden shoe or foot to protrude, and there,
sure enough, was the golden shoe or foot
prOttuding-suppoSed by the people to be
the golden foot bestowed upon Burman
Majesty from all time by the great Bud
dha. On each side OF the golden foot stood
noble of the court with drawn Scimitar, as
guard.
Sat lonely inside this golden walled place,
with his golden foot protruding. The no.
bles, the Envoy and staff filed past the
spot, and as they came in front of the golden
foot each humbly and gladly stopped and
kissed it. This ceremony being over all
At this time l noticed at the far end of the
arena a strong open barred iron door, some
four feet high and three feet wide and
beyond that, in the same direction, could be
observed strong IRON cages for wild animals,
and directly in front Of where | sat was an
other iron door, about six feet high by
two wide, but of solid iron and swung on
hinges, the space al the farther end being
opened by raising the iron door from the
top. All was silence, when the sound of
bolt or bar was heard to clash from the out
side OF the solid iron door and 1t swung
open on It's hinges and in stepped young,
slim boy, some 10 or 10Y years of age, slight TO
adegree, but 1.-THE and of most perfect shape
and about five feet four in height His hair
was cut short, and he was dressed as
strong cummerbund round the lolns.
His formidable dhaw, the blade of
which is always kept as sharp
as a razor and two and half feet long, with
a handle of two feet, was held in bis right
hand blade down. The door was shut and
bolted behind him directly he entered, a
fact of which he took not the slightest notice.
He advanced to the center of the arena with
slow, graceful and gliding pace, until he
came directly in front of the gold grated
space In the cloth of gold through which the
King looked, when he crossed his arms upon
his breast and actually touched the floor
with his forehead without seeming TO bend
the knees. He rose and made graceful bows
to the mobiles, Envoy and others, and then
retreated backward ten or twelve PAGES TO-
ward the door by which he entered and
there stood still see mingly quite at his ease.
A BENGAL TIGER.
Then the bars of the aperture mentioned
above were drawn up and the dreadful roars
of an angry and hungry Bengal tiger were
heard res0unding through the whole place
He was being prodded with an iron rod,
from above the bars OF his cage, by the
keeper, for the purpose of driving him into
the arena, and in he bounded with savage
roar, flashing his tail in fury. He had been
kept fasting for two days. His first move
was to glare around upon the people in
! the balconies, and 1t could be seen that
| he was mentally measuring the distance
between himself and them Suddenly his
gaze fell on the silent and statuesQue figure
of the man near the door, the muscles of
| whose cOuntenance did not show tie slight
est change. The tiger glared upon him,
crouched and stealthily crept forward to-
| ward his intended victim. The Young man
! actually advanced amid the deathlIke silence
| to meet him. The tiger ceased to move
| and gathered himself together for his dead
| ly spring. The man stood still, with his
| piercing black eyes firmly fixed on those of
| the tiger, which seemed actually SPELL
| bound for a second or two. At this mo-
ment looked round on the features of the
| assembled hundreds. All seemed deadly
| pale ana nerve strung. L again looked down
| on the dreadful scene before me, when, as
| quick as fash of lightning, the tiger made
| his spring l must have lost the power Of
sight Tor moment, Tor / dld not see tie
cut delivered by the young man, who
| swiftly jumped on one side, out of the line
! of the spriuging tiger, and delivered 4 cut
with his terrible dhaw on the near hind leg
| of the wild beast, severlng the leg above
! the center joint, leaving it hanging by a
| shred of skin. | heard the terrible rOars
and growlings Of the tiger, and when | re-
| covered my powers Of observation a dread
| full sight met my gaze. The white marble
| floor was covered with pools of blood,
| which was streaming from the severed leg,
| and the young man was quietly moving
round the infatuated beast, the handle OF
| his dhaw grasped in his right hand, the
blade, back downward, resting in the hol-
| low of his left arm,
THE TIGER INFATUATED
| And making desperate but Intellectual
| efforts to spring. Every time he did so he
| rolled over on his left side for want of sup
port from his near hind leg. The sight
was sickening. At length signal was
| given by the master of ceremonies, when
the young man in the arena moved rapidly
| round the tiger three or four times. The
animal, trying TO follow the movement. be-
came dizzy and weak, when, like flash,
| the young gladiator was in upon him, and
with a single cut with the dhaw severed the
| remaining hind leg from the body above
the center joint, leaving the tiger
completely helpless and at his mercy. The
man now, to show his skill and daring,
| placed his left foot on the near hind quar-
ter of the tiger, poised his dhaw to give the
| tiger the flushing blow parallel to the body
| and between the ears, splitting the skull in
| two, but before giving the cOup-de-grace he
looked round and bowed in acknowledgment
to the hearty cheers of the audience. His
vanity, if such it was, nearly cost him his
life and reputation. He belonged to fam
though nearly bled to death, made su.
preme effort and swerved partially round,
throwing the man off his balance. He
slipped and fell in the now deep and par
TALLY coagulated blood. The tiger made
stroke of the off fore paw at the
now PROSTATE man, who with lightning
speed waTded off the blow with his dhaw,
the tigers paw striking the edge, giving
| himself another severe wound. The young
man was ON his feet in a moment, literally
| covered in the tiper's blO0d A few minutes