The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1890-11-20
A TALE OF ADVENTURE.

A TALE OF ADVENTURE.
The railroad line from Lucknow to La
horc, India, runs through a country
where the tiger aud panther yet crouch
within sound of the Car wheels, and
where almost every train passing up and
down cuts serpents in two as they crawl
over the tracks from cover to cover. |
heard it stated over and again that three
surveyors lost their lives for every
mile of the road, and if this had not
been true the company would not have
employed me in the capacity it did.
When the grading began at Lucknow,
or, rather, after it had progressed few
miles to the west, | took the advance
with party of fourteen natives. My
title should have been, 1.-The Honorable
Tiger SLAYER and Serpent Killer to the
Honorable Lucknow and Western Rail-
road Company. l was employed to
protect the railroad hands, and the posi-
ton was far from being sinecure.
1t is as we'll to state how we were out
fitted. We had two horses and carts
and an elephant. The latter had been
used very often for hunting, and was
wary and intelligent beast. He was my
personal property, and when l rode atall
it was Oh his back. I had rifle carry
ing an explosive ball, and my men were
armed with double -barrelled shotguns.
We had supply of Chinese bombs and
several hundred sheet-iron cylinders,
which could be charged for shells. In
addition to the above / had g casS o.
Concreve rockets, the chambers of which
were filled with swan shot, and when we
took our station on the line no party
could have been better prepared.
Fist on tLG inc came the pioneers,
who cleared the trek of trees and brush.
Within niue miles of Lucknow two of
these were bitten by cobras, and died be-
fore help could reach them. We were
to beat the route ahead of the pioneers
for at least five miles, and on the very
first day we killed two cobras and ran off
q panther. From that day for almost
two yeals there was scarcely a day with
out its adventure.
One morning, after we had made our
camp about two miles ahead of the pi-
oneers, started 10 ride back on my cle-
phant to consult with the foreman OF
the gang. About the same time he
started to walk to the camp. Ten min
utes before l saw him my beast, whom l
had christencd "Zeb," announced in his
own peculiar way lhat he scented tiger
He flung his trunk from side to side and
breathed in an excited way. l had passed
out of a thicket to an open spot when l
saw Mr.. Williams about half mile
away. He was in the clear ground
on the edge OF dense thicket.
held up and lie soon saw me. He was
waving his hat in silent salutatiou, when
a magnificent speciman of tigerhood
bounded from the thicket, struck the
ground once, afd then made a leap of
about twenty feet and bore Williams to
the earth. Two or three seconds later
he flung the unfortunate man over his
shoulder and started off. He did not
make for the thicket, but for ravine to
the west. Iurged Zeb after him as fast
as he could go, and hearing the crash OF
his footsteps the tiger halted and wheeled
around and stood looking us in the face.
l was so near before my beast halted that
I could see that Williams was gripped
by the right shoulder. He lay almost
on lis back diagc nally across the tigers
body.
At distance of not over fifty feet the
elephant halted. He saw that thu
ground was broken and that he stood ne
show of pursuit. l had my rifle ready,
and though I telt almost certain that
would kill William if l fired, raised tht
weapon to my face and fired at the white
spot on the tigers breast. I believe h'
leaped three feet high with his burden
and he had touched the earth again
when the ball exploded. 1t made al
awful wreck of him, and as l rode for
ward ! had no nope whatever ior the
man. found him covered with blooc
and hair and flesh and his coat sleeve
torn off, but had scarcely taken him b.
the heels to draw him aside when b.
reused up and was soon able to converse
The tiger had given him severe bite il
the shoulder, and he had been consider
ably shaken up by the explosion, but il
two weeks he was at the head OF his gan:
again. The tiger must not only hav
been a man eater, but in the full vigo
of life and strength. An old tiger woul'
have continued to run for cover. Thi
fellow had LOST no teeth and had lots o
pluck.
We were beating a thicket, in whicI
was large mass Of out-croppinS rock
The route ran right through the thicket
and within forty feet of the eastern edg
of this outcrop. We knew it to be goo
place for serpents, and we were not Ion!
in finding them. With shotgun w
killed three large specimens OF the cobra
manila and one of the men hit off tw
sandsnakes, which are found in tn