Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1890-02-27
THE NAVIGATING TIGER.
Our Long Hunt for Beast Who
Knew What He Was About.

The Writer, who Has Had Experience In
Indian Jungles, Could Give Most Pro-
fcssors of Natural History Point
ers on tho Tiger.
When you 60 forth to hunt the lion
you have bold and open enemy. In
ninety-fve cases out of hundred he
will charge you if you NEEDLE with him.
In the other five he may get ratified and
run away. The lion seldom prowls or
sneaks. The tiger will often resort to
measures unworthy of the wolf. One
can always locate the lion at night, if
he be full grown, by his voice. Fear
ing nothing on earth, human or animal,
he delights in locating himself. Hunt
ers have now and then been stalked by
a lion, but in every case it was curiosity
more than hunger which prompted the
beast. When the tiger stalks it is for
blood. He is never curious.
We had been beating the jungles in
the Bengalee district, to the west of Cal
'cutta, for two weeks before any big
game came our way. Our party was too
large for successful hunting party, be-
ing composed of over twenty officers,
civil and military, who were out for
vacation, and the servants must have
numbered fifty. We had plenty to eat,
drink and smoke, and now and then
knocked over wolf or hyena, but we
could not expect to get within five miles
of any thing worthy of a bullet with
such camp as that. One day native
came in with a request that some of us
return with him to village called
Dahur, about twenty-five miles to the
northwest He said that an old tiger
had taken up his headquarters near the
village, and during the four weeks he
had been there the beast had killed and
devoured man, two women, a girl and
boy. The natives had set traps, but
he would not enter them. They had
poisoned the carcasses of goats and
calves, but he would not touch them.
1t had got SO that at four o'clock in the
evening every one entered his house and
made himself secure for the night, while
the tiger held possession of the village,
and carried terror to every soul.
Major Isham and myself got this news
exclusively, and after bit of planning
we stole out of the camp with our
horses and arms and followed the guide.
1t was about nine o'clock in the morn
ing when we left, and as it was cool
day and we had fairly good route we
pushed ahead at such pace that at
three in the afternoon we were in
Dahur. We found the village to consist
of seventy-two huts or cabins covering
about two acres of open. On the north
ern edge OF the village was creek
flowing toward the Ganges, sixty miles
away, and beyond this creek was a
fertile spot of two hundred acres which
was devoted to crop raising. The creek
was bordered with thick Jungle about
five rods in breadth, and it was at the
crossing that the tiger had got in his
deadly work. This creek could not be
crossed anywhere for miles except by
cutting a way through the Jungle, and
the inhabitants of the village were
talking of moving away when they
heard of our big hunting party. The
first thing was to inquire about the
tigers peculiarities as thus far OBJ
served by the people. No two tigers
work exactly alike any more than two
thieves..do Let two man-eaters take W
their quarters, each in the suburbs of 6
village twenty miles apart; and they
will not pursue the same tactics.
"This tiger, sahibs," said the heat
man, in explanation, "knows no fear
While we were working in the field a
MONDAY he came out of the Jungle, sa
down like dog, and looked at us for ;
long time. He saw that my brother:
wife was very fat and therefore select
ed her for his supper. We numbered
over thirty as we started to return. W.
were singing and shouting to scare
him, and the sun was yet half an houl
high, but he came out of the Jungle
looked each one over as he passed, anC
when my sister-in-law came up hi
sprang upon her and carried her of. HI
did not even growl. AS he knocked he
down his long tail whisked around anC
struck me in the side. Last night wa
the worst of all. As none of US had gon,
TO the field for three days, the tigel
came into the village for his supper
An old man further up the street un
fastened the door to go into the hous'
of his son across the street. and as h
stepped forth the tiger seized him. HI
was a very large man, but the beas
carried him off at trot You have
sahibs, an old and cunning beast to dea
with, and if you do not have your wit
about you he will eat you both"
No wild animal goes out to kill unles
hungry. In each instance where thi
tiger had seized victim he had re
manned quiet for the next two nights
We could, therefore, figure pretty close
on his next appearance. We went do
that evening and looked the cover g
1t was dense enough to conceal
of elephants, and as the creek wa
of water the beast would have
ducement to leave shelter until b.
drove him out As for pushing
into the Jungle to meet hiE
was too foolhardy to be emit,
Once tiger becomes a man
develops new traits No
raised By thousand natives
him away, and he becomes
dangerous to approach as