St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-04-14
TIGER FIGHT IN JAVA.
A Spectacle Quite as Exciting
as a Bull Fight in
Spain.
What Is Denominated Sport
in Banyuwangi, a Pro-
vineial Capital.
The Meeting Of a Monstrous
Cat and a Huge Buff
falo Bull.
They Tear Each Other Until
Death Ends the Awful
Work.

Chicago Herald.
A tiger fight in Java is fully as excit-
ing spectacle as bull fight in Spain.
Such fight, which l once witnessed, |
shall attempt to describe. Though
time has somewhat dimmed my recol-
lections, the main Incidents in the for
midable combat are indelibly impressed
on my memory.
1t was in 1868 when I was in Banu-
wangi,. provincial capital of Java,
right opposite the large island of Bali.
AS my uncle had only lately left the
island after forty years. continuous serv-
ice in the Dutch colonial army, with
the rank of lieutenant general and mill
tary governor of the island, 1 became
the honored guest Of the resident of
Banyuwangl, at least for few days.
And it was there l saw struggle to the
death between an enormous tiger and a
kerbo OF medium size. The tiger meas
ured over nine feet from nose to tail.
The beasts naturally ugly temper had
not been improved by fast. The
young buffalo bull was of mouSe-graY
hue, entirely without hump, and to all
appearances q very gOOd-natured, I'M
sophisticated and IOng-suffering animal.
On the day in question the natives
| from hundred deSSahS (settlementS)
| in the environs came to BanyuWangi,
| from as far as Sukaradya and Sampang,
| in fact. 1t was great popular festival,
| and the crowd were all attired in their
best. What polyglot assemblage they
we're! JavaneSe. SOudaneSe, Madurese
fI,a nj No fnn
the island, with Chinese. SiameSe,
Arabic, Sumatrese and Ceylonese, to-
| gether with three or four European Ian
guages, could be heard. For there were,
besides the wealthy creoeS and the
| mestiZos, coffee-colored Malays from all
around, Arabs from the Persian gulf,
truculent Balinese and BugineSe, even
| negroes-everythipg from the white
| skin and blue eyes of the Dutch to the
| flashing eyes and raven tresseS of the
| aborigines. And as is the hue of their
cutlcles, so did they differ in their garb
| and their weapons. The snowy cotton
cabaye aud the dark sarong-with the
deadly kreeS concealed in its folds-of
| the Javanese we're, however, most con-
spicuous. They were all in holiday
mood, and no force nor authority OF any
| kind was required to keep the motley
| throng in order.
| Rhythm the center Of large meadow
| rose the "circus." 1t had been hastily
but solidly constructed of giant bam-
| boo. each as thick as a mans arm,
rammed into the earth to the depth of
| three feet and standing fifteen feet
| high, Joined together and further
| strengthened by the slender trunks of
trees. The interstices were probably
three inches wide, and to them were
pressed the eyes of the thousands of
| natives as soon as the fun began.
| Overlooking the arena proper and sur
rounding it in a Semi-clrcle had been
built terraced stands for the more dis
tinguished spectators present, made up
in large part of the native princes
household and retinue, with the Dutch
| officials, merchants, officers. as well as
| some wealthy Chinese traders. From
| those stands the battlefield lay right
| below at ones feet. The tiger was IN
cage opening into the arena. The young
bull stood in it, peacefully chewing the
cud of reflection, and apparently In no
mood for
Active Hostilities.
The suns blisterng rays were mod
Grated by an immense awning spread
| over the whole extent of the arena, and
| securely tied to circle of posts running
around arena and stands. From this
awning some native retainers of the
| prince-whose full name, by the way,
| was Sakuronga Moharnmed Radja-had
| been vainly trying tOannoy the ''kerb0"
| into more bellIcose frame of mind. by
pouring the biting juice of certain wild
fruit over his tanks, and by whipping
| him with branches of nettle-like
| &C fN 10
| the tiger there could be no doubt. His
rOars of baffled rage could be heard far
away, as the rabble ''guyed" him in
his cage, calling him all sorts of pet
| names, such as ''mandrOng' blood
| thirsty BEAST and the like.
"Bookah pintuh.' (open the door,
| shouted the prince. And a moment
later the tortured tiger bounded into
the arena. 1t stretched its cramped
| limbs and joints till they cracked, and
gloried in regained liberty. For that
was what the beast thought first, evil
IDENTIFY. The tumultuous applause that
/ greeted its appearance startled the
tiger, though. 1t crouched down, and
| then began snake-like tour of dis
| covery. Surely, there must be a way
steps that fall as velvet, the enormous
| feline seeks an exit, all the time
paying no attention to the buf-
falo, or else not deeming him
worthy of notice. The bull, on
| his part, had begun to give signs of
restiessness. With lowered head he fol-
| lowed every motion of his arcIi-foe. Yet
| he does not bulge. Suddenly the con-
| yictlon dawns on the tiger that he is
still prisoner, that his cage has only
] been enlarged, that he is to be butch
cred to make Javenese holiday. His
| eyes dart fearful glances up at the stout
| enclosure. He roars sullenly, or growlS
and snarls, rather. Then he notices a
| pair of human orbs looking at him
! through a bamboo wall. With giant
leap and roar that seems to run down
| ones back he flies at the spot and digs
| his claws deep into the bamboo, brea k
| ing one of the thick tlmberS and bury
| ing his teeth into another.
The Curious Natives
at that spot have fled and must be or
dered by the prince to drive the beast
back, for it looks for moment as if he
would force his way out of the breach
| he has made. With big iron brands and
with torches they drive the fer0ciouS
monster back into the arena. There he
notices the buffalo, whom he eyes side
WAYS, but whom he is not inclined to
modest. He walks around the ''kerbo"
in wide circle. Once more he makes
bold break for liberty. With thun-
derous roar which sounds as if it would
| alone Shiyerthe timbers ne leaps
at the top of the inelOsure.
| He clings to it. With tremendous
blows of his paws he breaks off the tips
| of the bamboo palings. He crunches
them with his teeth as if they were thin
reeds, and through the aperture thus
formed he reaches out, with feline
grace, for something to grasp. Behind,
but couple of feet beyond the reach