Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1890-03-14


spot we had him at short range. We
watched until the afternoon faded
into darkness, but he did not appear.
II he saw the figure at all he scented
TO the tree and took possession OF a
cabin hundred feet away. From
window looking out to the north we
had fine show TO drop the tiger il
he appeared. But he did not appear.
While all the village slept we stood
watch. rifles on the cock; but, though
the goat kept up continual bleat-
bleating for hours, she drew no other
. audience than few jackals and hy-
enas Next morning the head man
said TO us:
As the woman was very fat she
would last the tiger for an extra meal
or two. He would not have touched
the goat anyhow, but tonight he will
come into the village in search Of
victim. You must plan accordingly"
In the afternoon we had one Of the
| families vacate their hut and brought
up the dummy and laid it in the sleep
/ ing corner. We then took possession
of the next cabin, only about thirty
I feet away, and cot two openings in
/ the wall 10 command the door of the
first The people went to their work
as usual and returned at the usual
/ time, and everybody was inside be
! for. the sun went down. What we
hoped for was that the tiger would
prowl through the village, trying
each opening to effect an entrance,
and we had left this door so that he
could open it. We did not look for
him before 8 o'clock and were taking
things easy at about when we heard
an uproar at the other end Of the vii
lage. We two ran out, but were too
late. The tiger had appeared, burst
in door by fiinging his weight
against it and had seized and carried
off boy about eight years old. The
villagers were frantic with grief when
they learned of the fact and the head
man said TO us, while the tears ran
down his cheeks:
"Ah, sahibs, but we may as well
abandon our homes tomorrow. This
is wise and cunning tiger, and you
can do nothing with him. II we do
not go away he will eat us up"
We quieted the people a. best we
could, and next day went about in
person to make every hut secure.
Every window opening was barred,
and every door provided with a prop
1t was characteristic of the simple
minded natives that, while they lived
i'm moral dread, more than half the
huts were so badly secured that
the tiger could have entered. We
had to wait again for the tiger to get
hungry. As the crops could now take
care of themselves for few days, we
ordered that the villagers keep quiet
and show themselves as little as posi-
BILE, and two nights and days were
thus worn away. On the afternoon
of the third day we killed goat and
dragged its bleeding body from the
creek to the door of the hut wherin
we had placed the dummy, and at
twilight the village was as quiet as
graveyard.
The Major and | stood at openings
about five feetapart, and at 10 o'clock
we had got no alarm. He came over
to me to say that he was dying for a
smoke, and to ask if deemed it ad-
visable to light cigar, when | heard
pat. pat pat. outside, and cautioned
him that the tiger was abroad. The
cunning beast had not come by the
trail we had prepared, but had made
a circuit and struck from the upper or
southern end Of the village. AS we
afterward ascertained, he had been
prowling around for an hour, softly
trying every door in succession. Our
openings were on the south side. The
cunning beast seemed to be posted as
to this fact, and fingered Oh the north
side. We plainly heard him push at
our door and rear up and claw tn e
bars of the window, and we hardly
breathed for fear Of frightening him
away. There was a crevice under the
door through which one could have
showed his hand, and the tiger got
down and shifted at this opening for
fully FIVE minutes. Then he got up
and remained very quiet. He must
have had the scent Of the fresh blood
only two rods away, but 1t was plain
that he had his suspicious. We stood
at the openings, each one with his
gun thrust out and ready to fire, when
the beast suddenly made up his mind
TO act. With one bound he emerged
from shelter and covered half the dis
tance TO the other cabin. At the sec
ond he went bang against the door,
pushed it in, and was hidden from
sight before we had show TO pull
trigger.
Take him when he comes outr
whispered the Major, and both OF US
watched and waited.
The beast no doubt expected TO find
a victim in the hut. He seized the
dummy, gave it shake, and the dis
covery he made broke him all up
Instead Of coming out with bound
he sought to play sneak aud was just
clear of the opening, head down anC
tail dragging, when we fired anC
keeled him over. He proved TO be al
old tiger, having lost many Of hi
teeth, but he was big and strong, anC
/ wnuId doubrIess have made Inanl