Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1890-01-10

vaother was so inclement that the 'hen
ramainsd in their quarters. and no a'-
tempt was made to pursue 'he DSe'
"On the following day | sent gu.
Rarrows with the men, to pro'eos
them while they worked, and proViueu
i've Corean san-chenq, or tiger hunter,
with a lance, and set him also W "o'
as guard for the others :.
..In stationing these guards l ie''
that I had taken all practlcaoie pre-
cautions for the safety OF the men ~
NV charge. | was not at liporty W
withdraw them from the work. par
rows was armed with an Eng'lsh
breech-loading carbine. which was
the only gun at the mill, except TWO
or three japanese dint-locks WHICH,
were not to be relied on.
an going to and from the place
wbere thew worked in the forest ana
score of other times during every
dav while at work, the Coreans raised
a prolonged shout of tue! Tue! Tue!
to frlghten away the tigers AT Ill
hours of the DAY | heard this strange
chant echo through the wlntry sou.
tudes. blending with the sound o'
their axe-strokes.
"A week or two passed with no
fresh alarm Barrows grew tired OF
standing guard in the snow, ana l al
lowed the snn-cheng. at his own re-
quest. to resume his axe. 1t was only
nv a constant exercise of authority that
kept Bar ows with the crew. he
possessed the usual traits OF an En-
glish sailor and held Coreans in slight
estimation. He grumbled continually,
and ut length so far relaxed his vigil
.ance as to take his blankets with him
into the forest, and spend the time
tapping in front OF fire.
CAS- evening was approaching, one
Law early in January, large tiger
emerged from thioket about sixty
Yards from the place where the Core
ans we're cutting logs. They had bare
" time to perceive the creature before
he was among them, had seized his
victim, youth about twenty years OF
age, and was bounding away with the
.ad in its mouth. The Coreans scat
tered, uttering loud outcries. Bar
rows fired an Intellectual shot at the
animal and chased it for short dis
lance Some of the leaps made oy the
animal in its retreat covered dis
lance of over four yards, as l after
wards found by measurement.
81 was at the lumber yards below
the mill experimenting the loading
of Junk at the time of this second
foray, and before could organize a
pursuing party darkness had fallen.
The Coreans huddled panic-stricken IN
their quarters. and | saw that they
would be useless as laborors until the
tiger that had twice assailed them
had been hunted down and killed
at was easy to discern the Great
ure's track in the snow, which was
now nearly two feet in depth, making
it difficult to travel in the forest. The
Coreans use a snow-shoe made Of thin
tough, hard wood, to which they give
the name of SeL-mai, and | set my mer
at work to fashion several pairs o
these native rackets, which they fin
ished that night.
m eanwhile, consulted with Bar
rows and three or four of the NOR,
Intelligent among the Japanese mill
men, and the result was that W,
started a hunting party shortly afte
sunrise the following morning. l
was scarcely sportsman-like party
it resembled rather forlorn hope
and although had picked out tn
Quickest of the Japanese and Coreans
| could see that some of them ha
very little heart for the business be
fore them.
1--WE were poorly armed for such a
undertaking. Two of the Japanes
carried hint-lock guns, and Barrow
had his carbine The other men, t
the number of twelve, carried onl
axes. | was armed with an axe an
my revolver.
I'VE followed the track of tn
, tiger, which was stained at interval
with the blood of his victim. for abor
two miles, first up the valley of til
!, river, then across a mountain ridg
heavily wooded with pine. and the
into valley beyond it. 1t was ev
4 don't tbut thi.
cred with dense forest, had ono
been inhabited, for fragments of tn
old walls OF stone houses and temple
were plainly discernible through tt
snow, and occasionally an old ruin
|; considerable size doomed among til
dark boughs of the thick cypresst
and pines.
"Ascending the farther side of tt
= valley, the six or seven Japanes
. who were ahead of Barrows and m,
- self, came to whore the trail ende
near large. irregularly-shape
i aperture in a mass of old masonI
Il which had formed part of the fro,
5 wall of a high, artificial terrace Tn
q opening, which was six or eight fe
n above the surface of the ground, IL
d back into dark hole or cavern.
t ''ln front of this cavern a lars
drift had formed, nearly as high
the bottom of the opening; but tt
y eddying wind had whirled the sno
y outward, leaving an open space mo
u than two yards wide between IL
d crest of The drift and the hole. TT
niger had bounded from the drift