Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1890-09-25


the door facing to the west. The others
sat so that their faces were turned to-
ward the door,
All of sudden caught sight Of the
tiger approaching VS. from the north. He
walked up to within 10 feet of the group
and sat down and stared ut us. could
see him in the reflection of fire as plain
as day and noted his unusual size and
strength, and the fact that he had Q
white spot about the size Of silver dol.
lar on his throat There was a CONVEX.
sation going on in which l was not in-
cluded, and l had been looking at the
beast full minute before was appealed
to- Then l replied: Gentlemen, make
no move! The tiger is only 10 feet awayl
Be moving backward 5 feet l can reach
my gun. Should any of You attempt to
spring up he will doubtless seize you"
The natives were struck dumb, but the
ma or, fully realizing the situation, be-
gan singing song. | moved backward
inch by inch, and the tiger remained
quiet while was i'll his range of vision.
AS soon as l got my hand on my rifle
rose to my feet and stepped to the door
to deliver shot, but the beast was no
longer there. No one had heard or seen
him move, but he had disappeared.
He came to see if you sahibs were
really here, or if we We're deceiying him,
explained the head man when he had re-
covered his power of speech. He has
seen you. He knows that you seek his
life. 1t will now be between you three,
and you must look out OF he will get the
better of you. %t 'sttf
Nothing further was heard from the
beast that night and next day we sent
| the people off to the fields again. After
dinner we got suit of clothes, and
stuffed them with grass to represent a
human fgure--a man. We placed it in
a kneeling position at tho creek, with
gourd in hand, as if dipping up water,
and at o'clock all the people came in,
and we took our stations in tree which
commanded the crossing.
If the tiger appeared at the usual spot
we had him at short range. We watched
until the afternoon faded into darkness,
but he did not appear. If he saw the
figure at all he scented the trick. Then
we fastened goat to the tree, and took
possession of a cabin 100 feet away.
From window looking out TO tho NORTH
we had fine show to drop the tigef 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 u continual bleating for
hours, she drew no other audience than
q few jackals and hyenas. Next morn
ing the head man said to us:
LAS 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; plan
accordingly"
In the afternoon we had one Of the
families vacate their hut, and brought
up the dummy and laid it in the sleeping
corner We then took possession OF
the next cabin, only about so feet away,
and cut two openings in the wall to
command the door of the first. The
people went to their work as usual and
returned at the usual time, and every
body was inside before the sun went
down. What we hoped for was that the
tiger would prowl through the village
trying each opening to effect an en-
trance, and we had left this door so that
he could open it. We did not look for
him before nine o'clock, and were TAX
ing things easy at about eight when we
heard an uproar at the other end of the
village. We two ran out, but were too
late. The tiger had appeared, burst in a
door by flinging his weight against it,
and had seized and carried off q boy
about years old. villages 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 we'll
abandon our homes tomorrow. This ID
a wise and cunning tiger and you can do
nothing with him. If We do not "a
away he will cat us up.
We quieted the people AZ best we
could, and next day went about in per,
son to make every hut secure. Every
window opening was barred and every
door provided with prop. 1t was
characteristic of the simple minded
, natives that while they lived in mortal
dread, more than half the huts were sc
badly secured that the tiger gould have
tiger to get hungry. As the crops could
; now take care 81 themselves for few
days, we ordered that the villagers keeI
quiet and show themselves az little a!
. possible, and two nights and days wers
3 thus worn away. On the afternoon %
. the third day we. killed 70 goat saht
dragged its bleeding body from tn.
creek to the door of the hut wherein W,
!, had placed the dummy, and at twilight
the village was q quiet as graveyard
. The major and stood at opening
about five feet apart. and at ten o'clocl
we had got no alarm. He came over t.
. me to say that he was dying for a smoke
and to ask if deemed it advisable t,
J. light a cigar, when heard pat! pat
}. pat! outside, and cautioned him that tn,
y tiger was abroad. The cunning beas
n had not come by the trail we had pre-
:. pared, but had made circuit and strucl
n into the upper or southern end of tn
!, village. AS we afterward ascertained
he had been prowling around for a,
= hour, softly trying every door in success
y side. The cunning beast seemed to b
a posted as to this fact and fingered on tn
|. north side. We plaiply heard him pus
= at our door and rear up and claw tn
4 bars of the window, and we hardl
:, breathed for fear Of frightening hin
!. away. There was a ofeyfcs una1s IN
it door tlxoSgh which one coala hss