Idaho news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1887-1891, 1891-07-11
SPORTING In INDIA

We had tied up q calf, over night,
TO q tree to attract tiger that haunt
ed and ravaged the neighborhood. /
waited fordaylight with much anxiety
and, directly there was sufficient light,
rubbing the cotton off my rifle sights,
got my people up, and started for
the place where the calf had been tied.
The winemaker was taken as a guide,
lest we should lose ourselves in the
jungle. Scarcely two hundred yards
had been passed when we heard the
tiger, which infested that part of the
forest, roarloudly. The poor villager,
the father Of the only remaining
family, whispered, "Wuh hai-that is
he! that is the tiger who owns my viii
lage." / replied, "If you run you are
a dead man; keep behind u.s." Plac-
ing in front my head shikaree, who
has very good sight we hurried along
the path.
Comingto some rocks from which |
knew that the tied-up calfcould beseen,
and thinking thatth shikaree might
not have remembered the spot, / pull
ed him back cautiously. | l~nked.
There was the white calf, apparently
dead. Mangalee remarked as much in
a whisper. The younger shikaree,
Nursoo, was behind me on the left.
We all gazed at a tail. The distance
was some sixty yards from us, but we
could not make out the tiger. At
length the end of the tail moved. Muir
500, making a similar motion with his
foreinger, whispered in my ear. THE
tails moving" Inow made out the
body of the animal clear enough. Not
a blade of grass nor a leaf was between
us. A single forest tree, without a
branch on it for thirty feet from the
ground, was twenty yards nearer the
tiger.
II was very probable that he would
see us, but il must be risked; so, press
ing down my shikaree, Mangkalee,
with my hand behind me, and keeping
the trunk Of the tree between the foe
and me, while | said within myself.
IF | get behind that tree, without
your seeing me, you're a dead tigerl''
] passed rapidly forward. So intent
was the huge beast upon the poor
cali, that he did not hear me. | plac-
ed the barrels of my rife against the
tree, but was Obliged to wait.
The tiger and the cali lay contiguous,
tails on end TO us. The calls neck
was in the tigers mouth, whose large
paws embraced his victim. ] looked,
|, waiting for some change in the posi-.
tion Of the body, 10 allow me TO aim
at a vital part.
At length the calf gave a struggle
and kicked the tiger, on which the
latter clasped him nearer, arching his
own body, and exposing the white Of
his belly and chest. pulled the trig.
ger very slowly, aimed 1t the white
and firing for his heart-he was on
the left side-as if | were firing at al
: egg for a thousand pounds.
! knew that hit the spot aimed al
but, TO my astonishment, the tigel
} sprang up several feet in the air witt
a roar, rolled over and towards m,
for he IA OF higher ground than
was-when, bounding TO his feet, as j
uascathed. he made for the noun
{ tains, the last rock of which a with
in forty yards OF him.
3 must acknowledge that, firin= at {
beast OF this sort, with no vital par
to aim at, standing as | was for som,
, time looking at him, and on loweI
! ground, my heart beat rather quicker
! than was its wont. Albeit ] had nevel
turned my back TO any animal in tn,
J, iungles, and a confident inmy owl
! nerve and shooting.
I Immediately the tiger sprang to hi
! feet and exposed his broad, left sid,
] to me, | stepped from behind the tree
looked at him IN the face with con
tempt, as ii he had been a sheep; ant
while he passed me with every hail
: set, his beautiful white beard ant
whiskers spread. and his eye like fire
. with the left barrel lshot him through
1 the heart. He went straight and al
dndiminished speed, each boundcover
, ing fifteen feet at least, for twenty fiv,
yards, and then fell on his head undeI
the lowest rock of the mountain. il
which was his strong hold. Up wen
in the air his thick. stumpy tail
/ Selling my other rifle, | walked up K
about fifteen yards ofhim-for he wa
' still opening his mouth and gasping-
/ and broke his back. Turning rounC
to the poor villagcr, who, o tina.
the tiger was dead, was afraid to com
near him. l patted him ON tn,
shoulder and said. There is YOU.
. enemy, old man. Now where does TIN
: tigress live?'-"I know nothing abou,
!, her" said the man trembling all over
= this was the owner of my village.
know nothing at all OF the tigress
.She takes her water at the other sid
of the village, and a long way of"
e On the following night the fires wer
lit, tre sentries posted, and every pre-
s caution taken to avoid a visit from
the female man eater, But this car
b proved Intellectual, for an unhapp,
trooper was bounced upon by tn
tigress, who sprung on the man
chest, seizing him by the mouth, an,
thus closing it, so that he could no
even cry for help. An attempt a
succour proved useless; and as | la,
Q in the camp / could hear the growl Q
d the tigress and the crunching Of tn
h poor trooper's bones, But the aven