The morning call., 1891-06-12
SAVED BY A TIGER.
How an Old Navigator Was Saved
From an Awful Death.


my lads" explained an eX-captain of the
seas at an informal gathering of his old
| sailor friends in Salem not long since, and
| who had requested Of him an account of one
| of his many strange adventures while out
| upon the "briny deep" there never was a
! more narrow escape. aud it's very curious
| story to relate too. Yes. my tarS, I've been
! in all sorts of troubles on the water, and
ashore. too, for that matter, but nary a one
| of them could hoist a sail that would come
near what | passed through in India.
AS we were obliged to lay in port for sew
| eral months, l put the crew and cargo in
| charge of one OF the junior officers and
| made a long trip out in the country to see
| the sights and learn the customs of the
people. During our stay in the hunting
region the weather was intensely hot, and l
| had consequently acquired the habit of
| taking a nap under certain tree every
afternoon. a short distance, perhaps thirty
| yards, from a native bungalow. l had re-
peatedly been warned by the ShikaTee that
| there was danger in so doing, as tigers and
| venOmous snakes might be lurking near by
| Day after day / went out as usual and flung
myself down underline same tree and tried to
| go to sleep, but one day found it quite i'm
! possible to do so.
Finally | worried myself off into a sort Of
confused dose. but my mind was disturbed
by frequent frightful apparitiOns. Several
times | reused up and looked about me, but
could discern nothing, and was soon trying
to sleep again with Indifferent success and
/ an exceedingly diSagreeable sensation how
ering over me. There was a strange stick
like looking object about sixty yards distant
from me that | remembered as appearing
quite singular The idea that it was
Stealthy cobra never once entered my head,
and rs l did not care to 90 and ascertain its
purpose l banished all fears Of my safety
and permitted myself to remain Just where
l lay. had not been lyingd0wn the last time
more than twenty minutes, perhaps not to
exceed fifteen, ere | felt something moving
around my feet. | at once felt greatly
alarmed. My first Impression was to rise up
and ascertain what the Intruder was, and
then the thought flashed across my mind
that it might be a cobra, only waiting for
me to make a move. A moment lated | dis
covered that it really was a big snake. and
immediately afteTwaTd | felt it crawling
back and forth Oyermy feet and lower limbs
as If it was trying 10 awaken me-.
Horror upon horrors! | began 20 realize
the awful peril Of my situation. The snake
| kept moving I'D higher ana higher across
ny body and his Shiny folds already eX-
eTted a heavy pressure on my stomach
which could scarcely sustain A sense of
! uneaTthly fright seized me. The hot feei-
ings were soon more than counterbalancrd
by the most piercing cold sensation which
shot through NE, and felt like / was being
tortured with a powerful electric battery.
| NV hair appeared TO stand on end perfectly
straight and panied me as If 1t was being
pulled out by tile roots. My eyes enlarged
as though they were being pressed from
their sockets by the fearful rush O. blood.
My hands were still, free and re sting near
my head. and l began TO media te as a last
resort that if the snake should crawl up on
my chest that | might seize him by the
throat spring out from under him quickly,
and If | could not get Loose to run veil to
my servant, and may be the latter would
come to my aid in time to save me from
being bitten or crushed to death by the
monster This idea was no sooner evolved
than | resolved to act upon it, and as |
Gained down my nervous excitement from
the awful tension 10 which it had been
strung | felt that there was vet a possible
chance left TO save myself from a seem
lugiy certain and hoTrlj fate. Presently |
saw portion of its head and neck gliding
around as If endeayOring 10 locate my face.
The sight revealed 10 me that my most SeTi-
Gus approximations were about 70 be rea-
LIED. 1t was, as 1 anticipated, a huge
cobra, and It's tongue kept darting out as
If ii was in very angry mood. The sight
OF the death-deallng monster utterly para
lyZed me, and my resolution to seiZs it WAS
OF no avail, as | seemed IN my despair to
have lost all power of motion or action.
Turning his head slightly to one side he
discovered my eyes, and Oh, hOrTOrsl he
raised his head, poised Il for a moment
above my face, ard with fTightful look of
evil glanced sharply down upon me, appar-
emily 10 the very moment of striking me
with his deadly fangs. / made a tremen-
dOus effort to move and shout and may be l
did stir myself slightly, but that was tile last
l knew Tor some time, as IL seemed as if all
the nerves 10 my whole body had been torn
out or snapped asunder. and that | was be-
ing literally roasted by a raging fiery fur
mace. | had lost my senses and was suffer
Ing untold agony. 1t was fully an hour be-
fore | again recovered consciousness, and
when did so my mind was almost a total
wreck. But my life had been saved in a
strangely miraculous manner. Not by my
servant, however, but by a fierce min-eat-
ing tiger which had come TO claim me for its
prey.
Just at the very instant when the cobra
was on the point of striking me with its
deadly faDgS the huge tiger creDt Up slyly
and took a glance at the situation. No
sooner had the tiger appeared than the
snake, which seemed to be spelling for a
fight esped its enemy and they both pre-
pared for deadly combat. The tiger gave
a fIlghtful roar, while the serpent responded
with loud Kisses and glided swiftly from my
body toward the feline. a terrible battle
now ensued, and my servant and the shika-
Tees were awakened by the noise and vie wed
the encounter from the bungalow with
CHASTITY terror. They supposed | had al
ready been killed aud made no effort to res
cue me until after the two cOmbalants had
fought to a finish.
They rolled and tossed and tumbled TO-
getheT, ana fought like very demons, as they
were, aud for perhaps fully five minutes it
was one of the fercest combats ever wit
messed between animal and serpent on
earth. The man-eater endeavored to avoid
the death-stings OF the cobra. but in vain,
and though the former bit and tore his an
tag0nist in pieces, yet he dropped and died
Immediately afteTwarf. On coming to me,
my servant and shikarees were greatly sur
prised to find that l was still alive Then it
was that fully realized what a narrow es-
cape l had, and to this day l hardly dare
allow myself to even dwell upon that after
Moons thrilling adventuTe.-Philadelph
Item.