The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1891-10-02
A HUNTERS NERVE.
Calmly Facing a Ferocious South
American Tiger.

Il was in the state of Mirandea, New
Venezuela !, 1t was three o'clock in The
morning, and ! was with Manuel, the
tiger hunter, on the mountain After
q half-hour of cautious walking Man
mel paused at a turn in the narrow
path. and j felt rather than saw that
the dawn of day was at hand There
was a strange stir in the air, as though
the feeble breath of life had come
back 70 the dead and inanimate nature.
Over beyond the eastern mountain tops |
the stars were growing pale. The first |
faint gray tinge of dawn was coming |
long way of. a...
Day came slowly. noted this with |
surprise, for ] had any number of times
read descriptions Of dawn in the trop-
les wherein IL was represented that day
came with q bound out of the blackness
of the night Perhaps the writer's OF
these descriptions had waited until the
sun had already redeemed the eastern
sky before watching for the dawn
From the time that noticed the first
faint gray strealks in the sky until the
sun was actually shining on the noun
tain tops it was perhaps little more
than an hour. l have seen the day
break in the Rocky mountains in the
same length of time, with the only diff
ference TINT in the tropics the day came
more swiftly after the rosy lights
had come into the sky. Between the
first grays of the early morning and the
rosy hues of actual day there was little
difference in the Cordilleras and the
Rocky mountains.
Icould have watched the coming day
for another hour, but as soon as 1T was
light enough to see the surrounding OBJ
iects Manuel carefully chose spot
which I could occupy during the i'm
pending gladiatorial exhibition. 1t
was the peak of high rock that al
most overhung the path that he
eventually chose, and with some diff
Guilty climbed to the top of it Nature
evidently had intended the rock for
some such purpose as this, for 1t gave
GOOD view of the path for some dis
TANGO on each side. / could easily have
seen any animal walking upon it for
a considerable distance in either di-
rection. There was plenty of evil
dence, too, TINT the advantage of this
peak as lookout station had been up
precisted and used by other hunters
than man. Indications showed that
crouched there in wait for unsuspect-
ing prey. This discovery gave me
mild sensation. / might be reasonably
safe from the attack of a tiger in the
path below, but / hesitated to think
what would be the result If a tiger
came up and found me occupying his
private personal outlook.
When was comfortably concealed
A.H.f-A &ha rrolr although in "a TOOSitinn
that permitted me to keep careful
watch of the exposed parts of the path,
Manuel disappeared. He was stand
ing by the base of the rock one mo-
ment, and the next moment he had
vanished. He must have gone like a
serpent. for heard no sound. Then
was alone on a tigers favOritb resort in
an uniphabited South American forest.
It was hardly a pleasant sensation, es-
pecially as my revolver seemed to be,
as doubtless il was, very inadequate
weapon suspicion might have
crossed my mind that Manuel had left
me there as n bait for tiger, but ]
would not give it a moments credence
There were noises on the mountain
side by this time, and some of them
were so distinct that could distinguish
them Small animals were Scampering
about In the underground and birds
were calling in the trees A commo-
ton among the birds some distance
down the path attracted my attention,
and I wondered If a tiger had stirred
them M. or If Manuel had strayed as
far away as that A few moments
later there was another commotion
in the distance on the other hand d
me, but gave little heed to It On
the rfRht-hand side of the path a small
creature, something like a North
American woodchuclI, stopped short ID
his leisurely morning walk and shifted
suspIciously Of the air. l was to lee
ward OF him in the light breeze that
had sprung up, and SO he could not
have scented me. He shifted moment
in the direction of the first disturbance
and then suddenly dived headlong into
the underground AssuTcdly there wa
something off to windward that he wa
afraid OF The disturbance ceased
after Q time md then the mountain side
was still again
Looking down over the rock few
moments later found Manuel gazing
Mp at me. lie pointed away OIL to the
left In the direction of the second dis
turbAnce and again disappeared 1t Is
probable that on this occasion he hid
himself In the underground alongside
the path / gave my undivided atten-
ton to the distant Tutoring of birds.
1t was curious sort Of circus that the
birds were having. The little things
circled about in the tops of the trees
and screamed shrilly one TO the other.
II might have been n huge snake that
frightened and fascinated them, or it
might have been tiger. Manuel
knew, In all probability, but he made
no sign
The disturbance came a little nearer,
but it seemed to Eae that it moved very
slowly. If tiger were coming along
the path he should. in my opinion, have
made better time. l Gained my impa-
thence by assuring myself that if 1t
were O tiger he would come fast enough
when he once got wind of me. 1t was
q long half hour of suspense before the
disturbance came within reasonable
distance. Before half of that time had
passed ] was satisfied that something
very objectionable to birds was walk
ing leisurely along the path, and per
haps stopping now and then in the
hope of surprising one of the birds I'M
Awares-
At length the thin G was just beyond
the turn in the path In a moment or
two 1 should see what it was Then /
became conscious that Manuel was
standing In the middle of the path,
with his short spear held in q horizontal
position over his shoulder. This was
Interesting and at the same time very
suggestive. concentrated my entire
AaFvoAa aystsm Ia an intense uonten-
saaaleA % She turn In the path Ths
saADahse was aWful.
a. What va tAhat q aarlSsa ana