The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1891-08-12
A HUNTERS NERVE.
Calmly Facing a Ferocious South
American Tiger.

IL WIS III tllC StdtS VI VII didSti, ASW
Venezuela 1t was three o'clock in the
morning, and l was with Manuel, the
tiger hunter, on the mountain. After
ahalf-hour of cautious walking Man.
uel paused at turn in the narrow
Path, and l 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 to 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 a
long way off.
Day came slowly. noted this with
surprise, forsI had any number of times
read descriptions of dawn in the trop-
les wherein it was represented that day
came with a bound out of the blackness
Of the night. Perhaps the writer's of
these descriptions had waited until tho
sun had already Redeemed the eastern
sky before watching for the dawn.
From the time that | noticed the first
faint gray streaks in the sky until the
sun was actually shining on the noun
tain tops it was perhaps little more
than an hour. / have seen the day
break in the Rocky mountains in the
same length Of time, with the only diff
ference that 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.
| could have watched the coming day
Tor another hour, but as soon as it was
light enough to see the surrounding OBJ
lects Manuel carefully chose spot
which | 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 it gave a
good view of the path for some dis
lance on each side. could easily have
seen any animal walking upon it for
considerable distance in either d.
,scslon. There was plenty of evil
uslce' TOO, that the advantage of this
peak as lookout station had been an
pseclated and used by other hunters
'aan man. Indications showed that
"ua beasts, presumably tigers, had
.foached there in wait for unsuspect-
ng prey. This discovery gave me a
uaa sensation. l might be reasonably
M,s nom the attack of tiger in the
ps'a below, but l hesitated to think
snss would be the result if a tiger
,ame up and found me occupying his
private personal outlook.
h, nneh l was comfortably concealed
S u'no the rock, although in position
Sa a' permitted me to keep careful
NsS u u the exposed parts of the path,
~ asauei disappeared. He was stand
~ " the base of. the rock one mo.
s a.sa', and the next moment he had
. ,ausned. He must have gone like d
.peat' Tor heard no sound. Then I
Ss aone on tigers favorita resort in
!. uninhabited South American forest.
nso;s an hardly pleasant sensation, es-
ss s as my revolver seemed to be,
vs aua0tless it was, a very inadequate
cross poa' a suspicion might have
M sss .s my mind that Manuel had left
wo ~ ,sere as bait for a tiger, but l
NJ not give it moments credencc.
sd mere We're noises on the mountain
was " this time, and some of them
,bsn s 40 distinct that 1 could distinguish
aboa. small animals were scampering
re,a u the underground and birds
Inn calling in the trees. A commo-
iou u among the birds some distance
and ,ne path attracted my attention,
tbs., wondered if a tiger had stirred
iar up, Up Or if Manuel had strayed as
latss . !, as that, A few moments
NH. aefe was another commotion
ne, b,, Instance on the other hand of
The r;e es gave little heed to it. On
cre.tsr ntnand side of the path a small
Aner;e something like a North
hsleissanw oodchuck, stopped short in
sasn;e;seiy morning walk and shifted
ward . ~ at She air. was to lee
bad su VI nim in the light breeze that
have s p.aas up, and so he could not
htss =; me. He shifted a moment
sad ,ss seetion of the first disturbance,
Ia ssssna suddenly diyed headlone into
\ lpstsS;.s's srowth. Assuredly there was
v 0n % windwasd that he was