St. Paul daily globe., 1891-09-21
THIS IS NERVE.
\ HaIf-Breed's Encounter With q
Tiger.

\ Half-Breed's Encounter With q
New York Recorder
1t was in the state of Mirandeo, New
Venezuela. 1t was in the morning, and
l was with Manuel, the tiger hunter, on
the mountain.
do not know how long Manuel and
the tiger faced each other there in the
narrow path like gladiators. 1t seemed
a long time. This was the test. The
tiger waited instinctively to see the
strange thing before him turn and run
away, as everything else in the forest
invariably did, but greatly to his sur
prise the thing stood its ground like an
immovable rock. The tiger was king
of the forest, and he knew it, and when
he had made up his mind that this thing
was not going to run, he came forward
slowly to investigate. This was cOur-
age, even in a wild beast. and | respect
ed him for it. l doubt if the lion or the
tiger of India has this unshakable
nerve.
L looked at Manuel as the tiger came
slowly and cautiously along the path.
lie stood like bronze statue, with his
spear held over his right shoulder.
Not so much as an eyelid moved. L
confess that during this trying time l
was a bit nervous. This was a new
way of hunting to me, and a decided
novelty in the actions of a wild beast
which had not been attacked. | should
expect an attack from a grizzly bear
after it had been wounded, but assuredly
the bear would not take the aggressive,
as this 1.-the and beautiful beast was
dong. | will acknowledge that my
heart thumped against my blue flannel
shirt so hard that | was afraid the noise
would attract the attention of the tiger.
Slowly came the tiger, like a rock
stood Manuel. 1t looked as though the
case had been reversed, and that the
tiger instead of the half-breed was the
hunter.
At length the tiger was within touch
ing distance of the man. He looked
the bronze figure over from head to foot
and then thrust forward his head and
shifted at the mans feet Back the
great beast sprang like a steel spring.
The figure was flesh and blood.
The tigers tail twitched back and
forth like fail. The great jaws opened
in snarl. Quickly the beast measured
his distance and crOuched with culver
ing SinewS for spring. Such calm
courage was grand beyond all descrip-
tion. 1t was matched only by the stead
fast nerve of the man.
Now came the crisis. | could see the
huge muscles heaving under the
striped skin. In another second the
tiger would leap upon his prey. In that
instant the hunter made a motion with
his left arm as quick as light itself. He
tore a handkerchief from his neck and
thrust it full in the tigers face. Up
went the tigers head in a quiver of
electrical. amaZement. Then the hunt
er's poised right arm shot forward with
incredible force and the spear buried
itself half way to the handle in the
tigers neck.
n, it was nobfy done. and thrOugh-
out it all, from the beginning until the
wonderful ending, the hunters nerve
never faltered so much rs a hairs
breadth. Before | could catch my
breath and swallow the Jumps of appre-
henslon that had risen unbidden in my
throat the fierce beast was dead in the
path.
[ scrambled down from the rock and
stood beside the dead forest king.
Manuel picked up his handkerchief and
pulled out his spear. There was a faint
suggestion of smile about his i'm
passive face.
"Does the Senor Americana believe?"
he asked.
''He does" | answered. and [ reached
him my hand in that universal brother
hood of man which civilization can
never etTace. By the side of that dead
| tiger the savage and the son of civiliza-
| ton were OH the one common level OF
man. There could be no difference.