The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-08-20

~ NJ 81 TWAS going from
ahVS4I la,E Calcutta to
AMgSssE,1 ts-13SSJ interior. had
been in India
several years then, but had spent the
time in the large cities on the coast,
where had many English and Ameri-
can friends. Business connected with
the American firm 1 was representing
at last required visit to the village
mentioned, and to a certain high digni-
my journey, taking with me only my
one servant, an Americ an negro from
New Orleans.
The first part of my journey has been
travelled too often and described too
frequently to need any description from
me. The time of which I wish to
speak particularly was the evening we
were approaching the village of Loki.
I was travelling in palanquin, with
four bearers, and Sam, the negro, trot-
ted nimbly along by our side. We
were hurrying toward the village when
we met a gang of eighteen or twenty
natives, some of them armed with guns
and some with long poles with knives
fastened in the ends. Instantly the
palanquin was set down, and with vio-
lent gesticulations the newcomers pro-
ceeded to detail something that was
evidently great sensation.
When they had gone on the head
man among the bearers approached the
palanquin and told me the trouble.
The country around Loki had been ter
rorized for months by a huge Iona
monster of his kind. Repeatedly he
had dragged away oxen and yearlings,
and of late he had taken to prowling
about the village at night. Once he
had killed goat that was tied at the
very corner of house, and the last
night he had rushed upon some chill
dren that were playing in the street,
and had dragged away little boy in
spite of the shrieks and cries of his
companions All day the men of the
village had been hunting him, but as
yet they had seen not even trace of
the murderer.
The bearers snatched up the palan-
quin and started off at such a rate that
it kept Sam in full run to keep up
with them. He confded to me, how
ever. that he was mighty glad to see
dem pagins humpin' deyselEes," be-
cause he considered that was good
neighborhood to get out of. A brisk
trot of two or three miles brought us
to the outskirts of the village. We
found everything in the widest excite
ment, groups of women and children
and old men huddled together in the
streets, mothers clinging to their chill
dren, and here and there the people
already building huge bonfres, which
were to be kept burning all night to
frighten away the invader. After some
time we found a room where l was
given cot and Sam a bed on the floor,
and we both slept like the Seven
Sleepers, Notwithstanding the noise and
confusion around us.
The next morning we found that most
of the inhabitants had watched all
night, and that great bonires had been
kept burning, yet in spite of their care
the lion had entered the village, and
had almost killed one of the natives
who CHANGED to fall asleep beside one
of the bonfres he had been left to
guard This last attack had driven the
people wild, and it was utterly impos-
sible to get them to listen to reason.
The bearers of my palanquin were
panic-stricken, and they trembled and
their teeth chartered whenever anyone
mentioned the lions As for me, bust
ness cares were pressing upon me heav-
lily, and / found myself considerably
bored by all this unreasoning terror.
was anxious to start, SO that | could
get as far Is possible on my journey
before the day was far advanced
But found myself confronted by an
unexpected obstacle. The good-for-
nothing rascals positively refused TO
start In vain l alternately coaxed
aud threatened, offered them double
wages, and spent hours in trying to
persuade them. In vain went out and
endeavored to hire other carriers The
lion, the liou-that was all / heard. 1t
was late in the afternoon at last when
at the offer OF four times the usual
wages, TIC SUNNY ilOt.chCo A-O AAeO
the palanquin, picked it up and trotted
out of the village. If they would hurry
/ knew that they still had time TO reach
a bungalow where lived an English
man 70 whom / had q letter OF introduce
ton. But instead of hurrying they
went dragging along in such an I'M
willing fashion that my hopes sank
very rapidly.
Sam, bitterly indignant, kept mutter-
ing to himself: Never ycu mind. you
pizen, lazy rsscals I jest wish l had
you In a good ole Mississippi cotton
patch, you bet I'd larn yeu TO move
little pearter'n what you's movin'
now"
l was very little surprised a. last
when / saw that we had mace only
about Eve miles and the sun was low
] knew how rapidly dark comes In that
country, and must confess that felt
somewhat depressed But that depres-
sion amounted 20 nothing compared
with what ! felt few moments later.
when the bearers suddenly deposited
the palancu1n On the ground and GIG Of