St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1892-02-20


so shake the Pepper lively,
while We pep the corn tonight.
-Fersis e. Darrow. in Good Housekeeping.
RACING WITH A TIGER.
A Bicyclist's Desperate Ride TO
Lifo in India
was always very fond of bicycling
ano, from the time when l was a smal
boy, and labored for hours with bone
shaker. to tie days when became th'
proud possessor of one of the first bicy
cles ever manufactured, rcveled in tn,
enchanting pastime, spending hour.
which should have been otherwise oc
cupicd on the back of my iron horse
thus putting my physical powers a long
way ahead of my mental In fact,
hated the sight of book, and was
never happy unless securing the coun
try on my bicycle. My father was a
doctor in little kentish village. and,
having large family, he was thankful
indeed when, at the age of nineteen, q
commission was obtained for me by a
wealthy friend in a regiment about to
sail for India-
a grand new bicycle was my fathers
parting present to me, and great was
= my delight at finding that another
young Sub" in my regiment " as also
q bicyclist In these days when the
iron Wheel has SO many votaries this
may seem nothing strange, but to real
tzc my surprise and pleasure you must
remember that bicycle was then a
comparative curiosity and bicyclist a
person to be stared at and admired or
otherwise. Our bicycles were. I be-
iievc, the first ever seen in India, and
rs we rode together into town some
days after our arrival one would have
thought it was the triumphal entry Of
some eastern potentatc.
could fill q book with the curious
incidents and accidents which befell us
In going ''up country" Oar regiment
was always on the move, and panics of
one kind or other were very frequent
on our bicycling excursions.
One evening after mess Fred and I
drew up and signed articles to ride
tcn-milc race.
There was a grand native road within
. short distance of our camp running
away for ten miles as fat as draw
ing board. 1t lay through the open
plain, and then a deserted track was
reached. becoming wilder as the road
proceeded. and finally swallowing it up
in IN impeuetra6!e jungle. Bent had
found . circular path around some ma
tive huts short way from the station,
measuring about six laps to the mile,
and there he prepared himself for the
coming struggle.
After . week of such training as
would make a modern athletes hair
stand on end-meat almost raw,
chopped very finely; little drinks of
neat brandy, etc.-we considered our
selves fit Tor the contest; and the ad-
venture am about tS-sgl0te occurred
the evening before the cventful day. l |
was just starting for last ride over nv
favorite course, when an officer stopped |
me and said:
"Have you heard of the tiger, Har.
vie?"
'.No." answered
1.-The natives have just brought word |
that large tiger is marked down in
the jungle about ten miles from here:
20 don't go too far this evening""
'All right" laughed. Il think
tiger would find it difficult matter to
catch me-my training would tell on
him."
Ihai not seen any large wild beasts
as yet and my notion of a tiger was a
hin, slecpy-!ooking animal, as l had
,nce seen in . travelling me nagerie.
Away I rode. my comrades caution
forgotten before I had gone mile.
l started at q good pace. but not
-acing, rs intended to do all knew
coming home. In about an hour |
,eached my usual halting place, ten
niles from the camp; but this being the
ast night Of my training, l made up
nv mind to ride another couple of
niles, and then do the whole distance ,
,ack At my best pace. |,
/ rode on. and in another ten minutes
ound myself in the jungle. |,
Now for the race home.
Dismounting, / oiled my machine,
ightcned mp every screw, and then sat
own ON . bowlder to rest and cnioy
he prospect A beautiful scene it was, a.,
90!
Above me rose the grand mountains.
heir snowy tops blushing crimson in {
he setting sun, here a waterfall. like &
thread of gold and silver, washing a
1 =
, and out among the masses of trees
nd rocks; there a glimpse of fairyland
trough |. jungle vista q
A post, or tank" as they are called,
arrounded BY dense foliage. festooned
' parasitical climbing plants, glow r
~ with flowers of every imaginable Il
ne: humming birds, like fiery d
ems, flashed hither and thither, dart
" in and out among the trees On
,e stank'' fioated water fowl OF every
ind, and the banks were alive with q
prpeous birds, their plumage rivaling q
Ne flowers in brilliancy and variety of n
,lorin1. Blu: now the shadows were Z
,epenin9, the crimson on the noun c
in tops had disappeared, and cold e
low began to look gray and ghostly.
fying fox went rustling past me. c
HI / hastily prepared to mount; for c
,ere is scarcely any twilight in In Q
=. and knew il would soon be dark.
As l rose my eye encountered some e
ing which made me start and ncarly G
op my bicycle. a
There, not forty yards off. was . q
yer, I knew the animal well enough: =
4 how different he looked from the .
an. half-starved little beast ! had g
en'at home He had just come into the
en- srsce from . dense jungle-break,
a sat there washing his face and !;
rrinv ia . contented sort of way. like r
huge cat p
Was l frightened? Not an atom; h,
4 INV bicycle and start of forty Il
r,is. 50 II I could not beat him it was y
1ty. W
, another minute admiring the hand a,
ne cresturc and then quietly mount 81