The Logan County banner. [volume] (Logan, W. Va.) 1889-1903, 1892-02-25


reused him; he looked In. And fben
after deliberately stretching himself.
came ieaping with long, graceful
bounds over the rank grass and rocks
which separated him from the road
ne did not seem 4 bit angry, but esi-
IDENTITY wished 10 get nearer view OF
such an extraordinary object.
Forty yards, however, thought was
quite near enough for safety. The
tiger was in the road behind me now:
50 pulled myself together and began
to quicken my pace.
Would he stop Disguised after the
first hundred yards, and give up the
chase, or would he stick to it? quite
hoped he would follow me, and al.
ready pictured in my mind the graphic
description ! would write home of my
race with aStiger.
Little did | think what terrible
race 1t was going to be. | looked be.
hind me. BY Jovei he was sticking to
it" / could npt,judge the distance; but at
any rate was no further from him than
when we started. Now for spurtl
| rode the next half mile as hard as |
could, but on again looking round
found had not gained yard.
The tiger was on my track, moving
with a, long, swinging trot, and going
quite as quickly as was.
For the first time | began to feel
anxious and thought uneasily of the
ten long miles which separated me from
safety.
However, it was no good thinking
now; 1t was my muscle and iron steed
against the brute. I could only do my
best and trust in Providence.
Now there was. no doubt aboutAthe
tigers intention; his blood was up, and
on he came, occasionally giving vent
ITO. q roar which made the ground trem-
Bile. Another mile had been traversed
and the tiger was slowly but surely
closing up.
dashed my pouch to the ground,
hoping it would stop him for a. few sec
onds; but he kept steadily on, and ]
felt itswas then grim earnest.
/ calculated we mast be about seven
miles from camp now, and before
could ride another four my pursuer
knew, must reach me. Oh, the agony
of those minutes, which seemed to me
like 4eng hours.
Another mile passed, then another.
] could hear him behind me now-pad,
pad, pad, quicker and quicker, louder
| and louder. turned in my saddle for
a moment, and saw there were not
twenty yards separating us! How
enormous the brute looked, and how
terrible! His huge tongue hung out,
and the only sound he made was con-
tinued hoarse growl of rage, while his
eyes seemed to literally fash fire.
1t was like some awful nightmare,
and with a shudder bent down over
the handles and flew on.
As / now sit quietly in my chair
writing, l find it hard to analyze the
crowd of memories that went crushing
through my brain during that fearful
ride. l saw long-forgotten events IN
which / had taken part rise up distinct
ly before me; and, while every muscle
was racked with my terrible exertion,
my mind was clear, and my life seemed
to pass before me like one long pan
Drama
On, on, on; the slightest slip, knew,
| wouldsbe fatal; a sudden jolt, screw
giving, and should be hurled to in
slant death.
Human strength would not stand
much more; the prolonged strain had
told upon me, and felt it would soon
be over My breath came in Thick
sobs, mist gathered before my eyes ;
| was stopping; my legs refused to
move, and a-thousand fiends seemed to
be fitting about me, holding me back,
back; weight like lead was on my
chest; l was choking; was ding.
Then few moments, which seemed a
lifetime, and then-crash-with roar
like thunder the tiger was on me, and
| was crushed to the ground.
Then / heard shots fred, babel of
mems voices, and all was blank.
= -
After many days of Inconsistencies,
and raging fever reason gradually re-
turned and l learned the particulars of
my deliverance.
A party of officers had started with a
shikaree Tor native hunter) to trap
which had been prepared for the tiger.
A goat was tethered on the outskirts of
the jungle, and the sportsmen had
started to take. up positions in the
trees near to wait for their game,
which the bleat of the goat, in the
stiffness of the night, would speedily
have attracted.
They were talking of our coming BIZ
cycle race as they went along, and ex-
pected every moment to meet me on
my return journey. AS they passed a
clump of bushes came in sight, about
q quarter of mile in front of them,
whirling along in a cloud of dust
which hid my terrible pursuer. They
soon, however, saw my awful danger.
The huge brute, mad with rage, hurled
itself upon me just as we reached them.
My friends stood almost petrified
with terror and did not dare to fire;
but the shikaree man of iron nerve,
and accustomed to face sudden danger
of all kinds in the hunting field, sprang
quickly to within yard of the tiger,
and, putting his rifle almost to the
animals ear, fred twice and blew its
brains out, just in time to save my life.
was drawn from the palpitating body
of my dead enemy, everyone present
believing it was all up with me-
Making litter of boughs they car
ried me into the camp, where | lay for
many weeks lingering between life and
death. Journal.
Scarecrows.
Scarecrews are a misnomer, for they
don't scare crows. A dead crow hung
up by the feet will scare some crows
no doubt females, of a superstitious