The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1893-11-27
TIGER's PLAYTHING
aN FEsE POWER OF A GIANT OF
THE JUNGLE.
A Hunter Tells Of HIs Unsnvlan1e,l =
perIence-savsd by HavInE
HIs Gun-The Tigers Cubs
Object Lesson.
Itg,

my r1n6 ana one native servant, to
see what [ could shoot It was a dis
NAL place. Here and there were
clumps of tall grass and bamboos,
with now and then a tamarisk tree.
Parrots screamed in the trees, and
the startled cav of some Indian
crows made me pause and look
around to see what had disturbed
them. The crows almost at once set
tied down again into silence, and, as
l saw no signs Of danger, l went on
carelessly. l was alone for / had
sent back my servant to find my
match box. which had left at the
place OF my last halt; but had no
apprehensiUns, for I was near the
post, and the district was one from
which. as was supposed. the tigers
had been cleaned out some years be-
fore.
just as Twas musing upon this fact,
with a tinge OF regret because / had
come too late to have hand In the
clearance, / was crushed to the
ground by huge mass which seemed
to have been hurled upon me from
behind, says a Youths Companion
writer. My head felt as though 1t
had been dashed with Icy or scalding
water. and then everything turned
black. If was stunned by the shock
it was only for an instant When l
opened my eyes l was lying with my
face in the sand. Not knowing where
was or what had happened, 1
started to rise when instantly a
huge paw turned me over on my
back, and l saw the great yellow
green eyes OF tiger looking down
upon me through their narrow black
slits.
don't know how long lay there
stupidity gazing up into the brute's
eyes, but presently made a move
ment to sit up, and then saw that
still held my rifle in my hand. While
was looking at the weapon with a
vague, harrassing sense that there
was something l ought to do with 1t,
the tiger picked me up by the left
shoulder and made cf with me into
Jungle; and still clung to the rife.
though had forgotten what use l
should put 1t to. The grip of the
tigers teeth upon my shoulder ! felt
but numbly. and yet as found after
wards, it was 80 far from gentle as
to have shattered the bone.
Having carried me perhaps half
mile the brute dropped me and. rails
ing her head, uttered peculiar soft
cry. Two cubs appeared at once in
answer to the summons, and bounded
up 20 meet her. At the first glimpse
of me, however, they sheered off in
alarm, and their dam had to coax
them for some minutes, rolling me
over softly with her paw or picking
me up and laying me down in front
| OF them. before she could convince
them that | was harmless At last
the youngsters suffered themselves
to be persuaded. They threw them
selves upon me with eager though
not very dangerous ferocity, and be-
gan to maui and worry me. Their
claws and teeth seemed to awaken
me for the first time to a sense of
pain threw off the snarling little
animals roughly and started to crawl
away. The mother lay watching the
| game with satisfaction
Instinctively l crept toward tree,
and little by little the desire for es-
cape began to stir in my dazed brain.
| w ISA L w n6S Wlbllh q lOOO UT bWO VI
the tree the tiger made a great
bound, seized me in her jaws and
carried me back to the spot whence
1 had started why" thought to
myself, this is just exactly the way
cat plays with a mouse" At the
same moment cloud seemed to roll
off my brain. No words of mine can
descritA the measureless and sicken-
ing horrors of that moment, when
realization was thus suddenly flashed
upon me. At the shock my rifle
slipped from my relaxing fingers;
but 1 recovered 1t desperately. with
a sensation as if had been falling
over precipice.
Again the cubs began mauling me.
l repellod them gently, at the same
time looking to my rifle. saw that
there was a cartridge ready to be
projected into the cham Der. l re-
membered that the magazine was
not more than half empty. l started
once more to crawl away. with the
cubs snarling over me and trying to
hold me; and it was at this point
realized that my left shoulder was
broken. Having crawled four or five
feet, let the cubs turn me about.
whereupon l crawled back toward
the old tiger, who lay blinking and
actually purring. 1t was plain that
she had had a good meal not long
before. and was, therefore, in no
hurry to dispatch me.
Within about three feet of tho
beasts striped foreshoulder l
stopped and fell over on my side. as
if all bat exhausted. My rife barrel
rested on little tussock. The beast
moved her head to watch me, but
evidently considered me past all pos
sibility of escape. for her eyes rested
as much upon her cubs as upon me.
The creatures were tearing at my
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