Passaic City record., 1893-10-07
A TIGERS PLAYTHING.
By CHARLES D. ROBERTS.

In India once I went out on hot,
dusty plain near the Ganges, with my
rifle and one native servant, to see
what / could shoot. 1t was dismal
place. Here and there were clumps of
tall grass and bamboos, with now and
then atamarisk-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 settled
down again into silence, and as I saw
no sign of danger, / went on careless
". I was alone, for had sent back
my servant to find my matchbox,
which / had left at the place of my last
halt; but had no apprehensions, for
Twas near the post, and the district
was one from which, as was supposed,
the tigers had been cleared out some
years before.
just as was musing upon this fact,
with tinge of regret because I 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.
My head felt as though it had been
dashed with icy or scalding water, and
then everything turned black.
If I was stunned by the shock, it
was only for an instant. When I
opened my eyes, I was lying with my
face in the sand Not knowing where
I was orwhat had happened, I started
to rise, when instantly a huge paw
turned me over on my back, and saw
the great yellowgreen eyes of tiger
looking down upon me through their
narrow black Sits
[ did not feel horror-stricken in
fact, SO far as / can remember, I felt
only dim sense of resignation to the
inevitable I also remember that I
noticed with curious interest that the
animal looked rather gratifed than
ferocious.
l don't know how long lay there,
stupidity gazing up into the brown
eyes but presently made move
ment to sit up, and then / saw that
still held my rifle in my hand. While
I was looking at the weapon, with a
vague harassing sense that there was
something ought to do with it, the
tiger picked meup by the left shoulder
and made off with me into the Jungle;
and still chung to the rifle, though 1
had forgotten what use should put it
to-.
The grip of the tigers teeth upon
my shoulder I felt but numbly, and
yet, as found afterward, it was SO far
from gentle as to have shattered the
bone.
Having carried me perhaps half
mile, the brute dropped me and rails
eng her head uttered peculiar, soft
cry. Two cubs appeared at once in
answer to the summons. and bounded
up 70 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
aud laying me down in front of them,
before she could convince them that
was harmless.
At last the youngsters suffered them
selves to be persuaded They threw
themselves upon me with eager though
mo- very dangerous ferocity and be-
gan to mani and worry me- Their
claws and teeth seemed to awaken me
for the first time to sense of pain.
I threw off the snarling little animals
roughly and started to crawl away. In
vain the cubs tried to hold me. The
mother lay watching the game with
satisfaction.
Instinctivelp crept toward tree,
and little by little the desire for es-
cape began to stir in my dazed brain.
When I was within foot or two Of the
tree the tiger made great bound,
seized me in her jaws, and carried me
back toIthe spot whence had started
ssWhy, /" thought I to myself, 'sthil
is1ust exactly the way cat plays will