The Yellowstone journal., 1893-08-08

From Their i:onles by the IerOcious .:ar-
ing of a Fold and Rloodthirsty Ruler Of
the Jun.Ir>.
As the party of a sahib one Indian even
ing came down the hillside by the wli.il-
ing path to the jungle village, no seand
whatever arose from its few and humble
habitatlons. Nobody came out to make
salutation or to offer supplies. No cat
tie were perceived wandering about. no
children. no birds, except indeed many
vnltures upon the tree in the square and
upon the temple roof. The pots in the
grain dealers shop were empty and over
turned: piece Of cloth just begun was
left with broken threads upon the loom
in the next hut. On the other side of the
way the chatties at a potters were tum-
bled aud broken. and sheet of copper
lay at the blacksmith's forge half bent to
make SOM vessel. but precipitately aban-
doned. Wherever one gazed there were
signs Of hasty flight on the part OF the
inhabitants. who did not seem to have
left any ybody to represent them.
Yes. there was one silent and melan-
choly representative, and the sudden ap-
pearance of her would have startled the
party very much more than it did but
for a discovery made by the sahibs
ghorawallah-th groom-close by the
silent and empty temple. There was
muddy patch there in the square. from
which the last of the rainwater had but
recently dried up. and in the black slime
So left We're deeply imprinted the ''puds'
of an evidently immense tiger. 1t was
of course evident now to the English
man and those with him that the striped
terror which left those footmarks had
given the villagers notice to quit and
was somewhere or other near at hand
in practical possession of the fee simple
of the village.
Desolate beyond expression was the
little unpeopled place of the hamlet.
and the look of the helpless red god
staring frcm his portico upon the huts
that he could not protect. and the eN-
citement of the horrible vultures perched
on the cotton trees. aware. no doubt. of
the deadly secret of the place. for round
the corner. by the Overs shop, where
two or three newly stained turban cloths
still hung upon walls to dry. they came
upon that secret. Across the threshold
Of mud ini. evidently dragged off
from the broken charpoy on the ear'heI
floor. lay the body of Il woman. torn IN
the delicate brown neck and along the
shoulders and breast with long red claw
marks. \ dead infant. also mangled by
a savage bite. lay half concealed under
the corpse. the appearance of the bodies
showing that they had only been lately
killed No one could doubt what had
killed them. The sign manual upon
their bodies was surely that of the royal
beast who often in this way disputes the
right of his human rival in India and roars
to seorn the illusion that man is master
of created things.
The sahibs party was badly equipped
for tiger shooting and passed not with.
out anxiety and the closing up Of the
,llre,,or four servants and coolies through
+. the outskirts of the eyicted village a,
/ any moment her la'lysnip the tiyress 81
! his lor,lshil. the tiger, who had takei
! possession of the place. might emerg.
! from II grain store or a COW pen. or ever
from some milk bush or jowari patch. Il
ask the travellers what business they had
upon the royal property. The English
man hastily put bullets into both barrels
of his shotgun and walked his horse n
quickly as his men could follow ont o
the i'll fated gaum.
Ar its outskirts they were astonishe,
TO hear "A voice high above their head
which came. AS they afterward found
from vonng Hindoo low caste man sit
TIM concealed in the branches of a larg
mango tree from which could be seel
both entrances of the village. He ha,
made "a rude platform in u fork Of tn
tree and watched ON il with the Ion;
barrel of matchbox protruding and b,
his side an ear'nen jar of water. The.
invited him to come down and to tel
them the meaning of the extraordinar
spectacle they hal witnessed. He d.
scendel and informed them that TO
months l..st his village had been infeste
and prosecuted by tigress which, afte
killing cattle and goats, had slain All
partly eaten three or four children ou,
side the hamlet and had taken durin
the past eight or nine days to enterin
the village at night and carrying o.
somebody Or other sleeping, as the Hir
docs do, outside their huts under tn
verandas. The woman slain that morl
ing with her baby was the wife of til
,, poor matchbox man, and he had perche
himself in the tree hoping to ayenye he
death when the sahib's party passed.
1t was too serious case not to he r.
ported in the proper quarters. and Il
expedition of practiced tiger shooter
. was equipped among the officers at II
nearest station. The beast was tracke
and was killed after receiving II bu
lets. and then it turned out that 81
had half grown cub which had lost
limb. and thus the maternal affection
the ferocious parent had driven it
these desperate ways. Indeed tue spe
i tac,e of that village was full Of phil
; ,ophical susyestiveness. The dead h