Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1893-04-19
A Demon Tiger.

Col. Bowlong in bis narrative Of adven-
lures in India. was tiger whose ways
were as mysterious as his ravages we're
terrible. He never could be bagged.-
He killed every Shikari, native or Euro
pean, who tried it. This truculent beast
had never been seen. and as he never
maugled body, but only sucked the
blood through an ori6ce made over the
iugular vein. the terror the great Jhoot
demon inspired is not surprising. He
never forced door, yet he got into house
after house. Two subaliers went out for
him aud the next day were found dead
like all the rest.
One with his last strength had man
aged to scratch the words Look out for
l." But no amount Of conjecture
could solve the riddle of these words. A
famous shot, who once for wager shot
100 tigers in II months. met the same
fate. He too, left creepy" and mys-
terious message-the letters "A. NJ
Then the colonel goes He built himself
All ambush and watched.
"Just as the full light OF the moon fell
upon the stream and illuminated the sur
roundings there was an almost inaudible
rustic of leaves close behind me, and
turning on the instant, saw a little
gray brown paw very cautiously putting
aside the twigs of my shelter. and behind
the paw | could discern two small green
oyes aiteniively regarding me.
"a lungoor.' said to myself as it
vanished from view. "A monkey That's
what the lads and Dick Culverion meant
te tell us. and, by George there's mis-
chief mere Moved by sudden inspir'
alton. for which cannot to this day &c.
count. hastened from the shelter and
a,cended the adjoining tree. / had
scarcely time to seat myself comfortably
upon one OF the lower branches, when i
saw the lungoor returning, followed by
the most repulsive looking monster my
eyes have ever beheld.
"You talk, Snapper, of your tigers
being NANCY. this one was absolutely
naked. nude as nut. bald rs bottle,
MT hair anywhere--a huge, ghastly,
gabrous monslrosity- very Caliban OF
tigers, as big as bison and as long as
crocodile.
"As the gbastly creature crept after
the monkey he followed the slightest
curve aud deviation of his guide with the
delicate alacrily of needle under the
influence Of magnet. The adroitness
displayed by the tiger was suddenly con.
verted into a subject of Mortified wonder,
for as the brute approached the ambush
he turned his hidcous face up to the
moon, and | could see that his eyes we're
of dull dead white without light, intel
liyence or movement. The creature was
stone blind. For all that he evidently
knew, or thought he knew, what lay be-
fore him, for the saliva Of anticipation
was cinging to his jaws like a mass OF
cleaning icicles.
"The monkey. when il had come with
in jumping distance, giving low signal
cry, made one vigorous spring into my
late shelter, alighted upon my camp stool
and sprang out again on the other side.
He was instantly followed by the tiger,
who fell like an avalanche upon the stool,
crushing it into matchwood and at once
BEGAN 10 feel about on all sides for his
expected victim.
"Now was my chance-beneath me in
the broad light Of the moon lay the De-
mon Of the Jhoot. / aimed steadily at
a deep furrow beneath the huge shoulder
blades and held my breath for the shot
AT that moment the keen eyes Of the
monkey caught sight Of me, and the lit
lie animal uttered a shrill note Of warn
ing but it was too late, my finger was
upon the trigger, and / fred both barrels
in quick succession"