Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1893-08-17

The beautiful Hat Cruel Lord OF The
Jungle

The Beautiful Hat Cruel Lord OF the
Jungle
Sir Edwin Arnold writes Ia the Lon
don Daily Telegraph as follows The
true owner aud landlord Of many q
tract Of eoantry in The parts am re-
Visiting Ia thought II the gold-eoatssd
ssd striped tyrant Of the woods. the
tiger There arc large ranges on the
ghzntsr-one might almost call them 60
tates--whieh are owned. AZ least tenn
por@riiy. BY pair of tigers. or. IL may
be. BY an old male tiger singly. or b5 q
tigress which has been left alone 10
take care Of herself and her cubs aud
- develops all the worst virtues OF her
herce maternity.
II Is one Of these last that has come
10 my mind in connection with o sum
mer evening In India. when along the
lonely jungle road IN Engiishman and
his attendants were approaching n viii
lage. In such a country as | am de-
seribing the villages are few and far
between partly because Of many dill
culties as TO agriculture ard markets.
,Nartiy because of the rcsolute way in
whhsh the more courageous wild beasts
di,pate with man hcrcahouts his Pre-
tensions 10 ell himself lord OF the
creation. On the plain swherc the coun-
Try Is open and easily travss-Sed tigers
never stay long in one place. ar IRE
likely TO pay with their hides IL thy
do: but on the shoulders of tho hills,
surrounded by thiokets which arc the
fringe Of an interminable forest. the
striped rajah Of the forest is often
times master of the situation. and
takes tribrte from the cattle. goats ard
dogs Of the community till he can be
trapped or poisoned. or until he goes
for soEae personal reason elsewhere. IL
is not so bad for the country people rs
long as he retains his natural dread of
man, which Is so instructive that the
Indian herd boy will often fcnrlcssly
save his oxen by shouting at the Mt
lacking tiger, and even Hinging his
stick at him; nor do the slender In
dian girls shrink from leading their
goats 70 the stream OF fetching home
wool and grass because a tiger, has
killed cow or kid just beyond the
village.
But at one time or another tiger
who has been. like the rest of his kind,
terribly afraid of man in any shape.
lays that dread aside on a Sudden and
forever. and then becomes truly for
midable. II is perhaps In most cases
the result OF an unattended expert
ment- The courage OF tiger Is the
courage not of pride. bat of despera-
ton. like that of the eat He viii get
between the roots of the trees or the
cracks Of the earth 10 escape. but IL
escape he cut of he will attack IN
elephant with armed sportsmen upon
IL. which is as IL an infantry soldier
should huri himself against the ma
sonry of a fortress.
In some fntai moment the Hindoo
girl going with her pitcher. or the ma
tive agriculturist. or the local post
man with his juggling bells, has passed
some spot whore tiger lay In wait,
watching the distant cattle grazing,
or waiting for nighttime to visit some
tigrcss who has anorously responded
70 his roar.
The beast has thought himself per-
ceived, has feared To be cut of from
his usual retreat. or the victim has
shouted in terror. making the tiger
hysterical with fright. and then, In q
paroxysm of rage and fear, it has
snarled and sprung forth and dealt In
frenzy rather than design that terrible
blow with the forepaw which will stun
q wild boar and dislocate the neck
bone Of bull. Before his roar Of an
gry surprise has echoed through the
Jungle the man or woman or child
lies corpse under his claws. and In
stinct forces him 10 60 on. and to
crunch the soft neck with his yellow
fangs. Then the secret Is ost; the
tiger has learned what poor forlsed
thing this lord of the creation Is; how
feeble his natural forces: how useless
for defense that eye that was so
dreaded: those limbs that bore him So
haughtiiy with his head TO the sky.
Moreover. the tiger has tasted man
and found him ss savory 10 dcvour rs
he Is easy 20 butcher. and from that
time forth the brute ncglects no fur
Their opportunity. but becomes con-
irmed ''msncater."