The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1893-12-02
A TIGERS PLAYTHING.
IN THE POWER OF A GIANT OF
80. THE JUNGLE.
a Hurter Tells of His UnenviabIc TX
perience-saved by Having Retained
His Gnn-Tho Tigers Cubs Receive an
Object Lesson.

maj place. Here and there Wcrc
clumps of tall grass and bamboos,
With now and then tamarisiz tree.
Parrots screamed in the trees. and
tho startled cav of some Indian
crows made me pause and look
around to see what had disturbed
them. The crows almost ut once set
tied down again into silence, and, as
i saw no signs of danger. | went on
carclessly. ] 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 | was near the
post, and tho district was ono from
which, as was supposed. the tigers
had been cleaned out some years be.
fore.
just as Twas musing upon this fact,
with a tingc OF regret because 1 had
Come too late to have u hand IN the
clearance, | was crushed to the
ground by a llugs mass which .enod
TO have bcen hurled upon me from
behind, says Youths COMPANION
writer My head felt as though Is
had been dashed with icy or scalding
water, and then everything turned
black. If ] was stunned by the shock
it was only for ~ instant When |
opened my eyes | was lying with nv
face IN the sand. Not knowing whore
| wa; or what had happened, |
started II rise when instantly q
huge paw turncd me over on nv
back, and | saw the great yellow
green eyes of Il tiger looking down
upon INC through their narrow black
Sits.
don't know how long lay there
stupidity gazing up into tho brutc'5
eyes, but presently made move.
mont to sit up and then saw that
still held my rifle in my lad While
| was looking AT the wcG on with Il
vague urra,sing sense that there
was something | ought to do with it.
the tiger picked me up by the left
shoulder and made OF with me into
Il jungle; and stlll | clung to the rifle,
though had forgotten what use /
should put it to. The grip Of the
tigers teeth upon my shoulder felt
but numbly, and yet rs found after
wards. IL was SD far from gentle as
TO have shattered the bone.
Having carried me perhaps half q
mile the brute dropped mo ana. rails
| ing her head, uttered peculiar soft
cry. Two cubs appeared at once in
answer to the summons, and bounded
up 20 meet her. Ut the first glimpse
OF me, however, they shecred off in
alarm. and their dam had 10 coax
them for some minutes, rolling me
over softly with her paw or picking
Inc 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 throw them
selves upon me with eager though
not very dangerous fcrocitv, 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 of the snarling little
animals roughly and started to crawl
away. The mother lay watching the
game with satisfaction
lnstinctiycly | crcpt toward tree,
and little b. little the desire for cs-
cape began to stir in my dazed brain.
When / was within foot or two OF
the tree the tiger made great
bound. seized me in her Jaws and
carried me back to tho spot whence
had started. "Why." thought tie
myself, "this is just exactly tho way
cat plays with u mouse" At the
same moment cloud seemed to roll
of my brain. No words OF mine can
describe the moasurcless and sickeu
ing horrors OF that moment, when
realization was thus suddenly dashed
upon me. At the shock my rino
slipped from my relaxing fingers;
but | recovered il desperately. with
a sensation Us if 1 had been falling
over prccipice,
Again the cubs began mauling me.
! repealed them gently. at the same
time looking to my rifle. 1 saw that
there was u cartridge ready to loo
projected into the cham Der. l re-
lncmbercd that the magazine was
not more than half empty. | started
once more to crawl away, with the
cubs snarling over me and trying to
hold me: and it was at this point 1
realized that my left shoulder was
broken Having crawlcd four or five
feet. | let the cubs turn nae about.
whcrcupon | crawled back toward
the old tiger. who lay blinking and
actually purring. 1t was plain that
she had had good meal not long
before. and Was. therefore. in no
hurry to dispatch me.
Within about three feet of the
BEASTS striped forcshouder
stopped and fell over on my side. as
if all but exhausted My rifle barrel
rested on a 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 mo.
The C eaturcs were tearing ut my
lcrs. but in this supreme moment L
never thought of them. had now
thoroughly rcgained my sclf-control
Laboriously. very deliberately, l got
III. c,,1 ,.npnpaI n snut l'iVlt