The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1893-04-20
A DEMON TIGER.
He Was CHASTITY White and Blind, but Was
q Terror in the Land.

lofcUtetu isttuFdE'u'i
The great Jhoot Demon, described by Col.
BNwlong in his narrative of adventures in In
dis, WAS tiger whose ways were as mysterious
as his rsyages were terrible. He could never be
bagged. He killed every shikari. native, or
European who tried II. This trucuent beast
had never even been seen, and as he never
mangled body, but only sucked the blood
through an orifee made over the jugular vein,
the terror tho great Jboot Demon inspired is
not surprising. He never forced a door. yet he
got into house after house. Two subalterns
went out for him and the next day were found
dead like all the rest.
One with his last strength had managed to
scratch the words Look out for l."
But no amount of conjecture could solve the
riddle Of these words. famous shot. who
once for wager shot 100 tigers in l2 months,
met the same fate. lie. too. left creepy Z"
and mysterious messsge-the letters "a. NJ"
Then the Colonel goes. He built himself an
ambush and watched.
Just as the full light of the moon fell upon
the stream and Illuminated the surroundings
there was an almost inaudible rustic of leaves
close behind me, and turning on the instant,
saw little gray-brOwn paw very cautious y
putting aside the twigs of my shelter, and be-
hind the paw | could discern two small green
eyes attentively regarding me.
"a ungoor,' | said to myself as it vanished
from view a monkey That's what the lads
and Dick CulvertOn meant to tell us, and by
George! there's mischief here Moved by a
sudden inspiration, for which / cannot to this
day account, FASTENED from the shelter and
assembled the adjoining tree. | had scarcely
time to seat myself comfortably upon one Of
the lower branches, when | saw the lungo0r
returning, followed by the most repulsye look
ing monster my eyes had ever behold.
You talk, Snapper, of your tiger being
NANCY, this one was absolutely naked, nude
,,uth hal1 hot ,nf haf.
"a huge ghastly, glahrous monstrosity-a very
Caliban of tigers, as big as bison and as long
as crocodile.
'As the CHASTITY creature crept after the
monkey he followed the slightest curve and
deviation of his guide with the delicate alacrity
of needle under the influence OF a magnet
The adroitness displayed by she tiger was sud-
denly converted into subject of horriftd
wonder, for as the brute approached the am
bush he turned his hideous fsce up TO the moor,
and | could see that his eyes were of dali
dead white without light, intelligence or move
ment. The creature was stone blind. For all
that he evidently knew. or thought he knew,
what lay before him. for the saliva of auticipa-
tion was clinging to his wrinkIed Jaws like a
mass of cleaning icicles.
"The monkey, when it had come within
jumping distance, giving low signal cry.
made one vigorous spring into my late shelter
allghted upon nay camp-stooi- and sprxBg ont
again On the other side He was instantly fol-
lowed by the tiger who fell like an avalanche
upon the stool, crushing it to match wood, and
at once began to feel about on all SIDES for his
expected victim
Now was my chance; beneath me in the
broad light of the full moon lay the Demon of
tho Jhoot | aimed steadily at a deep furrow
between the huge shoulder blades and held my
breath for the shot At that 10 oment the keen
eyes of the monkey eanght sight or me, and
the little animal uttered shrill note Of warn
ing; but it was too late, my finger was upon
the trigger, and l fred both barrels in quick
succession"