The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-06-21

pewilder him for an instant I whisper
ed to Salad to be ready with his knife
and make dash the moment fired
Cautiously I raiseds the gun TO my
shoulder and was pressing the trigger.
when Salad touched me and whispered:
"Wait. sahibi Look therei'
! looked. and my shotgun fell. At
slight angle, but little more than half
way between us and the antelope, there
crouChed royal Bengal tiger. A single
glance was sufficient He was surely
man eater. Evidently he had been ON
the point Of Satisfying his hunger with
an antelope when he caught sight Of N
He was within an easy leap Of the deer,
but was deliberately turning away and
facing ua The motion startled the deer,
and they bounded of, but the tiger paid
them no further attention. The hugo
creature opened his great jaws till his
head seemed nothing bat a red. yawn-
ing gullet bordered by long. ragged,
glistening teeth. and with . savage
marl he began to approach ua
There was no need Of looking about
for q place Of safety. The jungle was
sparsely wooded at the Best, and the
largest tree we had passed in coming
from camp would not have borne even
Salads weight 10 feet from the
ground Salad had only his hunting
knife, nothing but my shotgun
"One Of us must 20, sahib," Salad
muttered. without taking his eyes from
the tiger. IF we run together. we shall
both GO He will overtake MS in mo-
ment Let Allah decide as il is written
in our foreheada Run that way for
your life, sahih. Twill run this way.
Be quick. before he comes nearerp'
There was no time for thought Il
seemed fair proposition, and even az
he spoke the Hindoo started at the top
Of his speed away. 1t was useless stand
ing still or following him. and acting
upon his suggestion ! started in the op-
posite direction
After running rod or two looked
over my shoulder The tiger had made
q lesp and was just landing, already
crouched for another spring. lie was
following mel ..
I will not admit that I hoped he
would follow Salad. but did hope that
he would not choose me. 1t amounted
to the same thing.
j started ON for ono more desperate
struggle. ] was doomed. I knew il per-
fectly well, yet while there is life there
is hope, and ran as I never ran be-
fore. resolved to 60 as far as i could
and then whirl about and give the tiger
q charge of fine shot full in the face. II
might put out his eyes There was at
least that possibility to hang desperate
hope upon, and throwing my gun to my
shoulder turned The tiger was not
therei Looking farther back. ! saw his
tawny hide in the underbrush. Instant
" it rose. He was making leap, but
1t was not toward me- One thrill of
gratitude shot through my veins, when
my heart stood still with horror. There
was one sharp yelp as the huge form
swept through the air, and crushing the
leaves and branches ~ IL fell landed MP
ON the PROSTATE figure Of Salad. silently
waiting for the blow.
stood there petrihed, the cold per-
spiration dripping from my forehead.
There was not Q sound from Salad.
There was only one fierce howl from the
tiger; then all was still
1t was only an instant, but in that in
slant we two, my Hindoo servant and
], stood out before me in very bold re-
lief. 1 had run for my life, knowing
that the chances lay between us two and
hoping at least that the tiger might not
fellow me. He had run, too, knowing
that the chance lay between us, and be-
cause the tiger did not follow him he
had como back again and tempted him
called him away from me and given
his life for mine.
He was poor benighted heather
and only an average sample of his kind.
He could not help stealing pretty
things He could not stop telling lies.
But surely he was . truor, drawer, no.
bier man than /, and IL the image Of
God can be found today In any of his
creatures it would require no very deep
theologian to decide which of us two
betrayed 1t least profaned. Henry Will