The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-06-25

The Adventure of Honduras Woman
with a Jaguar.

''If she would my wife could tell a story
about that tiger skin rug the floor and
about the skin OF It's kitten that covers the
back OF the chair, but as she will not tell 1t
I may as WE'LL" said our host we seated
ourselves in the Sala. where the never
failing breeze from the sparkling Caribbean
drew fresh through open doors and win
dows, and the music OF the surf on the
sandy shore rose and fell In soft cadenees.
Of csssa s,Sa and cocos Of beef Of ~ banan u
poultry and peccary. OF turtle eggs and
tarpon. with nothing but oranges and pine
apples, mangoes and maranones for dessert
tho things we have to live on here, you
know, most of the time. So l asked her TO
60 with me duck hunting one morning.
I'VE padded 10 where the bayou widened
into little lake, and saw flock of musco-
Ves feeding among the pond lilies and
water peoples on the further side. Wife
stepped ashore where there was a little
enough for a. good shot at the ducks. The
sunshine fell on her as l went. and saw
her take the bright red shawl from her
shoulders and fold it carefully and hang il
over her arm. Then a bunch of fuschia
bushes on the point hid her from me.
II had put my paddle down and reached
for my gun, when / heard Anna scream
OF course turned and padded for dear
life. and 1 felt like heaping abuses on the
man VINO invented so clumsy SO loggy
device as dugout.
when 1 rounded the point 1 saw Anna
standing on the edge of the water, star
ing intently at the bushes while she
What is it?' l shouted; what is the
It's a tiger she answered: it's big
tiger
THAT was matter enough. and dug the
paddle down into the water and pulled for
bhe shore. The instant the pitpan grounded
on the sand l had my gun in hand and
sprang ashore.
Where is he-where is the brute?' /
gasped.
1T was right there where my shawl
lies l scared it away. When it crept up
Il my in, foa@a
II picked up her shawl and took look
AZ the sign. IL was plain enough, for the
imprints of claws showed clearly in the
sand. We pushed off from the shore and
padded for the mouth Of the bayou.
bushes hid You from me-, s aid @I' wi tne
L was wishing that / had asked you to
pick lot of those white pond lilies and
water poppies after you had shot the
ducks. Then L heard a rustling in the
grass behind me and turned around quick
there or waree or something savage be-
hind me. and there was that tiger not
four yards from me-.
But for heavens sake what did the
tiger dor, 80. a. g., =.
screamed as loud as / could and threw my
and L screamed again. It ran into the
bushes then. but l was afraid II would
How inconsiderate women can be-"
murmured the captain. THE tigers
nerves must have been unstrung by such
treatment"
well. her nerves were unstrung before
night. anyway" replied Burch, for when
] had seen my wife safe in the house got
the best of our WaiKa hunters ana me
best tiger dogs in the village and went
back to the place where IL was seen by
Anna The dogs took the trail at once of
course. end in few hours we had the
skins OF the old one and of her half-grown
kitten No doubt the big cat would have
lit on my wife an instant later IL Anna
hadn't happened 10 turn just then and
thrown that bright-colored shawl straight
into the face of the brute"