Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1894-10-31

q
IL 1t was not with 9
rS,n 4, SEsS baby tiger or make
~ (, .hliEsS believe tiger, or q
We (, ,,6fS2Ss$ tiger on the ground
.Eyl lSyYfs s.z%ss while l WAS we'll up
>1-=4'-.sz--1S2- lzseT In n tree. 1t wal
III m out-aud-oUt tiger, Ene,
large tiger, and rs handsome tiger as
oyrr wore stripes that could not be
C.aneed. In short, it was royal
-encal tiger, right in her jungle lair
Ii IVES not very ord, either III life at
larve or life IN India, when ocliered to
report ~ distant point and informed
tlat n detachment Of troops, bound
i1r the faUe destination, would cross
the broad belt of Jungle above the
fer,i upon "A certain day, passing
within ten miles of the place where 1
Ma then stationed.
1t was g rare opportunity to see
sollc of the widest country in India,
and, sending my servants and luggage
by.H longer and more travelled road,
! mounted my horse st daylight upon
the apo nted day and rode out into
the jungle glono to join the detach-
ment.
All day wandered about between
the points whore I hsd been told that
the soldiers would pass, and not till
almost until night did the conviction
force itself upon me that they must
have been delayed and that [ as des-
tined to stay where L was over night.
1t was the last cont ngency for which
/ had made any preparation. L had
never exploited in an Indian Jungle,
but recalling hoyhood tales of beds
upon the branches of trees "to escape
the fury OF the fierce denizens of the
fore t, | selected an appropriate place.
unsaddIed my horse and tethered him,
climbed a tree and attenl ted to make
myself comfortable, but nth sorry re-
suits.
1t is astonishing how quickly discom-
fort will dispeL the apprehension of
danger. Before it had been dark en-
hour L began to consider the chances of
meeting no matter what as more agree
able than the bed [ had selected.
4 heavy dew was forming. I was
cold and wet besides being decidedly
tired and sleepy, and recalled with
many loneings q cave which L had no.
ticed not far away. With my saddle
for pillow and my blanket for mat
upon the smooth, dry floor, which was
visible Just inside the mouth, should
be almost Us well off as in q native bun
eHlow.
For an hour more I clung to the un-
comfortable branch and thought of the
tenn ting cave. Then / grew desperate.
There were no such yelps and howls rs
] had read of, making night hideous. "
That Indian jungle WAS almost as silent
Gs forest ut home. | came to the con-
clusion that the stories L had read were
ali nonsense, and dropping from the
branch, I picked up my saddle, made
my way to the cave, arranged the pill
low and mat, threw myself down, and
III no time was sound asleep.
For two or three times in the night
/ woke enough to change my position
and fall asleep again, but when the
mouth of the cave showed faint gray
light, suggesting the approach OF
morning, L woke suddenly, ell over,
from some sort of dream, ar1 found
myself in n most uncomfortable state
OF apprehension. In vain 1 tried to
convince myself that it was all the
effect of the dream. pinched myself
and turned and twisted the saddle, but
all to no purpose. Something or
other had given me such a thorough
frigh: that further sleep was impos-
sible. Worse yet, it was still frighten-
ing He. l could not Imagine that it
Wa, anything at all, yet [ felt my
courage steadily ebbing and cold
shivrrs creeping up and down my
lack, in spite OF every energy of will L
could exert.
1 could easily have seen if there had
been anything between me and the
entrance, and as for whatever there
might be beyond me, it was certainly
Us still as death down there.
Hnrkl Was it as still ns death,
What WINS that? L remembered to
have heard it for some time-eyer
siRce / awoke--and wondered why I
had no. thought of it. 1t was n deep,
soft rumble, for all the world like the
purring of gigantic cat. A startling
regularity about it first attracted my
attention, and with a decided chill
came the conviction that something
capable of making that noise was
down in the darkness beyond me.
BY that time my Imagination was
aroused and my nerves SO
under its control that l was
in excellent state to collapse, and in
deed l did collapse, n moment later,
when my eyes sought that blsckness
rad suddenly rested upon two great
yellow balls of glowing light down in
tho pitchy depths OF the cave.
Heavens Whit u sAtN,I ran down
my back. Whatever it was behind
those eyes, it had mo ct rare advan.
tage, for 1t could doubtless SEQ my
slightest motion against the light st
the entrance, while all tAat / could zee
were those two balls OF yellow fire.
1t wss some time before my senses
reached reasonable state where
could trust them; then to refresh tae
horror, 1 became convinced that the
eyes and the .oUrco of that Inufied
thunder were not ten feet away from
me.
had Z fine rio loaded and ready,
Gaming against the tree where 1 had
ethered my horse. There was good
sized revolver IN my belt; but, aside
rom the difficulty OF obtaining an ac-
'urate aim, l was doubtful If ball
rom revo.Ter would penetrate the
.ide and skull of some natives of the i
indian jungle. If this should chance I
% be one of them it would be bad
'oiicy to nnako the attempt. Il
1 rec.lled those interesting stories OF
,rsvs mon who had ccrCuered fero-