The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-06-08
SAVED BY a SHAWL.
The Adventure OF a Honduras Wo.
man With a Jaguar.
IRON the Forest md stroam


"lf she would, my wife could tell a
floor, and about the skin of its kitten
that covers the back of her chair; but as
she will not tell it, | may as Well" said
our host as we seated ourselves in the
sala, where the never failing breeze from
tho sparkling caribbean drew fresh
through open doors and windows, and
the mnsic of the surf on the sandy shore
rose and fell in soft cadences.
I'VE mad tired Of the monotony of a
diet of caSsaYa and cocoa, of beef and
bananas, poultry and peccary, Of turtle
eggs and tarpOn, with nothing but oranges
and pineapples, mangoes and maranones
for dessert-the things we have to live on
here, you know, most of the time. 50
asked her to go with me duck hunting
one morning
I'VE padded to where the bayou wild
ened into q little lake, and saw a flock of
muscovies feeding among the pond lilies
and water pOppies on the further side A.;
wife stepped ashore, where there was a
little clearing, and l padded away 10
steal near enough for a good shot at the
ducks. The sunshine 1ell on her as
went, and saw her take the bright red
shawl from her shoulders and fold it
carefully and hang it over her arm. Thea
4 bunch of fuChsla bushes on the point
hid her from me.
81 had put my paddle down and reached
for my gun. when | heard Anna scream
| OF course, / turned and padded for dear
life, and | felt like heaping abuse on the
man who invented so clumsy, so loggy a
| device as a dugout.
when I rounded the point saw Anna
standing at the edge of the water, star
ing intently at the bushes, while she
| beckoned me
What rs it'll shouted, what is the
matterl'
It's tiger, she answered, lit is a
big tiger
THAT was matter enough. and dug the
| paddle down into the water and pulled for
the shore. The instant the pitpan
grounded on the sand had my gun in
hand and spraug ashore.
"'Where is Nowhere is the brutcE
gasped.
"'lt was right there where my shawl
| lies. l scared it away. When it crept
up to me ! threw my shawl in It's face and
| it ran away
Il picked up her shawl and took a look
at the sign. 1t was plain enough for the
| imprints of claws showed clearly in the
sand. We pushed off from shore and
| padded for the mouth Of the bayou.
Il stood there watching you until the
| bushes hid you from me-, sala my wife.
| j was wishing that l had asked you to
| pick a lot OF those white pond lilies and
water peoples after you had shot the
/ ducks Then l heard rustling in the
| grass behind me and turned around
| quickly, for | thought there might be a
man there or waree, or something say
age behind me, and there was that tiger
not four yards from me-
LIT was crouching down exactly as
cat does when she's creeping up to catch
a poor little bird or q Nasty sparrow It's
eyes were green and shining and its tail
stuck out behind and waved from side to
side little-not very much | couldn't
help thinking that it acted just as my cat
used to at home when sho tried to catch
birds in the garden. ] wonder how poor
pussy got along after We were married
and deserted her TO come away down
here with you. I'm awfully sorry didn't
bring her with US
but, for heavens sake, what did the
tiger dop
"Oh, yes. forgot the tiger. / Just
screamed as loud as l could, and threw
my shawl into its face. Then it turned
away, and | screamed again 1t ran into
the bushes then; but | was afraid it
would come back"
"How inconsiGerate women can be,n
m lrmured the captain. "The tigers
nerves must have been unstrung by such
treatment"
well, her nerves were unstrung before
night. anyway" replied Burch, "for
when l had seen my wife safe in the
house, got the best Of our Waika hun
tiers and the 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, and in a few hours we
had the skins of the old one and of her
halfgrOwn kitten. No doubt the big cat
would have lii on my wife an infant later
if Anna hadn't happened 10 turu Just
then and thrown that brigit-colored
shawl straight into the face of the brute"