The morning call., 1894-02-25
DREAMS GO By CONTRARIES.



spring-its cruel jaws agaDe, its enormous
paws with every claw unsheathed and its
hot. fetid breath on my very BROW.
"A decidly uncom fortable Dream" OBJ
served Jones.
''Of course all this passed in one-tenth
of the time | take TO tell ii. | rolled out
from under the hungry Jaws, and lust as |
reached The ground l heard The angry
growl of the baff1ed monster, followed by
a SCATTERING roar loud enough to wake the
Seven Sieepers. AS my senses came back
TO me found myself lying half on the
ground, half on my low camp bee, my
body bathed in perspiration and trembling
in every limb. just then my batman put
his head inside the tent flap and asked
me II had heard the roar, adding that
there was tiger in the camp. | pulled on
my clothes, and | could hear the men
walking about among the tents, searching
and whispering-but no trace of tiger
conld we discover"
Then 1t was a real tiger ?" inquired
Tom.
1t would seem so, as the whole camp
had heard the roar as well as myself. How
ever, 1t was almost morning by this time,
anu as everyone was afOotRand moments
were precious L gave orders to push on at
once. A hurried chota haZTee was quickly
prepared and dispatched. and by the time
the sun rose we were fairly On our way,
with good prospect of reaching Sumbal-
par before nighlfall. 1 couldn't shake Oft
the impression of the dream, however, try
as | would. Besides, some natives who
had come in before we broke camp. told us
OF a man-eater which had been infeSting
the district. a tiger that has once tasted
human flesh, as you may have heard. is
never content with beef or venlSon after
ward, and they sometimes make them
selves the terror of a whole country side
before they are shot WHAT with the vague
msgvings suggested by my dream and
the tangible danger of the man-eater,
| found myself growing more and more
uneasy with every mile We marched.
Finally [ determined to turn back
and meet my wife. l WAS well mounted,
and | believed j could gallop to the rear,
assure myself that all was well with her
and pick up my command again before it
reached Sumbalpar. | left the detaeh-
ment in the charge of sergeant-poor old
Busbee J he died OF jungle fever that same
yeaT-and rode back as fast as King Tom,
a vely speedy chestnut, could lay leg to
the ground. / passed the spot W here we
had spent the night, and kept on several
miles beyond without seeing anything 10
cause uneasIneSs. My fears were begin
ming to dispense and common-sense made
itself heard. l real yea that might find
1t very difficult 10 give satisfactory eX-
PLANTATION of my absence II the men reached
Sumbalpar without me-they do not pay
much attention to dreams at headquarters.
This view of the case became more impress
sive with each mile L rode, and l deter
mined that if the next turn in the path did
not bring my family into view, or show
me some other good reason for pushing on,
/ would turn back and join my command.
Thus resolved, [ cantered forward, swung
round the tangled angle of brush that linz
TIED my view, and saw
Here the colonel stopped for another sip
of whisky and water.
What did you see?" cried Sir Alan.
"Y our wife,"
Yes, sir. | saw her. She was sitting
with the baby in her lap in the tonga
pale-l have never seen such an expression
Of strained terror on any human counte-
nance. The bilewailah was in front, try
ing to keen the bullOcks, which seemed
almost frantic with fear, to the path.
knew the man well-one of the best hands
with team at the station-but just then
his face was so distorted with fright that
hardly recognized him. YOu know that
lilac graylsh tinge a natives face gets
when he is scared almOs. to death"
81 know, | Know" broke in Sir Alan.
"But what was the matter-what was
frightening themP Could you see any
thinP?"
Indeed could" replied the Colonel.
cause enough they had. Not five yards
behind them trotted the largest tiger it has
ever been my fortune 10 see."
Various EXPLANATIONS testified to the
com pleteness of the surprise TO which
Colonel Eyre had treated his audience.
WAS 1t maD-eater?'' / asked.
''At first | supposed it was. but il it had
been | never should have seen them alive.
After / shot the beast II"
"Oh, YOU did shoot him?"
Don't ask me how. l am counted a
fair shot. was far better then, bnt when
L leyeled my rifle at that brute's heart,
when / realized how much hung on the
result-f0r il 1 had missed, or if | had
merely wounded him, he would have been
in the tonga at a single spring, and moth
ing under heaven itself could have saved
those dearest to me from horrible death
when l realized all this, [ don't know how
L found the nerve to pull the trigger. l
suppose L knew it was the only chance
My appearance had enraged the animal,
and be was just preparing TO spring.
This [ do know, and I'm not ashamed to
own it: when l saw that [ had laid the
tiger Out with single shot-a thing that
doesn't happen twice in a lifetlme-I fell
fiat beside the tonga in the act of helping
my wife down. For the first and last time
in nv life l tainted
"Yes, 1t was pretty hard trial on the
nerves, resumed the colonel as our dis
cussion Of the situation sank into silence,
but nothing 10 what my wife had gone
through. That tiger had followed them
for more than four miles through the
jungle. The bilewallah, with rare pres
ence of mind. had managed to keep the
bullocks to their steady jog trot-any in
crease of pace or appearance of flight
would have provoked a spring. She, poor
woman, had succeeded in hushing her
baby, for had il cried nothing is surer than
that the sound would have led TO an at
tack. 1t must have been an awful four
miles for her. 1t was years before she re-
covered from tine effect"
AND why did not the tiger attack
them?" inquired Jones. DOCS any one
know?"
The animal was doubtless waiting to
kill them till they got into the vicinity of
water" explained Colonel Eyre. Tigers
often 90 that with cattle and other large
quarry. There was water a mile or le SIS
farther on. ] had noticed it myself in
passing If | had not come upon the
ground another ten minutes would have
sealed their fate"
so it may fairly be said that your dream
was the means of saving their lives" OBJ
served Tom Evertop, who, although the
most silent. had not been the least atten-
tive of the listeners.
II think we may fairly admit so much, 4"
replied Colonel Eyre. ''Ir it had not been
for my dream do not think the report of