Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1895-10-26
CATCHING Tigers ALIVE.
fhs Circus Agent Has WILD expsss.
OnoOs,

sness.
A man who procures wild animals
for circus menageries, In an account
" his adventures, says
Although the island Of Singapore
IL only fourteen miles In extent, there
are no less than 500 tigers that in
habit Its woods, and people do not
venture alone beyond the city limits
after nightfall. The first night Of
my arrival here, while our ship lay
In the harbor, could plainly hear
The roaring Of the blood. thirsty beasts
as they provided around the outskirts
Of the city In search OF prey. Mr..
De Silva, the native agent, having
located several tigers trails, We
started on foot with about fifty
natives the foil lowing morning. The
trip to the first tiger trail WIS only
three or four miles, and we arrived
at this point at about 8 o'clock.
AFTER locating the trail exactly,
and finding the stream to which the
tiger must break for water each night
on awakening from his all.day sleep
(the habit Of the tiger), we set about
making our preparations. In the
direct path OF the tiger we dug Q pit
seven feet wide, ten feet long and
fifteen feet deep. but much longer
and wider at the bottom than at the
top. All the dirt dug from the pie
was carefully removed to consider.
able distance by the natives, and
they showed great care aud skill In
not leaving any external evidence Of
the fact that q big hole had been dug.
A lot Of bamboo strips were next
laid over the pit and these covered
with dry leaves, nude to appear like
the general surroundings.
I'VE next took three bamboo sticks
about twelve feet In length and
placed them In the form Of u tripod,
IN such o position 40 to bring the
point OF the tripod directly over the
centre Of the pit. From the top Of
the bamboo sticks some OF the ma
tives suspended live goat by . cord
barely strong enough to bear Ito
| weight, and sure to break II the tiger
lesped upon the goat. Everything
being In readiness for Mr.. Tiger, 90
soon % no chose to 60 against our
little game, Mr.. DE Silva and myself,
as we'll % the natives. repaired to Q
hut about eighty rods distant and
awaited developments. 1t had been
lark about an hour, and began to
think We were going to be disappoint-
cd, whom one OF the natives rushed
into the hut, crying lend beshma.
1.-THE furious cries OF the tiger had
startled him as with q terrific roar IL
sprang upon the appended goat and,
going down with It's burden. sank
into the merciless pit prepared for II.
Igniting u number OF torches both ia
light the why and to forestall any at
tack that might possibly be made
upon us from wild animals, we pro-
ceeded In body to the pit. The
roars OF the tiger were awful, rs he
furiously tried to leap upward to gain
his freedom. As / have already ex-
planned to you, the sides OF the PHI
slanted inwards towards the top. and
at every effort the tiger could be
heard striking his nose against the
loose earth.
This frantic behavior was kept ur
for about an hour, when entirely ex-
hausted, the fierce king OF the jun
giles lay perfectly quiet at the bot.
tom OF the pit. Two Of the natives
now lowered . bamboo basket down
into the pit, letting the open sidt
fall directly over the supine form o.
the tiger. Immediately after this
number Of natives jumped into thu
a 4 n l.