The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1895-10-02
CATCHING TIGERS ALIVE

ALTHOUGH the island of Singapore is
only fourteen miles in extent, there are
no less than 500 tigers that inhabit it's
woods, and people do not venture alone
beyond the city limits after nightfal The
first night Of my arrival here, while our
ship lay in the harbOr, l could plainly
hear the roaring of the blOodthrsty
beasts as they prowled around the out
skirts of the city in searhh of prey. Mr..
De Silva, the native agent, having To-
Gated several tigers trails, we started on
foot with about fifty natives the follow
ng morning. The trip to the first tiger
trail was only three or four miles, and
we arrived at this point at about
o'clock
after locating the trail exactly, and
finding the stream to which the tiger
must for water each night on awakening
from his all-day sleep the habit of the
tiger), we set bout making our prepare
tons. In the direst path of the tiger we
dug 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 pit was care
fully removed to q considerable distance
by the natives, and they showed great
care and skill in not leaving any external
evedence of the fact that big hole had
been dug. A lot of bamboo strips were
laid over the pit and these covered with
eral surroundings.
I'VE next took three bamboo sticks
about twelve feet in length and placed
them in the form of tripod, in such a po-
stion as to bring the point of the tripod
directly above the center of the pit From
the top of the bamboo sticks some of the
natives suspended a live goat by cord
barely strong enough to bear it's weight,
and sure to break if the tiger leaped upon
| the goat. Everything in readiness for
| Mr.. Tiger, g soon as he chose to go
| against our lnttle game, Mr.. De Silva
| and myself, well as the natives, re-
| paired to a hut about eighty rods distant
and awaited developments. 1t had been
! dark about an hour, and | began to think
| we were going to be disappointed, when
| one Of the natives rushed into the hut,
! crying, Lend beshma'
THE furious cries of the tiger had
| startled him as with a terrific roar it
! sprang upon the suspended goat and
. going down with it's burden, sank into
| the merciless pit prepared for it. Igniting
| a number of torches both to light the
way and to forestall any attack that
might possibly be made upon us from
wild animals, we proceeded in a body to
| the pit The roars of the tiger were aw-
| full, as he furiously tried to leap upwards
| to gain his freedom. AS 1 have already
explained to you. the sides of the pit
| Slanted inward towards the top, and at
! every olIOIl TIE Tiger COulO OS uodTu StTlk-
! ing his nose against the loose earth.
This frantic behavior was kept up for
about an hour when. entirely exhausted,
the fierce king of the jungles lay per-
fectly quiet at the bottom of the pit Two
of the natives now lowered a bamboo
basket down into the pit, letting the open
| side fall directly over the supine form of
the tiger. Immediately after this a num-
Der of natives jumped into the pit and be-
gan crowding rattan withes through the
sand beneath the tiger and bringing them
| around the basket. In this manner the
| tiger was in a few minutes completely
| enclosed in the ba mbOo basket.
Returning to the hut we awaited the
dawn and as soon as it appeared the
natives went back to the pit and lifted
the basket containing the tiger out of it.
| We detailed ten of the coolies to take our
captive to the city. Before they started
took a look at our prize through the
rattan withes. He was a magnificent
| specimen, but the sorriest looking tiger
ever saw. He was covered with blood
from his frantic efforts to get out of the
pit, and the skin was pealed from his
nose and face, while the eyes were al
most entirely closed by the swollen face. -
| San Francisco Chronicle.