The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-01-18

murderers to be- slain, sir, slain ]!
cried Donald, as he bounded down the
stairway to his place in the ranks.
81 first signaled to Kedgeree: "Fear
station staff are all murdered AS yet
no trace of murderers''
Then Eve proceeded in three detaoh-
ments to make minute search OF the
outhouses, cellars and grounds, but dis
covered no cew. We had halted to con-
slider what was to be done, when Ramjan,
the Lascar boatswain, an old shikaree, or
jungle hunter, salaamed and said: "Cap-
tain Sahib, a tiger has done this work"
take the whole staff of twelve people over
that 10-foot wall"
Eyes, A TIGER"
repeated Ramjan; and. continuing in his
own tongue, he said: ''Don't you re-
member Sahib, that night in the Sunder-
! unds when the two Shetland pony coltst
We're taken from the midship deck; or
that morning near the Mutlah pilot
station when baby was stolen from the
high stockade shikaree village from Its
mothers arms. and left no trace of what
stole it but few spots just like hese.
DON'T you remember how the mother
screamed when she awakened and found
her baby gone and blood drops on her
breast? 1t is all done, sir, in a chick,
! chack, chuck-one, two, three. 1 saw it
once with my own eyes. Seven of us
were hunting in the jungle, and I, being
a boy, was made to sleep in the back part
of the tent, the other six lying side by
side between me and the door, A little
before daybrea I saw two balls of fire
shining from huge, crouching figure
that terrified me into helplessness. tt
| came nearer and nearer Reaching my
con. panion, it paused an instant, raised
| it's head, again paused, then it's huge
jaws closed like the snap of an iron vice
on my companions throat. Then twitch-
| ing the body over his back, the crouch
| ing beast slid out like snake, and with
a few bounds disappeared in the jungle.
I seized the big brass cymbals and began
| c]ashing them and shrieking, until the
hunters from neighboring camp came
| to my rescue; and about 100 yards away
my six companions were found all lying
in a line, their bodies whole, but their
| blood drained to the last drop from the
| fang holes in their threats. Yes, Sahib,
a tiger has done this work." repeated
Ramjan as he finished and gave furtiye
glance toward the deepening shades of
the jungle.
Ramjan's solution was the only one
available. and soon q trail of spots was
discovered, dried by the fierce sun, yet
ominous that beyond were at least some
remains of what we were looking for.
Profting by Ramjan's warning, formed
my men into square as if to resist a
cavalry charge; teen, ascending the
ladder I saw just IN front of me mon-
ster tigress. in the act to spring. Shout
| ing, ''Stand flrm," l let myself drop
down inside tho wall, just as the mon
ster, intoxicated from the sanguinarJ
revel sprang, first on the wall and thence
in her mad fury on the square of brist
ling bayonets- Riddled by bullets and
pierced by repeated stabs of bay onets an6
boarding pixies, she gave a wild death
roar. Then her two cubs, yelling with
fear, scrambled up the wall; but NJ
sooner were they on the top than another
shower of rife bullets brought then
down inside the Enclosure, and they were
thrown in a heap with their reekine
mother.
"Burn them," cried some. "Roas
her and her whelps with her, as we die
Mana Sahib and her whelps on our marcel
to Cawnpore, yelled others. And I'M
der twenty armfuls of wood and barre
OF oil from the lamp cellar, the thre,
striped demons of the jungle were soon
consumed to ashes, amid the exultins
yells of the men.
But /, missing Donald's tall form ant
divining something of the cause, AGAR
fastened up the scaling ladder closet,
followed by the soldiers. We were jus
entering the jungle when we came upo1
him. He had halted and stopped to lool
at something white in the long jungl,
grass; then springing suddenly erect
dropping his musket and stretching hi
hands to heaven. he cried in voice o
agony, "Almi ghty God 1t is Nora 7
and the stalwart warrior sank on hi
knees sobbing like little child Agar
and again he kissed the white, cold hand
then folding them tenderly across he
breast he took up the bloodless body O
the dead babe and laid it beside it's moth
er. Tears filled the eyes Of all those rude
war hardened men, as they stood BY
resting upon their mnskets, gazing OF
the pathetic scene
We found the bodies of the other vic
Tins not far away, and laid them in
single grave. But Nora and her baby
we buried apart from the rest. with
little wooden cross to mark the spot; ant
just as the haha of the jackal began t,
sound from the depths of the Jungle, W,
fred parting salute and returned to tn,
Huringutta.
CAPT. WILLIAM BROWN