The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1896-02-06

ne1's red coat, bought. Tor the occasion,
and darkened his face to a more ma
tive swarthiness by liberal outlay of
burnt cork. The shikarri, who came
armed with a rifle and q pair of pistols,
stared to behold the lieutenant in this
strange guise, but never word spoke
he except to counsel his temporary
master to stick q pair of pistols in his
belt. ''Like servant, like saheeb!" he
added, with grin which displayed q
highly serviceable set of grinders.
"Baby gun help ut PINCH" he said,
''when big.gun bark, no bite" ST.
TO avoid ,needlessly advertising their.
intent totall the neighborhood, they
stole out7thc back way and reached the
high road through a lonely and rounda-
bout path. For some five miles they
logged on at good brisk pace till they
reached turn in the road within
stones throw of the vast jungle haunt
ed by the man-eater. Here the lieuten-
ant begged his attendant to fall behind,
lest the beast, seeing two men armed
to the teeth, should fight shy of them,
as he: had. Of other bold sportsmen.
The veteran shikarri shook his head
hut, held his tongue, knowing that
it, beEooved him to obey orders. His
| master for the nonce then drew out q
bunch of little bells and tied them to
| the muzzle of his rifle, so as to make it
look as much like Q post. runners bell
stick as might be. He then fastened
forward alta post runners jog trot
pace, the bells jingling merrily as he
went. Ills heart, meanwhile, was none
too merry For, though resolved to go
through with what he had begun, he
could not help rejecting that, if his
ruse succeeded, the animal might
spring out upon him at any moment
from either side of the thick covert
that lined his route. However, on he
ran without mishap until he reached
the very spot where the tiger had
bounced on his last victim. This was
| u gully that crossed the road at right
angles, and was now dry as a chip,
though a foaming torrent during the
rainy season-from mid-May till mid
August.
AS to the identity of the spot, he
could not doubt it for moment. For
there, cruelty convincing, few drops
of the victims blood still stained the
white pebbles of the gully. And, truth
to tell, the sight of them made Charles
Wallace's blood-all young and warm
though it was-turn somewhat cold for
moment. Here he. halted and looked
around him. He saw the tanks of the
gully and, both sides Of, the road :thickly
shrugged with brushwood, while the
tall forest trees that lowered above
quite shut out the rays of the setting
sun. Meanwhile, all was still as the
grave and no sign of life could be seen.
AS he stood in that narrow gloomy
gorge he felt us if entombed alive. The
! stiffness awed him. The bells jinglcd,
and ere that sound had fairly died
away another smote his cara faint
rustling in the brushwood,, followed
by the cracking of dry leaves and twigs.
Quick. as lightning he raised his rifle
/ and fired it full in the face of the tiger
as it balanced itself on the verge of the
gully about to spring. Down it rolled
into the bed of the gully, and there lay
for moment as if stunned. But, speed
lily recovering its feet, it crouched for
| second. spring. and with one loud.
hoarse, grating growl it came bounding
through the air toward its prey, who
stood with a, pistol in either hand, and
fired both point-blank, and then fell
stricken to the ground-he knew not
how. ..
Not then. No, nor till half anthour
afterward, when he came to himself
and found Murreem Ali STOPPING over
him, pawnee flask in hand.
'What's become of the tiger?" he
gasped as soon as he could command his
| tongue. -.
y ."Devil-tiger,' 'tiger-devil-he lie yon-
der, saheeb, dead as q doornail,' an
swered the shil1arri, jerking his thumb
over his shoulder.
''Why, the devil, as you call him,
must have knocked me down and then
shot clean over me. And then you
came up and shot him?'
''No ME shoot devil. Saheeb shoot
DEVIL" replied the honest shikarri.
''When Murreem Ali came up he found
devil as dead as doornail. Slug 60 neat
into his right eye, and spirit devil come
out of him through hole"
'.And what's to be done now?, For
feel in no plight to trudge back ten
miles. Besides, should like to take
the game home with me. Know you of
any village near where we could hire
bullock cart?'' "s
''Sumootra just two miles off, close
to road" replied Ali. "Find plenty
| bu1lock cart and bullock there. And
all for nothing. No rupee. Folk only
too glad to do anything for saheeb who
kill tiger devil"
''Then I must ask you to test their
good will,' replied Charles Wallace.
The man sped off like hare with
the hounds at it's tail. And after the
lapse of half an hour a confused roar,
as of many voices, proclaimed his re-
turn with half the village at his heels:
| While one hoary-headed patriarch fell
flat on his stomach at the tiger-killer's
feet and worshiped him for Staying the
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