The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1896-05-30

Frank Maitland, was only seventeen
years old-perhaps the youngest ensign
then in the British Army-though he stood
six feet high and was very strong and
athletic.
From the first he was one of the stead
lest men in the service, though he loved
un as we'll as any of the young scatter.
brains whose escapades kept them contin
ually in trouble. A cool old head was on
Master Franks young shoulders, and a
resolute heart beneath his waistcoat, as he
soon had occasion to prove.
About week after he joined, Captain
Smythe, the regimental bully, was laying
down the law in his usual dictatorial way
about disputed point of tactics, when
some one asked Franks opinion on the
matter.
He gave it modestly against Smythe, and
as he was fresh from the military college at
Sandhurst, was able to show that he was
right Smythe lost his temper, he had
been drinking good deal, -insulted the
boy grossly and even advanced against him
with a threatening gesture. In self-de-
fence Frank knocked Smythe down.
Next day Captain Smythe challenged
Frank, but dueling had been forbidden,
and the young fellow refused Then Frank
went on to demand a court of inquiry,
which exhonerated him and ordered Smy-
the to apologize. He did it because he
had to do it or resign, hut he did it chur-
lishly.
After that the two were not on speaking
terms for some months though Frank was
too generous to cherish animosity.
The incidents that brought them to speak
ing terms again were as surprising as any
| remember in the annals of tiger-shooting.
One day venerable old native came in
to our hunting camp among the Gurrachee
Hills, and reported that his village, about
eight miles distant, was being devastated
by pair of large tigers. They had al
ready killed seven persons and an unknown
number of cattle. Would the sahibs come
and kill the tigers?
Come or course we would come
though tiger hunting on foot is dangerous
work. But as elephants could not be pro-
cured within a week, we determined to
take the field without them.
Retaining the old native to act as guide,
we made ready that evening, and next
morning, long before daylight, our whole
ton in 70 in
a big four-horse carryall which we had
brought with us from headquarters.
As we drove along through the still
morning air, Frank Maitland, who had
showed more excitement and enthusiasm
than usual, which provoked Smythe to say
to his companion on the back seat: II
think | shall have some satisfaction to-day
i'll watching our young ensign's mettle.
you'll find his mettle good mettle, -
said the other
'He's going to lunk-see how excited
he is ~ whispered Smythe.
'Excited with pleasure. He will be
fool enough in danger
Smythe shrugged his shoulders incred-
ulOusly, but did not answer.
The sun had no more than fairly risen
when we arrived at the village, a group of
bamboo huts about half a mile from baree
or tree-iungle in which the tigers were said
to Turk.
Nearly all the men of the village, armed
mostly with useless weapons, turned out
to act as heaters. The tigers, they said,
had killed and eaten a large bullock the
night before, so that they might be ex-
pected to lie gorged all day in close cover.
We distributed among the natives lot
of hand-grenades, and then our whole force
about sixty men moved off to the jingle
One glance at it showed that elephants
could not have penetrated the ticket. In
deed it was difficult to imagine how even
the 1.-the, slim natives were to find way
into this fearful place.
1t was about three hundred acres in en-
tent and densely covered with wild fig,
cotton, cork, peepu and other trees all in
terlaced with gigantic creepers and pIickly
cllnging tendrils, twined and twisted, from
the ground up, into fantastic mass of
rank vegetation seemingly impervious to
any living thing. Yet we knew that its
dark recesses teemed with noxious and
venomous life.
On the advice of the head man, we ten
Europeans took stations about one hundred
yards apart along one edge of the barbee
while the natives were to enter from the
other side and, if possible, drive the tigers
out,
If the jungle had been an open one,
nothing could have induced the men to I'M
dertake the task; but as tigers do not
climb trees, these would always furnish
means OF escape in case of need.
Each of the heaters, in addition to his
curious weapons and hand-grenades, car
ride rude drum, horn, or some other
noisy instrument. When the natives
were fairly within the wood thev began
to work slowly toward us with a tremend-
ono din