The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-06-07
4 DAY between A TIGERS PAWS.
BY EDwIN LESTER ARNOLD.
Author rPhra Phonclan." DfIis star" Etc. Etc
Copyrighted, 1896 by Edwin Lester Arnold.

to translate my looks, presently stood up
amongst them and salaaming low said to
me:
Lord of wisdom! Buckler of the Poor
no man with US tonight can tell a better
tiger story than old Gunish yonder; there
IS such a story written all over his body
by the tigers own claws which were we'll
worth your listening to if he would retell
it's it your Alagnthcence's wish that he
should sDeak?"
Certainly" ! said, come out of the
shadow. Gunish and let US see what it is
that Jumma says is writ upon you. And
out of the dusk, where he had modestly
been trying to. go to sleep with his head
on bundle of hard tent-pegs, the head
man dragged an old tracker, a strange,
wizened little man with bent back and
muscles that no mortal days march
ing could tire, with a skin like half-dried
potter's clay, and eyes under his ragged
grey eyebrows bright as the jewelled eyes
or serpent. This quaint agglOmeratiOn
of bones and sinews has hustled up to the
fire by his companions, his shawl pulled
off by friendly insisting hands, and there,
as the light of the blaze fell upon him,
noticed for the first time that his body
was mass of ancient scars, patchwork
of healed rents and tears, while his an
cient limbs were full of strange turns and
bends startling and pitiful to look upon.
"Gunish knows more about tigers, Sa-
hib," said the head-man, pushing this re-
luctant individual forward, than any
man on this side of the Kistna, and hates
them better than rat hates mungoose.
He has cause to- answered, If it was
indeed a tiger who wrote those caligrapn-
les on him Sit down. Gunish, and tell
me how ii happened! No common maui
ing could have filed your unhappy body
with all those clefts and crannies anu
knotted your arm, and given you a dozen
joints where mortal never had joints be-
fore There, light that cigar and tell me
exactly how it happened?"
The old fellow, after abundant mani
festations of the honor to which he had
been put by my addressing him, sub
n ornu afw Of sea asaes
on the far side of the fire, and puffed
at his cigar until the red bead upon il
shone in the darkness like a FREELY.
Then he took a chew of betelnut, and
staring into the embers silently for a
minute or two, shivered little, and
drew. his cloth little more closely
round his lean shoulders, and glanced
nerVously into the dark jungles beyond
where the black night wind was ever
anon stirring the leaves with, a sound
like stealthy footsteps. Watching him
closely, I thought for time he would
not bring his courage to the point of I'M
rolling that dreadful story he presently
the blue cigar smoke and his swelling
vanity were conquering his reluctance
Again and again he hesitated, and then
at last, with a final stir al the glowing
embers, which sent a column of flying
sparks up to the stony roof and painted
the thick walls about US copper-colored,
he launched into his narrative.
i was young when il happened he
said, rehectively, and foolish of ne
cesSity. One folly / had above others
was a firm belief that no tiger who ever
put his fangs into the nape of a fat
bullock's neck was a match for me IN
woodcraft or cunning. So it happened
that when a sacred white temple cow
had been killed on one occasion near my
native village L eagerly grasped the OPP
portunity of showing my skill and rid
ding the district of the sacriiegious She
devil whose memory l thus, and thus,
spit upon.
II took my matchbox, and refusing the
companionship of my brother, a better
hunter than myself, and in complete con-
fdence went on the trail of the beast IN
the yellow hide. I tracked her into a dry
reed bed where she had retreated a mile
or two from her kill and, not to venture
over long on your Magnihcence's patience,
l was crossing a bit Of sandy ground De
tween two arms of the dry Water-course
when a little bird suddenly set up an eX-
cited twittering on thorn bush ten yards
ahead, and peering into the shadows there
/ | made out the tawning form OF a tiger
crouching in the long dead grass, ana
watching my cautious approach with sluky
contemptuOus wonder
at is one thing, Sahib. to be brave over
/ q camp fire like this, and another 70 nave
! no fear at such a moment. | was young
! TO the work, hot-tempered ana rash, ana
! nv hand trembled like leaf as 1 brought
nv rife to bear and glanced tor a mo
/ ment down the arabesques or the long
/ steel and gold barrel Yet il was not sucn
/ had shot which followed Through the
/ curling smoke Of the blue Delhi powder l
/ saw the tigress, with a yell Of pain, stand
| straight up on her launches ike a yellow