The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-11-11

twitched, and from his throat issued q
deep growl.
The tiger made no attempt to rise.
He looked at Maurice. and Maurice
looked at him, and in this position they
remained for full minute. Maurice
slid his hand cautiously toward his belt,
and the revolver was already in his
grasp when he suddenly remembered
that even should he succeed in shooting
the tiger, which was improbable, the
shot would at once draw the Cossacks
to the spot, and he would be in worse
plight than ever.
The tiger solved the difficulty by
slowly rising. and that broke the spell.
Wheeling around, Maurice darted at
the top of his speed back along the
cliff. A hoarse growi warned him that
the tiger was coming in pursuit, and in
desperation he cast his eyes about for
refuge.
Such place met his sight instantly,
deep crack in the very edge OF the
hill, running parallel with the ground.
1t was possibly wide enough for him to
crawl in, and without stopping to
weigh the chances he threw himself flat
and ran his head and shoulders into the
crevice. 1t was tight squeeze, but
with prodigious effort he managed to
drag his whole body inside and crawl
back a few feet from the opening. This
he had barely accomplished when the
pursuing tiger pounced angrily upon the
spot and thrust his great jaws into the
hole, growing horribly all the while.
Maurice, seizing a loose fragment of
| stone, dealt the brute violent blow on
! the nose.
He drew back instantly. screaming
with rage. and Maurice took advantage
Of this interval to squeeze still deeper
into the crack. The floor was of soft,
sticky clay. The roof, which pressed
down on his head and body, was cover
ed with stalactites, and from these fell
water with a constant drip.
His situation was decidedly uncom-
Portable. He could scarcely move his
legs, and he had the restricted use of
one arm only, while the icy water chill
ed him to the bone.
Meanwhile the tiger, squatted outside
on the ground, was working himself in
to terrible rage. Presently he sprang
to the mouth of the crevice, and, rolling
half over on his side, made vicious
dig at Maurice with his fore paw,
catching the lad's arm and ripping open
the heavy sleeve from the elbow down.
The sharp claws tore the flesh, and the
smell of blood rendered the beast furi-
Gus. With eyes that shone like fire and
snarling ferociously he tried again and
again to reach his victim, jamming his
head against the stalactites and stretch
ing his great claws like india rubber.
Maurice drew himself as far back as
possible. expecting each moment that
the great paws would seize him and
drag him out.
He made no further attempt to strike
the brute with the stone he still held IL
his hand, fearing it would only incitt
him to greater efforts.
: All this time the loaded pistol wal
still in his belt, but he dared not ire
He could easily reach it, and no doub
!, he could kill the tiger without Difficult
: ty, but the report would surely brin
the Cossacks to the spot. IT his life wa
i in actual danger, he determined h
L would use the weapon, not before. II
little thought how soon the alternativ
would be presented.
q For five minutes or more the tlge
p thrust his claws repeatedly into tn
8 crevice. Then he drew off yard or s
q and sat on his launches, licking ri
y bloody nose and whining angrily.
Hope sprang up anon III Maurice
/ A. 10 to
Q brute would leave him in peace. Blu
suddenly, with hoarse growl, the T
II ger bounded forward again, and wit
u its powerful fore paws began to dig IL
u riously at the soft, miry clay about tn
mouth of the hole. The loose chunks
{, dirt flew in every direction, and To
q cavity grew larger every second.
B. In very short time the tiger woul
70 be able to enter. Maurice realized tn;
y if anything was to be done 1t must
done at once.
% Either he must slay the animal at II
% risk of being recaptured by the Cossacl
or he must be torn to pieces ana a.
,e youred. He chose the first ALTERNATIVE
At that moment, face to face with Il
brute's bloodshot eyes and lolllr
tongue, even the mines Of Kara SCENE
preferable to such death.
With some difficulty he drew the
volver from his belt and succeeded
cooking it.
ITO RE CONTINUED