The Press., 1898-06-16
A MAN TIGER.
BY CHARLES B. LEWIS.

We were encamped on the banks OF
the Chumbul river, on the east side of
the Chittore hills, India. It was gov
eminent party, in charge of Captain
Jordan, military engineer. The object
was to see if the river could be tapped
and canal constructed to run the wa
tiers across the fiat country to the east
for irrigation purposes. There were two
English soldiers and party of 90 ma
tives detailed with the captain, and two
English officers and myself were with
the survey as volunteers. This meant
surveying and hunting party combined.
Th.re was plenty of game in the Chit
tore hills, and Captain Jordan was
veteran hunter as we'll as prominent
engineer.
We had not yet got settled in camp
when the natives appeared to tell us
some queer stories regarding tiger
which had lately made his appearance in
the neighborhood. In the first place, he
was of astonishing size. No one had
ever seen his like. In the next, as they
declared, he had more the face Of hui
man being than of a tiger. Again, he
had been encountered, face to face, by
several natives, but instead of attacking
them had contented himself with look
and then walked off. On one occasion
he had entered village and stealthily
approached an old man who was cook
ing his supper at a fire. His presence
was not discovered until he rubbed his
nose against the old mans shoulder and
emitted sound like the purring of
cat. Dumb and helpless with terror, the
native waited to be attacked, but after
walking around the fire two or three
times the beast went off into the thick
ct. This old man stoutly declared that
the tiger had the face of a man and
that it seemed to desire speech with
him. The beast had been roaming about
for three weeks when we got there, but
in all that time had not attacked ma
tive nor killed an animal belonging to
the villagers.
The natives of India are not only su-
perstitious to the last degree, but given
to the grossest exaggeration in all their
statements, and their declarations in
this case were taken with many grains
of allowance. AS a rule they are very
anxious to get rid of their dangerous
neighbors, but in this case they be-
sought us not to harm the tiger. The
soul of some good man, native or white,
had taken possession of the beast, and
for that reason he had spared the vii
layers and should be spared in turn. To.
kill him would be sacrilege, and in re-
venge man eater would be sent to de-
populate the village.
1t was four days after the natives had
come in before we got sight of the man
tiger. Captain Jordan had begun his
preliminary work, and one day when he
was on the bank of the river, half a
mile below camp, took my gun to join
him and get shot at some wild swans
which had passed down the stream.
Thus far we had hunted only small
game and had heard nothing further
from the tiger. The sun shone brightly
in cloudless sky, and the weather was
hot, and knew enough of the tiger s
habits to be sure that he would be lying
up in some cool spot during the heat of
the day. l heard the captain shouting
to his assistants long before I got to
him. They had crossed the river on
raft, and he was alone. just before
reached him l struck into path used
| by the wild animals as they came down
from the hills to drink. Forty feet away
/ caught sight of the officer standing be-
hind his surveying instrument, and at
the same instant my eyes fell upon a
tiger creeping along the path between
us. For few seconds I believed the
creature to be dog. Then as fully
realized what it was and that he was
stalking the unsuspecting man was SO
unnerved that I stood stock still and
gazed at him. I had only a shotgun,
loaded with swan shot, but the actions
of the beast were SO singular that for
got was armed at ALL While I contin-
ued gazing at him he crept forward to