Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1898-08-25

ff ~ ""'1VM Y lAIM9
CREEPING VERY CAUTIOUSLY AND
STEALTHILY FORWARD.
and thus afford him an excellent op-
portunity Of firing with effect.
The beaters are arranged in a long
line across the river bed. At a given
signal, amid yelling and bush beating,
tom-toming and general uproar, the
advance commences.
Jeffrey and Sackville at their posts
wait expeCtant. They are not far
apart, but, owing to intervening bowl
Gers, cannot see each other. Then
Sackville, vigilant and watchful,
thought he heard a mufi1ed sound
among the bushes. Peering more at
tentively, he saw in faint outline be-
hind the green what appeared to be a
moving mass of black and gold.
1t was the tiger, creeping cautiously.
and stealthily forward. 1t was useless
to fire. a branch, twig in the way,
would alter the course of the bullet.
and a mere flesh wound would but
arouse the monster into tenfold fe-
rocity. He thought by shifting his
position a dozen PAGES to his right
he would get clearer shot
Swiftly yet carefully he commenced
to pick his way, and had almost at
tanned his object when for an instant
his glance wandered from the path
he was pursuing to the tiger. Unhap-
PLY Just then his foot caught in
half-buried root and he stumbled for
ward. A frantic effort to recover him
self but made his fall the more head
long, for he rolled down to the bot
tom of the watercourse. In a moment,
like flash of lightning, the tiger
sprang upon him.
Poor SackvilleI He instinctively
held up his arm as guide for his head,
but a blow from the brute's mighty
paw at once laid the limb low and its
claws tore his shoulder. Then, with
cleaning fangs and bloodthirsty eyes,
the terrible beast bent over his neck,
and SackvilIe could feel his hot breath,
Ike some foul malaria, sweep across
his face.
He thought his last moment at hand,
when the sharp crack of a rifle rang
IN the air. and the tiger, a second ago
the personif1cation of strength and
cruelty, rolled over, writing, a few
feet from him in the agonies of death
Of course this shot, so unerring and
opportune, came from Jeffrey's rife
Hearing Sackville stumble and fall,
the latter's mind misgave him. He
quickly stepped down into the ravine
and made for the spot whence the
noise proceeded.
Peering over the shoulder of a rock,
he was petIified by the scene, already
described, that met his view. But jeff
rey was a man of cool courage and i'm
mediate action was necessary. The
tiger, too, afforded a capital mark.
standing, a. he did, broadside on, and
barely so feet from him. So, resting
his rife against the rock, he fired and
sent his bullet clean through the
brute's heart; then, quickly reload
ing the empty barrel. he remained for
few minutes on the qui vive, waiting
to see if all were over.
Presently the tigers struggles
ceased. and Jeffrey, his countenance
expressing the utmost solicitude and
concern, rushed forward [ o his wound
ed friend and began inquiring whether
he was much hurt and how the unfor-
tunate accident had occurred.
Meanwhile the beaters in twos and
threes also came struggling up. and,
seeing Sackville wounded and jeffrey
kneeling by his side. were atfirst taken
aback, but when their gaze fell on
the tiger, the scourge of the village.
lying stiff and stark and shorn of all
his terrible strength. their delightand
enthusiasm could notbe restrained.
Exclamations of "Shabash.' fCapi-
taD, @Khoob laga." [Wen hit), rose
on every side, so that even SackviIle
made gallant effort and propped him
self up on his uniniured arm to look
OF the magnificent beasIthat. with
its well-defined jet-black stripes glis-
tening in the sun. lay dead short dis
lance from him. The tiger was fully
ten feet in length and as splendid a
trophy of legitimate sport as the
world could offer.-Golden Days