The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-07-30

er measure o. security han the clealrcsE
intellect.
nAftcr working the pedals upand down
Q few dozen times / attained wonderful
velocity. In a short space Of time that en-
sued between the first and the second leap
of the tiger l had become q fighter
/ fighter for life. 1t was all clear to me
now. II l gained a start of, say, 200 feet,
I might escape. A tiger is a great runner,
but when on chase no does not rum. He
contents himself with leaping. Moro time
gainedl
II raced along the smooth path-no
deer ever covered the ground half as quick
ly-and behind me the grating noises OF
the sand the whizzing of the giant form.
81 kept my distance between the second
and the third leaps. The fourth leap re-
duced the start I had to about 20 feet, the
| fifth to an arms length. At the seventh
/ felt the touch Of tho tigers paw on my
| hind wheel-that is, / think I did.
ga voice Of my innernost man said:
You are lostl Give it up Another cried
no, mol The pursucr is the disappointed
partyl' IF unable to reach his victims,
the tiger gets Disguised with himself.
And this latter surmisal proved true,
for 1 left the lcapcr behind some ten PAGES
at jump No. s. At that moment l became
! aware for the first time that the read was
/ skirted by big trees. Instinctiyely ! led
my wheel into their shadow. The protrud-
| ing branches would hinder tho tiger from
| jumping with that unfailing dlrectness
| for which he p noted. BY this time | had
attained the topmost speed, and my cal
! culation with respect to the interference
! OF the trees proved correct. The pursuer
/ missed the wheel by a second or two on
his next two leaps.
Now / was on the narrow, ~rai]ingless
bridge leading over the canal. Still raced
| along with uncrring surety and undimin-
lshed swiftness. The tiger stopped q mo
mont before the water, SC | gained 20
PAGES. These gains / could not see, OF
course. but OWNED. I was wildly elated
at my victory, and joy spurred me to ever
! increasing efforts. Whether I ran swifter
than before / don't know, but / do know
| that my powers never faltered; that my
muscles remained steady.
Nov there was a little hill to climb. l
climbed it like a conqueror and rolled
down on the other sfde like a ball. A feel
ing of triumph swelled my bosom. I
shouted, I cried. Yet l kept my eyes on
the ground. And there, 80 PAGES ahead,
was lying the thing that meant death to
me. The branch. of a tree crossing the en-
tire roadway.
nWhy had not I removed it on going to
the forest?
"1,here was no use calculating, | had to
take this obstacle and l did take it, God
only knows how. But my heretofore per-
feet balance was moinentarily shaken, and
I came near losing my head as this new
fright oyercane me. Yet a moment later
I was myself again.
III raced and raced, and still | raced. |
heard my pursuer for 30 seconds longer.
Had he now abandoned the chase, or was
it merely a ruseg Perhaps he vas gather
ing strength for a last supreme leap. New
err mind-on, on, oni And went straight
ahead until my front wheel struck the
porch of Villa Ouivelandt, by which con-
cussion l was thrown Violently upon the
ground. More ] don't remember.
The hero of this unequalcd adventure,
NJ. Rosne, was found by the Waterman,
who had heard the noise of the flying
wheel and the collision.