The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1898-04-28
FIELDS OF ADVENTURE.
THRILLING INCIDENTS AND DARING
DEEDS ON LAND AND SEA.

From q Tiger In India-Carried on and
Buried Alive by the Animal-0uick-
witted Sailor Lads on Uncle Sans Ships
I knew an old shikari who had
fought many battle with the royal
Bengal tiger, and had many a hair
breadth escape from the latter's jaws.
One fine afternoon, having nothing
better to do, he went out fishing with
half-a-dozen of his friends--this is
1ot going to be a fish story, but a
real, live tiger story, the fshy part
coming in only incidentally. They
chose small river some couple Of
hundred yards in width. One bank
of the river was fiat and open, but the
other was somewhat undulating and
shrubby-in fact, it was adjacent to a
Jungle. The fishers sat in a row
about ten PAGES apart on the former
bank; each had a loaded gun by his
side as a precaution against unwel-
come intruders. Now, our friend
heard swish and, turning round, be-
held his rod scudding along the sur
face of the water like racing-yacht.
Such catch was worth a little exer-
ton; so he plunged into the water and
struck out for the rod. He came up
with it almost at the other side of the
river, but at that instant terrific roar
was heard, tiger leapt on the swim
mer from the neighboring bush, and
was off with him before his startled
companions could raise finger on his
behalf.
The shikari was little stunned by
the tigers onslaught; he recovered
consciousness. however, in few min
utes, when he found himself lying on
the tigers back, and in full sail to-
wards the heart of the jungle. For;
tunately, he was not seriously hurt, as
the tiger had gripped him by the arm
Just above the elbow. There he lay,
quite helpless; what was he to do?
Any movement on his part might have
made his condition far worse; so he
lay perfectly quiet, and shut his eyes
as if he were dead. Soon, however,
the tiger arrived at his den, which
was no more than hollow scooped in
the sand at the foot of large tree.
There the tiger deposited him and
covered him over loosely with some
sand. Luckily for him, his face was
uppermost when he fell, otherwise he
would have had no other alternative
between death by suffocation and
death from the tiger if he had dared
to move. As it was, he could manage
to breath gently, and even to have an
occasional glimpse under his eyelids.
After this operation of partial burial,
the tiger ran ahead few yards, but
returned instantly, as if he had some
misgivings.in his mind. Seeing, how
ever, all safe, he bounded forth, but
again returned to make assurance
doubly sure. He kept up this method
of self-persuasion for few times, till,
feeling quite certain about the matter,
he finally went away on his mission.
After waiting a few minutes to see
that the tiger was really gone, our
shikari sprang up and climbed the
tree just over the den, and hid himself
we'll among the leaves. He had not
long to wait for the denouement, for
the tiger soon returned, accompanied
by a tigress and couple of cubs like
q generous and exemplary husband
and father, the tiger evidently scorned
to eat on the sly. They came along
with many a joyful, cat-like gambol in
anticipation of great feast, and
found the den-empty! Such o la
mentation over the lost dinner then
arose as was never heard before in the
whole animal kingdom; in fact, the
tigers persisted so long in their pit
eous cries that our shikari began to
have some doubts as to the righteous
ness of defrauding the poor creatures
of their hard-earned wages; but he
was prevented from offering himself
to them in moment of misguided
magnanimity by the thought Of his
own wife and children, whose claim
upon him was obviously higher. At
any rate, he stuck in the tree all
night, as it was too risky to venture
out in the ensuing darkness; then
next morning, when the coast was
clear, he fed home to tell me these
undoubted facts.