The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1898-05-03
TOOK CHARGE OF THE SHIP
Royal Bengal Tiger Kept Everyone OF
Board at Bav

An English nobleman was the owner of
superb royal Bengal tiger, of size and ap
pearance really majestic. Not caring to
keep the creature longer, he sold him for
& large price to the famous Geological gar
den at Antwerp. Some time afterwar1
the director of the Zoo" received frantic
message from the captain of a ship which
had just come into the harbor, saying that
he had on board a tiger consigned to the
director, but that the animal had several
days before escaped from his cage, and
was at large on the deck. The captain had
succeeded in getting a sort of barricade
erected across the deck, so that the sailors
could go aloft and do other necessary work.
But the whole ships company was under
the terror of the animal.
The director went with all haste to the
water side, and saw in the distance the
ship, which was, indeed, bringing to him
the splendid tiger of the British lord. But
the tiger was in charge of the ship, rather
than the reverse. He could be seen pac-
irg the deck in a superb and lordly way
that indicated the consciousness of possess
sion. Not man was to be seen on board.
The director had the ship brought up to
the wharf. The tide was low and the
deck was so far below the level of the
wharf that there seemed to be no danger
of the tigers ESCAPING to land. The di
rector got into communication with the
captain through portfolio, and was iu-
formed by him that men had been regularly
sent aloft to let down meat to the tiger by
rope, so that the beast was actually
gorged with food. Nothing but overfeed-
ing had kept the tiger from falling on some
horses which were stabbed on the deck, but
the poor horses were in a place where no
one dared to go to them, and had had
neither food nor water for several days.
The director and his assistants rugged 4
sort of cage or box with drop door held up
by string which they lowered to the deck
of the ship, having first furnished it with
tempting bits of fresh meat. But the tiger
after shifting at these from the outside CT
the trap, walked contemptuously away.
He did not want anything to eat.
Meantime the director said to the cap
tain: "Why didn't you shoot the tiger
father than endanger the lives of your
men?"
The captain laughed. 1--WE should have
been glad enough to shoot him." he said
''but we have no firearms on board"
Inc director was determined HOW 10 gel
the tiger off alive if he could He drew UP
the trap and baited it with other sorts OF
provisions, but the tiger refused to &c
near them. A long time was spent in in
effectual attempts to coax the tiger into
the trap. Meantime the tide rose, bringing
the deck of the vessel almost up to this
| level of the wharf. The crowd took Il
| fight. In few minutes the beast coul.
easily leap ashore. The prospect of hav
ing royal Bengal tiger loose in the streets
of Antwerp caused the police to warn the
director that the animal must very soon be
shot.
The director was at his wits end, but q
small boy helped him out of the emergency
by very simple suggestion. The boy
who had not taken flight with the rest
said:
1.-THE tiger isn't hungry, but perhaps he
might be thirsty"
The suggestion was acted on instantly
A tub of water was placed in the cage and
lowered to the deck. No sooner did the
tiger, who had had no water for some time
see the tub than he rushed into the trap and
began drinking eagerly. Then the door
was dropped and he was a prisoner
Youths Companion.