The National tribune., 1899-04-27

and as for saddling an elephant without
making its back sore, not a man between
the Himalayas and Cape COrmofan Will
do it unless closely watched. Preliml-
narieS being, however, finally adjusted,
the fighting party set out, and soon came
to the scene of their operations: talf and
quiet spot that morning, with its white
rampant ard wooded slope, where little
hreezc was playing among whispering
bOughS and waving grasses.
Two rifles-unlucky men who drew bad
lots-were left with the natives to guard
those gulches running down ON eltfer
side into the valley, while their more
fortunate comrades got into howdahS, IN
tending to move CuietJ up before tne
| tigers den, who, when he saw us, might
be obliginG enough to charge. 1hings
| turned out differently, for no ore can
trust that belauded creature, the nan
human elephant" not to be an idiot ana a
| coward on any given occasion. futteii
Ali, our biggest tusl<er. knew very wen
that he might get clawed. and so ieli ii,lo
mysteries half way up. Wien ecS ded ioi
ward he Shrieked st to wake the Gchu:
which put his companion into panic
| through sympathy, and, that nothlhS ois
graceful might be left uEdone. 20 sooner
did these pOltrOOnS get Il whIii Oh 'ali,'eu
air and hear the roar which greeted 'helI
approach, than both spun AROUND anu
fled at full speed through the WOOD. ma
| was nlucn WORST tildii
charge on foot; therefore, having happl'y
escaped being dashed against Tree, D0th
ldiSmOunted so soon as the termed eie-
plants could be stopped, ana gatnefils
in our other companions we lett @ 'lie
tuskers to make a show with those men
on guard at the gulches, ana au'"n'eo
again.
No doubt our foe took this first scuriy
for a final retreat, and he was disGuS'eo
beyond measure when we came p"cN'
roaring tremendously, and, as ha'i'S9 "Ht
had struggled up from the rear ana coulo
see him through cracks salu' loiiipils
around in furious rage. Some ''eeis
are like certain men. desperate enough
after a combat begins, but always haViht
to he forced into a fight. No proVocatiof
could induce this one to come our, 50 liia
nothing remained except sihonihs .ne
cave Making a bonfire under such CIT
cumstances is, however, Il very Ii9ky
business and anyone so occupied TAXES
the chance of being struck deau, ne
matter how certain may be those fliies
that cover him II was done, heVeIlhe
LESS, and without heSitation; Jufa Nam
stepping forward first-at whlch sonle ol
us felt rather ashamed OF ourselves ioi
having listened to so much aea't9' uia'
worthy's character. Dry wood, WIN green
| stuff heaped on top, soon sent uehse
volumes of acrid smoke into cave ina,
had rood drafts through its creViceS, and
it seemed impossible for any ciea.liie req, W
with lungs to breathe such an atmosphere
as soon existed there ,
Before long, indeed, it became unpear-
able, when the tiger shot out as II tnfowh
| from an engine For an instant ne
cleaned in the air, then swerNihg iihe d
| fla sh. darted towards the rlght-hand
rayine-none of his kind ever go on PLAN
ground when they can get INTO any coy
cred way Nobody was hurt, most llkciy
| +ln h.d Eeen nearly
blinded. while OF several balls hred amer
him. only one took effect, and !hat
slightly: it merely served to put a ilnlsh
| iug toIch to his fury. Thus 1t followed
that, going through the jungle clothlng
the gorge S side, he caught sight OF ulleh
| AE's colossal body, and iortlwtn pluhs
ing down fastened upon the SensleiNe Ioot
| of his tail, fairly dragging thi9 ois Diu''
down backward.
II was surely a wild scene when we
came I'D. AS many men as could pos
sibly get into it had slowed themselves IN
| the howdah, and now they, the elePhdhl
/ and tiger, all tore, shrieked ana stfuggieo
| in a cloud Of dust. 10 Shoot "l'tout
danger of hitting something unlntentlon-
allv was for the moment quite Impossible.
One unfortunate lay in front WIN ms
head crushed, most probably by fuiteh
Airs trunk, with which he la&hed about
frantically. Two or three were so paoly
hurt that they could not eXtrlcate 'heH- :
selves from this quickly changing mass oil
men and beasts. AS 1or tiie tleti' n'
hung on until ball went through hlm.
Then the fierce creature rolled over, rose
again, and gathering his energies made
dash at one of our attendants trying to
climb out of the gulch by a twisted vine;
While rearing, however, his spine and
hind head were fully exposed, and he lell
almost instantly in crump!ed heap