Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1899-05-17

"'"eu io" the Tiger. which must
have been watching and waiting near
the camp, came, and threading his
way among the sleeping men without
waxing them, sprang upon the man
whom he had been stalking through
the afternoon aud tried to carry him
off, The struggle and outcry, of
course, aroused the camp, aud spring
ing to their feet. the mans comran-
IONS, with their machetes and live
brands snatched from the fire. sue
ceeded IN making the tiger drop his
prey and run off. But the creature
prowled around the camp all the rest
OF the night, frequently coming
plainly into view, aud il was only by
building several large fires before the
hut, with IA guard of men remaining
awake to replenish them. that the
tiger was kept away.
''ln the morning none of the men
dared leave the camp. At about ,
O'Clock the foreman, who had gone
away the day before, taking with him
the only gun in the outfit. returned
to camp. He wondered as he came
near 1t that none of the men were AL
work, and hasteued his steps to iiud
out what the trouble was. Just be
fore coming to the clearing he chanc-
ed to raise his eyes, and there. on the
low hmb OF a tree Overhanging the
path, he saw panther-tiger lying
crouched, watching the camp so i'm
tently that1t seemed not to notice
him. The chance OF a disabling shot
was perfect, and at 20 paces away the
foreman sent IN an ounce bullet from
one barrel and charge of buckshot
from the other, aiming first behind
the tigers left shoulder. The tiger
came to the ground with broken
shoulder aud bullet in his BODY
that must have reached the heart.
but with these setbacks he was SO
lively that he kept the foreman dodg-
ing about behind trees, while the men
at the camp stayed away at a safe dis.
tance, for several minutes before be
dropped and died. saw the tigers
skin year after this occurrence, and
heard the story have just related
from the foreman. The skin had
probably stretched some in the pro
cess of dressing it. At this time it
measured nine feet and two inches
from tip to tip.
"This sanguinary beast having fix
ed his eve upon the man who had
gone to explore for timber, had fol.
lowed him for at least six hours in
daylight, leaving unmolested the
scattered party of rubber gatherers.
whom he must have turned aside to
avoid, and the boy and herd of goats
that offered him an immediate and
easy victim. Never relinquishing his
pursuit, he had waited near the camp
until all was still and dark, and then
from among fifteen men had search
ed and seized him, and was still
watching for the selected victim
when shot. 1t was a striking instance
of the peTsistency in pursuit of a
prey once marked for slaughter that
characterizes all the members. small
and great, of the feline genus.
"To try to hunt the panther tiger
as the lowland jaguar is hunted with
tiger hounds, is next to useless. IN
the rough, rock country in which he
makes bis home he will travel away
at speed that leaves the hunter:
hopelessIy behind, and it is rarely
that the dogs can come mp with him
If they do, it means some dogs killed
with the panther usually gone before
the hunters can arrive on the scene
Sometimes the ranchmen trap or poi
son the panther-tiger to stop his raw
ages among their stock, thing, de
spite his cunning, not so difficult tC
do, owing to his nervousness.
"An Englishman named Turnbull
who had a ranch east of Merida, be
ing bothered by panther-tig tha
killed his stock, thought that h,
would hunt him after the method
often employed in India with tiger
and leopards. Taking with him TIVE
herders and goat, he went at night
fall to a woodland which the creatur,
was accustomed to visit There hC
tied the goat TO "A stake and took hi