The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-08-06
PUT TIGER TO SLEEP.
Fate of Jungle King That DlneG
ON Puppy-Fcd Bear.

Ghurbasa district some weeks ago." writes
A. NJ. Sindholm of Lahore, India, in a
letter received by a friend last week. 1.-THE
brute was fine one, ten feet long, with a
perfect skin, and there seemed every rea-
son to think that he would give any num-
Der Of hunters an ugly tussle. But he fell,
like a ripe apple into basket, to the sin
gle gun of the hunter VINO Numbered upon
him in the jungle. 1t was a very odd
chain of circumstances that brought the
result of dead tiger instead of the maui
Ell hunter who might reasonably have
been expected to issue from such an en-
coulter.
The thing came about in this way: A
civilian named Marun from Calcutta, who
was shooting at Ghurbasa, was watching
IN poppy ned for bear that was in the
habit or coming there by night. Ghur-
Dasa is at the westerly edge OF the opium
district and the bears there in the ripening
season OF the peoples have a trick OF eat
ING che seeds IN the pods. On this night,
which was dark Martin heard the bear
among the peoples, but could not get d
shot at him. After much waiting, in try
Tag 10 get nearer The bear. he alarmed
him, and the beast made off in the dark
ness into the jungle. The hunter was
tempted to send a random shot after him.
sounds of the ANIMALS moving through the
undergrowth had scarcely died away when
there came 10 the hunters ears the loud
scream which the Indian bear gives when
IN great pain or peril, and with it the
sound of tigers grunting roar. For a
rev minutes there were heard the voices
OF the two beasts in conflict, and when
these sounds ended the hunter, not caring
10 investigate further at the time, for the
tiger was evidently the victor, returned
10 the held keepers hut, where he was
staying during the hunt.
That the tiger should have attacked
the bear even without provocation was
not TO be wondered at for there is al
ways i'll Will between these animals, and
whenever they meet, unless the bear sees
the tiger in time to take to a tree fight
TO the death is to be assumed. The tiger
IS usually the winner, and for the most
part Is content with killing the bear and
leaving his remains to Inc ants and jack
ais, but If hungry he sometimes makes
his dinner off him. GONG out next morn
ing to the scene of the battle of the night
betore-the bears trail led plainly to it
Martin found about an eighth of a mile
beyond the field in the jungle the bears
body partly devoured by the tiger. The
condition of the ground about showed that
there had been a lively fight while it last
ed, and the tigers tracks marked the
direction he had taken after his dinner
The condition of the carcass and the
tracks showed that the tiger had left the
bear at least six hours before, and Mar
tin had no idea that the animal could be
anywhere in the vicinity. He sent one
oil the three natives with him back TO a
tank for water, and, waiting his return
smoked his pipe to the windward of the
bear, taking no precaution whatever as
to watching or keeping silence.
When the native ca.ne back with the
water chatty the hunter drank from il and
then started to follow the tigers trail
smoking his pipe as he went forward He
had not gone fifty PAGES before he came
directly upon the tiger lying asleep in
little space beneath an acacia tree. The
brute was lying tumb!ewise. as If he had
lurched in walking and dropped in his
tracks, and was sleeping the slumber OF
the Seven Sleepers rolled into one. So
close was Marin upon the beast when he
first saw him that with two more steps
he could have touched him with his rife
but the tiger did not rouse or move in
the least from his place, and all the noises
made by the party while about the bear
and in their advance had failed to disturb
him. Indeed, but for his heavy breath
the brute had all the appearance of
dead tiger
AT the sight of the tiger the natives
scattered and took to the trees, and Mar
tin, thorough sportsman, and as plucky
as they make them, made some active
steps to the rear before stopping to intes-
tigate further. Then from behind bunch
of jungle glass he fired at the brute and
missed shot as easy as could be offered.
At the report of the rifle the tiger jumped
to his feet, stared wildly around and then
bolted in the direction in which he happen
ed to be pointed at the moment. which was
toward the acacia tree and brought up,
head on, with pumb against the trunk
q fail bnt u
and he placed the bullet behind the shouI-
der. Though the wound would have proved
mortal the tiger was still active enough to
have made trouble for dozen hunters; but
instead of charging at the smoke, as was to
be expected under the circumstances he
whirled about and roared and tore at the
tree which gave Martin a chance to finish
him with a third shot in the ear
Martin a first could scarcely realize
his good fortune in bagging a splendid IT,
ger so easily. BY threatening them with
his rifle he got the natives down from the
trees, and with their help he skinned the
beast and came back with the hide to The
bungalow His explanation of the strange
behavior of the tiger was that the beast
was 'dopey' from feeding on the blood and
tissue of the poppy-fed bear. This theory
seems quite reasonable, and it is corrobo-
rated by the testimony both of European
hunters and shikaries-native tiger hunt
ers-whO say that the flesh of bears fire.
quently the poppy fields has a narcotic
property which strongly affects any crea-
ture that feeds upon it. This is particu-
larry the case with those disspated bears
which are believed to have contracted the
habit of opium drunkenness, which they
satisfy in some manner in the poppy fields
Several planters have told me of seeing
kites and jackals made stupidity drunk
from feeding on the carcass of a bear kill
ed in a poppy district. Others have OBJ
served bears in a state of glorious exhila-
ration or profound 'doplness' correspond
ing to the effects of opium eating by hu-
man being. and no doubt attributable to the
same cause