The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-08-13
THE INDIAN TIGER.
More Formidable and Much More
Courageous Than the Lion.
From the New York Sun.

Courageous Than the Lion.
From the New York Sun.
Speaking of the tiger, he is easily the
king of all the feline family" said Sidney
Castron, who arrived in New York last
week from Calcutta, and last night was
telling jungle stories to some friends. He
can whip lion, hands down, as has been
shown in every case reported where the
two have come together on fair terms
The tiger is as strong and heavy as the
hon. is swifter, more ferocious and more
dangerous. He is a thorough Asiatic in
his traits, being subtle, crafty and reck-
lessly brave and cowardly by turns, with
the trouble for the hunter that he never
can tell when he Pushes a tiger which
way the brute will run, whether from
him or for him. In fighting temper a.
tiger will turn upon the hunters beating
the jungle or elephants, leap upon the
head or shoulder of the nearest e1enbant
and make things very unpleasantlv lively
for the man upon his back. A tiger has
been known 10 charge straight unon a
full battalion of soldiers and come near
TO breaking its formation before he couId
be disposed of Gen. Wolselev. in a nub-
ished account of his march with q de-
tachment to the relief of Gen. HavaIoo1,
in the Indian mutiny, tells how. during
a night march, a tiger sprang into the
midst of his column upon a bullock et
tached to an ammunition wagon and al
tempted 10 carry it away The oI1tcrv
and flashing of torches drove the tiger
from the bullock, but he did not quiz The
he4d, but remained standing under a tree
IN full view, glaring at the PROCESSION,
until 1t had marched by. AS every cart
ridge and every minute was precious. the
order was given that no shot be fired at
the tiger.
Nine times out of ten, on the other
hand, the tiger when hunted. will rim
euaisht away or sneak and double in the
thlck jungle in the effort to escape In
bit OF cover he will lie as close to M,
ground as a rabbit and all the oitcrv
ana throwing of stones by the line OF
beaters viii not start hira unless he is
actually hit In hunting The tiger on foot
1t is rs I2l to station the lookouts in trees
10 Wateh lol the first appearance OF the
Deast. Ii enc of them sees ;he tiger trv
ing TO steal past him he has only 10 breal<
a ury Suck sharply in Two and the crack.
ms sound Will turn the tiger back. In
snort wnen the brute once gets scared ana
suspicious, he is one of the biggest cow
ards alive who will stand wounds without
coming 10 a fight, though none the less
ne always is dangerous Fnen driven to
pay WHO 10 show of escape.
me tiger at all times is very liable 10
PdiAc Wnen confronted suddenly by any,
thing which he does not Understand Tho
opening of parasol by a lady has been
known to stampede a charging tiger. and
an experience somewhat similar occurred
with a missionary whom I knew. who told
me the story. He was crossing patch of
open country on foot when he saw a tiger
stealing toward him from the Jungle ON
one SIDE, lie had no show TO run or fight.
and so he did the only thing that occurred
TO MN 10 do, and dropping on his knees.
prayed loudly 1t was performance evil
IDENTITY new to the tiger which reused his
suspicious, for he stopped, sheered away
ana at last went back into the jungle. An
other instance was that of a civil official
coming suddenly upon a tiger in the Jun
gle. Both We're taken equally by sunrise
ard when the man yelled out scatr the
big cat turned tail and sneaked away.
AS Is generally known, a man-eating
tiger Is usually an old beast, which has GOT
past his time for catching game. and so
seeks an easier prey in human beings Rut
tigers born of a man-eating tigress are al
way man-eaters, for they get their first
lessons in hunting from their mother.
tgress teaches her whelps to hunt as a cat
does her kittens, by bringing them live
prey 10 practice upon. Ten years ago in
one of the Hill districts of India a tigress
was killed. whose taking off caused much
rejoicing among the natives, and was tod
at length in many of the Indian and Eng
lsh newspapers. She was known all over
India as the man-eater who once had given
her whelps a live man to play with. She
carried off the man from an open hut in
the forest where some woodcutters were
sleeping. His companions took refuge in
trees, and from their places of safety saw
her tawe the man alive to where the
Whelps were waiting close by and lay
him down before them. AS the man at
tempted to crawl away the whelps would
cling 10 his legs with teeth and claws. the
ugress looking on and purring with pleas
ure. Whenever the man got too far away
from the tigress she would bound after
him and bring him back When the whelps
had had enough OF their sport the tigress
spraug upon the man. and. holding him
down with her forepaws, began her meal
2rom his living BODY,