The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1899-11-15
THE LANE TIGER
OF HULDUANl.
A Story Showing That 1t Ia Moro Dan
gerous to he u Coward Than
to he Brave.

~ ~
g A Story Showing That 1t Is Moro Dan &
* gerous to he Coward Than *
q to he Brave. .
@5S.1:- ~ 49,: .,:s:N.3>3.sS.::N:3sN
1t was In the middle of May. just be
fore the beginning of the lesser rains,
that Ram Deem and certain wayfarers
sat round a handful Of fire ut i.al Koo
ah from mere force of habit. for the
heat of the evening was great and not
n breath of air stirred In the jungle.
The sal trees had lost their leaves and
looked like ghosts, the grass had been
burned In all directions. and rs the sun
set in the copper sky 1t lit up land
seape that might have stood for the
determination of desolatlon,"
The dry chirping Of the crickets, just
beginning to tune their first uneasy
strains. accorded with the unholy
scene Even the horses waiting for the
mail cart were imhued with the de-
pressing Influence of the season and
hung their heads with II sense OF de-
spair.
No one spoke. aud the hookah passed
from hand to hand in Il dreary silence.
Suddenly the attentlon.of those assem-.
bled was attracted by the curious ac-
tlon of bya Gailorl bird in neigh
boring mimosa tree. II WAS calling
frantlcally and dropping lower from
bough To bough. as though against Its
will
"Nagw exclaimed the bunnia, and,
directed by his remark. all eyes were
turned 10 the foot of the tree. where
an enormous cobra. with expanded
hood. was swaying Its head from side
TO side and drawing the wretchcd bird
TO Its doom through the fascination of
fear.
Ram Deem. whose sympathics were
always with the weak and defeuseless,
rose To his feet and. throwing dry
clod of earth ut the reptile, drove the
creature from the tree, while the bird,
released from its hypnotic Influence.
flew away
"Brothers." snld Ram deem. fear In
the father of all sins and the cause OF
most eainuities. lie who fcareth not
death Is king In his own right aud
dlcth but once but coward
shabash who eau count his pangs?"
"Ho. ho.' chucklcd the little bullock
driver Ram Deem. the fearless. shall
live 10 be n hundred yenrs old
NAY. Goor Duttr said Ram Deem,
gravely regarding the little man II.
too. have known fear No man may
drive the mail TO KalndoongIc with
out looking ON death"
Ram Deem smoked awhile In silence.
and when the expectation of his listen
ers was wrought to n proper pitch he
went on. "Ye all knew Nandha. the
hostler. who used to 20 with me last
year from this stage to kaladoongieY
aye, coach wan j" responded the
carrier for the others. "'fis II great
telling, but not known to these hon
orable wHyfarers who come from be
yond Moradabad.'
brothers, We saw the plight of the
bya bird but now; so was II with
Nandha," said Ram Deem
zone evening ere the mail arrived he
called me to where he stood by the
klkar tree yonder, looking down at
the ground. In the dust Of the road
were large footprints.
" These he the spoor of tiger lame
In its left hind foot | said to Nandhn
See, here II croucbed on Its belly and
wiped away the wheel tracks made by
the mail cart this morning
IT'S the lame tiger Of Huldwani,
coach wan. He Is old. aud he hunteth
man, Gunga send he IL hunting else
where tonight. replied Nandha
"Whcn we came within mile of the
stopped suddenly They were wild
with fear, and refused to move. The
night was AS dark as the inside OF Il
gOurd, and beyond the circle of light
made by our lanterns we could discern
in the middle Of the road two balls OF
fire close TO the ground.
Bag 0iger),' sud Nandha, as he
climbed over into the back seat we
be dead men, Ram Deem
"'Blowr ! commanded, giving him
the bugle. aud lie startled the jungle
with blast. gathered mp the rcins,
and, adding my voice to the terrors Of
Nandha's music, | urged the horses
with whip and yell to n fury Of speed
and the lighted lanterns showed the
great beast lcuplng into the darkness
to escape our onset.
"Nandha ceased not from blowing
on the bugle Till took IL from him by
force at the door OF the posiotiicp at
Kaladoongie.
'They gave him bbang to smoke
and arrack to drink ere he slept that
night. for his great fear had deprived
him Of reason for awhile. aud he look
ed round him as though he expected to
see the tigers eyes everywhere.
1.-The bag followed me to the hther
side OF the Bore bridge. he said to
me next morning as we prepared to
return to Lai kooah But | laughed
at his fears. to give him his courage.
at IL devil he whispered look
Ing cautiously round him, and ! saw
that the light Of his reason flckered.
when we came to the Bore bridge.
Nandha leaped to the ground, and in
the dim light Of the morning | could
see the tracks OF II great beast on the
ground. to which he pointed, and even
as we looked there came the roar OF
tiger. could scarce hold the horses
while Nandha, whose limbs were stiff
with fear, scrambled into the back
seat Of the mall cart
when tiger puts Its mouth to the
ground and gives voice, no man may
tell whence the sound comes. SO |
staid not to see, II | might, where the
danger lay, but gave the horses free