The National tribune., 1899-02-09
STEALING Il
TIGER CUB.
A Hunters Story of Malayan
Jungles.
BY DR.. ]. n. PORTER.

We sat on Hardin's veranda; the lattice
had been taken down, and sea breeze swept
in, filling every nook and corner of his
bungalow with cool, damp air. Hardin was
a very muscular Christian, and since some
time Chief of Police in district belonging
TO Kraw, which justified the opinion that
Providence does not interfere with human
affairs east of Suez. Before joining The
Force - our friends ventures in life had
not been fortunate; but then he found his
vocation. Nobody was ever more fit TO deal
with social conditions such as existed at this
place. All-around rascals together with
every specials ST in criminal practices. vene-
rated Hardin almost as much as they feared
and hated ~ this is the way in which an
Oriental is made up.
"Do you have any tigers?" inquired
Steele, CHANGING diSparagingly over the desc
late out-oi-theworld looking landscape with
its struggling jungle clumps and broad mud
flats sending up fever-mist
Plenty of two-legged tigers" the Police
Captain replied; not so many with four
legs, though people often get killed a little
back toward the hills"
We'll" rejoined Steele, taking up
acknowledgements cub-skin, IL fancied
this little fellow might have come from here
abouts, and thought his spoils may have had
q story"
There is tale" said our host, "and a
grim one: but come inside, the air is bad out
here; we'll take peg and / II tell il"
After modest quencher F" by way of
preventive against malaria, we settled our
selves comfortably, and Hardin began:
Two years ago, when that fell villain,
Jeysookh Dass- happily hanged-was max
ing raids all over kraw with his gang-rcb-
berS-carving people, crucifying them. stalk
ing men down upon ant-hills TO be devoured
piece meal-we had a hard time. My troop
captured or killed good many dacoits, but
their leader always got off. You see every
body stood in mortal fear of him, and no
man would give information. Then, again.
these natives are mostly Malays. How did
that act? you ask. Well, in this way: A
Hindu, upon occasion, can be very bad
man cruel and false as any wild beast
These scoundrels. however, scarcely need
motive 10 90 ahead OF our Aryan relatives
They do the most frightful things in cold
blood; nothing Is so ubiquitous as to shock an
average Malay. That's the reason WHY
Jeysookh Dass did not set them crazy for re-
venge. and why ] could get no aid in hunting
him down. There is good deal in race,
anyway one locks at mankind.
lone day, after we had cut up dacoit
camp, and | was resting under some trees,
my old shikari, Bearee Null, who followed
me from India because tiger-huniing. which
was passion with him. promised TO be good
in Malaga, and he knew / would take adj
a.
toward my arbor OF boughs. Did the Sahib
know that fresh elephant tracks with recent
tiger pugs had inst been found - he asked.
These signs he had inspected with care As
for those made by the tiger that unsainted
beast had passed that morning, but the |
others belonged TO yesterday. Jeysookh Dass |
might his name be accursed4 possessed
tusker, an animal of illustrioGs descent, and
very big. which he stole, of course, and would
burn therefor, he continued. 1t was a Gus
tom with this strayer from the paths of |
righteousness to pack treasures on that |
elephant and hide him away under charge OF !
his choicest scoundrels. Without doubt the /
trail mentioned was left by this high-caste
tusker, fallen through the inscrutibe pur-
poses OF heaven into an association with these
blackguards Truly Milford was fortunate. |
for if the trail were followed great rewards |
would not be wanting, and, besides that, there |
was tiger Did the Sahib not think it
might relax his mind to shoot him? Killing
dasoits was meritorious, but they were only
thieves after all, whereas this other-by the 1
shirt of the Prolh et at Kandalar-he was
an Incompatible tiger, about the size of a |
buffalo
- 1t was my duty, besides being pleasure,
to spoil our enemies so took half dozen
troopers and started off TO see what could he |
found. The result was that the southeast /
monsoon began on this unlucky evening;
broke with fierceness only seen in these |
iatitudes. Shortly before, / sent my soldiers
off on a cross track with orders TO rejoin us at
one of those rocky hills that stand out from
the main range to which We were now close.
That was the last seen of them until we all |
got back in camp They lost themselves |
completely; but Bearec Null couldn't yet |
lost. Inheritance and training had sharp |
ened his organs so that he seemed to have a |
supplementary set of senses.
My companion soon found one Of those |
roofed platforms travelling parties of natives |
build III tres 10 secure themselves at night |
against wild elephants and tigers. We |
climbed up out Of the mud and water max |
ing ourselves comparatively comfortable |
with tie supplies furnished by our hayer- |
sacks, aud prepared TO watch in turn, for |
ma haas afford no protection against
panthers.
From the hight we now occupied I could
see that this was on the verge Of s opes lead
ing up TO craggy mountains. A large, open
BASIN containing some dead trees separated
rs from tiTmcr ground. This was now filing
with raiD-streams, and the places woe-begone
aspect took on weird suggestions from Talid
trunks and dead branches that outlined
themselves against the rapidly -darkening,
stom-swept sky.
Night came and our platform rocked
amidst the billowy foliage like raft at sea-
Bedraggled birds shaken from their perches
occasionally darted by. Once | saw the in
tense and fiery gaze of tiger or panther
fixed upon us. Later, whrn the tempest
was lnliing, a band Of wild elephants in one
OF heir gronndiess panics dashed past
screaming madly aud tearing everything TO
pieces. Altogether it was an uncanny night
with IFS Ioaring winds and unWelcome
visitors; nett Ter did at all regret the COM
ing of moni T.
- We soon lla6e our way to q terrace on
the mountain side, and after getting some
thing to eat, lay down fer awhile before
starting back. went sound asleep under
the shade vi a projecting ledge; but the
shikari potiered about, according to his
fashion, and finally found a fine tiger cub
blinking Its new ly-opened eyes in the bright
sunlight Ills little creature was near the
Ia IF