The Philipsburg mail., 1899-03-10


be too much of it! could not make |
out the shape of the animal, for its
head was held low to the groundssand
it was stealing forward; what I saw
was long streak Of mottled color,
more like big snake than quadru-
ped.
But the animal emerged on the bare
brink OF the rocks, and then, indeed,
l saw plainly enough that the creature
was an enormous Mongolian tiger.
which, with its tail slowly swaying
back in the brush, looked actually, to
be twenty feet long!
My alarm was simply sickening.
Certain authentic accounts of the size
and ferocity of the Monaghan tiger
came into my mind with awful.sudden-
ness. I knew that these monsters had
been occasionally seen in Siberia, but
had never dreamed that any were left
there. But there was one before me-
one large enough to eat man at a
meal-one so close to me that dared
not stir, or even move the muzzle Of
my gun
MY former fear recurred-tha tho
tiger had scented me and was crawl
ing forward on my track, but as it
emerged into full view 1 perceived
that its eyes were not on me. Half
crouching, it crept, catlike, to the ex-
treme verge of the ledge and peered
intently downward at the pool. Be-
fore could even conjecture what at
tracted it's attention, it drew itself still
farther forward, curving its neck over
the brink and drawing its feet beneath
it's body. For moment OF two its
black k-tipped tail whipped the boughs,
then suddenly it leaped down with 81
splash.
With intense relief at heart, peeped
over and saw the tiger in the water,
grabbing with .lightning-like motions
Of it's head and paws. Then, with a
cleaning, struggling fish in it's mouth,
it bounded through the shallow water
on the gravel around tie foot of the
pool. Never shall see more beau
, tiful spectacle than that of the magnifi-
cent beast of prey as it went at long
leaps through the water in the after
noon sunshine, while over it the hawk
, circled and swooped with whistling
/ screams, as if with some intent to
: snatch the Ash.
Crossing the shadows, the tiger
, bounded up the rocky bank, its claws
scratching audibly on the rounded
: boulders, and ran for forty or fifty
= yards to the leaaess oak on which the
, hawk had been perched. There it
. stopped and crouched to eat the fish.
9 From where lay the tiger was in
l. full view, and distant about four hun
: dred feet. My courage had revived
considerably, now that the pool and
e. the steep rock lay between us, and
considered whether it would do to
j risk shot. My carbine was good
one, and at that range one long forty
=, five -calibre slug might be expected to
Q kill or disable almost any creature
t smaller than rhinoceros. Yet such
= terror had been struck into me by the
t brute's Sudden appearance that felt
l. much inclined to steal away. But
x dared not. Ten to one it would de
n tect some sign of my moving and fol
y low my tracks. To shoot it seemed
). the only way of saving my life.
g While ! was thus meditating, the
a tiger suddenly rose to it's feet and
$ stalked down to the pool again. i
desired more fish. For a time il
. scanned the water, then entering the
T shadows, it began to cross over
9 walking somewhat gingerly, as if dis
O liking to wet itself again, OF else un
: willing to disturb the pool.
r. %o cton tIx, +hot ~
:. purpose was to cross to the ledges an(
s repeat it's former tactics of springin(
t down on the fish. Fresh alarm tool
k possession of me. If I lay there th'
IS tiger might come upon me.
g Clearly, / had better take the ini
i, tiative and shoot the beast, if possible
|. while still down on the gravel. Th'
e distance was not more than fifty yards
Il perhaps less.
q I rested my carbine along tn
u smooth surface of the ledge and fired
II just as the animal was at the deepes
?. place on the shoals. Its head wa
d turned upstream as I fired, and tn
E. bullet, as appeared afterward, passe'
S. through it's right nostril, smashing it
a lower jaw, slipped underneath th
" skin of the neck and penetrated it
Is chest.
With howl which blent strangel
IN with the steady roar of the cataract
as the great yellow and black brut
ct reared, all glistening with water, an
n fell over backward, splashing an
ut leaping wildly. Then getting int
le deeper water below the bar, it role
H. over with the current, wallowing, no
az up, now down, till, coming to hal
ne submerged rock, it struggled to clim
ct out on it and clung there, with awfl
a gurgling outcries.
i'd I fred again, sending second bn
M lot clnor throurh its hody when