Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1899-02-03
A TIGER OF THE TEA GARDENS.

cutta and Rangoon. If that were all it
would not matter, but it is the hunter OF
big games paradise. 1t is to all forms of
life what the stable yard is to the fungi.
The natives come up like flies; elephant,
sambur tiger and black leopards simply
walk about looking for the shikdrrs (hunt-
er's) bullet.
Higgins was as simple in his way of life
as his name. He ran a tea garden, after a
fashion-two of them, for the matter of
that. He was tall, and straight, and blue
eyed as a viking. Not that that made any
difference; for a small man, if he has the
nerve, is as good behind an Express life
as big one. His manner of killing tigers
was simplicity itself. Elephants and beat
ers, and all that sort of thiog, he knew
nothing about. He killed them with his
rife-that was his way. When he got
word that a tiger was knocking things
about on one of the gardens near by, kill
ing coolies, and eating hind quarters out of
bullocks, he would go out and wander
about until he and Stripes looked into each
others eyes at close quarters. Then the
cool, steady aim, and an express" bullet
crashing through the beasts brain, and the
thing was done. At the time / was stop
ping with Higgins for a day or so on his
garden, he had killed twenty tigers in just
this honest, fair-deal sort of way.
We were'lounging about the veranda in
the heat of the afternoon, when a coolie
came rushing up from among the tea-dry
ing houses. There was a tiger among the
tea pckers-' seventeen tigers!" but num-
81 e. Go 81
drunk with his fear. Above the rifle rack,
from a pair of sambur horns, hung a silver
whistle. Higgins blew shril note on
this, and gathered unto himself a rifle and
much ammunition. Another native, a
short, thick set, powerful hillman, came
bounding through the crotons like a wild
boar 1t was the Shikdri, Higgins's native
hunter, answering the call of the silver
whistle.
"Give me a rifle" l said intoxicated by
the prospect of slaughter.
Higgins reached me one from the rack
there were half dozen left. He was like a
billiard player with his cues. Keep
closet" he said, as we rushed along behind
the shikdri.
My blood tingled as l kept pace with the
long strides of my friend OF a verify
was afraid, but my blood tingled. The
garden was a labyrinth of small hills and
valleys. As we passed from among the
'coolielines," a native came rushing up
and pointed TO hill on our left. "He is
there, HuzOOr, and is of the size of an ele-
plant. /, Nellia, who was too frightened
to run, saw him Even as ! hid behind a
tea-bush did he eat ten men, as Madrassi
eats chillies."
He, Nellia, was still at it, talking, as we
Il II -, .. L.. Z.
Before we were halfway up the rise, an
other coolie came tearing over the brow of
the hill on our right
Lord Protector" he yelled, making
straight for us, "the eater of men is Just
over there from whence l came. AS he
rushed by me his leg struck my leg, and it
is broken. Tankia saw five of them-five
tigers, Sahib each one as big as the Hug
DORIS pony"
He was talking to the wind, for Higgins
had darted off in the direction of the last
report. The information was picturesque,
but confusing. As we neared the summit
of the small hill, Higgins moved cautiously.
On the farther side we could see coolies
fleeing up the incline. "He's here, some
where, " whispered Higgins to me, as We
stood for a moment peering about.
hope he has not made off with one of the
poor devils"
sharp, kissing noise came from the
Shikdrt, He was standing with his head
thrust forward, his sharp, black eyes peer
ing intently at some object among the
bushes in the bottom Of the nulld (ravine).
He's there" said Higgins, inclining his
head in that direction. AS he spoke l
caught sight of the strong, undulating tail,
swishing back and forth viciously. Hes
h.
We could not see what it was, for tn,
bushes were thick. keep behind little"
said Higgins, land if | do not bag him and
he charges back give him your rifle. Don't
get in hurry; keep COOL"
was glad that he gave me that advice
about keeping cool; l had forgotten all
about it. l was getting just trihe ex-
cited. | fancied that l had three or four
rifles in my hands, and was not sure wheth-
er | was to shoot the Shikdri, Higgins, or
the tiger. But my friends nerve was su-
perb. 1t was as though he were going to
bag jack-snipe. The tiger was a hundred
yards away when we first saw him. Hig-
gins walked along quietly until he was
within 20 PAGES. l was little in the rear.
We could see his beautiful black and vel
low striped body, and also something else
there was something black under his
massive paws. My heart turned sick as |
looked. There were two black bodies
there, crushed TO the earth, one on top of
the other, pinioned by those merciless
claws.
The tiger had winded us; his head was
up, listening. We were in his rear. Hig-
gins advanced cautiously, step by step, his
rifle ready. When he was within 20 feet,
he whistled softly. That was that the
tiger might look around and give him
the brain -shot-fair between the ewes.
The beast turned his head till he saw us out
of the corner of the oblique slit in his face.
l could see the snarling, curled lip and the
meerschaum-co lored fangs.
The shot was a bad one: that slopinp
forehead would turn bullet like a sheet of
armor. There was good heart-shot, be.
hind the outstretched foreleg The tiger
lashed his sides with his tail, but kept his
prey down with stubborn ferocitv. Hip-
gins raised his rifle; the blue eyes looked
carefully along the sights; there was a re-
port.
For minute there was a noise like the
meeting of two railroad engines. The air
was full of sand and yellow-striped sun
echpses Higgins was standing quite mo-
tionless, holding his gun ready. Five PAGES
off the huge beast lay dying.
Through the heart" said my friend
laconically. Here, Jeswant, get those
coolies up. They're not hurt, l hope"
The shtkdrd ran over to the two man
lying so silently there. Why did thew not
move! The tiger had NOT manlad a.