The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1901-06-01

Fl. T. n the -Insurge Army. ~.

rows, or very crude firearms. and they
have difficult time keeping tigers out
of their villages
I'm Manchuria the people believe that
pulverized tiger teeth and claws are a
powerful medicine, which will make
those who eat it strong and brave. Tiger
skulls are also made into medicine. Per-
haps you have noticed that many tiger
skins, in fact nearly all that are sold
in America, have the head filled with
plaster Of paris, and the teeth made OF
the same material and also lack claws.
Well, these hides come from Manchu-
ria. Whenever a tiger is killed there, the
mandarin of the place demands the skull,
teeth and claws. When he gets them,
and the proper ceremonies are perform
ed, his medicine man, amid various
rites. tpulverizes them into a powder
1.-THE finest skins are those Of the royal
Bengal tigers. A large Bengal skin in
good condition will bring =, QG0. Man,
churia skins sell from $50 upward to $500.
The Bengal skins differ from the Man
churian in several respects, but the par
ticulars would not interest you. The de-
mand for tiger skins is great, especially
in England. Several years ago the de-
mand was much greater, and skins were
selling at high prices. At that time
travelling was not so easy in China as 1t
now Is, and great difficulty was encoun-
to the coast.
"I arrived at a village about fifty miles
from the mountains In Western Man
churia and perhaps twenty or thirty
miles south of the Amoor river, in the
summer of 1888. I had with me party
Of three Europeans two Englishmen and
81 Scotchman, and an interpreter and
seven or eight coolies. We had several
Of the finest hunting rifles made, among
them heing three express rifles shooting
explosive bullets and four Marlin re-
peatets. When we arrived we presen cd
our letters to the mayor or head man
of the yillage-cur letters were from the
Mandarin Of that part of the county--in-
" forming the readers that we were tiger
hunters and as such should be treated
with respect and aided on our way. The
mayor informed US that his village had
suffered from ravages of tigers from
remotest times. that there were two
tigers in the hills near by which har-
bored the souls Of executed criminals
that the spirits of executed criminals en-
tered these two tigers-and that they at
times became so bold ais to enter the
village in open day and carry off people.
He also said that these tigers cous a NOT
be killed. because they were devil tiger s.
He promised us that he would give us
ten tiger skins If we WOULD rid his vii
lage of these two tigers. We agreed to
these terms at ence. The next morning
we were to start the hunt.
Just about the time we fo::r white
men We're ready to start the mayor came
around with about forty of the sorriest
looking coolies ever saw, chained to-
gether in pairs by means of leg sha skies
He informed US that he used some Of his
eonVicts and criminals in tiger huntins,
and il a convict killed a tiger he was
Farde ned. Of course. I did not want sucf,
an outfit as that with US, and tod the
MAYER SO, hut he insisted that they be
permitted to go, and at last I consentea.
The way these fellows were armed
was Inirtsl-preroking One had q. tin PAL.
and stick ard the man chained to him
fzal BOW and arrow Neary al the