The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1903-10-09


81 @ d dhrapore at home IN his
g Q palace. He received me
cordially enough, but, try
TCfS as | would, / could not en-
list his interest I'm the mat
ter about which l had come. He was
gloomy and silent. Finding he could
not be persuaded to talk, gave over
the business for the day and took my
leave. But before left the place met
Ram Abadhur, the half-caste court in
terpreter, and learned the cause Of the
Rajah's depression.
1T is the tiger that disturbs his
highness," Ram Abadhur said. "He
has appeared in the jungle about Nah
rabad, and there is much talk Of him
among the people. lie is a man-eater,
but that is nothing. Strange reports
have come to the palace that the beast
is in the likeness Of a tiger pictured on
the flag of the old Kehab kings, and
the story has spread that he is the re-
incarnation of Raj Kehab. His COM
ing, it is whispered, means some mis-
fortune to the reigning family-a death,
or it even might be that which his
highness most breads (this is very
secret, sahib), the return Of the old
ruling family to the throne"
Through many traditions knew Raj
Kehab, the mighty founder of the
royal family that had ruled Budhra-
pore for a thousand years, up to the
time, half a century before, when the
East India Company installed in power
the new dynasty, which began with the
present Rajah's grandfather, and l
had seen in the Viceroy's palace at
Calcutta, kept as relic, the flag which
from the time of Raj Kehab down to
the last king descended from him had
been the emblem of the Kehab dy-
nasty. It's design was q tiger worked
in white embroidery upon a dark-green
ground.
rode home, and at the bungalow
found Khatra Ahab. the shikari, await
ing me in the compound. He was
master of his craft. He knew the
habits of all the jungle beasts and
could read the tokens of their goings
and comilgs as surely as the white
man reads the business signs in the
city streets, Before I had time to
sneak with him I was hailed from the
Ter6ndah by Captain Bent Murdoch,
Chief Of the Budhrapore police, who
had ridden with his orderly from Ca
ramhat that morning. After bidding
him welcome l questioned Khatra as
to the truth Of the report Of o man
eating tiger in the Nahrabad jungle.
Il have seen him." the shillari an
swered "Watching from a tree,
saw him pass not twenty PAGES away.
On that day he carried off my cousins
wife from the rice field. He had feast
cd and had no need to kill, but he
looked at me. Sahib, his color! I
swear by Krishna, he was white. And
his eyes! The color Of a tigers eyes
in daylight is yellow, but his were red
-as red as the blood smears on his
jowls When l saw his tracks I knew
them, for I had seen them before.
Sahib, it is useless to follow him, for
he is ghost tiger. His lair is in the
haunted city of Nahrabad."
"Then to Nahrabad we will go for
him." exclaimed Captain Murdoch,
who was famous as a hunter of big
game. Ghost or no ghost, white or
striped, wen wait for him there to-
night If lead fails Wen try n silver
bullet I suppose, major, you can lend
me a gun"
1.-TWO, if you WISH" I returned.
'Khatra you know the tigers path.
You will guide us this afternoon to
where We shall watch tonight by the
Nahrabad ruins"
The shikari tried to object, but I
overruled his objections, and he I'M
willingly agreed to be our guide, The
details having been arranged I had
time to talk with Murdoch. For sew
eral months he had been unusually
busy suppressing the dacoits who, at
the beginning of the year, had started
their annual carnival Of robbery and
murder in the Rajah's domininons
He had broken up the principal band
and, so far as could be known. those
of the outlaws who had not been
killed outright were in jail awaiting
the trials which would determine
whether they should be hanged OF
sent to penal servitude in the Anda
mans. One only had escaped, Nadraj
41,oir ol,{of ond no enorob pouId dis.
cover his hiding place.
'His death or capture would be
worth more than that Of all the RESI-
of the band" Murdoch said. There
-. l. 90. I'D Of dnnniL.. In L,rdhl-n