The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1903-09-22


opd Tho meat the animal ponders over.
the queer experiences he mas had with
tbe friend of the queer man. That he
does ponder over the situation is shown
nv the fact that the next day when
another chair is placed inside the cage
no attack is made on 1t. instead, the
puzzled tiger walks around ana around
II. shifting at 1t finally, and then lies
down In corner, content II not happy
at any old intrusion the queer man may
wish to ntiict.
If ia only then that the trainer ven-
lures inside the cage armed with the
yellow wand and backsnake whip.
In these latter days of progress an In.
genious woman tiger trainer, with
more regard for twentieth century lux
ury than the history of her profession.
used what is known as an ammonia
gun in teaching the tiger a lesson.
The "gun" was simply rubber ball
supplied with a nozzle out of which a
solution of diluted ammonia could be
souirted by pressing the ball.
It is the blacksnake whip, however,
upon which the real tiger trainer de-
ponds. rather than solution OF am
monia to get into the eyes and nose
of the splendid animal. AS he enters
the cage for the first time to fight the
attack which is certain to be made the
man carries with him a peculiar
weapon considering the nature of the
expected encounter-a wooden chair OF
the kind first used in introducing the
tiger to the elements of civilization.
Surprised beyond action by the in
trusion of the man the tiger at first
scouts listlessly to corner OF the cage
TO await what he thinks is going to be
an attack. For all of five minutes he
may be before he takes the initiative,
the trainer watching sharply and ex-
pecting every moment the terrific on
slaught which will mean life or death.
Everything in that climax of the tigers
education depends upon the trainers
pluck and swiftness. If he wins the
brute is conquered once and for all,
practically; if he fails, 1t remains for
assistants outside the cage to help him
in his fight with pitchforks and to get
him out of the clutches of the mad
dened animal as best they can.
1t is when the tiger crouches, ready
for the spring which invariably pre-
cedes his attack, that the trainer is
on the edge as to the outcome. Watch
ing closely without directly facing the
animal the man stands. The next in
slant there is a giant. yellow body
shooting through the air. Before ir
can land the man has jumped aside.
thrown his chair full at the had Of
the wild beast and brings down his
blacksnake whip with cut that would
draw blood from the hide of an OK.
Then it is time to beat a retreat and
to give the tiger time to eat the chair
and to consider, as before.
Not until the day following, when the
lesson has been digested, does the same
continue For a week or ten days it
may be necessary almost daily to re-
peat the dangerous experiment with
the chair and the blacksnake whip.
At the end of that time the tiger has
learned among other things, two: in
the first place, unless he begins the
attack the man will not hurt him, and
in the second, do what he may. the
intruder is his superior in cunning and
/, defense, for he can cut like a knife
and see, as no enemy of tigers can,
from the back of his head. Under the
! circumstances it is necessary to be-
gin truce.
In time the man and the chair may
enter the den with impunity, though
, there is still another fight due when
the man attempts to sit in the chair,
: Familiarity which no tiger will allow
unresented in his presence unless he is
! taught that he has to.
, The battle between the puny man
and the blacksnake whip on the one
I, side and the tiger on the other has
taken up to this point about three
: weeks at least, but now it is practically
q finished. Finished, at least, as much
as it ever can be in the case of q
tiger.
: OF all tigers none is probably less
diffiuclt to train than the big, fine
Siberian chap. the most gorgeously
| nNSN VI "a INT liENA lulhllls anu VI
the whole the most powerful. Will
its enormous size there seems to bt
:, combined the slightest trace of gooC
! nature. common in most big things
and this comes to the aid of the
! trainer in civilizing the king of cold
. est Russia.
. OF the real Indian man-eating typt
= of tiger there is but one trained speci
q men in existence-that in Ceylon, In
. dia. One of the tamest of the man
: eating tigers is to be found right il
: this city at The Central Park menag
erie. Only Keeper Billy" Snyder ha
o ever ventured in the cage of the biz
Indian, and then only when the brut,
a had been first hound and made help
q less, but from the outside of the Gag
= the big cat delights in being petite,
and rubbed and scratched by the keep
. ers as they pass and repass daily il
. front of It's cage Yet, daily, the ma
!. ture of the great animal crops out. 70
!, two hours after 1t has been fed Of
g the usual meal of raw meat all desir
! for human companionship vanishe