The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1903-09-23


list his interest in the mat
Ger about which had come. He was
gloomy and silent. Finding he could
not be persuaded to talk, l 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.
at is the tiger that disturbs his
highness," Ram Abadhur said. He
has appeared in the jungle about Nah
yabad, and there is much talk OF him
among the people. He is man-eater,
but that is nothing. Strange reports
have come to the palace that the beast
Is in the likeness of 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, 1t is whispered, means some mis-
fortune to the reigning family-a death,
or 1t 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
Eehab the mighty founder of the
royal family that had ruled Budhra-
pore for 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
had seen in the Viceroy's palace at
Calcutta, kept as a relic. the flag which
from the time of Raj I<ehab down to
the last king descended from him had
been the emblem of the Kehab dy-
nasty. Its design was tiger worked
In white embroidery upon 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 comings as surely as the white
man reads the business signs In the
city streets. Before I had time to
speak with him l was hailed from the
verandah by Captain Bent Murdoch,
Uhief Of the Budhrapore police, who
had ridden with his orderly from Ca
Pamhat that morning. After bidding
him welcome I questioned Khatra as
10 the truth of the report Of a man
eating tiger in the Nahrabad jungle.
'I have seen him." the shikari an
Uwered. "Watching from a tree, I
saw him pass not twenty PAGES away.
On that day he carried off my cousins
wife from the rice field. He lad feast
ed and had no need to kill, but he
looked at me. Sahib, his color! l
swear by Krlshna, he was white. And
his eyes! The color of a tigers eyes
In daylight is yellow. but his were red
las red as the blood smears on his
9owls. When saw his tracks knew
them, for I had seen them before.
Sahib. 1t is useless to follow him, for
he Is ghost tiger. His lair is in the
haunted city of Nahrabad."
"Then to Nahrabad we will 60 for
him." exclaimed Captain Murdoch,
who was famous as a hunter of big
game. "Ghost or no ghost, white or
striped, we'll wait for him there to-
might. If lead fails we'll try silver
bullet. I suppose, major, you can lend
me a gunT
"Two, If you wlsh," returned.
s'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 /
overruled his objections, and he un-
Willingly agreed to be our guide. The
details having been arranged, l had
time to talk with Murdoch. For sew
eral months he had been unusually
busy suppressing the dacolts 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 We're in Jail awaiting
the trials which would determine
whether they should be hanged OF
sent 70 panal servitude in the Anda.
mnns. One only had escaped, Nadraj
their chief, and no search could dis
cover his hiding place.
Ellis death or capture would be
worth more than that Of all the rest
OF the band" Murdoch said. "Thert
won't be an end of dacoity in Budhra
pore so long as he is alive"
Everybody in Budhrapore knew OF
Eadraj, and most people, native OIL
European, had cause to dread him. A
high-born Hindu. fanatically hating
everything associated with the Engllsl
rule in India. his chimes and crueltiei
had been inspired as much by hatred
and revenge as by desire of plumber
Native mothers stilled their childreI
with the threat Of his name. AS h,
was utterly desperate, even the Rajal
himself, who favored the English
could not be safe from the chance o
assassination while Nadraj was a
large.
II ssn't think where be can be con