The new enterprise. (Madison, Fla.) 1901-1908, 1903-10-22

q = palnce, ne iV''',.u
Il I" cordially enough, but, try
NCN as | would, | could not en-
list his interest IN the mat
ter about which | had come, He was
gloomy and silent Finding he coum
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
terpreier and learned the cause Of the
Rajahs depression.
ut Is the tiger that disturbs his
highness," Ram Abndhw said. "lle
has appeared IN the jungle about Nah
rabad, and there is much talk Of him
among the people. lie is n 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 lNehab 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 Il even might be that which his
hlghncss 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 n 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 Raiah's grandfather ana
had seen in the Niceroy's palace Mt
Calcutta, kept as n relic the nag which
from the time Of Raj Kehab down to
the last king descended from him had
been the emblem Of the Kchab dy-
nasty, Its design was a tiger worked
in white embroidery upon dark'green
ground.
l rode home and ut the bungalow
found Khatra Ahab, the shkan, await
ing me in the compound. He was
master Of his craft He knew the
habits Of all tie jungle beasts and
could read the tokens Of their gonGs
and comlngs as surely as the white
man reads the business signs In the
city streets, Before l had time TO
speak with him | was hailed from the
verandah by Captain Bent Murdoch,
Chief of the Budhrapore police. who
had ridden with his orderly from Ca
ramhat that morning. After bidding
him welcome | questioned Khatra as
to the truth of the report of q man
eating tiger In the Nahrabad jungle.
81 have seen him." the shikan an
swered. watching from n tree
saw him pass not twenty PAGES away.
On that day he carried or my COUSINS
wife from the rice field, He had feast
cd and had no need to kill, but he
looked at me, Snhlb, his color!
swear by Krlshna, he was white. And
his eyes! The color of a tigers eyes
I'm daylight is yellow. but his were red
AS red as the blood smears on his
fowls, When | saw his tracks knew
them, for l had seen them before.
Shhib, II Is useless TO follow him, for
he is a 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 a silver
bullet, suppose, major, you can lend
ME gum
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
NahraOad ruins"
The shikari tried to object but I
overruled his objections, and he un.
Willingly agreed 10 be our guide. The
details having been arranged, I had
time to talk with Murdoch. For sew.
eral months he had been unusually
busy suppresslng the dacoits who. at
the beginning Of the year, had started
their annual carnival Of robbery and
murder in the Rajah's domlninons,
He had broken up the principal band.
anu 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 or
sent to penal servitude in the Anda.
mans. One only had escaped. Nadraj.
their chief, and no search could dis.
cover bis hiding place.
"His death or capture would be
worth more than that OF all the rest
OF the band" Murdoch said. There
won't I've an end OF dacoity In Budhra.
pore so long as he Is alive"
Everybody IN Budhrapore knew Of
Nadrai. and most people. native or