The new enterprise. (Madison, Fla.) 1901-1908, 1903-10-22
THE NAHRABAD
GHOST TIGER
WzgIS9llllZl@Z ST
ey CLARENCE PULLEN,

| NNNi y AuIuE HHhuNmNtu WIN Nue lDlEbeh
rule in India, his crimes and cruelties
had been inspired as much by hatred
and revenge as by desire Of plumber.
Native mothers stilled their children
WIKI the threat OF his name. As he
was utterly desperate, even the Rajah
HIMSELF who favored the English,
could not be safe from the chance of
assassination while Nadraj was at
large.
II can't think where he can be con.
cealed," the captain continued. "If he
were friendly to the Rajah l could nm
derstand, but his Majesty has the
greatest motive of any one for wishing
him Off the earth, do you know that
this dacoit is Of the old royal family
Il lineal descendant, it Is said, OF Raj
Kehab2 II the old dynasty had not
been overthrow by the help Of the
English he might be Rajah OF Budhra-
pore to-day, We are going to his an
cestral city tonight to wait for the
tiger"
Our preparations Cor The hunt were
simple-two heavy rifles, a haversack
with provisions, and a mat to sit on.
We made our start for Nahrabad in the
afternoon and rode to little village
at the iungle's edge, where the people
had already gathered the wood for the
fires which they would burn at night
to keep the tiger away.
Leaving the horses there in charge Of
the captains orderly, we walked along
the bullock path which led through a
dense jungle to the ruined city. An
hours walking brought us to a spot
where the path emerged into an open.
grassy space. On the right, across
nullah, ruined wall encirclcd the face
Of an eminence, and vast heap Of
fallen stone rising like a hill within 1t
was Nahrabad, Raj Kehabs city.
Wild vines and bushes hid the ruin in
places, and n few trees had forced
their way into the open among the
stones Of the fallen walls. Here and
there a carved column or stretch Of
wall stood in place. Far up in the
ruins, at the very top, there rose from
the debris two marble posts, with the
capstones still resting upon them. Here
had been the main entrance OF the
Rajah's palace, and from It a rock
stairway, on which ten men might have
marched abreast, could be traced down
TO broad platform where gate had
opened in the city wall. The gate and
its posts were gone. but q flight OF
steps, with the hewn stones broken
and awry, but still in place, remained,
leading from the platform down to the
foot Of the slope below the wall. Be
tween the foot of the wall and the
nullah, which once had been q moat,
there was thick growth of Jungle
shrubs as high as a mans shoulders.
With Khatra leading, We went eau
tlously on until he paused at line OF
bent and trampled grass where some
large, soft-footed creature had made
pathway between the jungle and the
nullah opposite the gateway. We fol-
lowed the path into the nullah, which
was swampy mt the bottom. On the
hard ground the tracks We're invisible
to the white mans eye, but here they
were deeply imprinted In the moist
soil, the great paws of tiger, which,
not many hours before, had descended
from the jungle into the nullah and
thence up the other side to the foot of
the broken steps leading to the gate.
way.
"The tiger is at home" the shlkari
said. IF he comes out to range to-
night he viii pass here. We must
await his coming beyond the nullah."
We went back across the nullah to
chose our places. The sun was near its
setting, and we had no time to lose.
About thirty yards from the brink was
a lSorinda bush large enough to shelter
US all. We crawled under this, and
the long, horizontally growing branches.
with their tips dropped to the ground
on every side, made a perfect place
Of concealment. Through the LEAKAGE
we cut loopholes from which we could
command the path on both sides of
the nuliah and the steps and gateway
beyond. This done. we opened the
haversack, ate our supper and settled
ourselves for waiting. The sun had
plunged down behind the ruins, and
soon the blackness OF the Indian night
hid the ruined city a hundred yards
away. The very stars were shut from
our view by the overlapping branches
above our heads. We tipped our rife
sights. with phosphorus in order that
they might readily be caught in the
darkness, and then made ourselves as
comfortable as possible. There were
the usual night noises Of the jungle,
and our cars Quickened at the rustlIng