Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-02-01
DAILY SHORT STORY
The Tiger Man.

ON the outskirts of dense jungle,
and there he made and maintained
| his fame as Il tanner of wild beasts,
particularly tigers. He did not actu-
ally tame them, but the influence he
| exercised over them was no less than
| wonderful. Even with 4 thousand wit
neSses to corroborate facts one finds
it hard 10 believe in some of his do
| ings.
| Had he been SO minded lie could
| have cleared the whole province of
tigers i'll two or three years and en-
! riched himself with the bounty offered
| for their heads and the heads of other
| dangerous beasts and deadly serDents
but he positively refused to bring harm
| TO Il single denizen of the jungle. He
| would throw no obstacle i'll the way of
hunters, and lie expressed no sorrow
| when lie looked upon Il tiger slain by
| Others. but he had laid down n rule.
and nothing would induce him TO
| swerve from ii. 1t often happened
| that natives who had lost relatives or
| oxen by the hunger of the king of the
| jungle came to him and prayed for
vengeance. but i'll every instance his
reply was:
Il am sorry for you. but tigers must
have food as we'll as men. | will not
help you To kill one. but | will talk
10 the beasts and ask them TO be more
careful hereafter. l am sure they will
do this for me-"
| AS soon as the Tiger Mans reputa-
ton began to spread there were
many who desired to put him to the
! a
| life it was seldom that he refused. A
hundred times over he has gone out
into the jungle alone at night and call
ed tiger to him and led the beast to
| the ruins for all to see. Sometimes the
| tiger would crouch and creep and
| whine. and again he would he tiercely
defiant and menace the spectators.
If the report came that tiger in
| certain district had killed human be-
ing. the man would set off for the place
without asking for fee or reward. lie
would learn all he could about the
beast and then enter the jungle to
search him out. Sometimes he would
| be seeking for several days, and when
night overlook him lie made his camp
among the beasts and serpents of the
thicketS. When the tiger had been
found, which was nearly always the
case if he had not left for another To-
cality. he would be taken by the ear to
the village in which he had seized his
victim and then be made to roll in the
dust by way of apology for his mis-
deed. He would then be told that he
must go at least fifty miles away and
live on the game of the jungle for the
next month. and it has been proved
over and over again that the tiger new
er failed 10 disappear.
1t was with the knowledge and ac-
tive participant ton of n governor of In
dia and not more than fifteen years ago
that the Tiger Man was put to the
hardest test of his life. lie claimed i'm
munity from every species of wild
beast and serpent, and he was sent in
TO jungle in which three full grown
tigers had taken refuge from some
sportsmcn. one of whom was the gov
ernor. The hunt had ended at dusk,
and the Tiger Man would have dark
ness against him as he pushed his way
through the jungle. The locality was
known to be infested with cObraS, and
just as the hunt was called off one Of
the party caught sight of rogue
No money would have hired a white
man To penetrate into the jungle at
night. and a native would nave lain
down in his tracks and refused to stir,
no matter what punishment threaten
ed.
There were more than forty people
left behind as the Tiger Man set forth
upon his errand. He bowed before the
governor and said lie would bring in
at least one of the tigers-One which
had been slightly wounded by a bullet
He was heard whistling and chanting
as he penetrated the thickets, and he
was absent about three hours. When
he returned there were both connection
and CONSERVATION. He was leading
the wounded tiger by the ear and was
followed by the two others, and after
the tiger came the elephant. There was
yet more. Around the mans left arm
was twined n huge cobra with glitter
ing eyes, and across his neck and
shoulders was another.
''Sahib, | bring you these presents
from the jungle" said the Tiger Man
as he halted i few yards away.
But the governor didn't want them.
What lie wanted was to see them re- I
stored TO their native wilds as fast as
possible. particularly as the elephant
evinced disposition 10 charge the |
crowd The Tiger Man had the adj
vantage. and he kept it for long half !
hour He played with the deadly |
cobras as if they had been twigs OF |
willow, and they made not the slight /
est attempt to bite him. He spoke to I
Il, in, a 10 oct m
understand. and though they growled |
and showed their teeth they did his /
bidding as he asked them 10 leap over /
each other The elephant was ordered |
TO march back and forth and to pick /
up things with his trunk, and he was /
as obedient as an OK
When the crowd of spectators had |
been kept on edge for many moments i