Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-02-23
DAILY SHORT STORY
Kicking a Hindoo.


TOR Hagenbeck in the district OF Ben
;Gl. India, we one day heard of a one
eyed tiger which had killed at least 4
dozen people and alarmed Il district ten
miles square. We were arranging Tor
his capture when native. who looked
10 be at least eighty years old, came
forward and besought us not TO NEEDLE
with the beast. rs il WAS his mascot
and had been for years. We ridiculed
and hcoted the idea. and when the old
man became persistent and insolent
our manager. whose name was Rob
bins. kicked him out of camp.
The HindOo went away cursing. and
that afternoon Robbins lad a pit dug
On jungle patch and goat tied TO
a stake to bait the tiger Some time
during the night the Hindoo's mascot
appeared. and III trying 10 seize the
goat he fell into the trap.
1t took us more than two days to
get the fellow out of the pit and into
IL cage. and the cage had 10 be dOuOly
strengthened to prevent escape. He
had scarcely arrived in camp when the
old man showed up again. The tiger
not only recognized him ut once. but
exhibited every sign of pleasure at his
presence.
The man began by Offering us L fair
cash value for the captive and finally
raised his figures until the sum was
doubled The rest of us were for sell
ing the beast. as lie would fetch no
more in Europe, but Robbins was
sulky and Spiteful and declared that
no money could buy him. The Hindoo
left us in as bad Il temper as before.
yowing that lie would have his tiger
back if it cost Il hundred lives, and
the animals eXertiOns TO get free
frightened most of the natives out OF
camp for an hour or two.
1t was a month later that we reach
ed Benares and landed our large col
lection of captive wild animals at the
shipping depot. l had general charge
of the depot, with forty or more native
assistants. AS the animals came in
they were transferred TO the usual iron
cages used when shipping.
For ten days and nights all had gone
well, but on n certain Sunday night,
a quarter of an hour before l was to
start out on my last round. L heard
the one eyed tiger cry out in peculiar
manner. 1t was just such cry as lie
uttered when the Hindoo came into
our camp in the jungle. cry which
YOU might imagine combined Il hail of
welcome and threat of vengeance.
! instantly suspected that the fakir
must be in the building. and. reaching
down for my revolver, | stepped out or
the room. Just then there was a ter
rife roar from tigers. pautherS, wolves
and hyenas. followed by shouts from
the men and queer noises from the
elephants and buffaloes. knew that
l was too late As I stood by the
door pandemonium broke loose.
The Hindoo had kept his VOW and
followed us to Benares to secure
vengeance After his tiger had been
placed in the shipping depot the man
began work on the superstition of two
of my native assistants. and after
few nights they let him into the in
closure and gave him the key to the
animals cage. On this night. after
being in the cage with the tiger for
half an hour he had turned the beast
loose in the big room and encouraged
him TO attack one of the elephants.
The man at once began freeing other
animals. and as fast as one was freed
he attacked another. Every assistant
had rushed into the room at the first
alarm, and not Il dozen of them got
out again alive. They were mauled
and mangIed ~ the elephants and buff
falOeS and attacked on sight by the
tigers and panthers. In five minutes
after the tigers first scream every ami
nal in the building was mad with
fright and desire for blood. and had
l hundred men at my back nothing
could have been done.
In fleeing down passage to get TO
an outside door / ran against buffalo,
crept under the belly of an elephant
and brushed Il tiger which was lap
ping up blood. ! reached the door and
passed out to find crowd of a thou
sand people surrounding the building.
was hardly out when the central
structure took fire from the broken
lamps. and <lieu the uproar became
something positively terrific.
The door to the forage room had
been broken Open-it had been fastened
by the HindOo. who meant that every
human being in the buildings should