The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1904-02-03
Hunfng The Cave
Tiger.
You Crawl Into His Parlor with a
Torch and Pot Him.

There Is good hunting in China-excit-
| Ing enough to suit any sportsman. 1t Is
| thoroughly sportsmaulike also, for II is
an equal contest between the hunter and
his quarry The quarry is a tiger,
/ are found in caves in rocky territory. Tho
| method OF getting one is simple.
! The hunter enters the tigers cave when
the tiger is in It. and shoots. There are
/ no dogs, no beatcrs no aids of any kind.
| save a native tracker holding a torch.
| Therefor" 1t Is advisable To see the tiger
! quickly. to shoot even more quickly when
| you do see him. and not to miss him when
/ you shoot.
returning American who tried this
strenuous sport oucc-only oncc-was tell
! ing about his experience the other day.
| This is his story Of the most exciting
| hunting trip he ever took or ever expects
| to take.
~ happened to be near Annoy. not long
! after the recent unrlcasantncss In Chi-
ma he said, "and there ! met friend
who is employed in the Chinese customs
service. He is q keen sportsman, and |
| when he showed me several fine tiger
skins and told me that he had shot the
tigers himself in the country around
about there. | wanted to shoot tiger
| myself.
II said so. Ny friend explained that
the tigers were found among the caves.
! but ! didn't raise any serious objection
/ to that. hearing that there was little
jungle about there You see, didn't
My friend said he'd Ak 1t for me.
When was so set on the tiger shooting
he was as anxious as |. He lent me
rife found a native tracker and the next
I've went by boat up the river to the
tiger country. After an hour or two we
came to spot where the banks were were
many caves and openings. Then we land
ed and my guide began to examine the
cave mouths fer traces.
AT last the mouth of "a large dn rk
fissure, he pointed out some marks In the
sand which he said were the tracks OF a
tiger. He wasn't satisfied that they were
fresh. but nevertheless he lit torch and
signed to me to enter.
"Then for the first time | realized just
what was up against.
| 81 confess freely that didn't like It,
think Ia have backed out II | could but
there | was. committed to the enterprise.
There was no getting out of II, so, reas-
surfing myself with the notion that II my
friend could kill tigers that way | could.
saw that my rifle was properly loaded
and stepped In front of the tracker.
THE cave widened inside and in the
floor of clear white sand the tracks were
plainly visible. The cave was not large
though, and there was no tiger inside
Being sure of that we went on,
The guide said II was not the regular
haunt of the tiger but he occasionally
used It, and now he was pretty sure hC
knew the cave whore that tiger would be
lie took me to another cave.
There were many tracks at this one
They led into narrow, dark opening
which YOU couldn't enter upright. Blu
the tracker rellghted his torch, signed t,
me to get down on my hands and knee
and get in.
Again l was ashamed to refuse.
went in.
, Behind me- blocking the passage. cam
/ the tracker with his lighted torch jus
over my shoulder. Cropping on hands ant
knees along a winding hoe, | could Sc
only two or three yards ahead
Beyond that was inky blackness. Nor
! than once / thought ! saw the tiger
shape in front of me. But each time tn
I guide behind prodded me to 20 on.
hated to. but | went.
; we must have penetrated fifteen o
1 twenty yards In this way when | foun
I, into larger cave. ! was just about
I enter this concentrating myself tina
y here Mt any rate / could stand uprigh
e and move, instead of being cramped o
$ hands and knees at the mercy OF what
: ever there was ahead, when the tracke
r seized my, arm from behind and pointe
: over my shoulder into the darkness.
r 81 couldn't see "A thing at first and
c couldn't describe my feelings, but the
e the guide raised his torch q little, and
= perceived only few yards In front of m
. two burning eyeballs, apparently close t
n the ground.
5 ut was a case Of acting quickly an
|. making no mistake. | raised my rin,
! and with the light Of the torch behind m
i on the sights, ! aimed straight betwee
: the two points of fire and pulled the trig
I 1.-THE conclusion, in the confined spac,
e almost deafened me. At the same me
5 ment the tracker jammed his torch int
g the sand and extnguished 1t, leaving u
e in total darkness Before / knew wha
r was happening felt him dragging m
3 backward through the passage and In
J. few seconds we were In the open air.
I IL asked the man what was to be on
e next move. | didn't tell him so, but
was determined on one thing. Nothin
7 would induce me to enter that cave again
$ with possibly only wounded tiger In !
: However the man was jubillnt II
II hot lnI Ia1 hn haH Of Ia.
5 he know, seeing that he had extinguishe
!, the light the moment | fired. | couldn
\ imagine and he didn't explain.
= Now, | WAS by no means sure that
u had hit the tiger at all but after rcligh
= ing the torch the native said there was n
3 danger and he was going in to see. II
= went. | stayed outside and registered
: mental vow that nothing should ever pei
i suade me to so tempt Providence aElil
j "The, man came out again, after VIII
a seemed to me an intermnable interva
: and lie was heaming with JOY. He sal
n that the tiger was stone dead. sh'
n through the brain. Then he went to fets
!, tho two boatmen to help us haul II
Is beast out
e I'VE did It by tying a rope around Il
n body and the three of us pulling on
! while the fourth guided the weight ov'
3 the rough spots. 1t took an hour OF hau
d ing to do It.
u very large size but in excellent condltio
NJ with a Beautifully marked skin. BY af
l. erroon we had that off and were on OF
"A way nome,
a Now, my friend assured me later tn;
" tiger hunting OF that sort was as safe
Il such sport could be. Among the mar
l. expeditions after these cave tigers tn
e he had taken part in, he said: he ha
d never known mischance. The tige
j. whether missed or not, never charge
IT Whether the light and its sudden eXtll
n gushing confused him or not he dldn
n know but no accident ever occurred
y 1T may he true" concluded the ma
z who had tried 1t once. but I'm az IN
i that snort Never again for me. Ne
% York Sun.
IF Coins which Had Their Day.
q Recent mention of the disappearance