Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1904-03-16
KICKING
A HINDOO

| ICopyriEnt, lNS, py tHatAeS ID. iSMAs.t
While we were capturing Wild beasts
for Hagenbeck in the district of Ben
| gal. india, we one day heard of a one
eyed tiger which had killed at least a
| fozen people and alarmed district ten
titles square. We were arranging for
| his capture when a native, who looked
10 be at least eighty years old, came
| forward and besought us not to NEEDLE
| with the beast. as 1t was his mascot
and had been for years. We ridiculed
| and hooted the idea, and when the old
/ man became persistent and insoient
| our manager, whose name was Rob
bins. kicked him out OF camp.
| The Hinsoo went away cursing. and
/ that afternoon Robbins had pit dug
on a jungle patch and goat tied TO
| a stake to bait the tiger. Some time
| during the night the HIndoo's mascot
| appeared. and in trying to seize the
goat he fell into the trap.
| Ii took us more than two days to
get the fellow out of the pit and into
| a cage. and the cage had to be doubly
strengthened 10 prevent escape. lie
| had scarcely arrived In camp when the
| old man showed up again. The tiger
not only recognized him at once. but
exhibited every sign of pleasure at his
presence.
The man began by offering US 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 he would fetch no
more in Europe, but Robbins was
sulky and spiteful and declared that
no money could bay him. The Hindoo
left us In as bad a temper as before.
vowing that he would have his tiger
back IL il cost n hundred lives, and
the animals exertions to get free
frightened most of the natives out of
camp for an hour or two.
Ii was month later that we reach
ed Benares and landed our large col
lection OF captive wild animals at the
shipping depot 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 a certain Sunday night.
n Quarter of an hour before | was TO
start out on my last round. heard
the one eyed tiger cry out in peculiar
manner. II was just such a cry as be
uttered when the Hindoo came into
our camp In the jungle. cry which
you might imagine combined hail or
welcome and d threat OF vengeance.
instantly suspected that the fakir
must be in the building. and. reaching
down for my revolver, stepped ont of
the ROOM Just then there was ter
rife roar from tigers, panthers, wolves
and hyenas, followed by shouts from
the men and queer noises from the
elephants and buffaloes. l knew that
was too late. As 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 a
| 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 u dozen of them got
out again alive. They We're mauled
and mangled by the elephants and buff
| faioes 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
| | hundred men at my back nothing
| could have been done.
| In fleeing down a passage to get TO
| an outside door l ran against buffalo,
| crept under the belly of an elephant
and brushed tiger which was lap
| ping up blood / reached the door and
passed out TO find a crowd of thou
| sand people surrounding the building.
| | was hardly out when the central
structure took fire from the broken
lamps, and then the uproar became
something positively terrific.
| The door 10 the forage room had
been broken open--it had been fastened
by the Hindoo. who meant that every
human being in the buildings should
| suffer death--and ten or twelve men
| pulled out alive. OF these two died
next day of their injuries No one
dared TO open the great doors and let
the maddened animals out, nor did the
| firemen who came out from the city
dare go inside to fight the flames. A
portion of the depot was saved by a
change of wind. but what beasts and
birds escaped the flames were suffo-
Gated by the smoke.
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