The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-05-15

| swiss cottage" A curtain across the
center divides it into two rooms. In
one a table is laid for dinner. No
roughing it here. Observe the spotless
napery, the bright silver, the shaded
lamps, and the beautiful flowers fresh
from the dewy Jungle Pass through
| the curtain. Here is a drawing room
comfortable even to righteousness. Sort
carpets easy chairs tea tables, books
| and flowers and lights; and, yes Il
lady's workbasket! All. that accounts,
then, for all this refinement and cosey-
ness. Mrs. Frampton is in camp with
her husband. He does not always
tour in this Sybarite style: but If his
wife accompanies him, as she OFTEN
does, then he travels en- grand seigneur.
A little way off are the sleeping tents,
each with dressing room and bath
room attached. In another direction
there is the big square office tent In
which Framoton and his native clerks
transact their business. During the
daytime there is always squatting out
! side it circle of patient villagers who
have come in-many of them long dls-
tance-to see the Sahib; some with
complaints, some with news and re-
ports, some simply to pay their re-
| spects to the great man; few perhaps
| because they are in trouble, charged
| with tresDass. theft, or assaultlng a
forest ranger. Frampton will have
busy time tomorrow. Away to the
right our horses are picketed. and
| little beyond them some elephants,
| eight or nine, borrowed from neighbour
| ing landlords. But one of them is
Framptons own property. Piyari, the
Beloved is female. shapely, swift
and staneh. Many a time has she
stood like rock before the charge of
an Infatuated roaring tiger, confident
in the unerring craftsmanship of her
| master in the howdah on her back. Her
| mahout, or driver old Ali Khan, has
| been with her as long as any one can
| remember and under his guidance she
has never flinched from any danger,
and displays an intelligence almost hui
| man. The old man loves her with de-
| votion, and always rewards her at the
end of long day with toothsome balls
of brown sugar and -four and sticks OF
| juicy sugar cane. He is pleased and
proud that we should admire and praise
| his Beloved" one, and is ready to tell
US many instances of her prowess in
the field. But the shades of night are
| descending. We must get ready for
dinner repast as we'll cooked and as
| daintly served by the well trained SER
wants as if we were comfortably housed
in environments. instead of encamped
in the heart of an Indian jungle.
After dinner we all three sit outside
in easy chairs under a shamiana IL
great awning upheld by four poles at
the corners; and while Frampton and
| smoke our pipes, we all talk of many
matters, but chiefly of the jungles and
sport. Frampton is going to be busy
| in camp all day tomorrow with Office
work, but he suggests that / go out
after breakfast on Piyari with the
rest of the elephants to beat and shoot
the grass covers to the west of the
camp. There is not likely to be any
big game in that direction, but there
will be heaps of cartridges, and pig
and hog deer and very likely cheetul,
so l ought to get fair sport. Mrs.
Frampton says she will come, too,
and bring her camera and luncheon,
and make regular picnic of it. She
often goes with her husband in his
howdah, and is not at all a nervous
woman, so l am delighted that she
| should accompany me, and the details
| of our excursion are soon settled.
| The head shikari and old Ali Khan
are called up Orders for the morrow
are explained to them, and soon after
we all turn in.
The next morning about 10 o'clock,
after a good breakfast, we make
! start. 1 am on Piyari Mrs. Tramp
ton is with me, in the back seat of the
| howdah. The rest of the elephants
have merely pads on their baks. Old
Ali Kahn is stopping in camp, his son,
Ahmed Kahn boy of fourteen or
| fifteen, taking his place on Piyari's
neck, and acting as mahout for the
day. The old man says he was i'll in
the night, and as we are only going
to shoot small game-black cartridges,
hog deer and pig-he wants to take
a day off. His son is quite as conpe-
tent to manage Piyari as he is. Tramp
ton makes no objection, so all beng
ready, we file out of camp, and he
| waves us "Goodby,' and sits down to
| his work.
About three miles from camp we get
into a likely looking bit of grass, so
| form the elephants into line, four on
| each side of Piyari, and we move
| slowly through it. Partridge and jun
| gle fowl begin to get up, and two or
| three brace are picked UP before we
have gone very far. Then the boy, All
| med Kahn, points with outstretched
| finger where the moving grass shows
| that some animal is passing swiftly
| through it and says softly, "Deko, sl-
| nib, janwar!' C'See, sir! an animal }
l imagine it is a hog deer though l
see no horns. 1 put down my gun
and take up my rifle, and just for a
| second catching glimpse of some
| thing yellowlsh barely forty yards
/ away, l pitch up the weapon and fire.
| To my amusement, the shot is ans
| wered by loud roar of rage and pain,
| and a huge tiger bounds forward,
| showing himself clearly as he springs
through the grass. give him the sec
| ond barrel on the instant, but miss
| him in style, and with fierce coughing
i growls he disappears into some heavy
| cover, some distance ahead.
Mrs. Frampton is the first to speak
"Oh, what luck!" she says. Wont
| George be Disguised that he wasn't
| was, indeed" l answer; but we have
not got him yeti" NO but we soon
will have him, she replies. He was
badly hit by that first shot of yours
and we can soon beat him out of that
| grass" That's true, but as soon as
the first excitement has a little sub
| sided, L rehec. that, plucky, Mrs
| Franmpton isl did not know till later
| how plucky--I would rather she was
| not in my howdah while we are beat
| ing up a wounded tiger And then
how about the boy, Ahmed Khan? Is
| he to be trusted? Driving for hares
and cartridges is one thing; beating up
a wounded tiger is another. So we
| hold a council of war. Ahmed Khan is
very indignant that we should suppose
| for a moment that he is not to be
trusted. The other mahouts support
him. They know what a liberal distri-
button of baksheesh will follow the
death of a tiger. Mrs Frampton is
! urgent in her implorings that we
| should follow I'M the animal aft once,