St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1905-04-29

self to be led into tne TlOtOuS dSSel
Ephesus, but must rather go to the
may for a time be alone with her
of tenderness.
mousetrap wherein hangs bait to
tempt the mouse to enter. No sooner
does the mouse's weight press on the
floor of the trap, than the door springs
Slut, leaving him prisoner.
The tiger trap was huge wooden
cage, built along this same line. The
bait was to be goat, hung up in the
cages center, by the hind leg. The
sound of it's blating was expected to
draw the Striped Death to the spot.
The cage had been strapped together
in haste and I doubted its strength.
Ghunga, however. who had built it, as
sured me that it was strong enough to
hold any tiger We went to inspect it
at dusk, and to wait near for the
sound that should tell us the door had
fallen shut with the Striped Death"
safe in the cage.
We had set up the trap in small
clearing in the jungle. l still doubted
its strength, so Ghunga latter fasten-
ing the door open) stepped inside and
set to work rendering the willowy bars
more firm in their sockets.
The day was fearfully hot. The cage
stood in the very middle of the tiny
clearing. l withdrew to several rods
distant and sat down in the dense
shade of the jungle boughs where I
could watch the work with less fear Of
sunstroke Remachunda strolled over
and threw himself at my feet. We sat
idly watching the younger, more active
of the two shikarris at work, and
thanked fate that my place was in the
shade instead Of the blazing sunlight.
Then, like thunderclap out of the
clear sky, came the tragedy. A CLEAN
Of tawny fur shot from the impenetra-
Bile shadows at the side of the jungle
farthest from US. Before either Rema
chunda or myself could spring to our
feet the Striped Death" had reached
the door of the cage, rushed fearlessly
through the propped-open door and fall
len upon Ghunga Dhass.
The doomed man had looked up only
in time to see the monster enter the
cage. His rifle (the only one we had
brought along that day. lay just out
side the trap. 1t might as well have
been a thousand miles away, for all
the use it was to any of us three at
that awful crisis, when events travelled
by fractions of a second.
Ghunga, hero that he was, hurled
the heavy hammer he was using
straight at the hideous, wrinkled face
of the creature The hammer must
have weighed several pounds. It was
hurled by powerful man, to whom
despair had lent an added strength. 1t
struck the tiger about midway between
the eyes. Such blow would have
stunned an OK or killed a man. The
Striped Death" needed it no more
than if it had been pebble tossed at
him by child.
The next instant his great paw
struck. And Ghunga Dhass' skull
crashed in like smashed eggshell.
All this had not taken more than one
second. The tiger sank his teeth in
the dead mans shoulder and lifted him
from the ground, turning to leave the
trap as he did so.
Remachunda rushed forward toward
the rifle, yelling as he came. l drew
my revolver and fired point blank once,
twice, thrice at the tiger. At that range
there was no such thing as missing.
But unfortunately, with light caliber
pistol there was no such thing as kill
ing. Yet our combined attack had it's
effect. With growl, the brute dropped
Ghunga Dhass, and at one spring was
back in the jungle.
Remachunda, unmindful of my for
mer orders not to kill. ran into the
jungle after the slayer, rifle in hand.
An hour later he returned, baff1ed.
The village wept over the dead man.
All except his wife. She was beauti-
full native woman, and had adored her
hunter husband. Yet she sat dry-eyed,
clasping to her breast their three
months-old baby.
cit will be time to weep when his
slayer is captured" she said in reply
to query from Remachunda.
Listen, sahib," she added, turning
to me, "the Striped Death must be
caught, not slain. That would release
the spirit within him. Let him be made
captive and grinned at by the curious
in a cage That will break his heart
and shame his spirit. That is more
than death to such as he. Now it is
my right as next of kin to catch him
Do you know why he will not consent
to enter your traps? 1t is because they
are baited with beasts, and he Graves
human flesh. 1t is not that he fears a
trap He entered when my husband
was the bait. But he care not for
beasts. Let the trap be baited with
human flesh"
And then she unfolded her plan. The
trap was to be further strengthened,
then partition was to be fastened
midway across it. On the side nearest
the open door lamb was to be hung.
On the opposite side she, the widow,
was to sit with her child in her arms.
The tiger, entering the trap to seize
the human bait. would be caught by
Tho cprfnpipp IF tho dnnr