The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1907-02-28

or was most anxious to sit up with me.
but as L knew that funk always
attacks a native when he sees a tiger,
l declined the pleasure of his COM
pany.
Told Mahout to Return.
Before my elephant left l instructed
the mahout to return to the spot on
the road where we turned into the
jungle, and not to come to me until
he heard two blank cartridges fired
in quick succession. All was as still
as the grave. and as it was the heat
of the day, I knew that Stripes would
be laying up in some cool lair in
deep shade, near water, of which there
was neither within a mile at least,
and that he would not return to his
Kill till shutdown. l lit my pipe, which
In other circumstances would have
been inadmissible, and for several
hours l sat without sound to vary
the monotOny
The moon had hardly shown herself
clear of the treetOps when the sharp
bark of a cheetul stag resOunded in
my rear, and a moment later a herd
of the spotted beauties dashed away
in front of me, shying at the dead
body in their headlong flight. The
sound of their rush had barely ceased
when heard at a distance, in the same
direction, the unmistakable purring of
/ tiger There came a little later, and
! once only terrific roar, and this in
| the solitude of dense jungle, where
the silence of the grave prevails, is of
/ indescribable effect. Even the tree
+, frogs ceased their monotonous hum
ming. In a few minutes a stealthy
tread greeted my ears, and the purr-
/ ing was incessent-he was coming up
right behind me.
! Cooked Both Hammers.
l got my gun in position, covering the
kill. cooked both hammers, and waited
! mOtlOnleSs until he showed himself
! near his greWsOme banquet. On and on
he came, so close that l could smell his
! fetid breath. He was now within II
feet of me, and Immediately under my
'machan.' Here he paused for sew
eral minutes, evidently feeling that all
was not right. At last hunger over
came suspicion, and he walked in a
! leiSurely way up to the body, looked
about him for a bit, then lay down by
| the side of the kill and began to eat,
The moons ray fell brightly on his
! sleek skin. so. picking out the spot
! just behind the shoulder. pressed the
trigger and the heard the welcome thud
of the shell.
! Almost at the instant there followed
the still more musical roar of the brute
| in his death th:oes. Then all was still,
but to make sure l gave him the left
barrel. | then fired two blank cart
ridges in quick succession-the signal
to my mahOut to bring up the elephant.
On his arrival, with about so viii
! layers, one would have thought them
all mad for directly they saw the dead
man eater their yelling and shouting
was deafening, and the abuse they
ShOwered on The tigers female rela-
tives was disgusting. l got down from
my perch, stiff and tired for it was
now nearly 10 p. m, and l had been
in the ''machan' for more than IL
hours.
The tiger was a beauty, full grown,
with finely marked and we'll furred
skin. He measured nine feet ten and
| one-half inches, and was very heavy,
Ills loi eti lhS oelHS peculiarly indSSlNe.
Both my shells had entered just behind
the shoulder, an inch apart, had ex-
ploded and torn the heart, liver and
i lungs to shreds, but had not injured
the skin a bit. His death must have
been instantaneous. l had the carcass
put on the elephant behind the houdah,
and started for my bungalow, which
reached at midnight, had supper, a
whiskey and soda and a pipe, and
turned in, feeling that l had done a
good days work.