The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-08-04
TTGER-BATTTNG AFooT.
Dangerous Sport of Japaneae Spear
 nnen at Annual Festival. Wide World Magazine.

Dangerous Sport of Japaneae Spear
 men nt Annual Festival.
 Wide World Magazine.
 Tleer-baiting as practlced by the Javanese would seem to be the most daring of all sports. It thrills the blood of European spectators and sometimes makes them wish they could look on from a balloon. The tiger is the most ferocious of the eat fam lily, and the hunting of him in India Is not conducted without an elaborate outlt of elephants, shikaris and rifles, yet the natives of Java let him loose in a public square and worry him to death with their spears. The batting Is an annual festival called ''rampok." It takes place in the palace inclosure of the native Sultans. The inclosure is a mile square and has walls four- teen feet high and about as thick, but the batting is held in a long, open space called the 'aloun-aloun." bor- dered by stately warlngins. or sacred trees. of the island. A grand stand occupied by tht Sultan, his family and foreign guests faces the center of the square. where eight or ten cages. each containing a tiger. are placed.
 Thousands of spearmen, armed with Gharp-pointed lances, march up and surround the square. Behind the spearmen are native spectators It Is a thrilling moment when the Sultan gives a signal for the sport to begin. Two unarmed men approach one of the cages, pull up the trap door and take to their heels. They have a job of doubtful honor. The jungle monster Is, perhaps, in an ugly mood and in- elined to take revenge on the first human being at hand
 One bound, and he could overtake the feetlng men. Yet. 1t is more like f4s ha twJ Ia gaE kx1 long captivity. and that he, dazed by 80 much publicity, refuses to budge from his cage. Tn that ease a pistol Is fired near him, and the startled beast emits a roar as he leaps from his iron prison. A cry arises from the spectators. and the spearmen stiffen their lances as he dashes straight toward them. He sees too many lancss in front. He stops suddenly and thinks 1t over. Then he walks sulkiiy around the square his 1.-the body in partly crouching position. his tail moving slowly from side to side. his ears back and his yellow eyes shine with ugly alertness. He gives a hideous snarl. showing his white teeth, as a handful of pebbles are flung at him.
 The little brown natives revje the forest ruler and taunt him. They tell him he Is not In the jungle now, and will get his deserts for killing cattle and eating little children. They en- treat him to give a sample of his re- puted ferocity. Finally a spearman reaches forward and gently bricks him in the flank. Like a flash the mad dened tiger leaps high in the air and attempts to pass the serried wall. but he is caught on the points of several lanoes. ana falls back into the square amid the shouts of the spectators. He snaris with pain and rage, rolls around In 6 whirlwind of black and yellow stripes, springs across the inclosure and makes another try to escape. Again the lanees catch him, and the blood flows from many wounds. He is insane with rage and dashe about attacking all sides of the living bar. rier. It is rarely that he succeeds In overlapping the spearmen,- as a tiger did once, and landed on. the heads of rearward spectaterb. who shrieked in terror and fell over one another while the savage beast made for the open gate and regalned his liberty in the tropical forest. Generally the wounded animal falls from. exhaustion. and the spearmen make an end of him, The batting goes on until all the tigers are killed. The Sultan pays high prices for the animals captured for the "ranlpok" z"