New-York tribune., 1908-07-12
TIGER BATTING AFOOT
Dangerous Sport of JaUanese-
Spedrnen at annual FestiUaI.

Tiger batting practised 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 bal
loon. The tiger is the most ferocious of the cat
family and the hunting Of him in India is not con-
Quoted without elaborate outfit of elephants
shkaris and rifles, yet the natives of Java let him
loose in a public square and worry him death
with their spears The batting is annual festi-
val called 'rampok." 1t takes place In the palace
inclosure of the native Sultans. The incosure is
e mile square and has walls fourteen feet high
and about thick, but the batting is held in a
long. open space called the "aloun-aoun' bordered
by stately waringins sa cred trees, of the island
A grandstand occupied by the Sultan his family
and foreign guests faces the centre of the square,
where eight or ten cages each containing tiger,
are placed.
Thousands of spearmen, armed with sharp point
ed lances, march up and surround the square, says
Pauline Aganoor In the Wide World magazine
Behind the spearmen are native spectators 1t is
thrilling moment when the Sultan gives a signal
for the sport to begin. Two unarmed men ap-
proach one of the cages pull up the trapdoor and
take to their heels. They have a job OF doubtful
honor The jungle monster is, perhaps in an ugly
mood and inclined to take revenge on the first
human being at hand One bound. and he could
overtake the fleeing Yet it Is more likely
that the tigers spirit is cowed by long captivity
and that he, daZed by much publicity refuses to
bulge from his cage In that pistol is fired
near him, and the startled beast emits a roar as
he leaps from his iron prison cry arises from
the spectators and the spearmen sffen their ances
as he dashes straight toward them. He sees too
many lances in front He stops suddenly and
thinks it over. Then he walks suIky around the
square, his 1.-THE body in a partly crouching posi-
tion his tail moving slowly from side TO side his
ears back and his yellow eyes ashine with ugly
alertness. He gives hideous snarl.N showing his
powerful white teeth, handful of pebbles are
flung at him.
The little brown natives reviIe the forest ruler
and taunt him. They tell him he is not in the
jungle now, and viii get his deserts for killing
cattle and eating little children They entreat him
10 give sample of his reputed ferocity. Finally
a spearman reaches forward and gently pricks him
in the flank Like flash the maddened tiger leaps
high in the air and attempts to pass the serried
wall but he is caught the points OF several
lances, and falls back into the square amid the
shouts of the spectators He snarls with pain and
rage, rolls around in whirWind of black and yell
low stripes springs the inclosure and makes
another try to escape Again the lances catch him
and the blood flows from many wounds He is in
with rage. and dashes about attacking all
sides of the living barrier IT is rarely that he
succeeds in overlapping the spearmen, as tiger
did once. and landed the heads Of rearward
spectators. who shrieked in terror and fell over
another, while the savage beast made for the
open gate and regained his liberty in the tropical
forest Generally the wounded animal falls from
exhaustion, and the spearmen make an end of him.
The batting goes until all the tigers are killed
The Sultan pays high prices for the animals capt
ured for the 'rampok"