Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1909-09-24
THE PHANTOM TIGER.
Memphis Commercial Apes

primeval forest-things for which one
lis utterly unable to account. Hunters
who wander in the wild places of the
earth, penetrating deep into remote
iungles far from the haunts of man,
sometimes meet with strange adventures.
One sportsman may hunt and shoot wild
beasts for many years, and be but little
wiser as to their ways and habits at
the end; while others, who possess some
of the instincts of primitive man, whose
community with Nature is of the clos
est, quickly learns all their ways ard
penetrates deeply into the mysteries OF
| Nature
Some years ago my camp was pitched
under spreading banyan tree on the
bank of the river Pein Ganga, in the
northern part of the state of Hyderabad.
| 1t was the height of the hot weather,
and the stream contained but little
water, the wild animals resorting to the
larger pools and reaches in the early
morning and at the setting of the sun
to quench their thirst. Hither floeked
herds of spotted deer and smaller COM
panions of nilgai, and one day | startled
a cow bison with couple of calves,
which had been down to drink soon after
| daybreak. Following their natural prey,
The great predaceous beasts also resorted
to the water course, where they nightly
prowled or lay in wait for their victims.
In the tall trees overhead these scaven-
gers of the forest, the vultures, built
their nests, and by watching them one
could sometimes find the place where
the midnight marauder had been at
work. Over the remains of the victim
they would soar, at first far up, mere
specks in the azure sky, and, gradually
descending, would alight ON the adjacent
trees or ON the carcass of the prey
should the tiger not be near to drive the
intruders from the feast.
Here, close to the river bank. | killed
one tiger which had eaten Que of my
buffaloes. Being TOO far from camp to
carry the great carcass in, the tiger was
skinned on the spot, and the vultures
soon picked his bones of every vestige
of flesh. Next night another tiger killed
a buffalo at the same spot, hut hf; his
prey untouched, and when on the follow
ing night a tigress with two cubs passed
close to third buffalo--even went to
look at it, as could be seen from the
Itraeks-but did not modest the patient
4
thing uncanny about the place Perhaps
all these tigers were frightened by the
whitening bones of their deceased rela-
tive, or perhaps his spirit, haunting that
dismal solitude, warned them of the
proximity of danger At any rate, they
left the place hastily and fled into the
might.
Wandering far from camp | came one
1 40 Il arly Of -,
the Jungle and under the shadow of a
giant tree. No living thing was there,
but il the mud on the margin Of the pool
was the impress of the paws of a great
tiger. Other animals had Been there also.
for there was no water but this for miles
around. On the soft margin of the pool
could be read the comings and goings of
lall the beasts of the forest--the deer,
bears, four horned antelope. and the
marks of many birds, peafowl. Jungle
fowl and quail A porcupine had dropped
a quill upon the bank, but over the other
tracks and evidently more recent than
an was the great sign-manual of the
tiger
1t was a difficult and. in fact. almost
impossible locality to organize a heat IN.
nor were heaters to be obtained near this
Iremote spot. which was ten miles or
more from the nearest human halita-
ton. Moreover, the local inhabitants
would not so near the place, for they
said it was haunted So the onlg way
OF bringing to bag the great tiger whose
tracks l had seen was to lie in wait for
1t. The branches of the tree which over.
Swallowed the pool afforded a good plaee
of coneealment, whence the watcher
could obtain a clear view of the animal
should he return to slal1e his thirst
l took up my place Of concealment
among the branches of the great free
late in the afternoon, when the sun nd
already reached the tops of the tall trees
in the west; and as nights phantom
army, the shadows of the forest adj
vanced across the face of the water. the
animals began to issue from their re.
treat in the surrounding thickets The
little barking deer and four horned ante
lope came down with dainty footstep 10
the waters edge and dipped their soft