The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1910-04-15
TIGER AT HIS BATH.

NI 10 gwen by one who had wide
experience in hunting this most dan
gerous OF beasts. Mounted upon ele-
phants, the writer and his compan-
IONS had been beating the jungle
without making a find until as they
were about to give up the search,
sudden disturbance among the ele-
phants appeared to betoken a tiger
near at hand. Giving directions to
the others as to the order of march
ing their elephants, the writer or
dered his mahout to turn into the
thick feathery foliage to the left in
search of a pool of water which he
remembered to be there.
There was a slight descent to a
long but narrow hollow about fifty
or sixty yards wide. This was filled
with clear water for an unknown
length.
I was just about to make remark
when instead of speaking 1 gently
grasped the mahout by the head as
l leaned over the howdah, and by
this signal stopped the elephant.
There was a remarkable sight.
About 100 yards distant on my left
the head and neck of large tiger,
clean and beautiful, reposed above
the surface of the water while the
body was cooling, concealed from
view. Here was our friend enjoying
his quiet bath, while we had been
pounding away up and down the jun
giles which he had left.
Fire at him." whispered the ma
bout, cor You will lose him. He will
see us and be off,
Hold your tongue!" I answered.
HE can't see us, for the sun is at our
back and is shining il his eyes. See
how green they are
At this moment the tiger quickly
rose from his bath, and sat up on
end, like dog. never saw such
sight. His head was beautiful and
the eyes shone like two green cleo
trio lights as the suns rays reflected
from them, but his huge body was
Tripping Will Huuuy WutSl, dS HS
had been reclining upon the alluvial
bottom.
For quite minute the tiger sat up
In the same position. At last, as il
satisfied that he was in safety and
seclusion, he once more lay down
with only the head and neck exposed
above the surface.
"Back the elephant gently, but do
not turn round" whispered. Imme-
diately the elephant backed through
the feathery tamarisk without the
slightest sound, and we found our
selves outside the jungle. We could
breathe freely.
Go on now quite gently till I
press your head; then turn to the
right, descending through the tama-
risk until 1 again touch your turban. p"
l counted the elephants PAGES as
she moved softly parallel with the
jungle until 1 felt sure of my dis
lance. A slight pressure upon the
mahout's head and the elephant
turned to the right. The waving
plumes of the dark green tamarisk
divided as we gently moved forward,
and in another moment we stopped.
There was the tiger in the same po-
sition, exactly facing me, but now
about seventy-five PAGES distant.
Keep the elephant quite steady"
l whispered, and sitting down upon
the howdah seat, took rest with
the rifle upon the front bar of the
gunrack A piece of tamarisk kept
waving in the wind just in front of
the rife, beyond my reach. The ma
bout leaned forward and gently bent
it down. Now all was clear. The
tigers eyes were like green glass.
The elephant for moment stood like
stone. touched the trigger.
There was no response to the loud
report of six drains of powder from
the five, seven, seven" rifle, no
splash in the unbroken surface of the
water. The tigers head was still
there, but in different attitude, one
half below the surface and only one
cheek and large eye still glittering
like an emerald above.
Upon examination it proved that
there was no hole whatever in that
tiger. The bullet having entered the
nostril, broken the neck and run along
the body, the animal consequently
had never moved.
The tiger when laid out straight,
but without being pulled to increase
its length, measured exactly nine feet
and eight inches from nose to tail