Heppner gazette. [volume] (Heppner, Morrow County, Or.) 1892-1912, 1910-03-17
BAGGING A BIG TIGER
The Jungle Monarch Was Trap
ped LolIing In His Bath.
A FEAT OF MARKSMANsHIP.

Only The Brute's Head Showed Above
the Water. and the We'll Placed Bull
let, Fired From an Elephant, Entered
the NostriI and Broke His Meek.
An interesting account of a tiger
hunt is given by one who had wide
experience in hunting this most dan
gerous of beasts. Mounted upon ele-
plants, the writer and his companions
had been beating the jungle without
making find until. as they were
about to give up the search. sudden
disturbance among the elephants ap-
peared to betoken a tiger near at
hand. Giving directions to the Others
as to the order Of marching their ele-
plants, the writer ordered his ma
hout to turn into the thick feathered
foliage to the left in search of a pool
of water which he remembered to be
there
There was a slight descent to q long
but narrow hollow about fifty or sixty
yards wide. This was filed with clear
water for an unknown length.
l was just about to make remark
when, instead of speaking, gently
grasped the mahout by the head as
leaned over the howdah and by this
signal stopped the elephant.
There was remarkable sight.
About 100 yards distant on my right
the head and neck Of a 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 pound
ing away up and down the jungles
which he had left.
Fire at him." whispered the ma
hout, "or you will lose him! He will
see us and be off,"
Hold your tonguew 1 answered
"He can't see us, for the sun is at our
back and is shining in his eyes. See
how green they are"
At this moment the tiger quietly rose
from his bath and sat up on end like
dog. never saw such a sight. His
head was beautiful, and the eyes
shone like two green electric lights as
the suns rays reflected from them,
but his huge body was dripping with
muddy water, as he had been reclin-
ing upon the alluvial bottom.
For quite minute the tiger sat up
in the same position. At last. as if
satisfied that he was in safety and Sc
clusion, he once more lay down with
only the head and neck exposed above
the surface.
Back the elephant gently, but do
not turn aroupd," l whispered. I'M
mediately 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 press
your head. then turn to the right de-
scending through the tamarisk till
again touch your turban."
1 counted the elephants PAGES as she
moved softly parallel with the jungle
until felt sure Of my distance.
slight pressure upon the mahouts
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 mo-
ment we stopped. There was the tiger
in the same position. 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 a rest with the
rife upon the front bar Of the gun
rack A piece of tamarisk kept wav-
ing in the wind just in front of the
rife beyond my reach. The mahOut
leaned forward and gently bent it
down Now all was clear. The tigers
eyes were like green glass. The ele-
phant for a moment stood like stone.
touched the trigger.
There was no response to the loud re-
port OF six drains Of powder from the
''f1ve-seven-seven" rife, no splash In
the unbroken surface of the water.
The tigers head was still there, but
in a different attitude, one-half below
the surface and only one cheek and
one 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.
Thio tfOar whom laid ont STRAIGHT hut
without being pulled to increase its
length, measured exactly nine feet
and eight inches from nose to tall
Youths Companion.