Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1911-07-04

the pebbly shore, and, loudly jangling
his bells, entered the forest.
The runner, at a smart jogtrot, had
gone about 200 yards from the stream
when a slowly forming suspicion that
he was being followed crystallized into
conviction. He threw a glance over
his shoulder and came almost to a
stop.
Not thirty PAGES behind him a large
tiger followed, easily keeping pace with
him
Automatically the terrified Tulsi
Ram continued to run, and for a space
his brain refused to plan coherently.
BY the time the man recovered from
the shock occasioned by his discovery
he had travelled some distance. He
straightway threw another fieeting
glance backward to see whether the
tiger still followed, and, if so, whether
it had diminished the distance which
had originally separated them. To his
immense relief, he perceived that, as
we'll as he could gauge, the space had
not materially altered. But then there
came an assailing fear that the brute
was merely marking time" until he
was near enough to it's lair to suit its
convenience. The bare notion set him
sprinting, but he soon fell back to his
usual pace, being painfully conscious
that If he were compelled to slacken
to walk he might encourage his pur-
suer to immediate attack. So, praying
fervently that he might encounter an
other warfarer or traveller by cart,
whose presence might serve to turn
back the tiger, he continued to jog
along, jingle e-jangling his bells.
And all the time the tiger followed,
keeping pace with him. AS mile af-
ter mile went slowly by without pro-
ducing any alteration for the worse in
his situation, Tulsi Ram began to
lose his fear Of attack, though his
nerves were sorely tried.
Presently the forest began to thin,
to be gradually replaced by belt of
undulating scrub, wherein were scat
tered huge powders. BY this time the
mental strain was beginning to mater
tally affect the runners endurance.
Judge, then, of his elation. when, fag-
ged, he resolved to risk breaking into a
walk, and halted upon a rise in the
path to take breath, a backward look
showed him the tiger about to leave
the path in the direction of some deep
shade on the right. His relief very
nearly caused a collapse. He ground
his teeth, however, and walked on till
he dropped utterly exhausted in his
tracks. He lay there by the roadside,
in the shadow of a bush to which he
had dragged himself, completely indif-
ferent as to his position, until with
returning energy came a dread of de-
lay, when he resumed the journey to
Thakore.
A local marwarri acted as postmas-
ter for the people Of Thakore. Before
his store gathered those who expected
communications from the outer world
together with the idlers and gossips
This would be about noon, when the
runner was due to arrive. But it lack
ed nearly half an hour to the usual
time when at last a far-off jingling OF
post-bells betokened his approach.
He is early today" was the banal
remark of many. 1T must be some
special communication" hazarded one
And the marwarri's curiosity brought
him waddling into the street, to gath
er the sooner some notion of the reason
for such earliness on the runners part
II was followed by a tiger!" painted
out Tulsi Ram in reply, and by degrees
gave his story to the excited crowd
Some believed him, and were aston
ished; others pooh-poohed it, and the
marwarri laughed ponderously.
DO you think I am a child?" he
said, derisively. ITO think that tiger
was content to follow without attack
for such a distance!"
1T is true, maharaj," protested Tuls
Ram.
"Tut-tut, man! The sun has caused
you to see a phantom. Take some
medicine before you fall ill.,"
The news spread quickly through the
village, and many were the witticisms
Tulsi Ram had to suffer when he pre-
pared, later, to set out for Kerail.
Mind that his lordship is not waiting
to escort you back" shouted some one
after him. This last suggestion haunt
ed Tulsi Ram.
Suppose that the brute is there
when l return" he said to himself
Can l hope to escape with my life
again?" There was, also, his young
wife to consider.
He had resolved to return and tel
the postmaster that he would not rur
alone to Kerail that day, and was ac-
tually retracing his steps, when re-
| Election showed him how such an ac-
| tion would cause him to fall in the
general esteem Of all; even his wife
might privily believe what others
"OulO loSul SulN dS-lildN iS lleiu NOli-
jured up a phantom, and, childlike, haG
then grown afraid of it. Besides, the
memory of the jeers he had already
suffered ranked within him. More.
over, if he found no one willing to ac.
company him, and the post was not
carried that day, would not his credit
with the government be prejudiced
His dismissal might very easily ensue
and times were hard. So he turned
again up the trail to Kerail.
1t will be remembered that the tiger
had, upon the edge of the forest, turn.
ed off the path and sought a shaded
knoll on the right, which was in full
view from the path. AS he arrived il
the vicinity Tulsi Ram scanned th'
knoll for signs of the brute, recklessly
| jogging on, with jinglng of his bells
And his sensations may be easier i'm.
agined than described when he saw the
tiger reclining in the shadc watching
the path to Kerail.
AS tho man came into line th,l brutt