The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1911-11-15

tnc OrutG was merely marking tlInc
until he WAS near enough to Its lair
ton set him sprinting. hut he 0 fell
back to his usual pace. being pain
fully conscious that Ii he were com.
PEELED to slackcn to Il walk he might
encourage his pursucr to immediate
attack. So. praying fervcntly that
nc might encounter another wayfar-
CT or a traveller by cart, whose pres
ence might serve to. turn back the
tiger. he continued to jog along, Jingle
tangling his BELLS
And all tho time the tiger followed.
keeping pace with him. AS mile aft
or mile went slowly by without pro-
ducing any alteration for the worse
In his situation. Tulsin Ram began
to lose fear OF attack, though his
nerves were sorely' tried.
Presently the forest hogan to thin.
to be gradually replaced by a belt OF
undulattng scrub, wherein were scat
tered huge powders. by this time tho
mental strain was beginning to ma
terially affect tho. runners endurance.
Judge then. of his elation. when. flag.
ged. he resolved to risk breaking into
a walk. and halted upon Il 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 Il collapse. He ground
he dropped utterly exhausted in his
tracks. He lay there by the roadside
in the shadow of r. bush t which he
dragged himself completely indiffer-
ent as to his position, until with re-
turning energy came a dread Of de-
lay when he resumed the journey to
Thakore.
\ local marwarri acted as postmast-
er for the people of Thakore. Before
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 n far off juggling
of post bells betoken his approach.
HI is early today" was the banal
remark of many. ut must be somo
special communication hazarded one.
And the marwarri's curiosity brought
him waddling into the street to gather
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 de-
grees gave his story to the excited
crowd. Some believed him and were
astonished; others pooh-poohed it and
the marwarri laughed ponderously.
Do YOU think I am a child?" he
said derisively. ITO think that a til
ger was content to follow without at
tack for such a distance!"
1T Is true, maharaj," protested Tul.
81 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 WITH
cisms Tulsi Ram had to suffer when
he prepared, later. to set out for
Kerail.
Mind that his lordship is not watt
ing to escort o back" shouted some
one after him.. This last suggestion
haunted Tulsi Ram.
Suppose that the brute is there
when I RETURN" he said tt himself.
Can l hope to escape with my life
again?" There was, also, his young
wife to consider. )
He had resolved to return and tell
the postmaster that he would not run
alone to kerall that day, and was
actually 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 privately believe what Others
would assuredly say-that he had con-
jured up a phantom, and, childlike,
had them grown afraid Of it. Be-
sides, the memory of the jeers he had
already suffered ranked within him.
Moreover. II he found no m willing
to accompany him. and the post was
not carried that day, would not his
credit with the government be preju-
diced? His dismissal might very cas-
lily ensue, and times were hard. So
he turned again up the trail to Kcr.
all.
1t will be remembered that the
tiger had. upon the edge Of the forest,
turned on the path and sought a
shaded knoll on the right which was
In full view from the path. As he
arrived in the vicinity Tulsi Ram
scanned the knoll for signs Of the
brute. recklessly jogging on. with a
jingling Of his bells. And his sensa-
ton may be easier imagined than de-
scribed when he saw the tiger re-
clinfng in the shade, watching the
path to kerail.
AS the man came into line the
brute rose lazily to it's feet, stretched
itself with a hideous yawn, and skunk
down toward the path. Poor Tulsi
Ram prepared for death.
But he would die fighting. he swore,
and gripped his spear. Yet he con-
tinued to run. tor an inarticulte
pCPS wac Has lldl Ilc Tiger nllRnt
be content merely to follow him, as
before.
At every step nc expected to run
into II tiger-evcry bush, to his ex-
cited fancy. held the brute. With
each successive disappointment the
mental strain grew more acute, and
more than once he almost stopped
determined to challenge the issue.
In the course Of time Tulsi Ran
grew SO used to being accompanied
by the tiger that he became convince
elary spirit, n he felt uneasy when
the exigencies OF it's existence caused
Its absence on hunting excursions, and
left him to run alone through the
forest.
On n such occasion he had barely
forded the stream than a vicious
grunt above him. on the bank, sp-
prised him Of a danger he had bare
~ time to avoid by leaping aside.
A boar. unable to arrest its trucu-
lent charge, splashed into the stream.
Before 1t was out Tulsi Ram. holding
his bells that they might not jingle,
was fleeing up the path. trusting to
make some eas tree I'm time. The
boar was after him, though, giving
him no opportunity.
The runner, in q fleeing glance, be-
held It almost upo nhim. He swerved
sharply and 1t ratified. past, grunting.
In q flash It a turned and the mar
again avoided its deadly rush.. But
how long could he maintain the game,
especially after h seven-mile run? At
the next charge, therefore. he stood
nrm till the boar almost had him, then
stabbed and just escaped the fatal
collision.
Quicker still-the pain infaming it's
rage-the boar wheeled to charge
again. As he turned the 1.-THE, strip
ed form OF the tiger-Tulsi Rams