Dewey County advocate. [volume] (Timber Lake, S.D.) 1910-1913, 1912-09-20
a CLAN KILL

! slowly past 1t short range. Even IN
old hand at the game feels his pulse
beat quicker ~ the splendid animal
approaches him, a6ording q perfect
picture Of muscular activity and grace
Without making the slightest sound.
even when the ground il thickly GOV.
cred with dry leaves, the tiger seems
to appear suddenly from nowhere. van.
ishing AZ suddenly. and it il astonish.
ing into what small space he can
compress himself. crouching low ON
the ground. 20 ~ even sometimes to
escape notice altogether. Absolute
quiet and immobility are necessary ON
tho part Of the occupant Of the ma
chan. the sltghtest noise or movement
being likely to give the alarm and
start the tiger on 1t full speed either
out Of or back into the beat
Seldom Lee,<s Up
1t may be thought that the spo4tA
man Is taking an unfair advantage and
keeping himself out a danger By
climbing high up into trea, and that
al the risky part II the work il lef'
to the beeters: but this il BY nc
means the case. The CHIEF object Of
his being perched at = height Is that
he may escape notice, = tiger seldom
looking up unless attracted by some
noise or movement. As . matter Of
fact. it would be far more dangerous
to the heaters If the sportsman were
on the ground. ~ on catching sight d
him the tiger would most probably
break hack into the beat and do some
mischief.
A tiger very rarely gives any trouble
or becomes dangerous until wounded
The heaters have strict orders to stop
the beat and climb trees the moment
the frst shot il fred. II this shot ID,
as It should be, effective, then every
thing is over: but should the tiger b
only wounded. then It IL the business
OF the rifles and shikaris to follow
him up and finish him on. ~
wounded tiger cannot be left to him.
self, the chances being that he will
take to man-eating II not strong
enough to kill game or cattle The
main thing for the sportsman to do
is to keep cool, lot the tiger come
within easy range, and not take the
shot until he Is practically certain that
it will be fatal. Should he, however,
as is sometimes the case. be COM
PEELED to take snap shot at a tiger
flashing by, It IL a good rule not to
shoot until the tiger has gone out Of
the beat, past the machan, as then, II
wounded, he will most likely go
straight on and not turn back into the
beat Searching for wounded tiger
on foot is calculated to afford sufficient
excitement even for the most blass
person.
One peculiar part OF the anatomy
OF tiger is the collar bone, which has
dwindled away until all that remains
Is a small thin bone. very similar in
size and shape to half OF the merry
thought of q chicken. It 10 found en-
bedded in the fesh Of the shoulder,
and requires some looking for. 1t IL
curious fact that. although several
hundred tigers must be shot yearly.
the number does not seem appreciably
to decrease. When = tiger has been
shot, another almost invariably takes
his place within a few weeks, follow.
ing the same runs. The villagers get
to know the tigers in their neighbor
hood quite Intimately, and do not OBJ
ject to their presence SO long as they
do not exact too heavy toll in the
way of cattle, and always. Of course,
provided that they are not man-eaters.
In the latter case the tiger IL pro
scribed outlaw with a large price on
his head, and every mans hand II
against him. The district infested by
him knows no peace or security until
he is accounted for, before which time
he will probably have caused long
death roll, the unfortunate victims in
some instances numbering well over
hundred. Needless to say. the de
struction of such a monster Is a sourcs
Of great satisfaction to AL concerned