South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1913-10-25
CHAPTER ".

CHAPTER "
The next two days searching OF the
forest for fresh tiger signs revealed
very little. on the third morning
after the encounter with the peccaries
remained in camp, while John
Charley, who had been off since day
light. returned about % o'clock and
reported that one of the much-desired
American tigers had just killed a
wild hog. only eating q small portion
OF it. As the kill" had been care
fully covered, we felt sure this signi-
fed the intention of the slayer's re-
turn. All the rest OF the men had
gone up the stream in the large boat,
on a sort Of holiday and fishing trip.
They had also taken along the dogs,
leaving me quite alone and undisturO-
cd in camp, where / was penning this
very narrative. The news of the
jaguar banished all further thought
OF writing that day. and with John
Charley in the little wOod-skin craft,
] slid rapidly down stream for a
couple of miles. Thinking possibly
the big cat. through his varying and
uncertain habits. might at this very
moment be making a second meal
from the kill" we made a wide cir
cult. so as TO come nOiselessIy up
reaching him After an hour of pick
ing our way through the thick tangle
of growth, exercising the utmost care
TO avoid the slightest noise. we near
ed the spot and looked tentatively
through the mass Of foliage. There
was neither sound nor movement-it
was the silence Of sleep, one would
say death, for it was high noon and
the sun, shimmering undimmed, drove
"a Wi q
shade. where the sun could not stab.
Almost inch by inch we worked
our way on, but il was soon apparent
that nothing had returned 10 the
kill" There was a low branching
tree within a few yards of the kill
while all around the jungle grew
thick excepting for a long opening
caused by the fall Of a giant Mora
that lay uprooted, where it had
cleaved a right through the jungle
for $50 feet, and lay there stark and
naked. In the low tree near the
kill we built a platform of interlaced
branches. These are not built for the
purpose of safety, for our tiger climbs
with wonderful agility-not to lessen
the chances of detection by scent.
Here we took up our silent vigil.
An hour dropped by and we had seen
and heard nothing but the continual
singing of the hOrdes of mosquitoes
that were biting with such a venge-
ance that / could scarcely maintain
a reasonable degree Of composure.
Finally. rather than TO be literally
eaten alive by these pests, 1 decided
to send John Charley back for the
dogs 1t was more than likely that
the tiger was lying up" close by. and
[ believed with the pack we could
bring him to bay and have the thing
over in short order. The faint sound
Of John Charley's fleeting footballs
soon died away. Then again settled
the solemn hush of the great forest
around. The shrilling Of the insects
continued, and since there was no
other sound to be heard-it was hard
to tell what made me feel that I was
not alone-unless ii was that I was
served with that sixth sense that
comes TO us at times. For there,
where nothing had shown a moment
before. appeared a vision of spotted
black and gold gazing inquirinCly
down the deserted vista from the
very end of the nude Mora log.
He came on slowly for a step or
two. then stopped short in the middle
Of a pace. seemingly TO listen, rs IL
something had arrested his attention.
Not a breath stirred, the silence was
complete: even the mcrciless mos
ouitoes seemed to pause in their muir
murings.
While his majesty was thus Occu-
pied he deliberately stared mp into
my tree with two unspeakably sinis-
ter. evil eyes-no, not eyes-twO bits
Of cold steel that penetrated through
to ones very backbone.
Slowly he sank down 70 q crouch:
suddenly his ears were gone fatten-
ed; then, wrinkling his fastidious nos