The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-11-14
Edited by MARY MARSHALL
A Tiger s,Plaything
BY JOHN p. sTURGIs.

was then and is now what Is called a
good tiger country. and tiger hunting
was one Of the sports INDUCED in.
sportsman. and when his son Gordon. l6
years old. came home from Bombay.
where he had been at school for three
years. the officers wondered IL he had
the same nature as his father. II they
had any doubts they were soon put at
rest. The very first time tiger-hunting
party was made up Gordon Joined 1t.
and that by the ready consent OF his
father. The boy had practiced at target
shooting until he was an excellent shot
When his mother objected to his going
out after such dangerous prey the father
said
The Lao Is to become a soldier when
| old enough t. enter the army. and il is
well to try his nerve now. boy who
can face tiger Is sure TO wear a col
an eye on him. and so will others. and IL
he runs into danger We will be at hand
to brace him up and help him out"
Most tiger hunting in India is done with
elephants. and they are shot by hunters
seated in the howdahs on the backs of
the big creatures. This is the safest way.
though not altogether safe. A hunted
tiger will spring on TO the elephants back
now and then. and when he does some
one is sure to get bitten and clawed. The
elephant may run under 4 tree with low
branches and sweep hunters and tiger or
together. In this instance nothing Of the
kind happened. There was no elephant.
1t was tiger hunt on foot. Word had
come to the garrison that a man-eating
tiger had taken up his abode in a dry
nullah or ravine about five miles away
and had already carried away and de-
voured child and an old woman from
the village of Amritsar. He was a big
tiger and very bold. lie had entered the
village at shutdown and seized the old
woman as she was cooking supper at a
lire. There were more than 100 people
around. and although they shouted and a
few fired bullets at the man-eater. he
would not drop his victim.
When man-eating tiger appears in
any Indian village the natives always
notify the nearest soldiers. and there is
sure to be a grand hunt Sometimes the
tiger is killed. and sometimes he is
frightened away. 1t was in the hunt
after this tiger that Gordon Prince
participated. Before the party set out
the father said to him;
The great thing is not TO lose Your
presence OF mind. Keep thinking of the
tiger. Keep thinking that he is going to
charge you with a cry. Don't let the
cry scare you. Stand like a rock ana
aim we'll II YOU run upon a tiger
crouching in the grass or jungle back
away from him until you can shoot
Don't attempt to run. II you do he'll
have You at the second leap. Don't de-
pend on the other hunters. but take
care of yourself as you would il you
knew there We're no one within miles"
Gordon promised to act on this advice,
and he did as far as he could but cir
cumstances arose to oblige him to face
situation his father had not counted
on. There was a dense growth on either
bank OF the raune. To find the tiger
seemed like looking for a needle in a
for the heaters and their tricks. They
were native men and boys. and they
were provided with drums and tin pans
and fire crackers, and when they ascend
ed the ravine. shouting, drumming and
firing the crackers. the tiger might be
expected TO bolt from his lair any min
ute. So this one would have done If he
hadn't been old and cunning. He had
heard those noises before. and they
hadn't harmed him. He also knew that
as soon as he left the thick cover OF the |
ravine he would be discovered by white |
men ready to send bullets into his body. |
He hadn't lived six or seven years with
out learning a few tricks.
As the heaters went up the ravine |
the hunters kept pace with them above. |
than others. however. and after half a |
mile and the tiger not having shown yet |
on either side, Gordon found himself !
alone. OF course. he could still hear the |
heaters. for the noise was terrific, but |
as for the hunters they had passed on |
or turned back in disgust The tiger |
could come out of the ravine now with !
out danger. The boy stood still for ten |
minutes. thinking it the best thing to |
do, and was just preparing to go on |
uuh ha Ia in ha ND
next second he was in the grip of the |
man-eater he was hunting! The animal |
had let the heaters almost step on him |
as they went up the ravine, and when !
they had passed he climbed the bank. |
The spot happened to be just where |
Gordon Prince was standing. Even II !
the boy had been looking for the tiger !
from that direction he would have had !
no time to shoot. There was neither |
cry nor growl, but a silent spring. Cor |
don was seized by the right hip. tossed |
oser the tigers shoulder. and without
note of alarm he was borne away, still
holding his gun in his hand. The tiger
ran swiftly. and carried his burden with
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