The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1915-03-18
-,.:i-:ss-...-.....s.s..i-f-s-i..ifis;-sit-
/. FINS, FURS AND FEATHERS

There is good hunting in China-ex-
citing enough TO suit any sportsman.
II is thoroughly sportsmanlike, also,
for it is an equal contest betwe the
hunter and his quarry. The quarry Is
tiger.
Tigers in the Chinese:huntinR country
are found in caves IN rocky territory.
The method Of getting one IS simple.
The hunter enters the tigers cave
when the tiger is IN 1t, and shoots.
There are no dogs, no beaters, 10 alds
of any kind, save a native traCker hold
inp a torch. Therefore. It is advisable
10 see the tiger quickly, 70 shoot even
more quickly when you do see him. and
not to miss him when you do shoot.
A traveller VITO tried It once only
oBce-was telling about his experience
the other day. This is his story Of the
most exciting trip he ever took Or ever
expects TO take.
'I happened to be near Annoy, not
long after the recent unpleasantness IN
China, he said, and there | met
friend who is employed in the Chinese
customs service. He is keen sports
man, and | thought then ] was. Nat
urslly, when he showed me several hne
tiger skins and told me that he had
shot the tigers himself in the country
arourd about there, | wanted to shoot
tiger myself.
81 said so. My friend explained that
the tigers were found among the caves,
but didn't raise any serious objection
to that, hearing that there was little
Jungle about there. You see, | didn' t
know.
"My friend said he'd fix it for me.
When was so set on the tiger shoot
ing he was as anxious as /. tie lent
me a rifle, found me a native tracker,
and the next morning the tracker and
| set off.
"We went by best up the river to
the tiger country. After an hour or
two we came to a spot where the banks
were high and rocky. and honeycombed
with many caves and openings. When
we landed, my guide began TO ex-
anime the cave mouths for tracks.
cat last, at the mouth of a large,
dark fssure, he pointed out some marks
in the sand which he said were the
tracks of tiger. He wasn't satisfied
that they were fresh, but nevertheless
he lit a torch and signed to me to
enter.
"Then for the first time realized
Just what was in for.
81 confess freely that ! didn't like
it. | think I'd have backed out If |
could, but there | was, committed to
the enterprise. There was no getting
out of it: so. reassuring myself with
the notion that If my friend could kill
10 I aatrII | hot m q
rifle was properly loaded and stepped
in front of the tracker.
1.-The cave widened inside, and in the
floor of clear white sand the tracks
were plainly visible. The cave was not
large, though, and there was no tiger
inside. Being sure of that, we went on.
'The guide said it was not the regu.
lar haunt of the tiger, but he occasion
ally used it, and now he was pretty
sure he knew the cave where that tiger
would be. he took me to another cave.
There were many tracks at this
one. They led into narrow, dark
opening which you couldn't enter up
right. But the tracker lighted his
torch and signed to me to get down on
my hands and knees and get in.
''Agan was ashamed to refuse.
went in.
Behind me, blocking the passage,
came the tracker, with lighted torch
Just over my shoulder. Cropping on
hands and knees along winding hole
could see only two or three yards
ahead.
Beyond that was inKy blackness.
More than once | thought saw the IT,
gers shape in front of me. But each
time the guide behind me proddedIme
to go on. hated to, but | went.
1--WE must have penetrated Is or e
yards in this way when | found the
passage widening, and saw that it lee
into a larger cave. was Just about
to enter this. congratuIating myself
that here at any rate | could stand u
right and move, instead of being
cramped on hands and knees at The
mercy of whatever there was ahead
when the traCker seized my arm from
behind and pointed over my shoulder
into the darkness.
81 couldn't see a thing at first, and
couldn't describe my feelings but theT
the guide raised his torch little, and
perceived only few yards in front o
me two burning eyeballs, apparently
close to the ground.
ut was casesOf acting quickly ant
making no mistake. | raised my rifle
and with the light of the torch benin,
me on the sights, | aimed straight be
tween the two points Of fire and pulled
the trigger.
The Concussion, in the confined
space, almost deafened me. At tn,
same moment the tracker jammed hi
torch into the sandand eXtinguished it
leaving US in total darkness. Before
knew what was happening, | felt hin
dragging me backward through tn
passage, and in a few seconds we wer
IN the open air.
81 asked the man what was to be uu
next move. | didn't tell him SO, but
was determined on one thing. NOthin
would induce me to enter that cav
again, with possibly only wounde
tiger in it,
However, the man was jubilant
He declared that / had killed the beast
How he knew, seeing that he had eX
tinguished the light the moment fired
couldn't imagine, and he didn't eN
plain.
Nov. was by no means sure that
had hit the tiger at all, but after rt
lighting the torch the native said ther
was no danger and he was going in {
see. He went | stayed outside an
registered mental vow that nothin
should ever persuade me to so temp
Providence again.
The man came out again after whg
seemed to he an interminable interva
aud be was beaming with joy. II
said that the tiger was stone deat
shot through the brain. Then he wer
to fetch the two boatmen TO help l
haul the beast out.
I've did it by tying rope aroun
the body and the three of US pulling o
it, while the fourth guided the weigt
over the rough spots. 1t took an hot
of hauling to do II.
1T proved to be male tiger of M
very large size, but in excellent cond
ton, with beautifully marked Skin
Ry the afternoon we had that Oft an
were on our way home.
"Now, my friend assured me late
that tiger hunting Of that sort was &
safe as such sport could be. Anon
k, ,xp,A1g,,v.