Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-07-22
Harbor just because a solitary tiger had

Harbor just because a solitary tiger had
been seen there
To the east we're islands, scores of
them, clustered like flies at the mouth
Of the GangeS. They were low wild.
steaming with vegetation and inhabited
By understanding Hindus. tigers and
buffaloes. They had never been fully
explored by any white man. We moored
/ the craft about 80 feet from shore and
settled for the night. Why so feet from
shore? Why. there are tigers on Sau-
gor The island is full of them. We
were already in the tiger country.
! Yet at the time l could not get prop
| erly frightened over the fact, for it
seemed impossible that within two days
! OF Calcutta / could be in any danger
of being mauled by tiger. III spite of
| the fact that they had been killed be-
| tween us and Calcutta, slept without
| fear, awakening now and then during
the night to wonder if actually would
/ have a chance to use my ancient shot
! gun against one.
We were two days in getting past
Saugor. Strong tides and a southeast
wind confronted us all the way, and we
were forced to wait for an early morn
ing when the sea was calm before we
could reach the lee of the next island
Then more tides and winds held us up,
and rough exoanseS of ocean made sail
ing dangerous.
The islands were so low that 1t was
difficult to tell where the shore line
commenced. Some CT them had
fringe of white beach en- the ocean side
and a back yard of swampy lagoons TO
leewarc; but most OF the islands were
simply spots OF water-logged jungle. 1t
seemed FUTILE to find tigers on any of
la Nesrs tANN- nc1a< n
kept pointing East, telling Mohammed
to keep On, straight into the path of
the rising sun.
On the tenth day trom Calcutta We
approached an island SO large that
could not determine its limit in any
direction. Immense coconut palms, as
tall as those OF Cey.on, fringsd its cage
and although the jungle evergreen the
island INTO the seq, there were inter-
mlttent strips of white that ! knew to
ba sand. The foliage, too. slopsd gently
back over O rise oil earth, and for the
FIRST time since leaving Ceylon looked
upon hill. Not high one. but never
theless a bit of earth one could stand
on free of sharks in case of a high toe,
This surprise of ALL however, was to
see two small boats ahead of us, and to
realize, when the distance between us
kept increasing instead of decreasing,
that they were fleeing toward the shore.
Now and then paddle flashed in the
sun. sometimes they were lost to view
IN the hollow of wave.
Mohanimed had read my mind. for he
followed them. It was an ideal place TO
land, 1t was large enough to hold
hundred tigers. and here were natives
who could help me find one. pointed
toward the spot of beach where they
~ fruA Iva
What name2" 'Bhatohango," he re-
piled, and from his gestures and talk
gathered that maybe it was and Eaaybs
1t wasn't Bnatobango, but the name had
certain renown nevertheless. Ger
tainly had chosen en- ideal island.
The boats, we found upon reaching
shore, were no more than canoes of hol-
lowed logs Mohammed hallooed. bat no
one answered A narrow trail led hack
into the jungle, SO took UP my shotgun
and followed II. Mohammed remaining
with the dhow.
+ WALKED noisily and wfistled as
went IS II to destroy any suspicion
of danger that the natives might hold.
suspected that they we're the half-wild
Hindus had heard Of. and somewhere
had read that whistling man inspires
confidence. These men were TO flnd
me my tiger, so whistled on. and
eventually came 70 q group of matched
huts In clearing. A glance inside told
that they had been hastily deserted, FOR
fires were burning and several baSIets
of fish lay uncovered.
Like Mohammed hallooed: but
there was no answer could net say
anything appropriate In Hindustani, so
I looked in my book and found ready
made phrase that meant, Il am sorry
to trouble you so much" ! called out.
.Afsos hal XII main ap-ke taklif nshin."
That didn't seem appropriate, and the
pronunciation IVES bad, am sure.
Then, realizing that was being close
" observed from the jungle. began TO
act as If wished to impress my obeerv-
ers with my good will laid my gun
on the ground and walked in a circle