Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-12-22
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the marshy clumps of the meadow, the flock OF
Malays trailing us expectantly.
AS we neared the trees we could see the bulge
of a dark body on the limb, half hidden by
leaves. It did not look big enough for a PAN
ther, but whatever it was we had to shoot it, so
we both fired together. The beast dropped dead
as a stone.
1t was no panther. It was a queer, black,
furry beast with long tail whose identity puz-
zled Later we found it was binturong q
very animal, indeed, and the skin
brought back gave to the Field Museum for
study purposes.
The Malays were so jubilant that we thought
they wanted the flesh to eat but no, their pleas
ure was mainly in the event. and was quite dis
proportionate to anything that we felt They
made an absurd procession of triumph all the
way back to the village. Perversely we bore the
luckless creature grudge for running our sleep
and giving Herbert an mwelcome job of skin.
ming on our return.
HOWEVER, we found a little tin of peaches
at traders shop and that sweetened us,
and we snatched couple of hours Of sleep be-
fore we sailed forth in the afternoon for ana
other night of jungle vigil. The natives assured
that they had found fresh tiger tracks MOI
far from our little clearing.
We took COW this time, but it gave us no
more moos than our bull had bellows, and nd
tiger came in. The mosquitoes did but not the
rain. We were so tired that we dozed on our
knees, our guns in our hands.
There was one lovely moment when deer
stood suddenly below us in the soft lamplght:
Wonderingly the startled creature looked at the
light and at the unexpected COW. 1t was as
beautiful and innocent looking as the White
Unicorn in the tapestries. Then it was gone
AC Vun ni0 6od hooIr h.
day we began to feel that the villagers had
poisoned every tiger in the neighborhood We
were sure that we should never see tiger I
said so, pasSionately.
And then saw one.
Malay was reckoning me mysteriously aside
AS we stepped after him he stopped and with
long stick lifted covering from a cage upon the
ground In the cage saw the forlorn and
frightened little fury-a tiny tiger kitten that
was just handful of striped fur, already stick
ing to its ribs with hunger and thirst It's eyes
were wild with terror.
Triumphantly he poked it with stick and
1t went mad with rage and fear, splitting and
clawing at the bars. - -
offer no defense. know that starving little
tiger kittens grow up into big, well fed tigers. I
know that helpless little furry babies outgrow
their helpleSsness. This little thing did not
look as If it had much Of a chance for its life
In the jungles, but any wild fate that overlook
1t there was better than the starvation of its
captivity and the brutality Of its tormentors
had to wait till the Malay was out of sight.
Then one had to be careful about cutting
the sticks of the cage. The only wild tiger
that I had ever seen in the Samaritan jungles
fed like a streak of light
When you are quite grown up" said Sc
verely, to cover my shame, "I will come back
and put you out Of harms way"
We were through with Sumatra It's tigers
apparently were not for us We took a ship for
Indo-China and there, In the heart Of the jun
gle, We had our great adventure.
Copyright, 1929)