Year: 1878

jungle was all animation, cries of birds


and animals rose on all sides, the sun set


and the darkness came on rapidly. For


an hour or more / sat expectant, but the


longed-for tiger came not. Ii was now


TOO dark 10 see TO shoot, 80 we reluctantly


descended and started ON our return.


began TO question Rajma, who spoke
a little broken English, and began 10
doubt that there was a tiger in the


vicinity. Before he had time TO answer
there came a sound from the depths of


the Jungle that made me start and


tremble and look round for n convenient


tree To climb. IL spoke for itself of the


whereabouts of the forest king. He no
doubt suspected something wrong had
scented us, and this was n warning 10
clear out. At any rate il was such a
roar as l never heard any menagerie
tiger give. II was a deep, continuous.
heavy boom, that seemed to fill the
whole forest with a massive volume of
sound that lasted for more than minute.


II seemed aggravating to be ordered out
OF the jungle in that way, but we went.
and stood not on the order Of our going.
for, even with thirty-four-shot repeat.
ing rifle, q tiger is not to be faced i'm the
night


The night l passed in n miserable
Malay hut, fighting aeas and mosquitoes.
and was up early TO hold a council of
war with Rajma. He advised TO take
the entire party of twenty natives,
provide them with tom-toms, or native
drums, which could easily be borrowed
in the village, and go to the same place,
track the tiger to his lair, and then with
the drums rouse him up and drive him
INTO the opening of the jungle, where
could shoot him from the platform. In
less than an hour we were under way
and soon beside the remains of the
buffalo, good deal of which had been
eaten during the night. 1t was still un-
touched by the vultures of iackals.
which Rajma declared was proof that
the tiger was very close by.


l mounted to the platform, as on the
previous day, when Rajma gave the
party directions to beat up the Jungle
about quarter of mile TO the north
OF us, and to gradually circle toward
the opening where we were sitting, the
tracks OF the tiger showing that he had
retired into the forest that way. After
sitting about an hour, with the sun
growing hotter every minute, ] heard
the faint distant sound of the tom toms,
and soon the shout of the natives, who
are courageous enough when after n
tiger in the daytime and armed with n
drum, for tiger has mortal terror of
that kind of noise. The clamor of the
line drew nearer and nearer. A flock of
parrots darted past like fash of blended
sapphire and emerald, while two white
birds OF paradise flashed like two white
streamers across the opening. The
crows were chattering and cawing
trantically a couple of hundred yards
away. Then large deer rushed by, and
Ka)ma pinched my arm and whispered
that the tiger was near and to lOokee
out" j cooked the repeating rife and
waited. My heart beat like trip-ham-
mer, yet my nerves were reasonably
steady. Not breath of air was stirring.
yet slow shiver seemed to run through
a patch of tall grass, swaying it to and
fro, and then some forty yards away
caught the first glimpse of the black
and tawny stripes, moving slowly to the
open ground. | turned TO see if the
extra guns were handy Rajma sat with
them across his knees, with the Creed
moor nearest, for / relied on it's heavy
ball for the settling shot. had often
tried this rife on the range of the Dear
bon Club, and knew could rely on it.
When turned my head again, the tiger
was standing mOtiODless, with only his
head and the great, round glaring eyes
visible, as he looked back and listened
to the noise of the drums and the crash
ing branches. ] might have fired then,
and had my rife to my shoulder, but
Judged II better to wait till he came
nearer and / could see him more clearly.
After a long pause he moved slowly on
until he was almost opposite the tree he
moved most gracefully, his long tail
nervously switching from side to side.


Now was my time. Aiming for his
shoulder, / pulled the trigger and gave
him two shots from the Evans in nUick
succession. He answered the shots with
a sharp, sudden roar, and the noise from
the tom-toms redoubled. When the
smoke cleared away the tiger had
vanished, a slight waving of the grass
where he had retTeated. was
on the point of firing again at the spot
where the grass was swaying TO and fro,
but the Malay laid his hand on nv arm
and whispered Wait" at the same
time putting the Creedmoor rife in my
hand.


~ WNo JAob III LlIllts - Z Ltlbb instant
the grass parted, and, with a loud roar.
a huge black and yellow beast hurled IL
self through the Jungle and came
straight at the tree-his broad face all
ablaze, his great white teeth cleaning.
and his big eyes sparkling green fire
the most perfect picture OF mad. con
suming animal fury / have ever seen.
lhere was no appreciable danger, for
our platform was nearly fifteen feet
above ground, and no tiger can iump
that height. Still, my nerves were ting
ling and IL was an impressive moment
literally, only a moment, for / threw un
the CreedmoOr instantaneously and
fired, without drawing the sights very
fine. The shot took effect, however. for
when the smoke rose there was the tiger
almost under the platform, with the
heavy bullet through the spine, writing
and biting desperately at
the grass and twigs in his great agony.
Another cartridge was slipped speedily
into the breech, more careful aim, and
a bullet sped through his neck. A
shudder ran over the mighty limbs, the
head dropped and the great beast was
dead.


] now felt safe 10 descend. and the
natives soon came up. The dead tiger
was Immediately the center of an ad-
miring group, and comments on his size.
etc. passed freely. He was a fine beast.