Year: 1873

to enjoy the pleasure of angling at the
West India docks, whose gates were open
daily at six o'clock precisely. My way
lay down the Commercial road, fine
wide street several miles in length, and
where great deal of traffic took place,
as the large vans, drays and carts of the
wholesale dealers in London were pass
ing and repassing from morning till
night. The sun shone brightly, and q
balmy southwest wind was blowing gen.
,ly, and l Aattered myself with splen-
did days sport. Gayly marching along,
l was startled by perceiving, at about a
hundred yards distance before me, q
large animal, slowly walking in the mid
die Of the street and to my surprise and
horror, discovered it to be q royal Ben
gal tiger, of enormous size, that had es-
capped during the night from menagerie.
Scarcely believing tho testimony of my
eyesight, did not stop, but walked on a
few yards further. The beautiful and
dangerous animal was not now more than
fifty yards from me; and l stopped in
doubt and fear, not knowing what to do.
l thought if attempted to fly from the
danger the animal would Immediately
pursue and devour me; and, seeing q
large doorway close by, as lightly and
quickly as possible passed within it.
could see the tiger quite plainly as stood
in the doorway; and to my regret, per-
ceived he could see me, as he turned his
green and yellow eyes full upon mine,
and with low growl advanced upon me.
Why he did not at once attack and de-
stroy me cannot explain unless it pro-
ceeded from the fact that 1 never with
drew my gaze from him, but looked
straight into his eyes. l believe l was
enabled to do so not because was braver
than any other person would have been
had they been placed in q similar posi-
ton, but from the fact that was fascinat-
ed by the glare of his eyes, which must
have possessed the Same fascinating pow
er Of the rattlesnake's and imagine
that the animal was endeavoring to over
come my powers Of resistance, and only
waited until, by the dropping Of my eye
lids, he would perceive that all courage
had left me, and that should be an easy
prey.


Silently l gazed on the awful lamps OF
death, that seemed to dart their baneful
light into my brain, and thought of my
wife and little children, and Of my aged
mother, and how in the evening they
would be expecting my return with my
scaly spoil. l imagined what they would
say when the time for my return had
passed by, and what agony they would
endure when informed of my fate. The
actions of my past life seemed to pass in
review before, me mingled with pro-
phetic visions Of the future, when my
children might be in want and misery.
| could see their sweet little faces at tho
window watching with eager eyes for the
return of the loved one they were never
to behold again.


l seemed to hear their voices ringing
in my ears, mingled with the sounds Of
the bells from the church steeple, Chin
ing the half-hour. All this time-which
though not more than minute, seemed
hours-l never took my eyes from the
beast, which now approached within
about twelve feet of me, crouched down
upon the ground and prepared to spring.
l saw the fierce and malignant eyes Of
the ferocious brute glaring in upon me,
and felt powerless to move hand or foot
yet so cute were my perceptions that
even noticed the slow twitching of his
tail as he gently moved it to and fro. In
few minutes my fate would have been
sealed; but the protecting hand of
Heavenly Father was stretched over me
to defend and save, even when / had for
gotten to pray for help and suoeor. A
large dog belonging TO a butcher rushed
from gateway close by, sprang upon
the tiger and bit it in the hind leg. With
fearful growl tho enragcd animal tara-
ed, and seizing the dog with his teeth
seemed to kill my poor defender in an in-
slant, and then walked off with it in his
mouth, and carrying it up to the gate
way, began to devour it. What l felt at
this moment no pen can describe. /
sank upon my knees in humble graft
tude to God, then walked away aslightly
as could tread. About fifty yards from
the spot l met several men from the men
agerie in search OF the tiger. immedi-
ately informed them where he was TO be
found, and they proceeded to secure him
by throwing large net over him. This
was easily accomplished, as he was SO
much engaged ia devouring the dog that
he did not seem to heed anything else.
l felt too much agitated to attempt to
catch any fish that day. / thought that
l had been so near being caught my
self that was not in the humor to catch
any of them 4; but walked home as quick
ly as possible and had the pleasure of
seeing my friend, the tiger, the next day.
when he was snugly confined in his cage.
/ can assure every one that thought
him much handsomer when he was on
one side of the bars and l on the other.
than when we We're SO close together on
the Commercial road English Letter.