Year: 1876

FRASER maga1lne,I


In the spring of 1862 the Captain
spent nearlya week in the destruc-
ton of famous man-eater, which
had completely closed several roads
and was supposed to have devoured
over hundred human beings. He
occupied large triangle Of coun-
try between the rivers Moran and
Gangal, stopping the work of the
sleeper-contractors on the railway
in the course Of construction in the
Narbada Valley, and striking terror
into a breadth of not less than
thirty to forty miles. Having
pitched his camp in this pleasant
country under a splendid mango
grove, the Captain was laid up for IA
few days by a sprained tendon, dur
ing which time sensational news
was brought in of whole families
of tigers waiting in the river beds
to be killed, and at length that the
man-eater had struck down man
and boy on the high road about
ten miles away. He now resorted
to severe remedies, which after a
few more days permitted him once
more to resume his quest; but in
the meantime numberless stories
were told him of the fearful size
and appearance of the man-eater, of
its belly pendent to the ground,
and the white moon it bore in the
center Of its forehead-of the pork
butcher-like mode in which it
would detain a party Of travellers
while it rolled in the sand, and at
length having inspected them all
around, select the fattest- of his
power Of Transforming himself into
an innocent looking woodcutter,
and calling or whistling through
the woods till an unsuspecting VIC
tim approached; and how the
spirits Of all his victims rode with
him on his head, warning him Of
every danger and guiding him to
the suitable ambush by which a pas
senger would pass. 1t is worth
while noticing the despairing terror
of the people which such supersti-
tious and imaginary details evince,


No clearer proof could be laid
before a reader Of the paralyzing
effect which a man-eater's ravages
appear to produce, when no mans
life is safe for moment, and the
whlrr of every quail or peacock
which springs up near him seems
the bound OF the fell animal which
will strike him down, All the best
shikarries of the country together
with the landowners and many Of
rle ryotS besieged the camp daily,
Many villages we're utterly deserted;
men lived in barricaded houses, and
only left them when compelled by
necessity, and then in large COM
panies, shouting aud beating
drums as they passed along the
roads, This had gone on for a
year, and the country was slowly
being depopulated. Through this
desert then the sportsman rode on
his trained elephant, preceded and
followed by baggage elephants and
protected by guard Of police with
their muskets, and shikarries with
their matchlocks. Traces of the
brute were seen here and there, but
no recent ones, while heaps Of stone
here and there showed where a
traveller had been struck down. At
length. he resched . spot where one
Of the party Of pilgrims had been
carried off the day before, and dis
covered tho sad relics and blood
stained grass which yet told of the
tragedy and pointed out where the
man-eater had dragged the corpse
in a water-course in which its re-
mains were left. 1t was Of no use
waiting for the tiger to return to
its horrid feast, as this one had
learned caution, land never yentured
back to its "kill." All the rest Of
that day, in extreme hsat, the
party beat the jungles OF the Moran
river, thb trsckeEs working in fear
and trembling under the sahib's
elephant and covered by bis rife at
full cock .'aiel,s


Returning TO camp at ni0ht one